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Property investment tips, insights, interviews, strategies, area research and industry news.
The setting up of a national landlord register is a subject which is in the property news at the moment. In this article, we will look at what we know so far about the creation of a national landlord register. One thing seems for certain though, a register for landlords in England is coming.
The Decent Homes Standard is a legal standard which regulates housing provided by the social housing sector. However, it is currently being proposed that this standard will be applied to the private rented sector or PRS at some point in the near future.
Asbestos cement, a once-popular building material, lurks in many homes across the UK, a silent reminder of a time when its durability and resistance were prized above all else. Yet today, we know that the asbestos in this cement can pose serious health risks if disturbed.
Investing in property has made very good sense in recent years. It has been relatively easy and the value of your property investment has increased year after year after year. Just recently, property investment hasn’t looked like such an easy option. However, the numbers still add up.
The hipped roof has long been a fixture in the United Kingdom’s architectural landscape, gracing the skyline with its elegant slopes and practical design. From humble cottages to grand manor houses, hipped roofs have proven worth as a versatile and durable roofing solution.
The recent hot property market has meant that most houses have sold easily, often within days of being put on the market. Now that the market is cooler, however, it is likely to become more difficult to sell your house. So, for this kind of market, here is what you need to know.
The Medway towns are one of the cheapest parts of the south east in which to invest in property, yet are within just 40 minutes or so from central London. Here’s a property investor’s guide to the Medway towns in Kent in the South East of England.
Welwyn Garden City was originally established as a garden city in the 1920s. It was planned by Sir Ebenezer Howard. Ebenezer Howard was a town planner who wanted to create the perfect town – one which combined the benefits of both urban and rural life.
On the surface of it, it is a simple concept: that a house ‘sold with vacant possession’ is a house that is empty and ready for the next owner to move in, unhindered. The key thing, however, is that the new owner should be able to enjoy undisturbed enjoyment of the property.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Derry, or Londonderry to use its formal name has a population of around 150,500 and is the second largest city in Northern Ireland after Belfast. Here, we’ll look at where are the best areas of the Derry City to invest in buy-to-let.
Belfast is the capitol and largest city in Northern Ireland but does this make it a good place to invest in buy-to-let? As a major tourist destination, commercial hub and student city it has everything that investors would normally look for.
If you are looking to sell your house then one option you can consider is selling it to a housing association. They will often buy, regardless of the condition of the property and are cash buyers, which can often mean a faster sale.
Millions of homes across the country contain asbestos. Your home has a 50% chance of containing asbestos. So, what does this mean if your house contains asbestos? And can you sell your home if it is known to contain this dangerous material?
Today, we’re looking at subsidence and asking the question… Does the presence of subsidence always mean a hard no or are there some cases where realistically, it isn’t so bad and negotiating a bargain is eminently possible.
If you are thinking about getting a new driveway, you might be asking yourself, will this increase the value of my property? Here we look at the different driveway types available and while it’s not straightforward, we’ll seek to answer that very question.
Owning a property doesn’t mean you can do exactly as you like with it. Often, legal covenants dictate what you can and cannot do with your property and when you might need consent to do them. Here’s what you need to know about covenant consent.
Squatters’ rights in the uk are often misunderstood or exaggerated but there are some circumstances under which squatters can occupy or even claim a property. Here, we look at what you need to know about this sometimes controversial subject.
The largest cities of Hampshire are the coastal cities of Southampton and Portsmouth. Together they form an almost contiguous urban area known as the South Hampshire conurbation. With a population of around 1.5 million, it is one of the biggest urban areas in the UK.
If you were looking to buy a house, only to find out that it has an issue with woodworm, would you still buy it? Well, each to their own but depending on the severity of the problem, woodworm is often an easy problem to fix and you may be able to negotiate a better price.
Baths today are available in a wide variety of different bath shapes to suit different bathrooms and different bathing needs. So, If you’re choosing a bath then one of the most important things to consider is what shape your bath will be.
The UK has become an attractive place for residents of Singapore to invest in property in recent years. Here’s some advice on how Singaporeans can invest in UK property, and how the process is different to that in Singapore.