Richlist

So, we will vote on 12th December. BUT.....who do we vote for if we want the best out come for landlords in the private sector ??????? Rumours of Boris Johnson having been found dead in a ditch in Westminster this morning along with the story that the police were questioning over 300 parliamentary suspects appears to be fake news. Also fake news was the story that some members had mud on their shoes from the very same ditch.....turns out it wasn't mud but bullshit. The story is that this came from a farm in the home counties named 'Cancel Brexit Farm' frequented by the Liberals & SNP and various other non descript rebels. You just can't believe everything you hear of read these days. Boris is alive and preparing to take us out of Europe. 3 cheers for Boris !

I've found that advertising early is nearly always a disadvantage. That's because prospective tenants want to view the property ASAP which means it's going to be presented to them when it's far from ready ie......existing tenants still in property, decorating/ building materials everywhere etc etc.

As a landlord I use MS Excel.

What parts of 'London' do to cover ? Central London, Greater London, Inside the M25, London Southend Airport area etc ?

Although I have bought leasehold flats where the sellers solicitor has tried, unsuccessfully, to get me to pay the seller for their contribution to the reserve fund, in addition to the agreed selling price. I think this usually happens during periods of rapid capital growth, as I recall, it happened on a number of my purchases prior to the 2008 crash when property prices were rising quite rapidly. So, all you smart, shiny sellers with sharp teeth might like to try your luck next time you sell. You never know your luck, if the buyers are really, really keen on the property you might persuade them to coff up even more money.

Yes and I own a flat where the share of the service charges is based on the floor area of the flat....there are numerous ways of doing it, leases vary. But, can you imagine the arguments that would result of only the affected properties were asked to pay. Here are a few examples that I've experienced over the years * X1 loose/leaking roof tile affecting just one top floor flat. * Drains running under the floor of ground floor flat had to be dug up and relaid. * Maintenance of communal gardens.....only used by one flat ( other two flats empty). * Flat roofs on 1st floor stairwell need refelting. All these examples were paid by contributions from ALL flat owners.

If the lease makes all leaseholders responsible then that's the rules. When 2nd and 3rd floor carpets are replaced it normally follows that ground floor entrance carpets are replaced as well. Whilst I can understand that you are not happy about the situation....non of us are, I am absolutely astonished that you feel a need to ask WHY ? Leases are written this way in order to make the distribution of contribution as easy as possible. Having anything other than an equal share could result in arguments, disagreements increased administration and increased costs. When you became a leaseholder you signed to comply with all requirements of your lease......what part of that commitment don't you understand ? You can choose not to pay, it's a free world, the choice is yours, but ultimately, I believe, you run the risk of ending up.in court, trashing your credit rating, obtaining a judgement against you and ultimately, possibly forfeiting your lease. That's the fun of leasehold property and why most of us pay. Good luck.

How long is a piece of string ? If you have to make/ defend a claim then you might consider its necessary. If like me you have never had to make / defend a claim you might consider its money down the drain. It's not a legal requirement.....so it's your choice.

If you are buying your first leasehold property or even if you have a few your solicitor may explain the main points of the lease to you. He may tell you that within the Lease the service charges do not cover General housekeeping or decor within the communial areas. He may go on to explain that the area outside your front door is your responsibility to keep tidy and maintain. But most buyers probably wouldn't recognise the significance of that statement. It is unlikely that a buyer would at that point in their purchase, after incurring lots of cost, decide to pull out. Leases contain numerous points that affect the owner. I don't think a solicitor is likely to explain every single one of them to their client......only the ones he may consider onerous and he may well not think this one to be particularly onerous.

Communial areas without a clear, concise & well written lease can be nightmare. Here's an example......a few years back I owned a flat in a block of 6 flats. Communial area were looking very, very tired after over 20 years with no decorating. There was no provision in the lease for the managing agent/ freeholders to redecorate, it was the individual leaseholders responsibility. I costed the redecoration & carpet replacement (4 quotes), wrote to the other 5 leaseholders asking them to contribute to the cost which was a few hundred pounds each. Nobody even responded. I carried out the redecoration myself...3 floors, walls, ceilings etc.....only cost me around £50 for materials and a week of my time. I left the carpets down but had them cleaned. Leasehold can be a real pain......always check the lease.

Your responsibilities as a leaseholder will be identified in your lease. I would be surprised if you were not responsible for maintenance costs. As an example normally maintenance costs are shared between ALL leaseholders......if the roof leaks costs are shared by all owners, it's the same if there is a problem with the foundations or pipework on the ground floor or if the chimney needs repointing or the facia/ soffit needs to be replaced etc. Rusty steel staircases usually need a coat of paint, not replacement.

Grampa have you done a calculation comparing your Ltd company mortgage including all the costs vs a normal BTL mortgage including all the costs AND taking the different tax treatment into account ? My assumption is that your purchase through your Ltd company ...including the cost of setting up the company, the higher arrangement fees & higher interest rate etc is more profitable than buying through the normal BTL route. Haven't the Tories indicated they intend to lower corporation tax significantly (ultimately to 10%) with or without a Brexit deal........the future might look very bright ? My agent just told me they have done exactly the same as you by taking a Ltd company loan......I think it's the way to go.

Capital growth since 2008 has been very good for me. Property that I bought in 2007/2008 has risen in value by at least 60%. That is considered poor if compared to London but it varies considerably across the country. Of course, my return is much greater than 60% because I didn't pay for the property in the first place.......I just paid a small deposit and borrowed the rest of the money. The rental income paid the mortgage payments and other outgoings. There is always capital growth with property.......it's the only thing that makes a property with a low yield an attractive proposition. Capital growth has allowed me to pull a 7 figure profit out of my rental business over the last few years. Its capital growth that produces property wealth, not rental income.

I see positives and negatives........I think the POSITIVES win....... POSITIVES * You have funds already available. * You've agreed to buy at a good price. * Share of freehold included. * Attractive service charges. * Good yield. * Limited company purchase which provides tax advantages. * You are already working professionally in the industry......so have first hand, up to date knowledge. NEGATIVES * Legislation continues to impact profit......future Tory legislation is all negative for landlords. * Property price rises halted......potential fall in prices possible depending on Brexit outcome. * Labour may win the next General Election.....additional very bad news for landlords. But where else can you currently put your money to produce a better return in these low interest times ? If anyone knows......please let me know.

I've never let on a tenancy agreement for more than 12 months. Personally I wouldn't want to let for a 3 year term.....here's my thoughts :- * What would happen if you have a 3 year term with no break clause and the tenant finds that they need to leave at say 7 months into the contract......happens all the time. * A 3 year contract without a break clause means you can't regain possession or increase the rent when you want to. * Some mortgages have restrictions on length of tenancy agreement.......as do many leases. * You may decide that the advantage of a long term tenant outweighs the disadvantages.......but surely you would want a financial incentive from the tenant........who can decide to leave any time. Could or would the tenant be prepared to pay the outstanding rent for the outstanding term if they left early. You'd probably want a guarantor......but who would sign up for a 3 year commitment ? Far to risky for me.

A guarantor is way down the list of my priorities. My list is as follows: 1. A tenant that can tick all the boxes, meets all of my requirements, doesn't leave me with any doubts or questions, has impeccable references, works preferably in a profession, doesn't mean I'm taking on additional risk and very probably doesnt need rent guarantee insurance or a guarantor. These tenants are out there......I've been letting to them for 20 years. 2. Take a deposit. 3. My preference is RGI not a guarantor. Insurance is clean, easy, less labour intensive and puts all the risk onto the insurer. 4. If a tenant cannot tick all the boxes and doesn't qualify for RGI and I still want to let to them, then and only then will I ask for guarantor. A guarantor ......finding, administering, checking, signing, keeping on board etc etc, just seems like such a lot of really unnecessary work when there is an alternative......I give it a miss generally.

In my opinion you don't need to take rent guarantee insurance and a home owning guarantor.......just one or the other.......unless you are exceptionally risk adverse. The majority of landlords do not take both. If you choose to go down the rent guarantee insurance route then the insurers will normally set the tenant selection criteria that you & they need to comply with. Therefore, there may be situations where a perfectly acceptable tenant applicant will fail that criteria. You may then still choose to let the property to them and will insist on them providing a guarantor.

A guarantor that is a home owner is not just preferable it's essential otherwise if you find yourself in a situation where you need to enforce the guarantor agreement there may be no money or assets available for you to claim.

Oh i agree 100% Mortitia, I always make it clear that tenants can change their supplier. In fact......it's law......landlords must permit tenants to change suppliers for all tenancies of 12 months or longer.

An outgoing tenant changed their electricity supplier to a company I have never dealt with before.....and never heard of previously. Having dealt with them for a few months now they have turned out to be the worst supplier i have ever dealt with in 50 years.......and I've dealt with quite a lot of different suppliers Worst for.....communication, billing, ability to get hold of, accuracy of bills etc etc. Totally appalling in every respect. Who are they ?.......iSupplyEnergy..........recommend you avoid wherever possible.

Let's face it......it's got to be a very, very poor property to achieve an F or a G. I'd probably go further to suggest that a property with an F or a G rating would not form part of a professional landlords portfolio. Most of my 30 + year old properties just about get a C rating .......they have no cavity wall insulation, minimal loft insulation, ancient electric storage heaters etc, etc. It makes me wonder what sort of features a property rated F or G has to have to get such a low rating.

£45/£50 per EPC is the going rate in my part of Essex. Your agents probably just tried adding their bit for arranging things .......and felt able to justify it if you were overseas at the time and might have found it difficult or time consuming to arrange yourself.

I agree with Melboy. Employing anyone by personal recommendation is far preferable to taking a stab in the dark. Forming good relations with others in the lettings business.......other landlords or lettings agents will usually provide strong recommendations that can be relied on. The chances of finding a recommendation on an internet forum is somewhat remote. Good luck

It is allwhite............it looks loverly......it's just got specks on it 😂

No idea what it is. It certainly looks like paint.......what else could it possibly be ? If it's oil based it'll be more difficult to remove than water based (emulsion) paint. Ask the tenant to come back and clean it or tell them they'll be charged for the work. To remove I'd start by rubbing with white spirit then try meths and if they don't work then a very mild abrasive like kitchen cleaner (Jif). If that fails get someone with fingernails to do it for you and charge the bill to the tenant. Edit...... 1. Just remembered that sometimes a good quality rubber/eraser can work at getting paint spots off....might be worth a try. 2. A sharp plastic scraper/ spatula might work instead of a fingernail. Let us know how you get on please.