Don’t Let Bed Bugs Bite Your Buy to Let Profits
Mention bed bugs and it feels like a step into the past; Families living in over-crowded accommodation, children crowded into one, possibly urine stained and smelling, bed. No washing machines then to...
View ArticleAnother Judgement from Judge Rinder
I know this is the second item in recent times which has been prompted by Judge Rinder and I can almost hear the comments about someone who spends her whole time watching television. That really is...
View ArticleThe Priorities of the Chancellor
Chancellor Sajid Javid’s spending round, outlining departmental budgets for 2020/21, have proved a disappointment to housing professionals, local authorities and those in need of housing, failing as it...
View ArticleBrexit, Europe, and Home Ownership
I am totally sick of the Brexit saga for the UK to leave Europe, and suspect many of the population feel the same, irrespective of their private feelings about being in or being out. Freight companies...
View ArticleSquirrels – Some Unwanted Pests Have Fluffy Tails
Both being ‘townies’ born and bred, it was a source of great delight to find that we had squirrels in the trees at the end of our garden after buying our home, which adjoined a country park. Not,...
View ArticleOCD Landlord Versus Untidy Tenant
The fact that I now believe the landlord to suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Behaviour (OCD) is a recent development; in my previous dealings with him, he had seemed a very nice landlord, with a...
View ArticleBuy to Let Property Renting is a Business
Many landlords are employed in business or professions; private renting is an additional income, perhaps to provide an income in older age, so I am fully aware that many have successful additional...
View ArticleLandlords Can Turn To Short-term Lettings To Fill Void Periods
Short-term lettings are a viable solution for filling lengthening void periods, as research shows that the average time taken to fill an empty property increased in most regions of England and Wales in...
View ArticleHalloween – Trick or Treat for the Private Landlord?
October comes, this season of ‘Mists and Mellow Fruitfulness’, but also of Trick or Treat. Some people love it and will decorate their homes with pumpkins, skulls, chains of dancing skeletons. Each to...
View ArticleLHA and the Private Rental Sector
LHA (Local Housing Allowance) determines how much a person on benefits can receive towards housing and depends on the area in which they live. So how did it come about? Once upon a time, there was...
View ArticleSmall Bedrooms Are Still Bedrooms
An interesting case concerning bedrooms caught my eye and I initially had some sympathy for the tenants. A couple and their 2 young children, both under 10 years, lived in a private rented property in...
View ArticleAre We All Excited About the December Election?
Excitement does not describe what I am feeling about the December election at this time, more cynicism and a sense of Déjà vu. We have been told for months, if not years, that if we ever exit the...
View ArticleFurniture Can Make the Difference in Your Rental Property
As the election draws near, debates and interviews with politicians all become part of the furniture, but what does it mean to the buy to let sector? Election campaigning does not seem to be giving...
View ArticleLifetime Rental Deposits and the Private Rental Sector
With the suggestion that lifetime rental deposits could be an option in the future, could it be that a political party has finally come up with something beneficial for the private rental sector? I...
View ArticleMake Fire Hazard Checks on Your Property Inspections
Buy to let property investors need to make fire hazard checks during the regular property inspections that I am sure they all do during their tenancies. Regular readers of the little things I write (I...
View ArticleWhere is the Justice for the Landlord
It is a bad day when a lack of justice causes a law-abiding, tender-hearted person like me to feel prompted to quote Mr. Beadle (Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist) and say ‘The law is an ass’, but a recent...
View ArticlePreparing for and Dealing with Property Emergencies
Property emergencies can take minutes to occur and much longer to remedy. Therefore, it is essential that buy to let property investors understand their responsibilities and what can be done to ensure...
View ArticleCheck and Check Again Before You Pay a Contractor
Most landlords feel happier if they can do their own remedial work, rather than employ a contractor. Yes, it saves them money, but also ensures works are carried out to a satisfactory standard....
View ArticleAvoiding Problems when renting Property to Tenants
Part 1 – Setting things up right We are at the start of a new decade and many landlords are panicking. New regulations, lots of new regulations, are making renting property harder. However, so long...
View ArticleNew Year Resolutions for Government
The new year is here, December has come and gone, but my fingers have remained still on the keyboard. We have had a general election and despite the many expectations of a different result, Mr Johnson...
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