Latest News
4 ways of Updating Rental Property on a Budget
Have you ever wondered how to go about updating your rental property on a budget? From tenancy to tenancy, it is very important to keep a private rental property looking fresh and up to date. This can seem very daunting and feels as though your wallet becomes instantly lighter at the thought, however, investing in the property appearance will be [...]
Electrical Safety Inspections Become Mandatory for Landlords
Having hinted for some time that Electrical Safety measures for landlords would be scrutinised, it appears that Government have now finally taken the steps required to move forward with new legislation. On 14 January 2020 it was announced that 5 Year Electrical Safety Reports would become mandatory for all new residential tenancies commencing on or after 01 July 2020. All [...]
Should Landlords Allow Pets?
Times are changing, and the modern family is no longer simply made up of parents and their 2.5 children. Now more than ever, pets are widely considered to be part of the family. Because of this, we often see high demand for those few properties that will allow for the addition of a furry friend. In fact, it’s estimated that [...]
New EPC Rules (Updated 2023)
New EPC Rules are now in place. As the world continues taking steps into a greener future, central government continues to introduce new regulations for landlords that aim to reduce our carbon footprint. As of April 1st 2020, The Domestic Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) Regulations took a step further towards this. It is now a requirement that all currently [...]
New Landlord Guidance: Coronavirus Act 2020
New Landlord Guidance (plus Landlord Legislation: Coronavirus Act 2020) New landlord legislation and guidance has been issued by central Government as part of the continued response to the Coronavirus pandemic. We thought it would be worthwhile to summarise this in a blog post in order that the necessary arrangements can be put in place and so we can all remain [...]
Where to Buy Investment Property in Nottingham
Wondering where to buy in Nottingham? There are many reasons why you should strongly consider Nottingham as your place to invest in property. Located in the heart of England, Nottingham is a vibrant and truly modern city. With a population of over 350,000 people and home to the legendary Robin Hood, Nottingham is now classed as the ninth largest city in Britain! With vibrant [...]
How to Let Your Property Quickly & Increase Rents
How to let your rental property quickly to tenants & increase your monthly rental payments Perhaps the most important aspect of being a landlord is ensuring that your property is occupied for as long as possible and by a good quality tenant. Naturally, some properties take longer to let than others, but often this isn’t down to a lack of [...]
How to Find the Best Tenants for Your Property
How do you find good, quality tenants for your rental property? This is the main question all landlords want to know the answer to. And is the question we regularly get asked. But as always there's no definitive answer to this question. Sometimes it does just come down to luck. However there are some vital key steps you can take [...]
How to Choose Your Letting Agent?
Many landlords will appoint a letting agent to handle the management of their rental property. But with over 130 letting agents to choose from in Nottingham alone, how do you choose which letting agent to use? Given that the agent will be responsible for important long-term financial and legal matters it is absolutely vital that you chose the right letting [...]
New Landlord Regulation – Human Habitation
A new landlord regulation will come into force on Wednesday 20th March 2019. MP Karen Buck in 2018 initially introduced The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 to parliament. This legislation passed through the relevant approval stages very quickly, so much so, that many landlords have no idea about it. This article has been written to bring you up [...]
Legionnaires Disease – Landlord Guidance
Landlords have responsibilities for combating legionnaires' disease. This includes carrying out regular health and safety risk assessments in a rented property. This article is intended to give landlords guidance on legionnaires' disease, as well as highlighting the necessary checks involved in doing so. What is Legionnaires' Disease? Legionnaires' disease is caused by legionella bacteria. The infection is caused by breathing [...]
The Advantages of Renting a Property
There are plenty of advantages of renting. However, making the decision of whether to rent or buy property in 2019 in one that continues to split opinion. Unfortunately the answer is very much in the eye of the beholder. Now, more than ever, we are seeing a marked change in both the sales and lettings markets. Unfortunately many have no [...]
How to Get the Best Landlord Insurance (2023 update)
Not a week goes by when we aren't asked about landlord insurance and the importance of having adequate cover. Although this isn't compulsory, some lenders make it a requirement within their buy-to-let mortgage conditions. There are countless things that can go wrong in any property. It really does pay to have the right landlord insurance cover in the first place. [...]
Property Inventory – How Important are they?
Landlords in Nottingham continue to face issues surrounding the condition of their rental properties at the end of the tenancy. In fact, during our property appraisals we see as many as 30% of landlords still questioning the benefits of a good property inventory. This article intends to de-bunk the myths surrounding property inventories. On top of this, our key steps [...]
10 Tips for Refurbishing a Rental Property
Here are our 10 Top Tips tips for refurbishing a rental property. If you have recently purchased a property that you intend to let out but acknowledge it needs some work doing beforehand, then follow our 10 Top Tips below. These have been tried and tested to ensure you get the best results out of your refurbishment. It will also help [...]
House Prices in Nottingham – Where are they heading?
It’s fair to say that a lot has happened with house prices in Nottingham during 2018. We've seen continuing shifts in tenant demographics, increasing tenant demand , better rental yields and also perhaps the busiest year we've had to date. Most recently however, the licensing of over 35,000 rental properties by both Nottingham City and Gedling Borough council marks an [...]
Rent Arrears – How to Deal with them Effectively
We’ve all heard the horror stories of landlords with significant rent arrears. So much so that TV programmes such as “Can’t Pay, We'll Take It Away”, “Nightmare Tenants, and Slum Landlords” have increased in their popularity in recent years. Fortunately, the reality is that in most cases it’s actually quite rare for your tenants to stop paying their rent. After [...]
Selective Licensing to be Enforced in Nottingham
Like it or not, Selective Licensing in Nottingham is fast approaching. It would appear that Nottingham City Council have now released their final communications surrounding the scheme. The application process opens on the 1st July and applicants will have until the 1st August to submit their application. Failure to submit an application for a licence is an offence and can [...]
What’s in the latest Housing White Paper?
Earlier this year, the government released their hotly anticipated Housing White Paper. For most amateur landlords with perhaps just one or two rental properties this subject may seem overbearing. But bear with us. Perhaps all landlords should now take the government's stance on the housing market more seriously given the explosion in England's population. Importantly, the paper explains in detail [...]
Rent Arrears for Tenants – How to Avoid them
This story is aimed at tenants concerned over rent arrears. Make no mistake - if you fail to make your rent payments to your landlord you will immediately fall into rent arrears. Ignoring this will only make the problem worse, so the best advice is to take action as quickly as you can. Don't make the common mistake of simply [...]
Right to Rent Checks amongst Landlord Biggest Worries
Right to rent checks by landlords have been requested by the Government following the 2014 Immigration Act. The checks expected to be carried out have brought about much controversy, particularly with landlords. The check's may seem simple enough, but there’s a lot to consider when carrying them out. The government has had a much stricter focus when dealing with right [...]
Buy to Let Millionaire Wilson confirms 1000+ sale
Fergus and Judith Wilson, a British couple from Maidstone, started their Buy to Let property empire back in 1986. Originally teachers, they gave up their educating careers and began buying new builds and remortgaging them when prices increased. Wilson told The Telegraph that it was ‘remarkably easy because no-one knew what they were doing’. When house prices were lower, the [...]
Online Letting Agents No Match for Traditional Agents
With online letting agents like 'Purplebricks' and 'YOPA' appearing on our TV screens, it's no wonder that some landlords are wondering what all the noise is about. But are online agents really the best option for finding tenants for you rental property? Here we spell out 5 reasons why online agents aren't necessarily the best solution for landlords: [...]
Slater & Brandley Leak 7 Steps to the Best Tenants
Finding the perfect tenants has long been the holy grail for many buy to let landlords and letting agents in Nottingham. Horror stories of tenants damaging houses and leaving with huge rent arrears are rife. Many TV programmes now regularly show this rather sinister side of the lettings sector. Thankfully, circumstances like these are in fact quite rare. However, there [...]
6 Things to Look Out for in a Letting Agent
With more than 130 letting agents in Nottingham to choose from it can be difficult to work out who to choose when deciding to let your property. Some landlords will base their decision purely on price alone and go for the cheapest option, but many people know that if you buy cheap, you buy twice. That couldn’t be more true [...]
Shared Houses Now Make Best Property Investment
Leading HMO letting agents Slater & Brandley have long heralded the benefits of investing in Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMO's). Whilst many landlords have ran shared houses for some time many more remain unaware of the wide reaching benefits of managing house shares. However, times are now changing with landlords coming under increasing pressure to adapt in order to survive. [...]
Slater & Brandley Release Investor Spotlight on Sneinton
Letting agents in Nottingham, Slater & Brandley, have created a series of Investor Spotlight articles specifically aimed to provide professional landlords with 'off-market' information on rental yields, capital growth, tenant demographics and property investment best practice. These articles are based on 20+ years of first hand Nottingham property experience. Could Sneinton Be Your Next Goldmine Area? Situated less than 2 [...]
Slater & Brandley Release Investor Spotlight on The Meadows
Letting agents in Nottingham, Slater & Brandley, have created a series of Investor Spotlight articles specifically aimed to provide professional landlords with 'off-market' information on rental yields, capital growth, tenant demographics and property investment best practice. These articles are based on 20+ years of first hand Nottingham based property experience. The Meadows is on the up! The Meadows - or [...]
Slater & Brandley Release Investor Spotlight on The Park
Letting agents Nottingham, Slater & Brandley, have created a series of ‘Investor Spotlight’ articles specifically aimed to provide professional landlords with 'off-market' information on rental yields, capital growth, tenant demographics and property investment best practice. These articles are based on 20+ years of first hand Nottingham property experience. Profits out of The Park? The Park Estate - with it's grandeur [...]
HMO Property Management – How to Drive Extra Profits from Great Utility Management
HMO property management can make for a great way to maximise profits by instead of letting to a family the same property is let as a shared house to either students or working professionals. A well run fully occupied HMO property can be a great thing. And for most experienced landlords they are. This has long been the holy grail of [...]
Slater & Brandley Release Investor Spotlight on Mapperley Park
Nottingham letting agents Slater & Brandley, have created a series of ‘Investor Spotlight’ articles specifically aimed to provide professional landlords with 'off-market' information on rental yields, capital growth, tenant demographics and property investment best practice. These articles are based on 20+ years of first hand Nottingham property experience. Mapperley Park tops house price growth chart for Nottingham You may have [...]
HMO Licence Rules – How the Application Process Works
It’s a commonly held misconception that as a multi-let landlord seeking to let a HMO property you must have an HMO licence in place before allowing tenants to take up occupation. In simple terms, this is not true. Government rules state that a landlord can let a property as a house in multiple occupation provided they have an HMO licence [...]
HMO Property Investment – Where Best to Invest
HMO property investment can seem like something of a black art to the uninitiated. What makes a great area for investing in HMO property to one landlord can seem like a crazy plan to another. Are there key ingredients to look for when investing in houses in multiple occupation? Where do the tenant group that I want to let to want [...]
Slater & Brandley Release Investor Spotlight on Beeston
Letting agents in Nottingham, Slater & Brandley, have created a series of 'Investor Spotlight' articles specifically aimed to provide professionals landlords with 'off market' information on rental yields, capital growth, tenant demographics and property investment best practice. These articles are based on 20+ years of first hand property experience. Letting agents in Beeston report growing interest levels from landlords. In [...]
HMO Management Rules – How They Apply to Landlords
Leading HMO Experts, Slater & Brandley have advised that landlords considering investing in houses in multiple occupation must first ensure they understand the importance of the various HMO management rules if they are to stay on the right side of the law. Getting things wrong can ultimately mean at best the need to rectify a problem and a possible fine [...]
How the HMO Property Model Makes Great Financial Sense
As leading HMO property agents we are often asked what makes the best financial sense when starting on the journey investing in property. The problem with this question is that we can only really reply with our one stock answer - ‘it depends on your goals’. What perhaps is more surprising is that we hear the same question asked by both novice and more experienced [...]
Letting Agents Advise Landlords to Plan for Mortgage Interest Relief Changes
George Osborne’s July 2015 budget witnessed what many now see as a step change in how larger landlords will be forced to pay significantly more income tax from 2021. The material difference is in how finance costs will be treated with just 20% of interest payments being an allowable expense from this point. Whilst the change will be phased in from [...]
HMO Letting Agents Report Significant Growth in House Share Market
The HMO backdrop With so many first time buyers effectively priced out of the housing market it may come as no surprise that many working professionals are instead now opting to rent an ‘all inclusive’ room via HMO letting agents within a shared house as their first rung on the property ladder. Gone are the days of the typical house [...]
Why it’s Important to use an ARLA Regulated Letting Agent
Letting agents and ARLA regulation Professional landlords seeking the help of letting agents in Nottingham should be in no doubt that by employing the services of a regulated firm they have far greater protection should anything untoward happen when letting their property. For most of us it remains astonishing that just eleven Nottingham letting agents have voluntarily elected to become [...]
Slater & Brandley Release Investor Spotlight on Netherfield
Here at Slater & Brandley we like to bring research and analysis to landlords looking to grow their property portfolio in an effort to help form opinion on where to invest next. As a lettings agency in Nottingham, this month we will be looking at an area of Nottingham with relatively low entry costs – Netherfield. Netherfield is a relatively [...]
Slater & Brandley Release Investor Spotlight on Carlton
Here at Slater & Brandley we like to bring research and analysis to landlords looking to grow their property portfolio in an effort to help form opinion on where to invest next. As letting agents in Nottingham, this month we will be looking at an area of Nottingham with relatively low entry costs - Carlton. To the east of Nottingham, [...]
Slater & Brandley Letting Agents move into Distinctive New Home
Slater & Brandley, the West Bridgford based lettings agency has moved into a new and bright home. The business is closer to a good number of its customers as it has relocated to the West One building on Loughborough Road, West Bridgford, where the company is now managing residential lettings within this large multi-occupancy property. Garry Slater, Managing Director of [...]
Letting Agents & Landlords to Begin Monitoring Legionnaires Disease
Just when letting agents and landlords thought the dust had settled with regards to tenancy regulation, the UK government has issued new legislation for landlords to combat the threat of Legionnaires Disease within residential property. Whilst the disease had largely gone unnoticed in recent years there is now a very real concern amongst some that we may see growing numbers [...]