What Tenants Want: The Changing Face of the Rental Market

With the rental market changing enormously over the past decade, savvy landlords need to stay on their toes to make the most of their investment.

General trends
1. Since 2010, the sector has almost doubled in size; these days, about 19% of all households rent.
2. Many tenants are renting for longer.
3. Renting is no longer all about young singletons. An increasing number of renters are aged 35 to 44 and have children.
4. Increased red tape: the number of laws relating to landlords … Continue Reading…

Five Reasons Why Landlords Sell Their Properties

It’s often thought that being a landlord is easy: buy a property, rent it out, and hey presto! You’re all set. Unfortunately, it’s never that simple, and many landlords look to sell up for an easier life.

Whether it’s age, personal circumstances or changes in the law, in this article, we explore five common reasons why UK landlords sell their properties.

Tenant issues

Let’s be honest, no landlord wants to take a call at 10pm from a tenant who has locked themselves … Continue Reading…

Keep Burglars at Bay by Beefing Up Your Home Security

With a raft of high-tech home security gadgets on the market, it’s easier than ever to keep your family, pets, and precious belongings safe.

Whether installing a completely new system or tightening up existing security measures, East Northants homeowners have plenty of options to choose from.

Smart system
There’s an app for everything these days – including home security. A smart system wirelessly links alarms, sensors, and cameras to a hub that you can manage remotely from your phone. Some systems can also … Continue Reading…

How Landlords and Tenants Can Feel the Love

If you do a quick Google search on ‘how to keep love alive’, communication comes out on top of many of the pieces of advice shared.

Almost all relationships benefit from good communication. And that advice extends beyond being a partner, parent, or friend – it can easily be applied to the landlord and tenant relationship.

But there’s more to it than that.

When it’s done well, the landlord and tenant relationship is precisely that – a relationship rather than a transaction.

Below are … Continue Reading…

What’s Putting Buyers Off Your Property

So, you’re keen to sell your home, but you’re just not getting any offers. What’s going on? How can you make your home more attractive to potential buyers?

What’s that smell?

Your home is your castle, but your pong is also your pong. If a buyer walks into a property and is hit with a bad smell, it’s likely they won’t be coming back. Whether you’ve just been cooking cabbage, or you’ve got a whiffy pet, always air your home before a … Continue Reading…

Landlords – Avoid These Common Décor Mistakes

Are you a landlord with a new rental property? Are you about to decorate? Step away from the colour charts, put down the paintbrush, and read on.

Sometimes, it’s hard to separate your personal taste from your rental. After all, you’ve paid a lot of money for it, and you’ve probably invested time and effort getting it ready for the rental market.

Here’s what to watch out for:

1. Getting too creative
Your rental property is NOT your home. You’ll probably never spend more … Continue Reading…

The Art of Compromise – What Buyers and Sellers Need to Know

When it comes to buying a home, there’s a word that buyers don’t like to hear, but it really is a critical element of any property purchase.

And that word is ‘compromise’.

People often expect to step inside a property and know that they’ve found The One. But in most cases, the home-buying process is more complicated than that.

Most buyers, no matter how substantial their budget, usually have to knock a few things off their wish list and compromise.

It’s a dilemma that … Continue Reading…

Two Top Tax Tips for Landlords

Our tax system is often criticised for being complicated and unwieldy, but by following two simple rules you can take the stress and hassle out of filing a return.

Rule Number 1: Do your homework

Raise your hand if you find the subject of tax dull? You’re not alone, many people cite tax as a conversation killer (right up there with religion and politics).

And because they find it boring, they don’t bother to learn much about it or keep abreast of rule … Continue Reading…