Category Archives: Landlord News

How Landlords can Protect their Finances

Posted on 21st March 2014

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

Posted on 7th March 2014

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:

First Time Landlord Checklist

Posted on 23rd January 2014

Landlord Checklist:
The private rental sector plays a huge role in providing comfortable homes for people, so having access to the right information is important, especially for first time landlords who may need guidance to be able to run a successful business.
PropertyQuoteDirect understands that becoming a first time landlord can be daunting which is why we have created a basic checklist that’s easy to understand.

Electrical safety for landlords

Posted on 12th June 2013

Electrical safety for landlords – Landlords are being urged to pay more attention to electrical safety. A new report by the Electrical Safety Council shows that a fifth of tenants have been put at risk by faulty or damaged electrics.
Landlords are legally required to carry out gas safety checks, and get a gas safety certificate, every year. The rules on electrics are much woollier. Landlords are required to make sure that the electrics are safe, but there is no requirement for an annual check and […]

London Assembly calls for rental reform

Posted on 10th June 2013

London Assembly calls for rental reform – The London Assembly is proposing significant changes to the way the private rented sector is regulated and managed in London.
The Assembly, which works alongside the Mayor of London, wants to see rents controlled in the capital, longer tenancies and registration of landlords. Assembly member Len Duvall said that reform is needed to ensure that the capital’s housing conditions do not return to ‘Dickensian squalor’.

Legal for Landlords: know your rights

Posted on 3rd June 2013

Legal for Landlords: know your rights
Landlords often fail to protect their legal rights properly. Many see housing law as being there mainly to protect tenants. It should be used to protect landlords too.
The law can be complex. And when you have a long to-do list to deal with, it’s easy to push understanding the law to the bottom of it. We’ve covered landlords’ legal responsibilities recently. Now we’ve put together this list of the basics to help landlords know their rights.

Being an accidental landlord

Posted on 29th May 2013

Being an accidental landlord – Not every landlord wants to be a landlord. According to figures from Rightmove, around 30% of landlords are so-called ‘accidental landlords’.
These are people who have been forced into letting out a property they bought to live in. Usually, they need to move, but find they can’t sell. They may be in negative equity, or simply finding it difficult to achieve a decent price for their home in a slow market. House prices are recovering from the 2008 crash, but the […]

Landlords and Mortgages

Posted on 24th May 2013

Landlords and Mortgages
Over the past few months there have been numerous news stories regarding the Bank of Ireland and how they have implemented massive interest rate increases for the majority of their tracker and variable mortgages. We have also heard that some landlords are starting to struggle when it comes to interest only mortgages, as many have failed to budget in order to pay back the loan once the interest only term is over. So here we look at the importance of mortgages for landlords […]

More first-time landlords enter the market

Posted on 15th May 2013

The number of first-time landlords is continuing to grow according to Paragon Mortgages. The mortgage specialist says that 22% of the mortgages it issues now go to new landlords. The figure has been growing since 2009, when the buy-to-let industry began to recover from the 2008 crash.

Landlords told to vet migrant tenants

Posted on 8th May 2013

migrant tenants – The government is to start requiring landlords to check the immigration status of their tenants. If they don’t, they will face fines of several thousand pounds.
The move will be announced in tomorrow’s Queen’s speech, which marks the state opening of parliament. It is part of the Immigration Bill, which seeks to crack down on illegal immigration. It sits alongside measures designed to stop employers from taking on illegal immigrants. While the Bill will be welcomed by many, it is expected to face […]