Latest Articles
Property investment tips, insights, interviews, strategies, area research and industry news.
Snagging is a careful, detailed check of your newly built house or apartment to identify defects in the construction. Today, we look at the advantages there are in using a snagging company if you are considering buying a new-build house and the problems you could face if you don’t.
FENSA is a competent person scheme and the means by which window installers can prove their abilities to work to regs. Here we look at what it means to have a FENSA certificate and at what it means not to have one.
Ripon is Yorkshire’s smallest city and one of the smallest cities in the entire country. And yet, Ripon is packed full of history and interesting old traditions that you just won’t find in bigger cities. But it’s not just about history, the property market in Ripon is an interesting beast, as well.
With great transport connection, a thriving economy, high-tech employment and relatively low house prices, Basingstoke is a place that property investors and buy-to-let landlords should pay close attention to.
The passing of the Housing Act of 1988 was a watershed moment for the UK rental market. It handed much more power to landlords than they had enjoyed previously and was a bold leap, perfectly illustrative of the ideals of the Thatcher government, towards greater free-market autonomy in the rented housing sector.
The basic principle behind an AST is to offer some security of tenure to the tenant, subject to some limitations. This means that as long as the tenant pays the rent and abides by the conditions of the tenancy they are entitled to occupy the property for the agreed period – or ‘term’ as it is known.
Bracknell punches well above its weight; with loads of big companies and millions being spent on transforming the town. Yet property prices which are much lower than in the surrounding areas – meaning it could be a hit with property investors.
Thanks to the wet climate in Britain, wet rot is a problem that threatens many homes. A severe case of wet rot can make your home uncomfortable, uninhabitable, knock thousands of pounds off its value and make it difficult to sell.
The NLA is the UK’s largest membership organisation for private residential landlords with 41,000 members. With over 100 Acts of Parliament and 400 sets of regulations governing the private residential sector, the NLA help their members navigate through what can sometimes feel like a minefield of red tape.
Article 4 Directions are the legal means by which a local authority can require property owners to seek permission to convert a single dwelling house into a small HMO. The idea is that by doing this the councils are given more control over housing stock through their ability to control the density of HMOs in a given area.
If your house has dry rot it can literally be a rotten problem to have. Dry rot can cost you a lot of money. It can knock thousands of pounds off the value of your house and even make it impossible to sell your property.
With strong house price growth, upcoming Crossrail links and a £450m regeneration plan, Slough is a very good place to invest in property at the moment. And with a booming economy and the possibility of a 3rd runway at Heathrow, things won’t be slowing down anytime soon.
The Immigration Act of 2014 received Royal Assent on the 14th of May, 2014, containing within it, the Right-to-Rent scheme. In this article we explain everything you need to know as a landlord or tenant.
The economy in Cardiff has grown faster than any other UK capital city making it a very attractive proposition for property investment. But, while capital cities – especially London – are well out of most investors’ budgets. With prices from about £60,000, however, Cardiff is very affordable.
Before you invest in or make other important decisions getting the right property data is going to be the key to your success. Here we look at a few different sources for your investigations and outline the ones we use, day-to-day.
Luton has a lot going for it. There are a thriving economy, a major airport and some of the cheapest property in south-east England. Luton also has a much younger-than-average population hinting a much-increased demand for property in the near future.
Voted the happiest place to live in Wales, Wrexham is the fastest growing hotspot in Wales after Cardiff and a business powerhouse, looking confidently to the future. Property investors should be taking note of the de-facto capital of the North.
Selling a house or a flat ought to be easy. But if you have a house or a flat with a short lease then selling it could be very difficult indeed. f you have short lease problems here’s what you need to know about short leases, and a way to sell your property quickly no matter how short the lease.
For any homeowner, the very thought of a Possession Order is something that can create a great deal of anxiety. Today, we look at the process to having your house repossessed for mortgage arrears and at what can be done to make the situation better.
Edinburgh is one of the most internationally recognised UK cities and the centre of Scottish political power. While expensive, it’s a fantastic place to invest in property with high yields and excellent prospects for growth but more than that Edinburgh is a city that has that Wow factor.
When you are selling a property, you need to consider the possibility that a potential buyer may not be able to get a mortgage for it. Although the policies of different lenders will vary here are 18 reasons that your house may be unmortgageable.
Dundee is Scotland’s most affordable city where property investors can buy TWO houses, for the price of one, in Edinburgh. But it is also a growing centre for future-facing industries like the biomedical, biotechnology, software and digital.
Capital growth is impossible to guarantee but there are certainly signs you can look out for that will help you make the most educated guesses possible. Today Rob looks at growth and at a tool that can help property investors understand the state of any local property market.
June 1st, 2019, signals the beginning of the Tenant Fees Act, an approach by the Government to ban fees paid by tenants to letting agents and landlords in the rental sector. For many tenants, renting a property or for those looking to rent, this may seem like the lifeline they’ve been waiting for.
Investing in London is a tough nut to crack not just because it is the most expensive part of the country but because it is not just one property market but many property markets. And those markets overlap to create many complex sub-markets.
If you are being threatened with a house repossession you need to know what you can do about it and how you can stop it. Today we look at the rights of home owners with mortgage arrears and at the process that mortgage lenders take to repossess a property.
There are some great properties out there just waiting to be found and the good news is the only tool you need to find them is Zoopla. Today we look at four underutilised filters that investors can use to find below market value property and motivated sellers in their chosen area.
Let’s face it, HMOs are pretty popular these days and that means there’s more competition in the market, prices are higher and deals are harder to find. Today, we’re going to taking a deep dive into locations to help you find the best deals.
By using the two-plus-one strategy you will be able to grow your portfolio quickly from a 50k deposit to eleven houses. The trick here is learning how to effectively recycle your deposit.
The rules and processes around Local Housing Allowance are complicated, variable (depending on the local authority) and constantly changing. Here we look at exactly what LHA is, who is eligible for it, how it is changing and most importantly what it actually means for a landlord to have a tenant in receipt of it.
Today we present a condensed guide to property investing for people who want to approach it in a hands-off manner. You can invest in a way that will require your ongoing attention or you can invest and sit back.
Property Sourcing Agents and Their Deposits: A Quick Guide Working with property sourcing agents is a great way to grow your portfolio quickly but you have to pay for their services. Today we look at the kind of deposits will need to put down to secure a deal, at what stage in the process you […]
Knowing how to negotiate house price is an essential skill, not just for property professionals but for homeowners and first-time buyers as well. Today we’re looking at the art of negotiation with aim of securing a 10k discount.
4 Surefire Ways to Source Property Deals Fast | A Quickstart Property Guide The foundation of any property investment strategy is going to lie with your skill at property sourcing which can be slow and cumbersome. Building your spreadsheets from Rightmove can be very time-consuming so today we look at four alternative ways to source […]
In this article, we’re going to be looking at two browser extensions which are going to make looking for property online a lot more efficient. These are Property Tracker for Chrome and Property Bee for Firefox. Both of these plugins help you monitor any changes that have been made to property listings on Rightmove. These […]
A question that comes up a lot with regard to furnishing is whether or not a landlord should include a TV in the home. Our perspective on all of this is relatively simple. Making your tenants happy to live where they live, is a good idea.
In order for you and your contractors to stay organised during your HMO refurbishment project, you are going to want to draw up 4 documents or checklists. The first is a schedule of works. The second is a complete furniture checklist. The third is a full project schedule or diary and finally, you’ll need a room plan.
With HMOs, the issue of communal spaces comes up a lot. It is our view that a lounge will ultimately increase returns. The reason is simple, happy tenants who get on with one another, are more likely to stay.
When it comes to designing the space in your HMO the simplest rule to follow is to put the needs of your tenants first. If your tenants are happy, they will stay in your HMO for longer, which is good for the bottom line.
If you’re thinking about converting a property into an HMO, you’re going to have to think hard about the layout and en-suite bathrooms is an important factor to consider.
Adding value to a property often means renovation work but there are other, simpler ways to get more bang for your buck. Today, we’re looking at how to add value to an HMO without breaking the bank.
When it comes to investing in property you will have heard the term ‘due diligence’ a lot – but what does it actually mean?
Today, we’re going to look at a two-part question. Firstly, is twenty thousand pounds to invest in property enough to get started? Of course. And secondly, is investing in leasehold property a good idea? Well, it certainly can be but there are a few things to check before you put in a bid.
How do you go about raising finance for buying an investment property. There is, of course, the traditional method which is through a mortgage but there are other options as well. These include putting together joint ventures and thinking hard about how to use the money you already have.
Rental demand in a given area is a relatively simple thing to calculate yet most property investors skip this essential step.
A property sourcer can expect to command a fee of between one and five thousand pounds a deal, depending on their work.
As a property sourcer, you don’t necessarily need contracts at all but the process will be more straightforward if you do.
The question we look at today is whether it’s better to invest your entire deposit pot in one property or spread it across two.
Being able to spot property where value can be added is all about knowing how to spot the right renovation projects in your area. It’s easy to spend hours getting lost, trying to find investment opportunities, wading through listings and not getting anywhere. In today’s video, we show you a two-step strategy to easily find […]
Investing in property can significantly boost your pension plan, supply a full-time income and pave the way to a work-life-balance that most people can only dream of. But there is a high barrier to entry, right? It’s not all skill and knowledge.