Entries by Joanna Plane

Landlords should take advantage of tax breaks

It’s recently been in the press that too many buy-to-let landlords are failing to claim back all the costs associated with renting out a property when they submit their tax returns. New research by Paragon shows that a failure to become fully tax-efficient is having a huge impact on landlords’ property investments as they are […]

Unlicensed landlords hit with bill

It has just been reported that a husband and wife who let five flats in Salford without a license have been hit with a bill for £5,800. Warnings that they did not have the correct paperwork were ignored by owners Peter and Frances Kavanagh. They were fined £525 per property and ordered to pay costs. […]

Work from home tenants

Tenants running businesses from their rented properties have been put under the spotlight following a recent case in Nottingham. The tenant in question hadn’t set up as a local AVON rep or as a web designer working from a back bedroom, no, this individual was running a scrap metal business from his front garden for […]

Rents rise again in April but rent arrears climb

Latest Landlord News by: Madalena Penny Rents increased again in April, according to latest data captured by LSL property services.  In their most recent Buy-to-Let Index, LSL recorded a 0.8% rents rise across average rents in England & Wales, a rise averaging out at £692 per month for a typical property. As you would expect, […]

The trouble with ‘accidental’ landlords….

Latest Landlord News by: Madalena Penny 10 skips, mattress’s and an old sofa was still not enough for one private landlord to barricade in tenants and deter them from leaving a plush £1million rented property. For someone who has written for the private rented sector for some years, there is something very odd about that […]

HMO Landlords win application for Judicial Review

Latest Landlord News by: Madalena Penny Controversy surrounding local licensing and planning policies imposed on landlords in the private sector has again stepped up a pace.  Hundreds of landlords have won the right for a judicial review over HMO selective licensing schemes imposed by local authorities. Last week 350 landlords in the Accrington area were […]

Problem Tenants Versus Landlord Guidelines

Latest Landlord News by: Madalena Penny Do-it-Yourself landlords are falling foul of harassment code, warns ‘Legal 4 Landlords’.  The private landlord legal experts with a national presence across the UK are advising landlords new to the BTL industry to review methods when contacting tenants. Private landlords using unprofessional self-employed agents recruited socially and paid on […]

BTL Lending Arrears Rise

Latest Landlord News by: Madalena Penny An increase in the of the number of Buy-to-Let properties repossessed increased by 0.13% for the first three months of this year compared to Q4 2010.  1,700 BTL properties were taken by lenders in the 3 months running up to March 2011 – a rise from the 1,400 reclaimed […]

Welfare Groups Ask for Review over Universal Credit

Latest Landlord News by: Madalena Penny Will landlords reduce the number of tenancies offered to housing benefit claimants?   An alliance of private rented sector, property and charity bodies are to take on the DWP over direct housing benefit payment policy, due to be introduced in 2013.  Under the new proposed Universal Credit system, benefits […]

How Can Letting Agents Pick-Up More Private Landlords & BTL Properties?

Latest Landlord News by: Madalena Penny Ask any letting agent and it’s the same story…..they need more private landlords with decent, available accommodation to let.  Since the great property famine descended upon the UK and house prices bombed and sales became stagnant, estate agents focused through necessity on lettings in the wake of restricted mortgages […]

COURT EVICTION PROCESS FAILS LANDLORDS

A RADICAL shake-up of the county court eviction process is needed to help landlords get rid of problem tenants, according to a lettings industry specialist. Sim Sekhon, director of Legal 4 Landlords, is calling on both Her Majesty’s Court Service (HMCS) and the Government to reform the way tenant evictions are handled in court. Sim […]

Further Crackdowns on Rogue Landlords

Latest Landlord News by: Madalena Penny   Local authorities across the UK are stepping up campaigns to overhaul properties rented out by private landlords.  Last week, housing enforcement staff at Derby City Council announced they had been called in to inspect up to 700 homes in the borough in the last 12 months due to […]

Scotland’s BTL Property Update

Latest Landlord News by: Madalena Penny Love it or loathe it, as residential rental property increases in value across London and a divide between north and south widens, the same trends appear to befalling Scottish regions. Extensive research by ‘Citylets’ shows like for like tenant-demand and are riding high with property hotspots, mainly in Aberdeen […]

Avoid the Rental Scammers and Dodgy Letting Agents

Latest landlord News by: Madalena Penny As residential rental scams reach an all time high, involving elaborate cons costing unsuspecting tenants thousands of pounds in lost deposits and rent, the rise in unethical letting agents riding on the continued wave of tenant-demand is also reaching unprecedented levels. Last year, the Property Ombudsman (TPO) revealed that […]

Criteria for Housing Benefit Paid Direct to Landlords – Your Questions Answered

Latest Landlord News by: Madalena Penny Information published concerning direct housing benefit payments and housing benefit reductions are still causing confusion to a majority of landlords.  There are still a number of questions landlords have regarding the changes and the criteria set by local authorities in which housing benefit can be paid direct to the […]

Some Landlords Do Ave 'Em

Latest Landlord News by: Madalena Penny The current lack of available housing stock resulting in demand for rental accommodation has paved the way for the return of the reluctant landlord along with new investors looking for long-term growth in the BTL sector as opposed to investing into pension schemes. The most widely offered tenancy, the […]

Rent Arrears Decline – Demand Still Rising

Latest Landlord News by: Madalena Penny The first quarter this year has been a strong indicator as to the national residential rental trends being established across England and Wales.  As you would expect residential rents have risen in much of the UK’s rental hotspots and tenant arrears have fallen as first-time buyers flooding the rental […]

Social Landlords Enter The Private Sector

Latest Landlord News by: Madalena Penny The severe shortage of available housing stock in both the social and private sectors has prompted yet another council to dip their toe into private rented sector property management.  Doncaster ALMO (Arms Length Management Organisation) St. Leger Homes has announced they are establishing a private landlord register. As a […]

Landlord Security…How Safe Are You?

Latest landlord News by: Madalena Penny Last week in Wolverhampton, a tenant who threatened her 76 year-old landlord with an imitation gun is now facing trial at crown court.  In a conversation concerning the tenant’s rent arrears, the 21-year-old tenant brandished a cigarette lighter in the guise of a gun, she then informed her landlord […]

Renting to Young People and Teenage Mothers

Latest landlord News by: Madalena Penny Unemployment figures released yesterday reveal that there are now 2.48 million people unemployed.  One in five young people are without work, with a rise in unemployment for 16-25 year-olds increasing by 12,000 on the quarter.  Unemployment affecting 16-17 year-olds has also reached an all time high leading to 218,000 […]