Residential service charges: can they be challenged ?
One question we often get asked by our client’s when they are purchasing a property is what can they do if in future years the service charge for the flat or apartment becomes excessive and greedy freeholders and managing agents are trying to take advantage. Legislation protects residential tenants from excessive service charges. Before entering [...]
Landlords Don’t Forget Your Annual Gas Inspections
Landlords, most of you will know you must have annual gas safety inspections undertaken on your properties and certificates provided by the inspector. But do you know the consequences should you fail to meet your responsibilities ? We recently read a report where a Landlord who repeatedly failed to carry out annual gas inspections on [...]
Long Leaseholds: Tips on Creating a Title for A New Flat
Many of our clients are asking how to go about splitting the title of a freehold property into flats. We therefore thought many of you will find the following tips and information useful:- Many people don’t know this but you can’t create “freehold flats”. Instead you need to grant long leases of the flats (125 [...]
Fighting Back Against Squatters
What is Squatting? Squatting occurs when someone occupies an empty property without the owner’s knowledge and without their permission. Squatting does therefore not include tenants who remain in the property after their tenancy has ended or those with other rights occupation, there should also be no record of rent being paid to the owner. How [...]
Landlords You Need Our Help
A recent survey by the RLA (Residential Landlords Association) has shown that 6 out 10 Landlords who contact them do so because they are having problems obtaining possession of their property. Could that be you? Are you struggling to work through the minefield that is repossession, a task which is going to become even harder [...]
Commercial Property: Matters
Commercial property often involves high stakes and rich rewards so it is important that you instruct a solicitor who has the knowledge and experience to deal with your transaction and at MS Law we have this. So whether you are an investor or a business owner we can help you with all your needs from [...]
No go zones for HMOs ?
The Residential Landlords Association is strongly lobbying against government plans which could result in local authorities having the ability to declare “no-go” zones for privately rented shared houses where they feel they have a “HMO problem” from 1st October. The RLA is concerned that the government’s policy will lead to more red tape at the [...]
Average rent in UK rises according to latest survey
A survey by LSL Property Services plc suggests that average rent in the UK rose by 1% in June, and have risen for 5 successive months, meaning they are now 3.2% higher than last a year ago. The average rent is now £673 per month, the highest level since November 2008. The survey also suggests [...]
Do letting agents need stricter regulation ???
The previous government had planned to regulate letting agents but the new coalition has rejected the idea on the basis that around 50% already belong to redress scheme. The new government says they don’t want to burden agents with “red tape” as it is not the most effective way to tackle poor performance instead they [...]
Market Research Consultancy warns that: – “private landlords are not out of crisis yet”.
BDRC Continental have surveyed 500 private Landlords and have found that despite optimism raising for the fifth consecutive quarter and being at its highest level since 2007 the market remains challenging. The research also indicated most Landlords do not intend to change the level of rent in the next 3 months. Landlords report that despite [...]
