LANDLORD NEWS AND ADVICE FROM UK'S LARGEST ONLINE LETTING AGENT
The latest from the world of lettings and written for landlords. Top stories, advice, commentary and analysis...
Keep the discussion lively, if you read an article and have some thoughts, please comment. We’re always looking for new landlord tips and stories so if you have something you’d like to share please let me know, simon@upad.co.uk (editor).
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Archive for the ‘Property Investment’ Category
Great news for buy-to-let investors, bad news for home-owners
With house prices down in the dumps, buy-to-let yields have risen even further according to a new report by Mortgages for Businesses. HMOs in particular have seen a large rise from 9.2% to 11.1%. This is great news if you are looking to invest in buy-to-let properties. With house prices falling you should be able to pick up properties cheaply, and gain a good rental income in the process.... Read more
Commercial property: what you need to know
Commercial property is a wide-ranging sector incorporating shops, warehouses, factories and shopping centres. The quality of the occupant is key for reliable rental payment and trouble-free income. Robert Farago, chief investment officer at Schroders Private Bank, said that amid the turmoil in financial markets, "the UK commercial property sector has been an oasis of calm...even if there is a... Read more
HMOs: what you need to know
According to the Government's website, the definition of a House in Multiple Occupation — HMO for short — is, “if you let (or plan to let) to at least three tenants who form more than one household and who share (or will share) toilet, bathroom or kitchen facilities”. Put simply, if you're renting a property out to three or more tenants who are not members of the same family, it is... Read more
Buy-to-let property types
In order to be a successful buy-to-let landlord, it's important to know who you are renting to and what they want. Below is a list of the major types of tenants. Young professionals People in their 20s and 30s who are starting their career and don’t have a family. Generally, they are looking for a property that is better quality than their student homes, but not too expensive. They are likely... Read more
Student housing
According to Paragon Mortgages, student lets typically outperform any other type of rental: landlords can expect to earn an average income of 6.45%, compared to 5.94% if you were renting to young professionals. Even taking into account tuition fees, demand for this type of property is likely to remain strong. Clearly, this is a potentially lucrative form of letting, but you need to do your... Read more
Case Study – How to present your property: Farnborough, GU14
What we like about the property… It is a refurbished property. This is always a big selling feature for tenants, and combined with the fact the property is unfurnished, means the property is a blank canvas for tenants. This property is situated within spitting distance from Farnborough Main station; perfect for the London commuter with regular trains to Waterloo. Farnborough is a town... Read more
70% of landlords more confident about UK B2L
Our Private Rental Sector Health Check for January 2012, has revealed that almost 70% of landlords are more confident about the UK buy-to-let market in January than they were at the end of 2011. A total of 411 (70%) respondents highlighted rising tenant demand, high rents and reduced housing stock as the main reasons for boosting their assurance in the buy-to-let market. James Davis, our... Read more
London homeowners go for gold as new Olympic lettings service launches
Its official, the race is now on as London homeowners seek to cash in on the estimated 500,000 visitors flooding into London this summer to witness the 2012 Olympic Games. A prime case is the former Spurs and Arsenal defender Sol Campbell's, who will be renting out his Chelsea townhouse for £75,000 a week, around four times its value throughout the Olympic Games. Like Sol, londoners have... Read more
Case study – how to present your property: Liverpool, L3
What we like about the property… • The listing states the property is situated in the best postcode in Liverpool, and the surrounding features back that up. It’s close to the World Heritage Waterfront, the Liver Building and the Cunard Building. Architectural features like these will attract tenants. • The property has magnificent interior design. It has all the mod-cons and a rather... Read more
60 Seconds with James Davis
What is your role? Founder & CEO of www.upad.co.uk What is Upad in a nutshell? Upad is the UK's largest online lettings agency. We help landlords let and manage their properties nationally, and because we've grown so large, we can pass on massive savings to landlords. How is it different to other lettings agencies? Our landlords are generally experienced buy-to-let professionals who... Read more
Case study: how to present your property – EAST HAM, E6
What we liked about the property… It has a gas central heating system. With the major gas companies dropping their prices this could save tenants a substantial amount on bills. It features modern furnishings as shown by the kitchen, lounge and master bedroom photos. This always helps properties let out fast. It is an affordable, East End London property. At £1550 per month for 4... Read more
Case Study: how to present your student property – Cardiff, CF24
What we liked about the property… It is situated in the prime student area of Cathays, close to the main university campus and Cathays rail station. This property will always be in demand from students making it a fantastic investment. The property is well furnished unlike many student properties, ensuring it will be let quickly and will achieve top rent. The house is licensed by... Read more
Case Study: how to present your property – Greenwich, SE18
What we liked about the property… It’s a luxury new development in an up-and-coming part of London. It has great facilities such as a gym exclusive for residents, and a concierge. It has multiple transport links with easy access to the centre of London (Train/DLR 8 minutes walk). Beautiful Thames views upstream to Canary Wharf and The City. What we liked about the... Read more
Developers delay building 300k homes
Campaigners opposed to plans from the coalition government to water down planning laws have revealed that property developers already have existing planning permissions to build more than 300k houses in England and Wales. The government has announced that they wish to create a new legal “presumption in favour of suatainable development.” This has led to countryside groups and others... Read more
Seek out a student investment
With more than a quarter of a million students about to start university, buy-to-let investors are turning their gaze to student housing. In the student world, the summer months are the calm before the storm. The majority of students arrive towards the end of the summer; August/September time, ready for the new academic year. Students tend to begin their search for a property when the 2nd... Read more
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Recent Comments
- David Lawrenson: Good piece Freeholds are more valuable to buy and sell (among people who did this sort of thing) if...
- David Lawrenson: James, Good piece but why do Shelter fail to mention the rather important fact that lenders’...
- John Gell: Non-paid utility bills need not concern a landlord and it is not lawful to hold deposit money against...
- Maggie: We once had to install 2 Miele washer/dryers in 3 years for tenants and the original one was a Miele –...
- Sharon Bilsby-Vint: I only ever install Miele Washing Machines in all my rented properties for peace of mind. (I even...
