Blog: Rental

A brilliant letting agent or property manager can have a profoundly positive impact on your life as a landlord, from enjoyment to profit to spare time, but how do you find the perfect one? Maybe you'd check the neighbourhood for...

Is there anything trickier than a rent review with a tenant you want to keep? It's little wonder so many landlords leave things as they are, no matter how far behind the market their income falls. Eventually, though, an...

Just like a friend you haven’t seen for a long time, your rental property will look older when you get it back at the end of a tenancy, and the difference can be jarring if you haven't visited for a while. Regardless of whether...

There's no denying that landlords faced a pretty challenging 2023. In particular, many of those who were highly leveraged decided to simply sell up, but did they act too soon? Their departure has left a large hole of opportunity...

The weather has turned, and winter is on the way, bringing with it a chilling collection of potential problems at your rental property. In many ways, rental homes are more at risk when they’re occupied in winter because the...

Making mistakes is a part of life: many can be laughed off, but others are more serious. And for landlords, there can be legal and financial consequences for getting things wrong. When we're asked to take over a rental home by...

House shares are a great way of maximising your rental income, and they cover every kind of tenant, from university students to high-earning professionals. Inevitably, a housemate will leave at some point as their life evolves....

For some landlords, the very mention of guarantors can ring alarm bells. But they're written into more tenancy agreements than you might think, and needing one isn’t necessarily a sign of problems ahead. Even well-paid...

An empty rental property doesn’t have to be a downer. In fact, having some time between tenancies gives you the chance to optimise your investment's rental yield, sales value, and future popularity. That said, vacant homes do...

Although long-term lettings to professional tenants are easily the most hands-off way of being a landlord, they're not your only option. So having previously covered renting to families, attracting high-income earners, and even...

Giving someone the keys to your rental property is a big deal, and you want to be as sure as you can be that whoever you choose turns out to be reliable, trustworthy, and trouble-free. For complete peace of mind, a thorough...

Is your buy-to-let as profitable as it could be? Many aren’t. There’s often more mileage in a rental home than many landlords realise, and some of the checks you can make to determine whether your property is a peak performer...

To furnish or not to furnish? That hasn’t been the question for as long as we can remember - it’s been unfurnished all the way. Nonetheless, the subject comes up in conversation every now and then, and a recent Zoopla article...

“Is buy-to-let still worth it?” Hardly a day goes by when someone doesn’t ask us that question. For a lot of people, the answer is no. Changing lettings law and tax rules have caused many landlords to drop out and sell up,...

Having a letting agent who fills you with confidence is an essential part of being a landlord, whether you're an old hand or just starting out. But how do you choose who to work with when you've got no idea what an agent is really...

Arrears - a dreaded word among landlords and, for anyone with even a mildly British temperament, an often uncomfortable situation to discuss and resolve. We’re fortunate enough to have very few tenants behind with their rent,...

Buy-to-let is undergoing a massive transformation right now. Poor-quality homes are getting squeezed out by tightening legislation, and short-term profiteering has fallen away through changing tax laws. As a result, many landlords...

Although rents are going through the roof, yields are getting higher, and there’s massive demand from tenants, many landlords are selling their rental homes. For some, it’s part of their long-term plan, but for others, it’s...

It sounds like a landlord’s dream come true: a shortage of rental homes, multiple tenants competing for each one, and rents going through the roof. It’s the same story for almost every property to rent in Basildon, Benfleet,...

Demand for rental homes rose by around 25% in 2022, and competition among tenants is hotter than ever as potential buyers wait and see what house prices will do. As rents continue to rise from a shortage of property, more and more...

How many tax allowances do you think you can claim from owning a rental property? The truth might pleasantly surprise you. Being a landlord is a business, but from our experience, not every landlord knows what they’re entitled...

Your tenants have moved in, you’ve protected their deposit, and the first month’s rent is in the bank. So what comes next? Following on from Part One of our Landlord Lingo Buster, Part Two is all about effective management to...

o you know your ARLA from your elbow? Or how about a GSR from the TDS? If you don’t, you’re not alone. Just like every industry, the lettings world has its own particular lingo to master, with plenty of phrases, abbreviations...

Have you ever known the costs of utility bills to be such a massive conversation? As well as being a hot topic at home and at work, the news is full of stories about soaring energy prices, future supply questions and the...

There are many different models of buy-to-let, but a proven winning formula is buying a property in need of renovation, upgrading the specification, then releasing the increased equity to fund another buy-to-let project. Homes in...

Everyone's talking about inflation right now, and usually in negative terms. The current climate of rising prices is affecting us all, from filling up the car to doing the weekly shop. There’s also plenty of news about tenants...

There are many different models of buy-to-let, but a proven winning formula is buying a property in need of renovation, upgrading the specification, then releasing the increased equity to fund another buy-to-let project. Homes in...

Can you believe the average UK employee now spends just 1.5 days a week at the office? Unimaginable just a couple of years ago, it's now abundantly clear that the way we work has changed forever. The new era of flexible working...

There's a book by Simon Sinek called Find Your Why, and it's all about identifying your reason for having a business: why do you do what you do? The same question can be applied to your rental property: why would a tenant choose...

If you’re considering becoming a landlord, there are many elements to consider and understand before you purchase a property. The process of buying a buy-to-let property differs compared to buying a residential property that you...

When you first begin renting a property, your new landlord is highly likely to ask for a deposit before letting you move in. Typically, this is one month’s rent payable upfront, although it can be more in some cases. Your...

If you’re currently deciding whether to let your rental property unfurnished or furnished, you might be weighing up the pros and cons of each. But have you thought of everything? Here’s our handy round up of some of the main...

Whenever landlords have a rental property to prepare for the market, one decision they have to make is whether to let it furnished or unfurnished. If you’re in that position right now, two questions you might be asking are:...

Rental income is an important part of being a successful landlord. Whether you need it to cover mortgage payments and expenses, or you’re taking rental profits as valuable extra income, you might want to check whether you’re...

If you’ve ended up with a ‘spare’ property – perhaps because you’ve inherited one or moved in with your partner – you might be wondering whether to sell it or hang on to it and become a landlord. There are pros and...

You’ll probably know this already if you are a landlord, but if you don’t yet, you should get to know it – because rental yield is important! But, what is rental yield and what do you, as a landlord in Benfleet need to know...

Some people are landlords because they’ve made a deliberate decision to buy property and rent it out. They’re part of the buy-to-let crowd, who’ve chosen to use property as an investment vehicle to grow their wealth....

Refurbishing a rental property can be a big project. And when you’ve already had to invest a fair amount to buy it, the big question is: how much more do you need to spend doing it up? Is it worth putting in a high-end kitchen...

Most tenants today aren’t looking for temporary digs, they’re looking for a home. And as the lettings market has grown, standards have gone up. So what does your property need to offer to make sure the best tenants are falling...

Whether you’ve got lots of capital and are a cash buyer or you need to borrow money to finance your rental property purchase, there’s a lot to think about. The right financing can make the difference between a good rental...

When it comes to property, the best thing can be to own it outright – either buying with 100% cash, if that’s possible, or taking out a mortgage and paying it off as soon as you can. And when it’s your own home, that’s...

You might be wondering ‘why buy a rental property in Wickford’? After all, we’re in the midst of a global pandemic, and a trip to the shops is stressful enough! However, all the findings suggest that now is a great time to...

Being a landlord in this area can be highly lucrative, especially with the current demand for high-quality rental properties in Wickford. However, the key to success in the rental market lies in preparing effectively and securing...

So, you have a property to sell, and it would be ideal for a first-time buyer? Did you know that many first time buyers are struggling to get mortgage deals right now as lenders become more risk-averse and house prices boom? This,...

This week, we decided to get our usual decorator in to give our spare room / home office ("the study" as we rather grandly refer to it) a makeover. It is in need of new skirting boards, something we have not yet done since we...

As the dark evenings draw in, so does the realisation that none of us can escape the colder months to come. Whilst the big freeze can be hard on homes, there are some steps you can take to protect and care for your property this...

David Amess, MP for Southend West, has tweeted his support for a Bill which aims to end “cruel” discrimination against pet owners by much of the private rental sector. Romford MP Andrew Rosindell has introduced the Dogs and...

New research suggests that tenants are joining home buyers in a trend towards leaving big cities and heading for more spacious homes in smaller towns and the suburbs. Between May and August 2020, 34% of tenants that moved home...

I read an interesting article in Scientific journal Cosmos recently. Apparently, research suggests that paying people to help out with odd jobs that you don't enjoy doing could lead to a happier life. A research team from Canada,...

Picture the scene; your rental due date rolls around and you check your bank account as usual, but what's this? No rent has hit your account. It's one of the biggest Landlord worries, because no matter how carefully you select or...

Since 1st April 2018, all residential properties (apart from a few exemptions) in England and Wales have been required to have a minimum EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) rating of E. From 1st April 2020, this law was extended...

Don't you just hate it when the internet uses 'jargon'?! What is a "rear aspect", anyway?! I'm going to cover off a few of these property and landlord related jargon terms that I see getting chucked around, as this industry is...

Well 2020, you've certainly kept things interesting...! As the UK begins to bounce back from the Coronavirus lockdown, analysts begin to speculate on what the future holds for the UK economy. Here at Baillie White, we are going to...