Graham Flaherty

Those who own leasehold properties will now be able to extend their lease by up to 990 years and pay no ground rent.    The government has introduced new legislation in response to public outcry on how ground rent was negotiated. Some houses and flats were sold with a clause that meant ground rents could rise sharply over the years. Around 4.5m homeowners in England and Wales own their homes on a leasehold basis but not all are expected to be affected by the policy reform. Discover the differe...

There are many different types of buy-to-let mortgages available, such as interest-only buy-to-let mortgages to repayment mortgages. You may choose to purchase through a company, in which case you would need to take out a limited company buy-to-let mortgage. Mortgage availability and criteria also differs if you are based overseas, so your location should be considered before applying for certain mortgages.  The first thing you may be wondering though, is what is a buy-to-let mortgage, and what...

Before you even consider a property investment, you should read our ultimate guide on how to invest in property. There are many ways you can access the property market. You do not need to buy a property outright yourself, as that will only be an option if you have significant capital in the bank for a deposit. There are other ways, you can also invest in a crowdfunding scheme or loan money through peer-to-peer lending. Sometimes you can invest as little as £100 in those schemes. Each option...

Buy to let property can be profitable, but you must be mindful of the taxes that you will have to pay, which will impact your revenue. Here is your definitive guide to tax on buy-to-let property, which details what taxes may be levied on your property, both when you buy it and also on the income you make from it.  Buy to let Stamp Duty One of the first taxes you will pay on your buy to let property is stamp duty. Stamp duty is applicable to anyone buying property over a certain price in Engla...

A strategy is a plan of action and steps that one should take to achieve a long-term goal. Buying to let simply means purchasing property to generate rental income, some people call it btl investment. Purchasing rental investment properties seems straightforward. However, there are various types of buy-to-let property investment opportunities to invest in. We will outline some buy-to-let ideas and how you could go about finding good rental investment properties to... Start building a buy-to-...

It is a well-known fact that London is one of the most unhappy places in the UK. The gap between the wealthiest residents and the poorest can exacerbate anxious and unhappy feelings and the capital is consistently ranked as one of the most unequal cities. We have seen that economic equality positively correlates with personal wellbeing.  You may be wondering what life satisfaction has to do with investment. But what if these factors actively influence where people live? Should you be considerin...

The exchange rate between the rand and other currencies continues to fare poorly.  Despite some uplift due to the election of Ramaphosa, it has failed to do much better. It seems for the long term it will not, is there a better time to consider investing elsewhere apart from now? Or do we just adopt a “wait and see” attitude in the hope that things will miraculously improve? The exchange rate for the rand has been skyrocketing for some time now. In 2012 it was 14:1, in 2016 it crept up to 17:1...

What should investors consider when choosing to invest in student property? Since the Conservatives lifted the cap on university admissions, the number of students going to university has swollen. However, not all institutions have benefitted equally. Whilst Russell Group universities have generally seen their numbers swell, newer universities and former polytechnics have struggled. Elite institutions faring better since the admission cap has been lifted The intake of students to Russell Grou...

Landlords are finding it increasingly difficult to make a profit through buy to let property due to additional taxes levied and the scrapping of mortgage interest tax relief. The government has made buy to let a less attractive option and due to the difficulties, between 24% – 38% of landlords will consider selling up. This is despite the lowest amount of rental reductions ever according to ARLA and a lack of supply across a significant number of the 390 local authorities across the UK. Where...

Now that 2020 is upon us, we give our analysis on what will happen within the property market in the year ahead Property prices will increase In the 2019 general election the Conservative party won a majority. This has allowed them to press ahead with Brexit and has allayed the uncertainty surrounding it. Uncertainty within the political sphere often has ripple effects, one can be the economy and subsequently the housing market. This had a profound effect in 2019 on the property market wi...

London is a large city with many varying neighbourhoods. Where you live will impact your university experience to an extent, as you will want to choose an area you feel comfortable in. Beginning your studies in London can be overwhelming. The city is made up of 32 boroughs covering 607 square miles and home to almost 9 million people. There are 40 higher education institutions (excluding London branches of foreign universities) educating over 400,000 students. It goes without saying that ther...