After over a year of turmoil, July 19th 2021 marked ‘freedom day’ for the UK. Gone are the days of mandatory social distancing and face coverings, replaced by life after lockdown and a wealth of possibilities. While our newfound freedom signifies many things, there’s hopes that the full vaccine rollout […]
Most of us are probably going to start our property portfolio by buying vanilla buy to lets, and we are probably going to fund these using standard buy to let finance. A typical buy to let mortgage is probably going to be a 75% loan to value mortgage. The bank […]
A question I am sometimes asked is, ‘Peter, what is the ideal amount of loan to value to have spread across a portfolio, or even on individual properties, and how would you know what that figure is?’. Well, it’s an interesting question, and I have to say that in my […]
One of the big, big changes in property over the last 20 years is that it is now so easy to find finance for your properties. When I first started 20 years ago, buy to let mortgages had only just come in. Nobody quite knew what they were, or how […]
It’s smart to be safe A responsible landlord will want to help ensure the safety and security of their tenants. Even if your property is situated in a safe area, a home security system can provide peace of mind to a renter that their belongings are protected. This makes your […]
A question I am quite often asked is, ‘should I still be buying my properties using interest only mortgages or has that all changed now because of section 24 and the tax changes?’. Let me start by prefacing that with a quick comment. In the lending world the rules have […]
I have had a great question in from a reader asking about leafleting. Specifically, the question was, ‘Have you ever used leaflets, like the We Buy Houses Fast type leaflets, and if so what sort of success rate would you expect to have with your leaflets, and what sort of […]
Property investment is a business and property investors are effectively business managers. They may not have direct staff but they will have tenants and those tenants need to be managed. Part of tenant management is dealing with landlord/tenant disputes. How exactly should landlords deal with tenant disputes? The causes of […]
Over the last 10-15 years, the UK private rental and HMO (houses in multiple occupation) sectors have grown strongly. From student accommodation to shared housing, HMOs are an attractive option for investors and landlords, but they don’t come without some compromises. Mark Cotter, Real Estate Director and Anusha Peries, Real […]
Homeowners looking to increase the value of their property are usually unsure of where to start. From small DIY renovation projects to house extensions, there are plenty of options to choose from, but the most valuable home improvements are the ones that bring you a higher return than the total amount […]
