Richlist

I don't think my buyers would thank me for taking out the kitchen. It sounds an expensive & messy exercise that probably wouldn't be cost effective. 😂 It's the same for me as it is for most people when selling a rental......there's gonna be some costs.....and some of them might be unexpected.

I guess most of us pay at least a bit of council tax when a rental property is empty, between tenancies. For the lucky ones among us who manage to let their properties quickly the council tax may only be a few days or a week or two at most. With a 50% discount, for me, a couple of weeks amounts to about £30. After tax that's cost me £18.......so no big deal. The issue is when you sell.......I have a property that's been empty for 4 months, so far. We have a buyer but can't see sale completion until June, possibly July ( it's leasehold and always takes at least 4 months). So, I've used up my 3 month discount period and am now paying FULL council tax (£122 pcm) for a totally empty property ! It gets worse .....if you add the cost of council tax, electricity, service charges, ground rent, regular visits to the property it's costing around £200 pcm. Empty for 6 months = approx £1000

It's a Conservative majority. No idea when it's going to 150%......hopefully it won't affect me.

My current Council Tax bill is.......wait for it......£440+ pcm. My council give 50% discount for 3 months, then it's 100%. So if like me you have one being sold and you're paying 100%, one empty between tenancies and you're paying 50% and your own property it soon mounts up. Ok, two of them are tax deductable......but it still hurts.

As far as I'm aware....you can raise the rent as much as you like and provided the tenant accepts the rise thats ok. However.....the tenant may look elsewhere for rental property or may choose to have the increase determined by the rents tribunal.

All very useful info BUT the OP hasn't mentioned a wasps nest ....... the neighbour has only said there are wasps around the front of the house. I don't see that a landlord is responsible for a few wasps. Perhaps Adonaghy can clarify ?

The weather is warm, it's the time of year for wasps so you've got to expect a few here and there. Your tenants haven't complained so let the neighbour sort out her own problems. I'm sure there are plenty of proprietary products on the market that she could purchase and use. In England we expect people to help themselves as a first course of action.....not talk to the next door landlord.

So you are both very upbeat then ?.......there's no sign of doom and gloom whatsoever .......we can all look forward to a very profitable future ! Can't wait.....isn't it exciting ?😂

The various changes to the PRS that have been proposed over the years often surprise me, firstly that they get so far and secondly that they often become law. Let's not forget that many MPs are also landlords. You would think they might have some first hand experience of the problems that some of the proposed changes might create.

I'm sure tenants could draw up a list of problems that the current rules/arrangements cause them. The Gov feel they need to balance the scales.....specifically...... note: specifically with regard to no fault s21 notices. Done correctly it will be an improvement.......when we have all the details, including all the changes/improvements to the court process, then we'll know how good or bad it is. 2 final points. * An alternative would be a Labour Government.......who are going to be very, VERY unfriendly to landlords...but I don't think many will want that. * In spite of all the complaints, protests, disapproval and objections landlording for most of us has been and and continues to be a profitable way to invest our money. Whilst some are selling up and moving on there is no shortage of new people coming on board. Therefore the Gov can afford to push the boundaries out whilst looking to acieve happy tenants, happy landlords and increased revenues.

Surely one article provided by the ludicrously biased BBC doesn't allow anybody to make a judgement ? There is just not enough information about the proposed changes yet. I refuse to adopt a cynical attitude that everything the Government do regarding the private rental sector is bad. Let's fully understand the changes to the court process that forms part of this proposal before jumping to the wrong conclusion.

There are so many other reasons for not taking HB tenants.... * Mortgage lenders forbid it. * Lettings agents don't deal with HB. * Insurers don't allow it. If the Gov want property let to HB they should have kept more council properties.

I have never failed to find a legitimate reason for rejecting any applicant. People's lives are complex and everyone is different. It's the same with job interviews......you just pick the best person suited to the position. With HB tenants i find a large proportion have pets......I don't want pets. Many of them smoke......I don't want smokers. Etc, etc ,etc. It always amazes me when I watch tv programmes about HB or single mums or poor people who can barely scrape enough money together to feed themselves.......many of them have dogs & smoke.

There is absolutely no doubt that this information is incorrect. 1. Plastering and plaster board on interior walls IS part of the fabric of the building. 2. Plastering is almost never part of contents insurance. Whoever you have spoken to clearly doesn't understand the situation.

I have no experience of this situation but if I look at the situation from my own perspective i'd comment as follows: * Surely carpets don't need to be 'ripped' up.....thats rather emotive language. They can be carefully lifted, stored in another room and refitted on completion of the work. * I'd have thought replastering interior walls was the responsibility of the freeholders as that forms part of the fabric of the building. Although, the devil is in the lease which generally lays out what the freeholders and leasehold are generally responsible for. Suggest you read the lease carefully. * All the other items that they will not pay for seems entirely normal to me. * Of course, you have the option of taking legal action.....possibly through the small claims court, for reimbursement of your costs. I'd recommend you seek legal advice first to determine if you have a case against the freeholder.

Ok Q1 = No Q2 = Yes Q3 = No Result = Not required to register

How did you get to question 7 ? When I followed the link there were only 3 questions. Your last post would suggest that just by obtaining the applicants name is enough to mean a landlord would need to register for GDPR........and that surely can't be correct.

I don't consider holding a piece of paper showing a tenants name, previous address, mobile phone number/ work phone number &/or email address sufficient to register for GDPR. GDPR is further justification for taking out RGI. That way the insurance company hold the tenants details not the landlord. Most landlords who use an agent for admin are unlikely to need to register for GDPR.

My information is that it doesn't affect landlords. Can you provide a link showing otherwise ?

Many buy to let mortgages do not allow you to let the property to YOUR family members. You can of course let to an unrelated family provided they meet the other criteria set by your lender. Just read your terms and conditions for details.

If an agency is fully managing the property for you i.e. doing everything, then it makes perfect sense for them to want a professional inventory produced. Of course, you could manage the property yourself. You could then choose to do your own inventory (which many of us do). In this business, every time you choose NOT to comply with any one of the items on the list you are either: 1. Massively increasing the risk of something going wrong which ultimately will hit you in the pocket. or 2. Not complying with legal requirements.

If your property has been previously let and is currently empty, available to rent and being actively marketed as such then the cost of repairs and maintenance IS TAX DEDUCTABLE. Never, ever accept tax advice from estate agents.....always check.

Those locks are not overly expensive and changing them is an easy diy job....Some people change them every time they have a new tenant. I assume you are not local so would not be able to do it yourself ? The issue with having the agent deal with any repair is that the final cost consists of the price of the parts, the contractor labour cost and the bit the agents adds on for arranging the work......then there is vat to add on....so it's always going to be much more expensive than by getting the job done any other way. Get onto the agents, give them a contact number that they can get hold of you 24/7 and set limits on how much they can spend before they need your approval......put it in writing. Make it clear that you won't pay if they dont follow the agreed process. The only good news here is that its all tax deductible. Good luck.

If the lock don't work its gonna need fixing irrespective of wether it's 3 years old or not. But, on the face of of it this sounds very wrong for the agent to get the work done without approval. However, I assume you signed a contract/ agreement with the agents when you appointed them to handle your rental property. What exactly did you agree to ? Check it first, you may have signed giving the agent authority to get repairs done up to a specified limit.

Most of us know developments that look run down, scruffy, lacking in maintenance, require a coat of paint/ hedges trimmed/ trees cut back etc etc. My experience is that in the main, low service charges = low maintenance. This in turn negatively affects property values. Don't get hung up on saving a couple of hundred pounds from your service charge account. The money will often be more than compensated for in property values. ........and before anybody complains, there are always going to be a few exceptions to the rules.