Like all serious viewers should, I have booked an entire day off work in order to view houses. As a Letting Agent myself, I offer viewings from 8.30am to 6.30pm Monday to Friday, plus 10am to 4pm on a Saturday, but some ‘serious’ viewers claim that they cannot make any of those times! I am […]
No-one enjoys tenancy inspections. The letting agent has to make (and often rearrange) appointments, and sometimes out of office hours as a courtesy to the Tenant- give what may sound like patronising advice to Tenants on simple domestic tasks such as drying washing outside to avoid condensation provide reports to both Tenant and Landlord in […]
There’s no excuse for a tenant not allowing you to do a viewing while they’re still there: it’s in the Tenancy Agreement, it’s a necessity to avoid void periods, and (not surprisingly) the new tenant (who turns into the old tenant) wants to get into the property before anyone else… However, this is much harder […]
I’ve learnt to arrange to have repairs fixed immediately these days. Penny-pinching over every little thing costs time and energy. Rather than spending an hour trying to arrange for more quotes (and letting the repair continue to deteriorate, costing more to fix) trying to save £20, just use your normal contractor and get it done. […]
Why does the general public have such a poor perception of agents? Is it because they are often image-conscious, relatively young, and not recognisably qualified? Anyone who has tried to buy, sell, rent, or let a property in the UK has a negative story to tell about an estate or letting agent, and with minimal […]
The previously bubbly operative then said she’d have to check with the underwriters and, low and behold, the as yet complete application was rejected immediately. “Why’s that?” I asked. “Erm, a higher fire risk? I dunno really.” This particular lender isn’t publicly owned so I can’t get angry about that, but why are mortgage companies […]
I’m not just saying this because I want there to be more tenants around to rent my houses. I’m not so egotistic or naïve to believe that this blog would have that effect! Today’s world is very different from the one that existed when Margaret Thatcher campaigned to ensure we owned the roofs over our […]
Every property investment is unique, but what makes them similar is your personal model and what you want out of them. Whether you want a 20% capital gain over 5 years or £200pcm positive cash flow, this is what makes both a commercial investment and a ‘two-up, two-down’ property the same – your end goal. […]
Read More… from How to value a property investment at a glance
It seems to me that letting agents (LA) can become easy scapegoat. The general rules are… Bad tenants are always the fault of LA no matter what the circumstances. If the T loses his job halfway through the AST that is also the fault of the LA. A property should be left immaculate, if not […]
Can’t afford a place to live? Think again! How about this 1-bedroom flat for £8,500? That’d buy you an entry-level Ford Ka, 1 litre. Even if it needed a full rip-out, you couldn’t spend more than £20,000 – a fully refurbished apartment for under £30,000! The rent on a 1-bedroom flat in that area would […]
Read More… from What would you rather have: a car or a house?
