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Landlords and Capital Allowances: does the taxman owe you money?

This is a guest post from tax experts Bell Strategies Landlord tax experts Bell Strategies estimate that 500,000 Landlords are owed money by the tax man whether they are on PAYE or self-assessed. This is because they have failed to take advantage of the Capital Allowances that mean you can claim back part of the tax paid on buy-to-let property purchases. The amount that can be claimed may be... Read more

Posted by Dan @ Upad on November 25th, 2011 in Property Rental

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Property viewings: nobody does it better than landlords

Showing prospective tenants around your rental property, really couldn't be easier. So, why do so many landlords leave this vital task to other people? Lettings agents and others very often don't make a very good job of viewings. Here are three good reasons from Upad on why landlords should bite the bullet and do their own property viewings: Landlords know best. You really do know your... Read more

Posted by Dan @ Upad on October 28th, 2011 in Ask Upad, Finding Tenants, Tips for New Landlords

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Working holiday: things for Landlords to ponder by the pool

Here at Upad Towers we hope that every landlord manages to take a bit of time off this summer and enjoy a holiday. It might just be a weekend away, or you might be jetting off to lap up the sun in exotic climes. Whatever your pleasure, we hope you have (or have had) a lovely time.Taking time off is vital. Being a landlord can be a relentless pursuit, so taking some time to reflect, recharge the... Read more

Posted by Dan @ Upad on August 22nd, 2011 in Mortgages, Property Rental, Tips for New Landlords

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Lancs. landlord registration has not improved area

A landlord registration scheme designed to improve the Trinity area of Burnley, Lancashire, has not improved life, according to residents. 85.9% of those responding to a survey for the local council said the area has not improved since the scheme was introduced in October 2008. 80% also said that there had been an increase in the number of badly-managed privately-rented homes. The scheme was... Read more

Posted by Sue @ Upad on December 27th, 2010 in Landlord Legislation

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88% of landlords will not lower rent to new LHA levels

Since the Emergency Budget in June, there's been plenty of speculation about what effects it will have on the rented property market. Some commentators have expected private landlords to wholesale abandon DSS tenants; others have speculated that lowering LHA will bring down rents across the board, and have celebrated the thought that "greedy landlords" will have to charge everyone less. We... Read more

Posted by Sue @ Upad on August 19th, 2010 in Housing Benefit, Property Market, Property Rental

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What not to say in a property description

Okay David Copperfield, you've got a blank description field in front of you, now's your chance to write that epic saga of a landlord and his semi-detached villa in Putney. Right? Wrong! While it may be nice to add a personal touch to a card in the post-office window, your ad is about to be posted across a network of sites where it will be up against listings with descriptions written by... Read more

Posted by Joel @ Upad on August 5th, 2010 in Property Advertising

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Advertising rentals for people who work from home

Yesterday a tenant asked us a question that we're expecting to hear more and more often. Did we have, she asked, any flats with a room suitable for a home office? She's a single professional web designer who mostly works from home: she wants a reception room to relax, plus of course a bedroom - and another room that's just for work. We started wondering how a landlord would advertise that sort of... Read more

Posted by Sue @ Upad on August 4th, 2010 in Furnishing, Property Advertising, Property Rental

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Landlord seminars : making LHA work for you

LandlordAction, the tenant debt recovery and eviction specialists, are running a series of seminars for landlords on Local Housing Allowance. Taking place in Manchester, Birmingham and London, the seminars aim to help landlords cut through the red tape of the LHA system and realise just how profitable it could be for them. Topics covered include: • LHA Safeguard Policies • Cash... Read more

Posted by Sue @ Upad on March 30th, 2010 in Events

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Landlords grown in confidence for the new year

64% of the UK’s landlords feel more confident about the buy-to-let market as we enter into the New Year, according to the latest findings from Upad's monthly Rental Confidence Index. The figure represents a 6% increase from the same survey that was conducted in December 2009. Comments made by 2010 survey respondents feeling more confident included: • “More repossessions, uncertainty... Read more

Posted by Sue @ Upad on January 12th, 2010 in Property Market, Upad

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Landlords feeling more confident about BTL market

Over half (58%) of the UK’s landlords are feeling more confident about the buy-to-let market in December 2009, than they did last month, according to the latest poll of Upad's landlords. 233 landlords responded to our question ‘Are you more confident or less confident about the buy-to-let market than you were last month?’ One landlord who said they felt more confident told us "The market... Read more

Posted by Sue @ Upad on December 15th, 2009 in Property Market

Buy-to-let register is ‘unworkable’

  The National Landlords Association is reported to have announced that it believes the Government’s proposed buy-to-let register will not succeed in rooting out bad landlords.   It said the plan, which would require anyone renting property to register each address, was “well-meaning, but flawed”. It also compared the scheme to a similar one in Scotland, which was branded “a complete... Read more

Posted by James @ Upad on June 5th, 2009 in National Landlords Association NLA, Property Rental

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Thinking of letting your property? Talk to the experts

I’ve just read a very interesting article from the Guardian. According to figures from the Property Ombudsman, there has been a huge rise in the number of disputes involving letting agents in 2008.   The problem seems to have emanated from the increasing number of inexperienced estate agents who are attempting to cash in on the burgeoning rental market.   Many of the complaints were... Read more

Posted by James @ Upad on May 26th, 2009 in Property Rental, Tips for New Landlords

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Is this just another tax for landlords?

  And as if things weren’t bad enough for buy-to-let investors, new proposals put forward by the government to try and weed out undesirables would cost honest landlords even more money.   Under the scheme, a national register of landlords would be set up, requiring anyone renting out a property to sign up, paying a £50 fee for the privilege - ostensibly to cover administrative... Read more

Posted by James @ Upad on May 21st, 2009 in Landlord Tax, Property Rental

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Has the buy-to-let bubble finally burst?

  At the turn of the millennia, one in four mortgages in London was buy-to-let. Low house prices and large disposable incomes meant that investment in property was a no-brainer for many people. As house prices rose, more and more people became unable to venture onto the property ladder, leading to greater demand for rental opportunities. The landlords were happy and there was plenty of choice... Read more

Posted by James @ Upad on May 19th, 2009 in Property Rental

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