LandlordZONE Newsletter

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January 2009 Newsletter - click here to view
In this issue we discuss the pros and cons of using letting agents: At times like this there’s a strong argument that says, save money by letting and managing tenancies yourself. That’s all very well if you have the time, the experience and the expertise that’s necessary and if you are located near to your property. Letting property increasingly demands a businesslike approach, where an up-to-date knowledge of the law and all the other associated skills such as marketing, administration and people management are most important. Yes, all this can be learned by the average landlord, and a site like LandlordZONE is here to help, but a good agent is worth a great deal—event if you do intend to DIY eventually. continue reading .... The LandlordZONE Newsletter Tenancy Problems: As the economic troubles persist, and from all indications this week it will be some time before all this is over, landlords will increasingly have to deal with tenancy problems. Despite a relatively buoyant lettings market (certainly compared to sales), increasing redundancies, fewer temporary foreign workers and an oversupply of rentals in some areas, will mean that increased void periods and rent arrears will be inevitable for many landlords. There’s evidence that some of the rental demand is being soaked-up by cash-strapped home owners taking in lodgers, and of course many youngsters will be returning to the nest in these troubled times. Perhaps even divorce rates, a traditional creator of demand for rental accommodation, will be stifled in the face of limited family resources. Commercial landlords are faced with similar problems. Most businesses are experiencing falling sales and therefore revenues, whilst costs, particularly business rates, stay the same or even increase. Rent payments therefore are coming under pressure, with some tenants approaching landlords for reductions. Dealing with these problems is tricky, especially for in-experienced landlords with nothing in the way of portfolio or financial resources to help them weather the storm. Tom Entwistle, Editor Content for this issue is supplied by Kate Faulkner, Managing Director www.designsonproperty.co.uk Why not download and print the full LandlordZONE Adobe .pdf Newsletter
Check out these quality suppliers...

Cover4LetProperty - Cover4LetProperty.co.uk specialises in insurance for residential and commercial landlords. By inputting simple details of your property or portfolio just once onto the Cover4LetProperty online quote form, you can access up to five quotes instantly.

Landlords' Energy Performance Certificates Nationwide - UK - Service. A Quality Energy Performance Certificate service in association with Connells - The LandlordZONE Partner Programme offers EPCs - UK nationwide - using the Connells' approved surveyor panel at a standard cost of £75 plus VAT. For a fast, convenient and trustworthy service click the link.

Crimson Investments - Property Investment – the easy way ! Discounts of 15% - 20% BMV, Re-sale and refurbished properties, Tenanted and empty investment properties, Low deposit down deals. Specialist Mortgage Brokers & Solicitors. Our ‘Ready to Let Service’ – furnishing packages. Continuing support.

Money Back Mortgages - Set-up in 2006 to give consumers like you an impartial service where you can search for and arrange your next mortgage with the added benefit of receiving 50% of the commission received by us. The website has proved particularly helpful for Buy to Let landlords who generally remortgage on a regular basis to lower their monthly mortgage costs.

Landlord & Buy to Let Show - London Olympia 20-21st March 2009 - Want your properties to work harder for you? - Aiming to grow your buy-to-let portfolio? - Need to understand the new legislation? - Looking for the best deals from suppliers? Meet over 70 exhibitors - including leading industry suppliers. FREE seminars...

Positive Flow Ventilation Systems - Condensation, damp and black mould, not to mention Radon gas and volatile organic chemicals (voc’s), can present serious problems for homeowners and landlords. Keeping the property well aired with a Positive Ventilation System is the ideal answer.

Rent Guarantee & Legal Cover - underwritten by AXA, this LandlordZONE Partner Programme cover is excellent value for money at £116.56 pa (with TenantVERIFYâ checks - see terms) • Legal Costs Covered up to £25,000 • Free Legal Helpline • Rent Arrears Covered up to £10,000 (£2,500 monthly limit) • Excess Only 1 Month’s Rent Arrears (or sum of deposit if higher)

Accommodation for Students - Landlords - Advertise your properties quickly and easily, for just £5 per property per month. (Discounts are available for bulk uploads and long advertising periods). • Include images, maps, features, pricing, contact details, and more • We display performance reports and track the enquiries made by students about your properties • 1000s of emails are sent by our student visitors to landlords on our site everyday. • Over 5000 student landlords already registered and using our site.

Accountz.com - Is the fastest and easiest to use personal and business accounts software you will find. It beats more expensive systems hands down with its unique system of RapidEntry. Business Accountz is for Sole Proprietors, Partnerships and Limited Companies and is ideal for service based businesses such as Landlords and Property Investors. Unique one-click VAT Return. No confusing jargon. Fast and dead easy to use. Mac OSX 10.4+, Windows Vista/XP, Linux.

Landlord Manager - Whether you are a landlord with a portfolio of 2 or 3 properties or have several hundred properties in any number of portfolios, there is a Landlord Manager solution for you. Available in Pro and Premium versions along with a web site add-on to promote your business, Landlord Manager will grow with you as your portfolio grows. 30 day free trial.

PropertyPortfolioSoftware.co.uk - Property Portfolio Software provides solutions to help self managing landlords get better organised when managing multiple properties. Their software solutions are designed by landlords for landlords and are guaranteed to save you time, money and effort in running all aspects of your property business.

DiscountLetting.co.uk — a forward thinking team, we’ve been offering a range of letting services to UK landlords for years—from a full Management Service to a Tenant Find Service, we offer UK landlords a first class service to suit your needs. Call 020 8 697 0984 to speak to an agent.

The Rent Management Service from Hutcheson Solicitors - The low cost monthly rent collection and legal protection service for busy landlords. • Personal account manager to liaise between landlord and tenants. • Rent payment cards issued to Housing Benefit recipients. • 0800 083 0626 to chat with an advisor or visit www.rentmanagment.co.uk for more information.

TenantGuarantee.com - Landlords... no more worries about Tenant Deposits with the insurance guarantee that costs you nothing, but secures you against: - RENT (shortfalls) - DAMAGE (caused by Tenants) - LEGAL FEES (to remove a problem Tenant) With the Tenant Guarantee in place, you don't take a Deposit, so you can avoid the Government's Deposit Protection Scheme.

LandlordMONEY.co.uk - An independent property mortgage and property finance web portal. The site contains all the help and investment finance information you should ever need to guide you through the process of successful property investment and securing competitive property finance.

TenantVERIFY.co.uk - Successful Landlords know that Tenant Screening is "the" most important task when letting property. Tenant Verifying - doing credit searches and tenant referencing is the core of the tenant screening process. Nice Car, Nice Suit, Nice Chat... No Rent! Don't take chances - have those tenants checked out professionally! You can rely on TenantVERIFY

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January 2009 Newsletter - click here to view