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Property investment tips, insights, interviews, strategies, area research and industry news.
In a tenement, each floor is occupied by two or sometimes more separate properties. They are self-contained with their own entrance and is occupied by one person or a single family. However a distinguishing factor of a tenement is that all the properties share common stairways and an entrance.
Being a relatively new town, Stevenage isn’t known for its history or beautiful architecture. But it is known for being one of the most convenient places in the country. Stevenage offers pretty much every amenity anybody could ever need, plus great transport links to the rest of the country.
Colchester is one of the UK’s newest cities. City status can help to raise the profile of a newly created city and could help to boost the economy and the property market too. With that in mind here’s what investors need to know about buy-to-let property investment in Colchester.
Crawley is one of those rare places in the south east – a town that is an attractive place to live but which has reasonable property prices. Add to that a buoyant jobs market and great access around the area (and around the world) and you can see why Crawley is an attractive place to invest in buy-to let.
Community land trusts are usually set up by people and organisations who live and work in (or have an interest in) a defined local area such as a village, town or suburb. They are membership organisations that are owned by their members and run democratically.
Glass buildings are sometimes considered where there is a requirement to link a listed building with a new or non-listed building. Glass links may be used to satisfy planning requirements which restrict what can be done to listed buildings. However that’s just one use-case.
One type of rent that is sometimes found in property is a peppercorn rent, which is a notional amount to secure a contract. Here is what peppercorn rent is, how much peppercorn rent actually is, and why more people are likely to be paying peppercorn rent in the future.
Greater Manchester is the largest region outside London, with the largest economy and the largest jobs market. It’s still very affordable for property investors, however. Average property prices across Greater Manchester are well under half of those in London.
A compulsory purchase order is a legal order which can be used to acquire land and property from its owner whether they wish to sell it or not. A compulsory purchase order is known as a CPO for short. They can be used for projects such as new roads or new railways.
Land banking – where a property developer buys a plot of land now with the intention of developing it at some future time rather than immediately – is an issue that can have a serious impact on the housing market, driving up prices and preventing new houses from being developed.
Leeds is not only part of one of the largest urban areas outside London it also has a larger economy than many European countries. Although Leeds has higher property prices than much of West Yorkshire it still has very good value investment property.
Whether you are an investor looking to invest in UK property or a property developer on the hunt for the means to finance a project, property bonds could be exactly what you are looking for. But tread carefully and always seek expert advice before moving forward.
Due to rising house prices and new construction technologies, there is currently a lot of interest in modular homes. Here we will look at what exactly are modular homes and at what the advantages and disadvantages of this type of design, are.
The Community Infrastructure Levy is a charge payable by those planning many kinds of building work. It is technically known as a planning charge, but in practice it is a kind of tax on new development. The money received from the Levy is used to pay for local infrastructure such as roads, transport and new schools.
Areas within the London commuter belt can offer a good opportunity for buyers and investors. They benefit from well paid London workers who can often afford to pay stronger rents than locals. So they can offer good buy to let yields.
Glasgow is sometimes called Scotland’s second city after the capital, Edinburgh. But in every other way Glasgow is bigger, much bigger – Glasgow has a bigger population, a bigger economy and a bigger property market too. There are lots of reasons to invest.
When buying or selling a house it is usual to have a solicitor or conveyancer handle the conveyancing process for you. However it is possible to do your conveyancing yourself. Here we will look at what you need to know about doing DIY conveyancing.
High Wycombe is a marmite kind of place it seems. It appears in surveys of both good places to live and not-so-good places to live. High Wycombe’s good points are that it benefits from a great location by the Chiltern Hills, has good access to London and low property prices.
External wall insulation is just one of many ways you might consider improving the insulation of your property. In this article we will look at whether external wall insulation is likely to be a good investment or not.
Student HMOs continue to be an attractive property investment opportunity for landlords. Here’s our guide to student HMOs, including the pros and cons of student HMOs, trends in the student market and what landlords need to know about running a student HMO.
Newham is a typical East London district. But it has undergone a massive amount of change and regeneration in recent years. One thing about Newham hasn’t changed though: It’s still a very good value part of London for property buyers and investors.
For investors looking to find good value property investments in London then Enfield could be the answer. Average property prices in Enfield are only around half of those in London’s more expensive boroughs. Here’s our guide to the best areas of Enfield to invest in buy-to-let.
Haringey is probably one of the less well known London boroughs. But Haringey has a great accessible location within easy reach of everything that’s going on in London. Haringey also offers some good value property investment opportunities.
The first thing to know about Waltham Forest is that it’s (mostly) not a forest! But Waltham Forest is known for offering more space – and better value – than inner London, alongside great access into the capital.
Redbridge lays claim to being London’s leafiest suburb thanks to its abundance of parks. Redbridge also has excellent access into central London, with the new Elizabeth Line services taking less than 20 minutes. Redbridge still offers below average property prices too.
So where are the best large towns to invest in buy-to-let in the UK? We’ve considered factors such as the population, economy, property prices and rental yields to come up with some suggestions for some towns that you might want to consider.
So where are the best cities to invest in buy-to-let in the UK? We’ve considered factors such as the population, economy, property prices and rental yields to come up with some suggestions for some cities that you might want to consider.
On a per square foot basis, city centre apartments are often cheaper than similar property in a suburban area and they often offer good rental yields. However, there are things that every investor should be aware of.
If you are running (or setting up) a buy-to-let limited company tax rules differ from those if you are owning buy-to-let properties in your own name. Here’s a guide to understanding tax for buy-to-let limited companies.
Greenfield sites may offer more flexibility to build what you want to build and more design flexibility, subject to obtaining planning permission. They are in some ways a blank canvas for your property development plans.
A planning performance agreement is an agreement that is made between an applicant who applies for planning permission and the local planning authority. It sets down a framework for how the planning application will be handled and what timescales will apply.
The JCT is an organisation which produces contract documentation for building and construction projects. These include standard forms for both main and sub-contracts, homeowner contracts plus agreements, collateral warranties and associated guidance documents.
Wandsworth has some hidden gems that offer good value for buy-to-let investors. Plus some huge regeneration projects that promise to make the Wandsworth property market even more up and coming in the future.
The first step to successfully investing in property is to know where you are investing. So where is Havering, we hear you ask? Havering is a borough on the eastern side of London. The largest town in Havering is Romford.
Harrow is one of London’s most popular residential areas, yet house prices in Harrow remain comfortably under the capitol’s average. This makes this London borough increasingly attractive to London-centric property investors.
Hounslow is one of the best connected places in all of London, with great connections by road, train and plane. And yet, for property investors, Hounslow also has some of London’s cheapest property prices, too.
Lambeth sits just across the River Thames from Westminster, the West End and the City of London. That’s helped to make this once-overlooked South London suburb a property hotspot in recent years.
The concept of tokenised real estate is fairly new to the property world. However some people believe it could be the next big thing in property. Here’s our simple beginners guide to tokenised real estate.
Net-zero carbon housing is often connected with a number of other terms such as eco-housing, sustainable housing, low energy housing or Passivhaus. These are not necessarily the same as net zero carbon housing, however.
If you think your Council Tax bill is too high then it may be possible to get it cut. Here’s how to request a change to your Council Tax band to reduce your bill and even claim back money on payments that you have already made.
UPRNs or Unique Property Reference Numbers have the potential to revolutionise property. UPRNs could change the way we buy, sell, rent, let, invest and work with property. Here we will look at what UPRNs are and what they can be used for.
Walsall benefits from a great location at the heart of the West Midlands alongside some very good value property prices. Here’s more about the very best areas of Walsall to invest in buy-to-let.
Basildon is a rare find in property terms. It’s near enough to London to be commutable yet far enough away from London to have much more attractive property prices. Here’s how to find the best areas of Basildon to invest in buy-to-let.
Every year millions of people use online property portals to help them find a property to buy or rent their next investment property. But there are now several different property portals to choose from. Here we’ll look at the main UK property portals and what each has to offer.
A listed building can be an exciting and rewarding property to own. But owning a listed buildings can also present many problems. Here we look at what a listed building is and at the pros and cons of owning one.
Most people bypass Dudley in favour of the bright lights of nearby Birmingham. But Dudley has a lot to offer: There’s a £1 billion investment programme aimed at regenerating the town alongside a new tram line to transform local travel. Dudley also has property over 25% cheaper than the national average.
Hastings is famous for a couple of things. One of them is the battle of 1066 and the other is for being that rare beast: a cheap place to buy and invest in property in the South East. A traditional seaside town on the English Channel coast, today we examine this buy-to-let hotspot.
Northampton, located in the Nene Valley in the East Midlands, enjoys below average house prices and is one, property investors should watch. The area appeals to London commuters who want access to London but also want to benefit from lower prices and a more rural location.
Solihull calls itself the ‘town in the country’ and is often thought of as a place that offers the perfect mix of both town and country living. But does that make Solihull a perfect mix for property investors and buy-to-let landlords too?
In times of fast-rising property prices, Blackburn remains a cheap property hotspot. For the price of one house in an average UK town, property investors can buy two in Blackburn. Here’s the lowdown on the best areas of Blackburn to invest in buy-to-let.