Tenants’ bad habits must be challenged if mould appears, says leading landlord

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Landlords should challenge tenants about their bad habits which lead to condensation mould or risk resulting health problems and higher maintenance bills, it has been claimed.

One large-scale portfolio landlord with properties nationwide – known as the Secret Landlord – says that with sky-high energy bills the problem will only get worse as people fear turning on their heating.

Writing in The Telegraph, she says that left untreated, spreading spores can cause illness. 

Proactive landlords need to check the property for any water ingress such as through blocked gutters, boost insulation particularly in the loft and ensure trickle vents are open and that extractor fans work.

Anti-mould paint in bathrooms and kitchens can prevent the mould spores forming, but it’s up to tenants to clean promptly as lifestyle habits are one of the main causes.

The landlord is always very honest with her tenants and is not afraid to tell them how simple changes such as slightly opening a window or making sure the extractor fan is working while showering or cooking can prevent a build-up and resulting condensation mould. 

She also suggests that they always use covers on pans when cooking, a squeegee after showering, and to consider where evaporating moisture from drying clothes is going. 

Mould remover

“I believe completely in the pro-active approach and will offer advice on inspections,” she tells LandlordZONE. “If a tenant starts to get condensation mould, I insist they use HG Mould remover and will re-inspect within a fortnight to ensure they have resolved the situation.”

Her advice comes as the government announced that the PRS’s new housing ombudsman will oversee complaints by private tenants about a range of issues including mould.

View Full Article: Tenants’ bad habits must be challenged if mould appears, says leading landlord

Next 2 years are the best time to buy rental properties, according to the experts

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Now is the time to buy rental properties. If you’re a new landlord, an investor, or a landlord looking to expand their portfolio, these next two years may be crucial for you to earn the highest return on investment.

It might seem contradictory following the downsizing of many landlord portfolios due to interest rates rising and the effects of tax regulations hitting profits however that’s exactly why the timing won’t get better than this.

For landlords exiting in order to keep their portfolios profitable, it makes complete sense to get rid of properties quick and in bulk to cut out the rot. But this opens up an even bigger opportunity for those wanting to buy: a depreciated market plus properties being sold in bulk, quickly, for attractive prices. The combination of the two means that for new investors, or for landlords who want to stay in the market, the opportunity to snap up properties is now, in this two year window.

The “golden age” of super low interest rates and tax relief may have ended however for investors and landlords who are in strong strategic positions, a combination of low purchase prices and the ability to have high rental income means that this the best time to grow equity in long term property values.

It makes sense, therefore, that all eyes are on landlord buy-to-let selling companies, such as Landlord Sales Agency. For Landlords who want to sell, Landlord Sales Agency are the best company out there to help, but in the same vein this is precisely why they’re also the best company to buy from. What’s more, all their properties are brought up to standard prior to sale or set up with the best referrals to get any work done, with every metric, yield and ROI calculated and with a vast majority with tenants already in situ, who are happy to pay higher rents to any new landlords who take on the property. Put simply, these are ready-made deals at the best rates you’ll get for property for another decade.

And it’s not just the ready-made rental incomes that make these properties attractive, in over the last decade, house prices across Great Britain rose by an average of 53% and, as with the cyclical nature of the property market, this is primed to happen again with growth expected to rise significantly.

With proper planning and foresight, it’s also possible to deduct interest costs from taxable profit and reduce stamp duty charges or capital gains taxes. These might be harsh market conditions for some, but for others this is a huge opportunity to make profits.

So if you’re looking to buy, contact Landlord Sales Agency. They have the very best buy-to-let property deals, and they’ve established relationships with reliable tenants. They also collect a history of income and costs per property, as well as payment history per tenant, so buyers can start earning money from the moment a deal completes.

For those looking to purchase property without tenants in situ, Landlord Sales Agency work with existing tenants to help overcome all barriers and ensure they’re relocated before the property is sold. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.

For those needing mortgages, Landlord Sales Agency also work alongside the best independent mortgage brokers who can find buyers the best mortgage rates and can advise you on ways to release equity tied into other properties without having to sell them.

Whether you’re looking to buy individual properties or whole property portfolios throughout the UK, contact Landlord Sales Agency today to browse our unbeatable property deals.

We even have the option to subscribe to property alerts so you can set your preferences to location and budget to receive notifications on any properties available to buy best suited to you.
The time to buy is now.

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View Full Article: Next 2 years are the best time to buy rental properties, according to the experts

Propertymark calls for 6% Additional Dwelling Supplement reversal

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In a bid to highlight the increasing burden on landlords in Scotland’s private rented sector (PRS), Propertymark is calling on the Scottish Government to reverse its recent 6% Additional Dwelling Supplement (ADS).

This is an extra charge that was imposed on additional residential property purchases after 16 December 2022 in Scotland.

View Full Article: Propertymark calls for 6% Additional Dwelling Supplement reversal

Past tenants admit to smoking in property?

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Hello everyone, My previous tenants who left my flat on 9th January have admitted on email to smoking in the flat. This is in breach of their AST and they are aware of this.

What are my rights here?

View Full Article: Past tenants admit to smoking in property?

BLOG: Why the fashion for ‘landlord bashing’ is incredibly ironic

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Landlord bashing isn’t a new sport. It’s been around since as long as anyone remembers and truthfully, no matter how sacred the PRS becomes, it’s always going to be a thing.

Tenants defaulting on arrears will always look at an eviction notice with a level of intended cruelty, even though this isn’t the case.

Most landlords don’t boot out tenants in arrears immediately, but will do so when their arrears start to impact their livelihood.

I like to use the restaurant analogy. Most food establishments won’t turn away a person in need that comes through their doors. However, if that same restaurant continues to give away dishes to a point where their income is impacted, they could cease to trade at all.

Sure, no landlord actively takes pleasure in removing a tenant from their property with no reason, but this is how the picture is painted for so many Landlords who are just trying to do good.

However, what has struck me is the total irony of the attitude of so many tenants that are actively renting properties from the people they despise so much.

I’m part of a Facebook group called Landlords UK, and to their credit, it’s incredibly well run with communal input from landlords nationwide.

Irony

And with what so many landlords are contributing to this group on a day to day basis, it’s easy to see the aforementioned irony.

Don’t get me wrong. As long as this tenant pays rent on time and doesn’t cause any problems, I couldn’t care less about what decorations they have inside their own home.

But without their landlord, they wouldn’t have a home.

As a tenant (and a non-Landlord) myself, it really does make you question why such an opinion has been formed and whether this tenant’s choice in decor has been influenced by previous experiences.

I’m well aware that not every Landlord is by the book, as is with any industry, you’re always going to get a few that aren’t pleasant to deal with.

But all Landlords aren’t the same, and for us to be able to improve, I think tenants need to come to a new understanding that a vast majority of Landlords are trying to do right and they shouldn’t be ‘bashed’ before they’re able to prove that this is the case.

Connor Hevingham is an experienced marketing executive within the property industry, working predominantly with property management software. He currently works with Alphaletz and interacts with plenty of landlords, helping them make life easier with the assistance of technology. All views here are his own.

Read more: What Gove's landlord bashing really means for landlords.

View Full Article: BLOG: Why the fashion for ‘landlord bashing’ is incredibly ironic

Think British evictions are a pain? Then try it in Germany warn landlord duo

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German landlords have plenty in common with their British counterparts but must also contend with even longer legal battles, according to one young couple who’ve had to evict problem tenants.

Sascha and Angelika Rothe live in southern Germany where an eviction action can take up to two years if a tenant refuses to leave, while a termination notice becomes invalid if the tenant then settles their rent arrears or a significant part of them. The couple are also fans of hit British TV show Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords.

“That’s why we decided to give our first tenants money to move out,” Sascha tells LandlordZONE.

“They claimed there had been various problems with the property – all unfounded – and often paid rent late. We served three months’ notice, but they moved out before then, leaving dangerous broken glass bottles for the new tenant to find in the garden.”

In Germany, rental contracts can be made verbally or in writing, and if a tenant breaks the contract, a landlord must warn them about any problem three times before issuing the termination notice.

Deposits

A deposit is usually three months’ rent but it doesn’t have to be paid all at once or at the start of the tenancy and instead can be paid in three instalments, the first at the beginning and then with the subsequent two rent payments. Landlords need to put the money in a separate bank account and pay tenants the deposit along with any interest when they move out.

Landlords are legally entitled to require proof of creditworthiness and solvency, and a reference from a previous landlord to prove the tenant doesn’t have rent arrears and has made punctual rent payments as well as three payslips.

Another unusual difference is that it’s common practice for many in Germany to demand this from prospective tenants when viewing a property to weed out bad tenants – and some even hang on to the paperwork.

Rent payments

Rent is paid monthly in advance but can’t exceed the local rent index while rent increases must also be specified in the rental agreement and can only be increased by 20% within three years or after building improvements.

The couple enjoy being landlords, particularly as their new tenants live next door and are great neighbours, adds Sascha. “We do quite a lot together, barbecuing, hiking and even look after their daughter.”

Read more: How to handle the eviction process.

View Full Article: Think British evictions are a pain? Then try it in Germany warn landlord duo

Scotland’s PRS is boosted by letting agent training and development

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The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Scotland says that investing in ongoing professional development and housing qualifications help to improve agent practice in the country’s private rented sector.

The CIH has published an independent review of the training and qualifications needed for letting agencies –

View Full Article: Scotland’s PRS is boosted by letting agent training and development

The Conservative’s home owning democracy is shot through with failure

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After 13 or so years of Conservative rule the Conservative promise of a stable home owning democracy has failed to materialise. They have got themselves into a bind over housing.

Potential home buyers find it impossible to afford a deposit as well as pay interest rates that are double what they were last summer, while renters can’t even find suitable homes, let alone reasonably priced ones.

Writing for Business Times, an international business journal, Alex Wickman says:

“Every Conservative leader in living memory has made the same basic promise to UK voters: work hard and you will earn more, buy a bigger house and one day pass it on to your children. Thirteen years after the party returned to power, some allies of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak fear the dream is dying.”

The Conservative’s commitment to build 300,000 houses per year goes back to October 1950 when Winston Churchill declared to a packed hall of delegates, this would be the target, a programme that was credited with securing the election for the Conservatives in 1951.

Move forward seventy-one years, with net migration reaching 500,000 and rising, and these targets have never been met. Mortgage rates are spiking and huge numbers of deals have been withdrawn. Unless your earnings are high enough, or you’re luck enough to have the “bank of mum and dad”, first time buyers can forget about securing an affordable mortgage.

Now Rishi Sunak has decided to drop compulsory housebuilding targets to avoid a nasty backbench rebellion, a capitulation which comes bang in the middle of a national housing crisis and which many Conservative MPs worry that it shows weakness.

That leaves renting as the only option for many people. But renting is becoming unaffordable as well. In the major cities where most job opportunities exist for young people, rental prices are getting beyond the reach of many, that’s if they can secure a rental at all.

Recent governments have seen social housing decline, leaving the private sector to take up the mantle of housing low income families. But at the same time the Government has squeezed the profits of private landlords (Section 24 removed mortgage interest relief), and imposed increasingly strict regulations, including giving tenants greater security of tenure. That’s not to mention the cost and disruption involved in bringing older properties (by far the majority in the private rented sector) up to the proposed EPC rating level “C”.

All of this, along with the latest tax changes like the reduction in capital gains tax allowances, and landlords are selling up in droves.

Individual Conservative politicians are in dispare: they watch in horror as the housing market in the UK slides inexorably into a deeper crisis. As Wickman says, “…some party strategists and MPs worry that won’t just mean defeat at the general election expected in 2024, but could mark a generational shift in British politics.” The slide would end the hopes that Rishis Sunak can turn things around to salvage the Conservative vote.

Higher interest rates and fewer properties will make buying a house even harder, and with landlords selling up and others passing on their higher costs to tenants, millions of younger voters will be stuck with soaring rents and nothing much to show for it. Stepping onto the housing ladder is going to be harder than ever.

The genesis of the UK housing crisis is well known. Many years of house price growth during a period of cheap mortgages and a scarcity of housing have pushed the cost of the average English home up to around 9 times average annual earnings. This compares to around 3.5 times in 1997.

The supply of homes available to buy rather than rent remains well below the level of demand, while around 15 per cent of the homes that do get built do not even meet the government’s decency standards. Basically new UK housing is overpriced, scarce and often of poor quality.

A fall in house prices due to increased mortgage costs will not solve the crisis either. The underlying shortage will limit the fall and the continuing exodus of landlords will keep rents high.

View Full Article: The Conservative’s home owning democracy is shot through with failure

SHOUT OUT: NRLA asks landlords with rent-to-rent experience to help in landmark case

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The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) wants to hear from landlords who have let property on a rent-to-rent basis so it can contribute to a high-profile case at the Supreme Court.

It believes the outcome of the upcoming Rakusen v Jepsen appeal has potential implications for superior landlords as it will rule over whether the landlord – in this case, the tenant – should be responsible for a rent repayment order (RRO) or if a superior landlord, or any landlord in the chain, should be held responsible.

Rakusen v Jepsen concerns a landlord who agreed to let their licensable property to a rent-to-rent company, however, a licence wasn’t applied for, and the former tenants sought a RRO against the superior landlord – not the rent-to-rent company.

Read more about the case.

The Upper Tribunal ruled that an order could be applied for against the superior landlord, however the Court of Appeal found in the landlord’s favour.

“All too often, the superior landlord may be surprised to find that the rent-to-rent company has failed to meet one or more of their legal responsibilities. In some cases, they may even be surprised to discover their tenant is subletting at all,” explains NRLA chief executive Ben Beadle (pictured).

If the court were to change the position adopted by the Court of Appeal, then authorised rent-to-rent arrangements will likely become less common, leading to a lower availability of budget accommodation to rent on a room by room basis, says the NRLA.

Landlords will also be unprotected from unauthorised rent-to-rent arrangements.

Unconscionable

“It seems unconscionable that a landlord should be subject to a financial penalty to a sub-tenant, whose existence he might not even be aware of, as a result of the dishonesty or failures of the tenant,” adds Beadle.

The NRLA wants to make a submission to the court before the hearing on 26^th January and has an online survey https://www.nrla.org.uk/rent-to-rent-survey for landlords to fill in.

View Full Article: SHOUT OUT: NRLA asks landlords with rent-to-rent experience to help in landmark case

Adding a second guarantor to existing tenancy agreement?

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Hello, There are two parts to this question: 1). I’d like to add a second guarantor to an existing tenancy agreement BUT – the tenant is the son of the guarantor, and the tenant lacks mental capacity, so the guarantor has also signed on behalf of their son in their capacity as a Deputy of the Court of Protection (CoP).

View Full Article: Adding a second guarantor to existing tenancy agreement?