Sound Proofing for Landlords
Digital Book version: http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/digital-book/index.html
Editorial:
We face uncertain times ahead, but there is one thing we can all be absolutely certain about: with national debt around £1,000 billion and rising, for at least the next four years, taxes will increase for everyone.
If we are to believe the economic pundits, government finances are in a more perilous state today than in the 1970s.
With government’s cash cow now in intensive care (the banks and finance sector) you don’t need to be a financial genius to figure out where the shortfall will be coming from once the election is over—whichever party is in power—you and me.
Some of you will recall the punitive income tax rates reached in 1975, on top of which an unearned income surcharge of 15% was levied, which of course would include rental income. Anyone then paying the highest rate of tax found themselves, at the margin, paying a staggering 98% of their income to the treasury.
Heaven forbid we reach that stage ever again, but you can bet that, close to every property investor’s heart, capital gains tax, at 18% will come under close security.
Given that the March 2010 budget is something of a non-event, the real budget destined for after the election, there are nevertheless a few palliatives for businesses to soften the blow when it does come.
A comprehensive budget summary and analysis is provided by TWD Accountants of Stockport published here on pages 8,9 & 10.
Tom Entwistle
This LandlordZONE Newsletter is now available, in addition to the .pdf version, in digital-book format.
Sound Insulation in Rentals
Soundproofing technology has come a long way in recent years: there are now some really effective sound proofing solutions available to landlords which might just prevent noisy neighbours driving you and your tenants mad!
In effect, modern soundproofing technology creates a room within a room; keeping extraneous sounds out and internal sounds in.
Originally designed for music studios the techniques developed can be easily applied in modern apartments, terrace properties and commercial buildings to create a more peaceful and quiet environment for the occupants.
As the concept would suggest, one solution is to put up internal walls inside existing rooms, with insulated gaps in between.
Building regulations now enforce higher standards of sound insulation in homes; but these rules do not apply to existing properties, only to new ones.
Flat conversions in period houses, very popular for rent als carried out over the last 30 years or so, have inherent noise insulation problems, as do many new apartments fitted with wooden flooring.
Noise problems can become a nightmare for tenant residents and indeed their landlords, who have to deal with the aftermath. Land lords lose good tenants through this and they find their properties are very difficult to re-let.
Taking action against noisy and inconsider ate neighbours can be time consuming and a lengthy costly process, the worst cases end ing up in court with anti-social behaviour orders, but even this does not guarantee a cure.
Even top flight London apartments can be troubled by noise problems but with modern sound insulation treatment, albeit expensive in some situations, these prob lems can be virtually eliminated.
Content for this month’s LandlordZONE Newsletter has been provided by Toby Makin of Sound Insulation experts Sound Reduction Sys tems Ltd – Industry Leading Manufac turers of Sound Insulation and Sound proofing Products, Bolton, Lancashire, Tel: 01204 380074 Email: info@soundreduction.co.uk
www.soundreduction.co.uk
Download LandlordNONE Newsletter in Adobe® .pdf format:
http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/BlogNews/LandlordLOGMar10.pdf
Digital Book version: http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/digital-book/index.html
The links to the journal are also posted at:
http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/BlogNews/newsletter-archive.htm and at
http://www.landlordlog.com/
===========================================================
Follow us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/LandlordZONE
Why not forward this to a friend and if you think they will benefit from this service register at:
http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/site-zone/register.htm
Newsfeed Reader:
http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/blog/?feed=rss2&cat=7
