Nottingham Letting Agent Property Blog

It looks as if buy to let will remain popular for a good many years to come, as more Britons are choosing or being forced to rent, but how do you choose the best investment property? As with any type of investment, doing your research is vitally important, and you need to decide if a buy to let property is what you really want. Investing money in rental properties is very much a long-term project, and it's worth remembering that your money is likely to be tied up for quite some time, and the value of the property could even fall.The...

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is urging landlords to be cautious when buying older properties, and to arrange a full survey so they know exactly what they are letting themselves in for. It can be quite tricky finding the perfect buy to let property, especially as there aren't that many homes on the market, and many landlords are choosing to buy properties which need work. The trouble is that many of these older properties could need substantial work to make them suitable for rent, and typical structural faults could include fractured support beams and subsidence, dry rot, rising damp and...

With much of England predicted to finally feel the chill of winter over the weekend, it’s worth asking yourself if your buy to let properties are prepared for winter. Apparently last year's cold weather saw the number of claims for damage due to burst pipes increased by an incredible 900%, and insurers are suggesting that landlords take the time to meet with tenants and check their properties are in good order to minimise the risk.Simple checks include making sure all tanks and pipes are properly insulated in the loft space, and that overflow pipes are working correctly. This may seem pretty...

Concerns about proposed EU legislation remain high amongst responsible landlords, as there are real worries that it could potentially devastate the buy-to-let market. The new directive proposes that buy-to let-mortgages should be regulated in the same way as residential mortgages. If passed, this new directive could be law by as soon as 2013.At the moment would be landlords can take into account anticipated rental income when calculating how much they can borrow. Buy-to-let mortgages are generally approved if the predicted rental income covers the monthly mortgage repayments. Under the terms of the new directive their applications will be assessed in exactly...

Renters have traditionally been younger people who require the flexibility of being able to move quickly, or who are unable to buy their first home just yet, but there is growing evidence to show that the older generations are choosing to sell up and rent. While there are a number of equity release schemes available, and some of them may be pretty good, it can often be far better for an older person to sell up and live off their equity.Apparently elderly Britons have an incredible £3 trillion tied up in property, and growing numbers need this money to fund a...

Cash flow assessment is an essential part of seeing how well your property portfolio is doing, and with the current low interest rates the majority of landlords should be feeling pretty good about the whole thing. The question is whether to reduce your debts or expand your expand your portfolio. It all depends on how satisfied you are with it as a whole at the moment, and now is the perfect moment to take stock of your situation. If you are less than satisfied with how your property is performing then you could choose to begin looking around for other property...

At the moment landlords are perfectly poised to make the most of the UK residential property market, benefiting from both sales and lettings. Those who have built up buy to let portfolios are gaining through low interest rates and sustained tenant demand through Nottingham letting agents.One of the latest market trends is for landlords to offload already tenanted properties by selling them on to other investors . At first glance this may seem counter-productive, but it allows landlords to adjust their portfolios, and selling to another investor is often the easiest and most cost-effective way of doing so. The investor gets...