Richlist

I'm not sure how an index of average rents would help you in any way. There is an enormous difference across the country and between regions often skewed by the inclusion of London & the South East. Better to visit a couple of local lettings agents, which should take you no more than 10 minutes to get the info you need.

When justifying a rent increase I just usually quote: * The increased market rent for a similar property in the area. * Increases in loan interest rates. * General increase in cost of living / inflation which affects insurance premiums. * Any other increases that affect a landlords costs e.g. licencing, agents fees, accountancy etc. * Property improvements made since original rental level was set. * Additional legislation affecting administration of rental properties. etc etc. Your lettings agents should be able to advise you on the current market rent for your property.

Well surely you don't need us to tell you it ain't gonna go down very well at all in court. As the landlord you have an obligation to affect repairs in a timely & businesslike manner. Avoiding carrying out repairs will look very bad. Do you have any valid excuses ? Surprisingly for me......you seem more concerned about the outcome of a court case than the state of repair of your property. You might need professional legal advice and help. Try ' Landord Action' , they have a website.

If you want to use professional help to resolve your situation then one company that offers this kind of specialist service is: landlordaction.co.uk Check out their website for details.

As you appear to not be familiar with the long list of legal requirements associated with letting property can I assume that you have a letting agent that handles things for you ? If you don't have a lettings agents then you probably need to pay for professional advice and assistance in order to retake possession of your property.

I've just taken delivery of a job lot of 6 inch nails.......could do you a deal at trade prices if it would help ? Now, how you off for a club hammer ?

I'm not increasing rents at the moment. I'm mortgage free and my costs for running the business have not changed significantly. I'm sure my tenants have enough financial pressures without me adding to their problems. Any increase on my part would be pure greed. One of my New Year resolutions was to be kinder to people.......so I'm trying to apply that here. There will probably be rent increases as current tenants vacate as I won't want to slip to far behind market rates.

Sounds like you are playing a strange type of Monopoly. Don't forget, the banker always wins.

The Gov' have a lot of problems to resolve. They don't have any 'spare' money, only the taxes we pay and at the moment we are already spending more than we collect, so they have to borrow. The result is that national debt continues to rise. It's only right that any costs that can be clawed back, are recovered. All of that is a given and generally accepted by all political parties. Therefore, what's up for debate is who pays, what, how and when. There are always going to be winners and loosers and its unrealistic to assume that everybody will be happy whatever route is chosen. As individuals we should all position ourselves to ride the punches and take advantage of any opportunities. One could argue that those people who complain because they find themselves disadvantaged do so as a result of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I think the answer to that is very straightforward...........we can expect as many Gov' initiated changes as will:- Improve, simplify & reinforce a tenancy in a tenants favour in order to capture their vote. At the same time the Gov' are aware of the risk of alienating landlords to the point where they choose to exit the industry resulting in an increasing shortage of affordable housing.

Banks have to pay any bills associated with a repossessed property, there are no concessions. They are also required to mitigate any additional costs. That's why repossessions are often auctioned as it minimises the time the bank holds the property.

We have two inverter units at our property in Spain. This time of year the outside temp is often only just above zero. We think they are absolute magic and also great in the summer when running as air conditioners. Heat pumps are the most efficient domestic method of converting electrical energy into heat.

Do you have a wet system that heats radiators or hot air blowers that also double up as air conditioners ?

My plan was to eliminate the need for a boiler service man forever......by installing air sourced heat pumps......probably two as we have a large house. All electric, powered in part by my solar panel array. This week I've encountered a small snag that I hadn't previously considered. For the whole of this week my roof (& the solar panels) have been covered in snow and have produced zero solar energy.

Your radiator problem might be the valve/ thermostatic valve. They often stick shut .....I had one in a bedroom. My fix was to operate the valve a few times (turn fully shut to fully open), leave open and gently tap side of valve. I'm my case it freed up the valve and water began flowing again. Make sure your CH pump is running on max.

One of the many problems that the strikes create is that of antagonising the general public. My family like to think that we're quite generous at Christmas with cards, cash & gifts to anyone who provides a service to us.....newspaper delivery, dustmen, postie even our lettings agent etc. This year with the postal strikes I've had very important letters delayed and no doubt there will be more delays before Christmas which will cause me major problems & stress. So, the postie will be getting nothing from us this year.

.......and as far as strikes are concerned..... I have lots of sympathy for all the strikers.....post, rail, fireman, NHS etc.....but the country CAN'T afford to give you the pay rise you want. They could raise taxes to give you a pay rise BUT......everyone else is already being squeezed and doesn't have the money to pay for your pay rise.

The Gov have a difficult job with this part of the housing market. Most of the council housing has been sold off. There are thousands of people holding private tenancies who are on low wages, have no savings, live week to week, can barely afford the rent let alone the rises in food, petrol and household bills. The Gov can't make changes that adversely affect tenants on the edge. I don't think the Gov are very concerned about upsetting landlords at the moment because not many are choosing to walk away. Perhaps they would prefer the majority of the PRS to be held by large organisations like Lloyds & Serco. I think we are going to see property prices fall (higher interest rates, less mortgage availability, household bills affordability etc) and I think it may last for a few years.

Before I went anywhere near to worrying about large Corporation portfolios I'd be far more concerned about the following: * There are already lots of stories in the media about property prices and some predicting a 20% drop. It's difficult to see there not being a price drop given the current situation with the economy, prices, interest rates, Ukraine etc etc. * Then there are all the existing problems with the PRS ...affordability, shortage of property, energy efficiency, poor quality housing etc etc * Then we have Gov' legislation.....always tweaking the industry adversely. Putting more & more obstacles in the way, making it less profitable, more difficult to evict etc etc. * PRS taxation.....always a first choice for any Gov'. Makes me wonder if it's all worthwhile. The last thing I'm concerned about right now is how Serco or Lloyds bank property portfolios might affect me.

A quick call to the planning office of your local Council should provide the answer. I have a friend who has moved from a very smart modern property, following retirement, into a smaller much older, early Victorian property. It's has a wealth of character and design features including high ceilings & large rooms etc. But......it has sash windows, solid walls, costs a fortune to heat, is short on parking etc etc. I'm sure there are a large number of these older properties around the country where it would almost be more cost effective to knock them down and start again than to throw 10's of thousands of pounds at them raising their insulation values.

Well I assume replacement double or triple glazed windows/doors wouldn't be allowed, they probably can't have cavity wall insulation fitted (solid walls) and they couldn't have external wall insulation applied The current minimum EPC requirement is an 'E' but in 2025 it's planned to be a minimum of 'C'.....although I believe the proposal is still making its way through parliament. If listed buildings aren't exempt there is likely to be a few that won't achieve the requirements surely ?

Are listed properties exempt from current & future minimum EPC ratings ?

'The' Agency ? There are numerous estate agencies in Basildon. My recommendation is Kingswood Estate Agency,.......... tel: 01268 272222......... email: info@kingswoodbasildon.com they won't have any caravans but may have some studio flats.

Have you tried any of the numerous Agents in and around Basildon or looked on Rightmove or other property sites ? Would you like any recommendations ?

I found it .......type in 'Condensation & Mould - Ceredigion County Council' into your search engine. Then hit the download button for the booklet. Its the best instruction book I've come across.