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After a long search (a year), I have found a perfect property for myself and cat to rent. This was found via an estate agent who will soon put us in contact with the landlord. The two bed property is out of my price range to live there alone long term. The rent is £1400 pm, I earn 34k pa - so I am only approved to rent a property up to £1100 and realistically, I would not be able to pay this long term with the addition of bills. When I found the property, I posted an ad for a housemate that stated we would go into a joint tenancy together and I received a lot of interest. Unfortunately the person I have gone into this with can no longer move in, a risk of finding someone so quickly was always going to be are trustworthy and reliable - unfortunately they were not. The estate agent is just about to finish the reference checks for us both (mine has gone through ok) and has a holding deposit which I paid. They do not yet know of her decision to opt out. I would still love to move in and I am really worried about losing the property and also the holding deposit (although only £360 - so not the end of the world, more concerned about house). The property is unfurnished and I have everything ready to go in, I have been the primary contact throughout. What I would like to do, is speak to the estate agent/or landlord (if we have been put in contact), explain it is only me that can move in and that the other person will have to be removed from the tenancy. I am able to offer 3 months rent up front in an attempt to sweeten the deal and could also provide guarantors. I would then look to find a new housemate once moved in, and cannot see it being an issue finding someone as there are so many people in the area desperate to find somewhere. They could then be added to the 12 month tenancy with me. I was tempted to ask for a sublet contract, but after researching, this seems like a commonly refused request. I have 30k in savings which I am looking to use for a future house deposit, but I could use some of this to secure the house and then pay back into it. I also assume they will have incurred a cost of referencing checking the other person and would have to do this for someone new. We have not signed a contract yet. Do you have any advice on how to approach this to do everything possible for them to allow me to still move in?

I have a picture of myself aged 3 in 1968 mixing cement at my dad's first rental property, he is going to be 94 next week. by the '80's we had about 20 properties but it was always a dirty secret then, keeping me from team sports and events due to cleaning, maintenance and turn arounds between tenants, as a teenager my dad kept the numbers from me but allowed me to skim the 50p's from the meters, encouraged me to education and a proper job. nearly 40 years later and i'm educating myself about the time i've lost. Had 2 additional properties on the edge for about 15 years but recently bought another 4 and ready to pile in in a big way but educating myself first.

Hi all, I'm looking to move to Birmingham in the new year from London. I'm going to be relocating to the HSBC office in Birmingham and I'm looking for a letting agent in Birmingham, who specialise in city centre apartment. I've seen http://fleetmilne.co.uk/rent/ but I was wondering if there were any agents people would recommend. Thanks, Jay

Hi guys, Has anyone used (or heard of) Rent Connect (http://www.rentconnect.co.uk/) to rent out their BTL's before? I can't find any reviews on them online. I've been told in London they deal with homeless tenants and people in need but outside of London they assist people with moving, for example the tenants they deal with have to be full time employed without pets but earning as a family less than £29k. So the tenants they place in your property will be full time employed and either stationed there temporarily due to insurance work or need help with moving due to their low income. Pets are NOT permitted and the tenants get inspected every 6 weeks. The offered me £800pm which not "too good to be true" for the property but is on the higher end of the rent I was looking for. Any feedback would be great before I commit next week. Thanks, Youssef

I am a real estate investor who has a particularly keen interest in Liverpool. I like the city and its culture. So, I want to invest somewhere around 60k-150k pounds on a property. What are the best areas to invest in depending on the crime rate and expected yield percentage per year. I want to invest around the city centre. Which are the L1-L8 areas I believe. What are the best areas that I could invest in?

My husband moved to England more than one year ago because of work relocation and I followed him moving to England a few months later. My husband signed the tenancy agreement. Two days before the end of the tenancy, we cleaned the flat (including the balcony) thoroughly with reasonable care. Two days after the tenancy ended, the problem emerged. My husband was informed by the landlord that they hired a professional cleaning company to clean the flat and asked us to pay for it. The cleaning cost is 300 pounds. It is absurd that my husband was required to pay for the fee based on the following reasons: 1. We already exercised reasonable care to clean the whole flat, the landlord sent us pictures for they found one hair and some washing powder left on the corner of the washing machine which they claimed it “dirty”, and yet no one could confirm whose hair does it belong to that unless we did some DNA test to it. 2. We checked cleaning companies online for cleaning the flat, the market price for cleaning a one-bedroom flat is 120 pounds on average. It is not reasonable to pay 300 pounds (which is more than double) for cleaning. Reference: https://www.fantasticcleanersbristol.co.uk/end-of-tenancy-cleaning/ 3. Besides, the tenancy agreement did not contain a clause that asks for a professional clean at the end of the tenancy and the Tenant Fees Act 2019 has stated that "A landlord or agent cannot require you to pay for a professional clean when tenant check-out. This includes a professional deep clean. "And "Since 1 June 2020, the term (for professional clean) requiring that payment is no longer be binding on tenant. " Thus we are not liable for any professional cleaning. The landlord argued that it is NOT a professional cleaning and argued that they did NOT force my husband to pick this cleaning company. Under the circumstances that my husband had NO choices to pick a cleaning company and he was not informed before hiring the professional cleaning company, that is called forced in NATURE. The professional company that the landlord hired cost more than double the market price which constituted the reasonable suspicion of scamming the tenant. 4. After living in the flat for a few days, my husband already found out that the ventilation of the bathroom did not work and thus it caused some mold on the sealants. Within an enclosed area like the bathroom with no windows, no ventilation, but water was needed to be used in, it is predictable that mold would grow. And my husband already sent an email enclosed with the pictures of the mold to the landlord. But they did not send anyone to fix the ventilation, which they argued that the mold on the sealants is not considered “fair wear and tear”, but luckily my husband did have the proof of the email informing the landlord about the problem in the first place. 5. The wardrobe wooden bar of the flat was broken and we were willing to fix it as we checked online that for market price it would only cost 50 pound. And the landlord wanted charge us for 100 pound. Facing the injustice and malicious action to be scammed, my husband intended to bring the issue to TDS (“Tenancy Deposit Scheme” https://www.thedisputeservice.co.uk/), but the landlord rejected this action to solve the dispute and intended to bring the issue to court. TDS cannot assist to solve the problem if the landlord does not consent to forward the case to TDS. (Ref: https://www.tenancydepositscheme.com/learn-more/information-tds-lounge/faqs/ “Should I go to court rather than use TDS? Either party may go to court if they prefer. We can only deal with a dispute if both tenant and landlord agree they want us to. Most people prefer to come to us because they feel it will be quicker, cheaper and less stressful. Like the courts, we are independent, authoritative and our decision is binding. However, while we can deal with proposed deductions from a deposit, we cannot consider counterclaims or matters unrelated to the deposit.”) I strongly suggested that my husband should go to court if the landlord did not want to solve it with TDS because the landlord only wanted to scam us and by leveling up to court which took much more time and money during process would make us succumb to the injustice. But since it is my husband who signed the tenancy agreement instead of me, I could not represent him to make the decision to go to court with solving this. My husband has a job which makes him work a lot and even on weekends sometimes, with considering the resources that he needed to put in if he had to attend some court hearing, he decided not to level up this issue to court and paid the landlord the unreasonable fee. The lessons I learned from this matter and advice I want to give the tenants are listed as below, 1. Read the tenancy agreement and the Tenant Fees Act 2019 carefully, know your rights and responsibilities well before you sign, be extra careful with any clause related to cleaning issue, because this can be ambiguous and can be an excuse from the landlord or agency to deduct your deposit. 2. Take not only pictures but slow and clear video of the flat or house before you move in. If possible, ask someone to be there when you take your pictures and video. The third party being there when you take your video can be a witness when you have to raise your dispute to court or TDS. Remember to take pictures and video inside of the oven, fridge, cabinet, washing machine, dishwasher etc. anything that could be open or in the corner like under the bed because it might be used as an excused to deduct your deposit too. (My husband did not open the washing machine to take picture after cleaning the whole flat and he was accused of leaving a hair in the washing machine, which quoted by the landlord was “dirty”.) 3. Inform the landlord any problem that is in the landlord’s responsibility like ventilation out of order immediately. If you do not do it in a reasonable period of time (which is asap), you might be attacked for problems in the flat that you should not be responsible for. 4. Record any contact with the letting agency and landlord, use email for most of the time but if it is a phone call or meeting in person, record the conversation by voice recorder. 5. Be patient and stand up against injustice. Do not be afraid that this cost a bit more than the deposit. If I were my husband I would definitely go to court to solve this matter because it was not about money only, it was about justice and going against people who take advantage of the innocent. The landlord and letting companies who did not prefer to solve it with TDS and propose to take this to court are taking advantage of our mentality that we do not want to spend more time and resources fighting against injustice. I spent time writing this experience for reminding the tenants of not making the same mistakes as we did and I want to stand up to fight the injustice. And in all, I sincerely hope that less people will be scammed for not having enough knowledge about renting.

My parents own some 1-2 bed flats in Kendal, Cumbria. They're a good size ranging from 34-47m2, are in good condition (despite being refurbished 20 years ago) and are fully occupied with good tenants. My parents are retiring and I'm taking over the remote management of the properties. As part of taking on the properties, I wanted to understand the current rents being charged compared to the current market. LHA rates locally are circa £500/£600pcm for 1/2 self-contained flats respectively. Properties being marketed locally for rent suggest similar rates. My parents flats are being rented at around £420 i.e. circa 20-25% below the market value and therefore I'd like to consider how to increase the rent to a fair level however I'm conscious of timing given the impact of covid on people and the general economy. Also I don't want to come in like a the bull in a china shop and upset good tenants however I'm keen that rents are raised to fairer rates over time. Would anyone care to suggest what approach they would advise to raising the rents in this situation?

Looking to be more hands on with property and am expanding into our no2 and 3 BTLs. Previous agent we liked but was very arms length in terms of management, the trades people instructed were not great and it often took a long time for call outs etc. off the back of a refurb we have some good contacts now for trades and handymen. Does anyone on here use open rent or used open rent previously?? thanks

I'm in a pickle! I have become emotionally attached to my tenant. He's been a model tenant for about 10 years and i have a good relationship with him. He's never asked for anything and takes excellent care of the property, even making little improvements. I currently charge him £475 but a recent valuation recommends £550. I'm happy with the rent I receive at the moment and would love to retain my current tenant, he could easily move on. i'm coming up to a remortgage and told this rental amount may effect my stress tests. I know I'm running a business and I'm calculating losing this tenant may cost more in the long run. Has anyone been in the same situation? How would you approach raising the rent with his new tenancy agreement. Many Thanks. Rick

Hi all, A big topic for you today - if dangerous cladding is found on a block of apartments, who pays to fix it? One of the properties I own is a flat in a block with 100+ leaseholders. I can't divulge too much information because it is an ongoing legal case, however we are currently pursuing several avenues of legal proceedings in order to determine whose responsibility it is to pay for the potential 7 figure cost of replacing all of the cladding on the building. Will it be the leaseholders, who are supposed to be responsible for maintenance and repair of the building, or the landlord who owns the building and is responsible for remedial action? Of course, when the building was completed less than 10 years ago, everything was approved to building standards at the time. It is because of the recent tragedy at Grenfell that everyone is suddenly realising that the standards are not good enough now. To be clear, nobody is disputing that the cladding needs to be replaced. At the moment, the leaseholders are paying six figure sums for 24 hour fire marshalls to guard the building so that it can stay operational for tenants. We are also being coerced into paying increased service charges (2-3x the normal amount) to pay for other remedial fire safety actions even though it hasn't yet been determined who is responsible. Although I can just about afford it with the rent (I am now essentially making £0 on that property) for some owner-occupiers or smaller portfolio leaseholders this increased service charge and potential astronomical charge to eventually do the cladding itself is going to wipe them out. As a leaseholder, I have a biased opinion but surely it shouldn't be us leaseholders, who each paid six figure sums to buy a product in good faith, who pays to fix something that isn't actually fit for purpose?? Please let me know your thoughts, I would be grateful for any advice.

Hello looking for some advice. I have a flat in London rented to a couple. The tenant contacted me today regarding his partner being made redundant and asked if there was something that I could do on rent. I don’t have a mortgage on the property. I wanted to ask what people are doing in this situation ? The current rent is 1700pcm. I was contemplating offering them a ‘rent holiday’ so that they pay 14000pcm instead for 3 months. Once the tenants partner finds another role it can return to the 1700pcm. They would then have 6 months to top up the rental payments to make up the £900 they missed. I’m not sure if this is going to help enough and what other landlords are offering! Bit lost here so any other ideas are very welcome. Thanks very much!

Hi everyone, So I'm looking to get a standard letter ready to send landlords about the possibility of rent to rent. I need a bit of help with what/how to word the letter the best way possible. Can anyone help me with this? Thanks!

As a property investor (I'm not a landlord): For example, I found a BMV property, then apply for planning permission to convert into an HMO property depending how many bedrooms and use the bridging finance to refurb it, then use the property to rent it out to potential tenants if that makes sense. This is a buy to let. Someone mentioned that property management/ Rent2Rent is a trading business. Which of these codes are applicable? It is really confusing. SIC codes SIC code 68100 is for the buying and selling of own real estate; so, if you’re going to be flipping and trading, this would be the code for you. SIC code 68209 is for the letting and operating of own or leased real estate. In other words, for buying and holding property and renting it out. SIC code 68320 is for the management of real estate on a fee or contract basis. So, for example if you’re going to set up your own management company, then this would be the right classification for you. (As an aside, if you’re going to manage properties for other people or third parties, you should definitely do this in a separate company, and for tax efficiency purposes, you may also consider managing your own properties for yourself but through a separate company). SIC code 68310 is for real estate agencies. In other words, if you’re going to do deal packaging, i.e. if you’re going to source properties for other people.

Hi everyone, I am a landlord currently with two B2L properties looking to expand my portfolio. I am also someone who constantly thinks about business, new ideas and how I can help other property investors. One area that there seems to be little to no discussion on (at least that I can find) is that of recovering lost rent when NO rent guarantee scheme or insurance has been purchased. Typical scenario would be you have had to evict a tenant for not paying rent, you have no rent insurance, have paid all the court fees and are now out of pocket for £££’s of pounds. What can you do to get your money back? Or do you just take the financial loss and move on? So, my question is, if there was an option to use a company to recover those losses for you, without you needing to spend a further thousand pounds using one of the big solicitors firms, would this be of any interest to our community? Really interested to get peoples thoughts on this and thanks for your time reading.

Hi I am from Reading and currently going through the Goliath Sourcing Academy training. I have learned alot about property over the last month. I am in the process of putting together my goals formally. My end goal is to build a buy to let portfolio with the aim of earning atleast 7,000pcm after tax. My chosen strategy is BRRR or BR and flip. However I do not have enough capital to source. So my strategy will be to Co source deals with a deal sourcer, use that money to start my own deal sourcing business, use the money from the business to implement my strategy. Therefore if anyone if anyone is happy to assist me even look over some of the deals I have have to point me to the right direction, I would really appreciate it. Thanks all Yvette

Hi all, I've had an offer accepted this afternoon but I think I might have a problem getting a mortgage. I had previously spoken to the local council and told them about the possible purchase and they said they would gladly take the property and guarantee me the rent every month directly into my account. Now the problem is the tenants could be a working family or on benefits and I cannot choose who I want in the property. My broker said I have been refused by one lender because it is a rent back guarantee and they will try more tomorrow. Is this going to be a problem going forward?

Hi, My tenants are coming to the end of their 6 month contract in my house and stated that they would like to sign a new 12 month contract or anktger 6 month contract, rather than remaining on a rolling/month to month agreement. They have reported to the estate agents that they are very settled and would like the security of a longer contract. What are the advantages and disadvantages, from my point of view, in offering them a fixed term contract rather than keeping them on a rolling contract? I have no plans to replace them, nor have I plans to up their rent in the next 12 months but, from my understanding, if problems arise (not paying rent) it will be easier for me to evict them in a monthly contract. Surely there are fees involved in writing up a contract? If security is the only thing the require maybe I could just reassure the Tennant's of my plans of no change? Thanks in advance Paul

Hi everyone, I've found myself in a bit of a predicament with an impending divorce and trying to figure the best way to navigate out of this situation. Any advice on the following details would be much appreciated. I have a property jointly owned with my ex. We have amicably decided she should get her share of equity that we've made plus any contribution to previous renos costs. This comes to approx. 60k. My issue is how best to raise the £60k. The easiest option would be to sell up and start again. However I've put a huge amount of work into renos and improvements over the last 18 months so would love to keep the place if possible. It's in a great area of town where values are rising and the rental market is strong so it should be a good investment. Current value £430k. Current resi mortgage £260k. Potential BTL interest only mortgage £320k. Monthly rental value approx. £1,400. I'm also a contractor with my own limited company. If hugely beneficial I could look into buying the place through the ltd Co. (Not sure about the mechanics of this at the moment though). Looking forward to any ideas what you'd do. Cheers

Hi guys I have just leaped into my first investment with a standard BTL property in Salford, Manchester. Was wondering if anyone on here has any knowledge of the area and any thoughts on the deal. I managed to get the deal slightly below market value. I have attached the right move link below. Any feedback is welcome. http://www.rightmove.co.uk/s6p/61096188 Cheers Mason

Hi all, I'am Ben 28 year old builder from Leeds. I've been in to property as long as I can remember And always wanted to develop property and rent them must have been all the grand designs and homes under the hammer I watched as a kid!! I'm looking for some opinions on what my next move should be as the time has come we need to move house to something bigger for are growing family. I bought my first 2 bed house that I payed 75,000 for and renovated for 25,000. I've just had it revalued at 140,000. So this Is my dilemma rent for the passive income as I could get 600 pm, plus the Morgage is payed off in 8 years. Down side will have to put off moveing for another 6 months to save more deposit. Or sell the the property to free up funds for the move plus invest in other propertys and a possible opportunity to buy some land to develop. Meny thanks in advance to every one at property hub for all the amazing podcasts and advice. thanks Ben

Hi all, We are looking to rent out our existing four bed family home after finding a new home. There is an opportunity to let the property furnished and just wondered what increase in rent, in % terms to expect against leaving the property empty? Also, will letting the property furnished increase or decrease it's desirability? Thanks in advance. Phil.

Me and my partner are desperate to move out of my mums house but also I want to save up for a deposit for a flat. What's the best way to go about this?

Hi all, I'm looking for some advice on what to do with my shared ownership headache. I bought a 50% shared ownership flat from a housing association in 2005 for £45,000 and, after being in negative equity for years, it now has £20,000 left on the mortgage and is valued at approximately £35,000 for 50%. I moved out of the flat about 18 months ago and bought a house with a family member. I have just finished refurbishing the flat with the intention of renting it out. I have been running through some figures but it doesn't seem as rosy as I thought it might. At the moment I pay out £827 per month for the flat. 
 Rent I pay for the other 50%, including service charge: -£230 per month Mortgage payments on my 50% share: -£500 per month Council Tax: -£97 per month Mortgage repayment date: October 2021 If I rent it out I then the situation could be paying out £375 Per month The rental income for the flat: £500 per month Letting agent Setup Fee: -£650 Per year (or -£55 per month) Letting agent management fees: -£60 per month Landlord insurance: Haven't got this yet, I guess about -£20 per month Rental guarantee: -£10 per month Rent I pay for the other 50%, including service charge: -£230 per month Mortgage payments on my 50% share: -£500 per month (Mortgage interest approx £60 per Month) After October 2021 when the mortgage is paid I should get £125 per month If I purchase the remaining 50% after October 2021 I should get £215 per month The rental income for the flat: £500 per month Letting agent Setup Fee: -£650 Per year (or -£55 per month) Letting agent management fees: -£60 per month Landlord insurance: Haven't got this yet, I guess about -£20 per month Rental guarantee: -£10 per month Mortgage: £140 per month My headache is whether I should just sell it, (I should also get back £5,505 of stamp duty because the house I bought after had the 2nd home stamp duty surcharge)? Rent it out as it is now at 50%? Or staircase and buy the other half of the flat so I can stop paying rent to the housing association (Service charge would still be approx £60) and maybe try and extend the lease. The property’s current lease runs until 2084. Any help or advice would be appreciated and congratulations on reading all that. Many thanks, Dave

Just wondering what the process is and what you think of it.

Hi, I am coming close to completion on an 1 bed off plan property ive purchased in Birmingham City Center. I have a slight dilemma whereby the Property management/estate agent who also happened to be selling furniture packs for a lot of the units is advising i purchase the furniture pack. See below for Details: "City Pack" = £1,995 + VAT "Style Pack" = £2,150 + VAT "Urban Pack" = £2,250 +VAT He mentions that apartments in the city center usually go for 150-200gbp more per month after being furnished. This would essentially mean after 1 year it would pay its self off. Now i don't buy into this and would like to know if anyone has information to back this statement up, or as i suspect hes just trying to hard sell and realistically you might get 20-30/month more after bring furnished? (On a side note i think furnishing apartments isnt really worth the hassle as constant phone calls for broken goods etc and when the tenants move in with their own furniture/white goods they tend to stay longer and respect the property a lot more) Thanks again Hubbers Eamon