Property Still the Way to Invest Say Parents!

Despite a year of falling property prices, British parents are still buoyant about the property market in the years to come. This was evident from a study which showed that nearly half of British parents have offered financial assistance to their grown up offspring to help them to get on to the property ladder.

The study was carried out by market research firm BDRC. The study revealed that 40 percent of parents over the age of 45 believed that investing in the UK property market will give secure returns to their children in the future. Continue reading

Don’t Let a Cold Winter ‘Freeze Out’ Your Profits.

Landlords across the UK should be prepared for spending more pounds on maintenance and repairs in the coming months as meteorologists are forecasting a pretty chilly winter season.

Landlords are advised to let their tenants know in advance of required safety measures to prevent any unforeseen expenses in maintenance and service. Of all the risks associated with damages related to winter, the biggest is the freezing of pipes, in case the temperature dips below the freezing point regularly. Continue reading

It’s Now Tenants Who are Calling the Shots

The financial meltdown and the resultant credit crunch have hit many prospective buyers across the UK. As a result an increasing number of people are now opting for rented property. This is quite rampant in parts of London where private dwellings are in abundance. Many of those looking for rented property have high expectations of their landlords.  Around less than a year ago the majority of people were still buyers but now the tables have turned. Continue reading

Managing Tenants and Finances

Being a successful landlord has a lot to do with how you manage your tenants and your money.  Maintaining detailed tenant information:While this seems simple enough at first glance, in reality most landlords spend more time on this activity than they actually realise. The fact is that every tenant engagement has some unique angle to it, whether it is a special clause in the agreement or a different rent payment schedule. A landlord usually relies solely on his experience to try and keep all this information intact, but it is really the best way to manage tenant information? Continue reading

Why Gas Safety Checks are Important

When you are buying a property with the intention to rent it out, it is mandatory to carry out a Gas safety inspection before you let it out. There are other checks too, but this is the most important. A failure to get the inspection done could result in large fines, and in the event of an unfortunate incident, you could even face manslaughter charges and a prison term. Continue reading

Selecting the Right Tenant

Choosing the right tenant is possibly one of the most important things that a landlord has to do. In many ways it’s like the beginning of a business relationship. Not only is it a pleasure to interact with a trouble-free tenant who abides by the mutual agreed rules, it also allows you to focus on other aspects of your business.  

There are a few things you could do to make sure that you pick the right tenant from the applicants…

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Better Tenancy Agreements and Notices

Whether it’s an agreement for a new tenancy, or a notice concerning a rent increase, renewal or updated terms and conditions, any documents related to the tenancy agreement are very important items for a landlord.  A good tenancy agreement is one of the most important factors in ensuring that your interests and property assets are protected in a landlord – tenant relationship. It also ensures a smoother relationship, since there are lesser chances of misunderstandings or misinterpretations from either party.   Continue reading

Information is Key

A landlord often has the unenviable task of having to collect money that is owed to him; money that, for some reason or other, just doesn’t seem to be coming in.

This is an extremely frustrating task for you, not to mention stressful. And since you deal with people everyday, you don’t want to take a hard-line approach and offend hassle-free tenants who pay their rent on time.

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