There are two different ways to conduct viewings, the first is on an individual basis, and the second is to do an “open house”. Meeting the tenant yourself is a really great way to get an initial feel of what you think of them. Instant likes or dislikes can be powerful and should not be…

According to LSL Property Services which owns lettings agents including Your Move and Reeds Rains, rental prices fell by 0.8% in December, having also fallen in November. Although this may seem bad news for landlords, annual figures suggest that rents this December were some 4% higher than the same period the previous year.  Indeed, the…

The ever popular Landlord and Letting show have announced their dates for 2012. The Barbican, London 13th-14th March 2012 Lancastrian Suite, Gateshead 2nd-3rd May 2012 EventCity, Manchester 27th-28th June 2012 The Barbican, London 4th-5th September 2012 SECC, Glasgow 10th-11th October 2012 NEC, Birmingham 27th-28th November 2012 Visit www.landlordshow.info for more information

The Co-operative Bank’s intermediary mortgage lender, Platform, has announced plans to increase its buy to let lending by 33%, to provide £600m of buy to let loans in 2012. Platform saw strong growth in 2011, with the demand for private rented accommodation continuing to outstrip supply, and investment in the sector increasing. “Our commitment to…

Housing minister, Grant Shapps, has put forward proposals that would see councils helping elderly people to move to smaller, more manageable accommodation and their houses rented to families. The council would arrange and manage the rental, with the income going directly to the elderly person.  They would then pay the rent for their smaller property,…

Under government proposals, council tenants in England who are convicted of sub-letting their homes, could face up to two years in prison.  The new criminal offence of tenancy fraud could also incur a fine of up to £50,000. Sub-letting a council property is not currently a criminal offence, and official estimates are that around 160,000…

“Vanilla” buy to let mortgages had a good year in 2011, exceeding the expectations of the CML. Buy to let figures for 2011 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Average loan size £116,238 £126,522 £144,006 £126,240 Average property size £175,819 £187,708 £224,639 £198,529 Average loan to value 66% 67% 68% 65% Average yield 5.6% 5.8% 6.3% 6.13%

At the start of last year, the council of mortgage lenders predicted that buy to let mortgage lending would reach £11 billion in 2011.  In actual fact, the figure was closer to £13 billion, nearly 10% of the overall mortgage lending market. There are many reasons why the buy to let market continues to flourish,…

As a landlord, you must make sure that any pipe work, appliances and flues that you provide for tenants are maintained in a safe condition. You must have a gas safety check every 12 months.  This must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer, who will then issue a gas safety certificate, which…

Many homeowners are planning on cashing in on the 2012 Olympics, by renting out their homes for the period.  A four bedroom house in Muswell Hill is currently on offer for £3,500 per week during the Olympics.  With this sort of cash incentive, it is easy to see the appeal. However, making a quick buck…