Tag Archives: renting

Is your property winter ready?

Posted on 10th December 2018

 
As a landlord, it is your responsibility to make sure that your properties and tenants are winter ready. Keeping on top of essential maintenance is vital and keeps tenants happy.
Prepare

Communicate – Talk to your tenants. Ask if there are any issues that they are concerned by. Make sure that all emergency contacts are up to date.
Set up and emergency plan – A ring binder in for every binder full of emergency telephone numbers, helpful advice, where the stopcock/fusebox/gas and electricity meters are. All useful to […]

Letting a Property Furnished or Unfurnished?

Posted on 4th July 2013

 
Letting a Property Furnished or Unfurnished?
With a very competitive rental market at the moment you want to make sure that your property has the edge on others in the same area. Many landlords do this by furnishing the property so it is an easy move, especially for those who are moving out of their family home. It means that they don’t have to worry about saving extra money for furniture as it is already going to be supplied. Often furnished properties find tenants quicker because […]

A Century of Change for the UK housing market

Posted on 29th April 2013

UK housing market – Home ownership has fallen for the first time in almost a century according to the Office of National Statistics, who has recently published a report based on information gathered during the 2011 Census.
In 1918, three-quarters of Britons rented. Home ownership was the preserve of the wealthy few. After the Second World War, the percentage of people owning their homes started to steadily increase. Rising wages meant that home ownership started to become something that many more could aspire to. By 1971, […]

Warm Tenants, Happy Landlords?

Posted on 23rd January 2013

 
Happy Landlords – The recent increase in the percentage of people renting rather than owning, and the resultant rising rents has meant that many tenants are more demanding of their landlords than they once were. Those who would have expected to buy in the past, but instead find themselves renting for the foreseeable future as the banks clamp down on credit, can be tougher customers than the students and short-term renters who once made up a higher percentage of the market. Keep them happy by […]

Property Renovation – How to Buy a Wreck and Make Money

Posted on 10th December 2012

 
Property Renovation – Buying a property to let always involves an element of risk. The rental market might falter, bringing down your monthly income. Mortgage interest rates might go up. Tenants might not pay rent on time. When you buy a property that needs a lot of work or conversion before you can let it, the risks grow. The cost of renovating a property nearly always turns out to be higher than the original builders’ quotes, as until work is started, it’s impossible to tell […]

No-Smoking in your property?

Posted on 5th December 2012

No-Smoking in your property?
Any experienced landlord will know that post-tenant clean-ups can be a real challenge, especially if you’re doing it yourself. Certain parts of the house can get extremely dirty, especially if they are rarely used. Getting kitchens and in particular, ovens cleaned may even require costly professional work (getting an oven professionally cleaned costs around £60-80).
The worst of all cleaning nightmares is smoke. Removing the odour and stain of smoke is one of the most challenging cleaning tasks, so it is important that […]

The Pros and Cons of Letting Agents

Posted on 19th November 2012

If you are just starting out as a landlord, with only one or two properties on your hands, it is tempting to try and manage them yourself rather than pay letting agents fees every month – which can be as high as 15% (although most are lower – some as little as 5%). Managing your property yourself sounds easy enough – but it is important to consider whether you can do it effectively, and if it’s really worth it.
Why you should
If you don’t have a […]

The Bleak Truth about Mortgages

Posted on 16th November 2012

The Bleak Truth about Mortgages – We the mortgage situation was bad, especially for first time buyers, but we didn’t know quite how bad. There is an increasing gap between those who have a property (and property insurance)and those who haven’t and are aspiring. Getting a mortgage 5 years ago was easy. Now, not so, and not only do you need to prove you have a steady income, but you also need a hefty deposit to secure anything (decent or not), especially in London. The […]

Why Landlords Should Aim for Quality

Posted on 17th September 2012

 
There is much scrutiny on the UK property market at the moment, and much concern that first-time-buyers are unable to get on to the property ladder. With social housing only available to those on the lowest incomes, many who would have bought a home in the recent past are now renting. They are likely to continue to do so for the foreseeable future, too.
Responsibility
This presents an opportunity for landlords, but also a responsibility. When renting was seen mainly as a short-term stop-gap for young people […]

The Friday Five: – Favourite Countries to Buy a Property

Posted on 27th July 2012

It seems everyone at the moment is packing up and moving to another country or investing in properties abroad. So we decided that for this week’s Friday Five we would find the most popular places abroad to buy a property.
By renting out a property abroad it could be a great way to make some extra income and have a holiday home for a couple of weeks a year. Research is always key when buying any property and there are many additional costs that may not […]