Property Blog [ Page 3 ]
Landlord Guide To Marketing A BTL Property From Start To Finish
04 Sep 2009 / Marketing & Finding Tenants / 0 Comments
This flow chart shows the typical steps new landlords take to find tenants, and displays the routes/options available, highlighting the pros and & cons of each route. Bear in mind, some of the steps are legal requirements! If anyone disagrees with this chart, or believes it can be improved, please let me know, and I’ll [...]
Landlord Guide On Evicting Tenants
30 Aug 2009 / Evicting Tenants / 1 Comment
Here are the steps a landlord typically takes during the process of evicting tenants. The chart doesn’t reflect every open option available; the chart displays the most common options and solutions, along with the pros and cons of each possible route. If anyone disagrees with this chart, or believes it can be improved, please let [...]
The Lost Art Of Being Polite
27 Aug 2009 / Ranting Landlord / 8 Comments
Just to warn you all, this post has nothing to do with property or being a landlord. This is about me throwing my toys out of the pram due to the lack of manners some people seem to have. While you won’t directly learn how to be a better landlord from this, some of you [...]
Sarah Beeny Boob Competition- Win Her Latest Property Book
25 Aug 2009 / Sarah Beeny / 10 Comments
Yup, it’s that time again. I’m giving away another copy of Sarah Beeny’s latest property book, “Property Ladder- Sarah Beeny’s Design For Profit” For more details about the book go here, Sarah Beeny’s Latest Book. The last few competitions have been pretty successful- people seem to love the Beeny and her expert advice (or the [...]
Guide On Picking The Right Letting Agent
23 Aug 2009 / Good & Bad Landlord Practices / 4 Comments
I’ve had experiences with about 4 or 5 different letting agents, so I know how important it is to pick the best out of a rotten bunch. The consequences of working with the wrong letting agent can be on the same par as a slow and painful death, if not worse. That’s precisely why it’s [...]
Landlord Searching For Perfect Tenants
20 Aug 2009 / Ranting Landlord / 4 Comments
I have a 2 bedroom mid-terrace house located on the outskirts of Cambridge City, available from early November for someone, or some people, to make into a new home. The property comprises nice views, a nice location, and nice neighbours. It’s all rather nice. Interested? Apply for viewings if you’re able to tick all of [...]
Hilarious Ad By Landlord, ’4 Bedroom Undesirable Shit Hole’
19 Aug 2009 / Ranting Landlord / 3 Comments
I noticed this ad on Gumtree the other day and found it hilarious. I don’t know who, why or what, but I like. And here are the visuals… I really don’t have much else to say on the matter.
Provide Tenants With Incentives So They Choose Your Property Over Someone Else’s
18 Aug 2009 / Marketing & Finding Tenants / 12 Comments
Somewhere, although I can’t remember quite where, I’ve already dribbled about how the BTL market is insanely tough for landlords right now, so I won’t delve into the specifics too much. But basically, demand isn’t as great as supply blah blah blah, consequently tenants are being spoilt for choice with the abundance of vacant properties [...]
Tenant’s Right To Live In Quiet Enjoyment
12 Aug 2009 / Landlord Legal Obligations/Issues / 27 Comments
A few days ago there was a little debate on Twitter about whether a landlord or letting agent had the right to enter his/her property during the last month of the fixed term to take viewings, without giving notice to the tenant. To me that seemed pretty ridiculous; I was pretty adamant that the Landlord [...]
Reasons Why Landlords Shouldn’t Accept DSS Tenants
09 Aug 2009 / DSS Tenants / 132 Comments
Before anyone gets firmly on my tits about this, let me just clarify, this is a follow on article from The Positives Of DSS Tenants. So please, no angry hippies or DSS tenants start protesting, this is just a simple flip of the coin. But I must confess, this list is longer than the pro-DSS [...]
A Few Reasons Why Landlords Should Use Twitter
04 Aug 2009 / Good & Bad Landlord Practices / 7 Comments
Oh damn, I’m about to eat my own dick here. To cut a long and shameless story short, I’m just going to say it…”I’ve started to get Twitter.” A few months ago I mentioned how I thought Twitter was a pile of donkey shit, and how Most Of The Estate Agents On Twitter Are Idiots. [...]
The Worst Developers To Ever Appear On Property Ladder, And Possibly The Entire Planet
29 Jul 2009 / Sarah Beeny / 14 Comments
Who watched last night’s (28th July) Property Snakes & Ladders? Successful entrepreneurs Nigel and Sarah have a romantic notion that they can make a quarter of a million pounds by creating a swanky LA pad in the heart of a run down bit of Rotherhithe, East London. I don’t usually dedicate individual blog posts to [...]
The Type Of Landlords That Are Getting Repossessed
28 Jul 2009 / Good & Bad Landlord Practices / 4 Comments
A lot of Landlords have been repossessed. A lot of landlords are on the verge of getting repossessed. Why is it happening? Interestingly, the other day I was asked how I’m coping with the downturn; specifically if I’m struggling. In short, I’m not struggling. I personally believe only certain types of Landlords are struggling- it’s [...]
Naughty Estate/Letting Agents That You Shouldn’t Use
24 Jul 2009 / I Dislike Estate Agents / 0 Comments
A high volume of Estate/Letting agents are more full of shit than a newly born’s nappy. We all know it, the agents themselves know it, and even their shameful parents know it. So how do we know which agents we can trust? Well, how long is a piece of string? In an attempt to combat [...]
Sarah Beeny’s New Book- Design For Profit. Want A Copy For Free?
21 Jul 2009 / Sarah Beeny / 57 Comments
Last week I got an email from the marketing manager for Cassell, which publishes Sarah Beeny’s Property Ladder books. She informed me that the Beeny had published a new book, and was wondering if I was interested in spreading the word and giving a few copies away to my readers! I obviously wasn’t going to [...]
Letting Agent Or Landlord Responsible For Securing Deposit Into A Tenancy Deposit Protection Scheme?
16 Jul 2009 / Landlord Legal Obligations/Issues / 1 Comment
Is it the Landlord’s responsibility to put the security deposit into a Tenancy Deposit Protection Scheme, or the Letting Agents? For those Landlords out there that are using Letting Agents, are you certain that your agent has deposited your tenant’s deposit into a legally required tenancy protection scheme? What happens if your agent receives the [...]
Don’t Hand Over Your Deposit Until After Reading The Tenancy Agreement
12 Jul 2009 / Tenant Advice / 1 Comment
Ok, unfortunately i’m going to make an example out of a user that came onto my site looking for advice. But believe me, it’s for the greater good, this way more people will hopefully learn. Earlier today someone left a comment in the Tenant Guarantor Form article, saying the following: I have recieved a tenancy [...]
Advertise Your House For Sale For Free On Tepilo
08 Jul 2009 / Selling Property Tips / 3 Comments
Amongst the thrilling world of Property, there’s been a lot of nattering about a new website called Tepilo. Apparently it’s a brand new service that will change the way you think about buying and selling your home. Why all the hoo-ha? Well, for three primary reasons. Firstly, it’s a free service for private sellers. We [...]
Use Letting Agents That Are Registered With An Approved Redress Scheme For Consumer Protection
06 Jul 2009 / Good & Bad Landlord Practices / 7 Comments
Being haunted by the urge to inflict pain upon a letting agent isn’t an unfamiliar feeling to me. My hate has been real, fueled by God awful customer service and snake-sly antics. Like garlic to a vampire, the best way to hurt an agent is by extracting money from their pockets. Dealing with rogue letting [...]
Complete Guide For New Landlords
24 Jun 2009 / Good & Bad Landlord Practices / 7 Comments
This guide is specifically aimed to help new landlords that don’t want to use letting agents. Most agents should either advise, do, or substitute all the steps discussed in this guide. This guide is a step-by-step guideline of a typical route a landlord may take. 1. Make sure the property is legal and in working [...]
I’m Suffering From “Shitty Savings Account” Syndrome
22 Jun 2009 / Ranting Landlord / 4 Comments
This time last year I had two saving accounts’ with Halifax. I had a “Regular Saver” which gave me a 10% interest rate, and a “Guaranteed saver” which gave me a 6% interest rate. It was a good time to be saving. A year later, both accounts have expired from their fixed rate period, and [...]
How To Be A Shit Landlord
15 Jun 2009 / Good & Bad Landlord Practices / 21 Comments
1. Be a treehugger, don’t use a Tenancy Agreement, or any other paper-consuming document. 2. There’s no room for empathy- you don’t want to hear excuses. You’re running a business, not a charity shop. If you’re a shit-fuck and ignored point #1, then redeem yourself by putting the following into your tenancy agreement: 1.1: I [...]
The Worst Bloody Thing About Being A Landlord
08 Jun 2009 / Ranting Landlord / 18 Comments
Hi all! I’ve very recently come stumbling back from a scandalous trip away in Vegas, hence why the stream of fresh content has been dry as a Nun’s vagina for the past few weeks. Apologies! I actually did plan on blogging while away, but it turns out I am only human, consequently I found the [...]
What’s The Best Way To Collect Rent?
21 May 2009 / Good & Bad Landlord Practices / 10 Comments
Over the years of being a Landlord I’ve had different tenants pay me rent in various ways. In most cases, the method of payment was based on their personal financial circumstances. Various ways I have received payment Cash Direct debit Two cheques per month- one from social benefits and the second from the tenant to [...]
How to Report A Landlord That Doesn’t Comply With Health And Safety
19 May 2009 / Tenant Advice / 19 Comments
I’m under no illusion, Landlords have a bad reputation; real bad reputation. Unfortunately, it’s a difficult stain to wipe off while so many rogue Landlords continue to operate. Over the years I’ve seen some real shady landlords do the most bizarre shit, either because they’re too lazy to do a proper job, or because they [...]
List of Websites Where Landlords Can Find Tenants For FREE
12 May 2009 / Marketing & Finding Tenants / 22 Comments
There are plenty of online property portals out there that provide a free service for landlords to advertise their BTL property in order to find tenants. I’ve had a lot of success with the free services, consequently, I doubt I’ll use a letting agent again anytime soon *touch wood* With more and more landlords getting [...]
What Added Services Do You Provide As A Landlord?
08 May 2009 / Good & Bad Landlord Practices / 5 Comments
Personally, as a Landlord, I don’t believe that tenants are paying just for a roof over their head. I believe they’re also paying for a service from thier Landlord. They’re paying for a Landlord that will help make their living experience a little easier. That’s just my personal opinion, of course. I know some landlords [...]
Know The Specifics Of Your BTL Property
29 Apr 2009 / Good & Bad Landlord Practices / 4 Comments
Auuurrghh tandoori chicken shit balls. The other day I shamefully got caught out when my new tenant asked me questions that I didn’t know the answers to! I should have known the answers, they were questions directly relating to the BTL property. Fortunately, I managed to answer the majority of his questions, but he threw [...]
I Received An Email Of Complaint From A DSS Tenant
24 Apr 2009 / DSS Tenants / 19 Comments
Rightly or wrongly so, I found this email rather quite amusing. I always welcome constructive criticism because it usually makes a good read, but most importantly, it gives me a little something different to blog about, which is cool. Ok, so, I was advertising a vacant property available for rent on Gumtree. Gumtree worked a [...]
Which Landlord Management Software Do You Use And/Or Recommend?
22 Apr 2009 / Good & Bad Landlord Practices / 28 Comments
I’ve been looking around for the past few hours at landlord management systems, to handle small to medium property portfolios for private landlords. There are loads out there, so naturally there’s a small issue of cutting through the shit in order to find anything useful. I haven’t had extensive experience with any landlord managements systems, [...]
How Low Is Your Mortgage Interest Rate?
18 Apr 2009 / Mortgage Stuff / 5 Comments
At the peak of the property boom back in November 2007, when every penniless fucker was snapping up unrealistically priced properties like they were Donald Trump, the Bank Of England base rate was at 5.75%. In the space of a little over 2 years, the rate has dropped by 5.25%, and tumbled to a low [...]
Who Cares About An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)?
17 Apr 2009 / Property Comic Sketches / 2 Comments
How Much Should Landlords Pay For An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)?
16 Apr 2009 / Landlord Legal Obligations/Issues / 17 Comments
I had to get an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for the first time recently. It was made a legal requirement for all landlords back in October 2008. Booo! Meh, waste of time and money as far as I’m concerned. From my experience, tenants don’t give a shit about how energy efficient a property is. In [...]
Most Of The Estate Agents On Twitter Are Idiots
13 Apr 2009 / Ranting Landlord / 17 Comments
Meh, as pointless and shitty as I think Twitter is, to my despair, it’s become another one of those geeky rages that I’ve embraced as part of my daily life. Apparently Facebook and Myspace wasn’t enough- now we need to log into more shit in order to maintain our virtual lives. It’s actually got to [...]
Tenant Wants To Vacate Early, Before Agreed Term In Tenancy Agreement
09 Apr 2009 / Landlord Legal Obligations/Issues / 71 Comments
So, what happens when a tenant wants to ignore the lawfully binding Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement they agreed to and signed, by abandoning your property before due date? It happens all the time. Until recently, I wasn’t actually sure what rights the Landlord had in this situation. I only bothered to investigate further when a [...]
I Found Tenants With Gumtree Again
07 Apr 2009 / Marketing & Finding Tenants / 0 Comments
I guess this is another post about how awesome I think Gumtree is for finding tenants. I swear to God, I don’t work for them, or am I involved in any kind of affiliate partnership. I just like giving credit where due. As it so happens, Gumtree delivered the goods again, so here’s the credit… [...]
7 Things The Letting Agent Did Wrong
06 Apr 2009 / I Dislike Estate Agents / 10 Comments
Over the last few days I’ve been openly bitching about a letting agent I’ve been dealing with. Here are the posts for a recap: I Just Encountered A Rude Cock-Face Letting Agent Letting Agent Is Trying To Rip Me Off While I’ve already mentioned a few reasons why they did an extremely poor job, I [...]
I initially started this website because I wanted to document my every step from property idiot to property landlord,
in hope that people would find my site and help me along the way. I literally didn't have a clue about being a landlord
when I started this website.
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