Landlord Insider

The thought of becoming a landlord can be overwhelming for some. Bringing many considerations and even more responsibilities. That said, it’s also a very exciting prospect – a monthly passive income, a diverse investment portfolio and more financial freedom. 

The Conservative government’s scheme to encourage 95% mortgages for first time buyers and those wishing to move became active on the 19^th of April. This will see the government guaranteeing loans on up to 95% of the value of properties worth up to £600,000. The aim is to provide lenders the security needed to offer such loans and hopefully mitigate the need for increasingly unaffordable deposits.  

Local and mayoral elections do not tend to capture the same degree of interest as their national counterparts. However, Sadiq Khan’s re-election as London Mayor should be of keen interest to any landlord operating properties in the capital. Khan’s flagship housing policies include seeking to introduce an ‘overhaul of legal protections for renters and for London to have the powers to establish a system of private-sector rent control’. 

The process of purchasing a buy-to-let property is full of common pitfalls which can trip up the uninitiated and experienced investor alike. Thankfully, a healthy mix of knowledge and research can help to support the process and avoid mistakes. With this in mind, it is important to develop a process which can be used to check and compare investment properties so that you come to the right decision: 

This post outlines a number of additional reliefs that are available, which can help to reduce the CGT liability further in certain scenarios. Please Note: From April 2015 the rules applying when a non UK resident sells a UK residential property, and the rules for UK capital gains tax when he does so, have changed.