*WARNING* The Government issue “How to Rent Guide” with incorrect date stamp

Gosh, it’s good to be back. It’s been a while since my last post and so much has happened in that time; I hate being away from the blog and sharing all the industry and local news. Undoubtedly the biggest reason for the gap in my posts has been that I was involved in a […]
HMOs benefit from the highest rental yields – FACT

Recently I had a landlord contact me asking me to manage his “fully refurbished” property. On meeting him at the property, I can only describe what I was greeted with as utterly disgusting. I’d go so far as to call this property a slum. I can assure you that it felt really good to let […]
Section 21 abolition – the time to speak is now

In April the Government announced plans to scrap Section 21 notices. In a widely ridiculed move that will see landlords lose the power to easily regain access to their own properties, a consultation is to be completed to explore the implications of the move and set the terms of the new law. That consultation won’t […]
New tax year, new tax changes. What buy-to-let investors need to know for 2019

As we welcome (!) a new tax year, I’ve been reading up on what that means because – as always – there are more changes. The implications for buy-to-let landlords are considerable, although not unanticipated and there are also a few market legislation changes that I think it’s important to recap too. So here’s a […]
How a gas safety certificate has prevented a landlord gaining access to his property

An interesting case was heard at Exeter County Court last month when a judge ruled that a landlord could not regain possession of their property because of a technicality relating to the issuance of a gas safety certificate. It seems the landlord in question had failed to serve a gas safety certificate in accordance with […]
Sensationalised headlines and the truth of a “sales figure collapse”

I read the headline “Shock fall-through figures show almost 50% of sales collapsing” this week and thought, oh no. But as is always the case, the devil is in the detail…. So firstly, let’s examine the detail. The article from Estate Agent Today was based on data from a ‘quick buy’ property company. Granted, the […]
New year, new start…the merits of Medway are attracting first time buyers

The new year is in full flow already and it’s started with planning my goals and plans for 2019. Anyone who reads my blog with any regularity will know that I like to focus on the positives. I’m a fairly optimistic person and I believe that good things happen to good people. So this year my […]
A 7.3% rise in new builds, prospering business parks + £22m highway investment – The Kent Property Report headlines

This year’s Kent Property Market Report has been published and it is packed full of good news for Medway. It’s a detailed report produced by Caxtons Chartered Surveyors, Kent County Council and Locate in Kent, designed to give a concise appraisal of property development and investment across the county, broken into six key areas of […]
Autumn 2018 Budget update for landlords

Following on from my landlords tax post, the autumn Budget didn’t exactly deliver the good news we had perhaps hoped for. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond has given very little in the way of help for property investors in Medway or anywhere really. Anticipated waivers of Capital Gains Tax for landlords selling to […]
Tax, tax, tax, tax, tax…. Is a landlord tax bill of 66% really a possibility?

Over the past year, the government clampdown on the buy-to-let sector has continued to throw doubt into the minds of investors about the viability of making a decent return on buy-to-let investments. Landlords tax bills are rising and new laws designed to protect tenants – such as the Right to Rent scheme – no doubt […]