You could build higher rents and property values, and reduce your taxes No, it wasn’t a late April Fool’s joke. On 4th April 2019, a House of Lords committee made a recommendation that is sure to be welcomed by an overwhelming majority of landlords. It recommended that there should be “stronger incentives for private landlords [...]
No heating? No hot water? No bother. What do you do if your tenant reports an issue that clearly makes your property unfit for human habitation? Let’s say, for example, that the occupants include young children, and the tenant tells you that the boiler and central heating has stopped working. It’s the middle of the [...]
Tips to help buy-to-let landlords avoid prison Damp is one of the most common issues found in buy-to-let properties. A damp home can cause mould growth and health issues. Under the new Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, which came into effect on March 20th, 2019, it is more likely that a damp property [...]
Register My Appliance – Free and easy peace of mind for you and your tenants With the buzz around the new electrical safety law recently announced by the government, I thought I’d look at the ‘Register My Appliance’ scheme. A simple and free scheme, Register My Appliance could help to keep your tenants safer while [...]
All you need to know about the new electrical safety laws We’ve been expecting electrical safety checks in the private rented sector to become mandatory since the recommendation to introduce them was published for consultation in February of 2018. Finally, on 29th January 2019, the Housing, Communities and Local Government Minister Heather Wheeler announced that [...]
Tips to reduce buy-to-let repair costs Very recently, we published a New Year’s resolutions for buy-to-let landlords article, in which we discussed how to improve your buy-to-let business through better maintenance practices. One of the four tips we gave was to get ahead of the game and plan maintenance for 2019. We’ve received a few [...]
Tips to improve your buy-to-let business in 2019 Many landlords have the mistaken view that a property will take care of itself, or that their tenants will take care of the property for them. While it may be reasonable to expect tenants to respect and look after their home, it is the landlord’s responsibility to [...]
Six ways to keep tenants safe and warm and save your money in the long-term According to WXCHARTS, the UK is going to be shocked by bitterly cold conditions and an avalanche of snow that will sweep down from the north. The country could be plunged into arctic conditions within days, and then continue for [...]
Electrical safety is not mandatory, but unsafe electrics are a criminal offence We often get asked about a landlord’s obligations for electrical safety in their buy-to-let properties. Unlike gas safety regulations, the law doesn’t make it mandatory to have electrical appliances checked each year. However, it does make failing to make sure electrical equipment and [...]
How housing health and safety ratings apply to buy-to-let investors Health and safety rules and regulations don’t only apply to businesses. They apply to buy-to-let landlords and the properties they rent out. If your tenant believes that their home could put their health at risk, they can apply to the local authority to carry out [...]
