Category Archives: Best Practice Guides for Landlords

How can landlords help young people find homes?

A recent report published by the housing charity Shelter has shown that nearly half of all twenty to thirty four year olds are still living with their parents as they cannot afford to get onto the housing ladder. To make matters worse, this demographic is also struggling to afford current rent prices, meaning that we are seeing a generation of young people unable to leave home. As a landlord, you may think that this doesn’t affect you, however helping young people find homes can be […]

3 Reasons Rogue Landlords are back in the News

Rogue landlords are generally in the news as they are causing a number of issues in the private rental sector. However, this week we have seen even more reports than usual on rogue landlords as political leaders are discussing what changes they would implement if they came into power after the General Election. Here, PropertyQuoteDirect looks at the reasons why rogue landlords have been back in the news this week and what this means for the private rental sector:

How will the Immigration Act 2014 affect Landlords?

Immigration Act – Around this time last year the Queen announced in her annual speech that the government had introduced a new Immigration Bill which would require landlords to vet all their potential tenants in order to make sure that they are in the country legally. Naturally, many landlords and industry experts were concerned over this new Bill, however it is still planned to go ahead October of this year. Here, PropertyQuoteDirect explains the purpose behind the Bill, why so many landlords are against it, […]

How Landlords can stay on the right side of the HMRC

Earlier this week the HMRC announced that they are launching a new online tutorials aimed specifically at those who work in the private rental sector. A few years ago it was revealed that the HMRC was owed millions of pounds by those in the private rental sector as many landlords had failed to fill in their self-assessment forms properly. So what does the HMRC’s new scheme mean for landlords and how can you stay on the right side of them?

How Landlords can prepare for the next General Election

How Landlords can prepare for the next General Election – Over the past few weeks PropertyQuoteDirect has mentioned the next General Election in a number of our blog and news articles, mainly due to the fact that whatever happens in the next twelve months will have a huge impact on the private rental sector. Therefore, it is wise for landlords to start protecting their businesses now, however how can this be done and what changes do landlords realistically need to protect themselves against? Here, PropertyQuoteDirect […]

Landlord Regulation Under Scrutiny

Landlord Regulation Under Scrutiny – If you’re a landlord you probably feel like there’s quite enough regulation that you have to worry about at the moment. While a simple 2 bed property might be easy enough to run on a day-to-day basis, local and national regulation for HMOs can be an enormous burden for landlords. Couple this with things like council tax, landlord insurance and tenant management and it’s no surprise that many landlords find themselves having to give up other occupations to work full […]

The Growing Issue of Welfare Reforms and Landlords

The welfare reforms have been discussed at length in the news recently, mainly due to the fact that they are affecting thousands of people across the UK. The coalition government claim that the whole point of the welfare reforms is to make the benefit system fairer, however a number of schemes have already put some people in danger of losing their homes. Here, PropertyQuoteDirect looks at the issue in further detail:

How Landlords can Protect their Finances

How Landlords can Protect their Finances – This week has been extremely busy for landlords, as George Osborne announced his plans for the UK economy in the Budget 2014. Naturally, there are points that some are happy with – such as the fact that non UK residents will soon also have to pay Capital Gains Tax – however there are others which are raising concerns.
This is why many landlords are now taking the time to make sure that their finances and investments are secure. Here, […]

Predictions for the Property and Private Rental Markets

Rental Markets – Due to the effects of the recession, even the smallest of changes to the property and private rental markets can have a huge effect on landlords, and unfortunately it looks like things are set to change very soon. 2014 has already seen both markets starting to re-gain momentum, however not everyone is as pleased about this as others. Here, we look at some predictions for the property and private rental markets which could affect your business in the near future:

Preparing your rental property for flooding

 
With the risk of flooding being very real for many at the moment, it is important as a landlord that you have done all you can to protect your investment as well as your tenants. This is why PropertyQuoteDirect has put together a guide on the best ways of ensuring you are as well prepared for the floods as possible.
Obviously, the main point of flood proofing is to keep water out or at least as much as you can. If your properties are flooded then […]