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Robert Brown
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4606  Profile Views

About Me

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my expertise in the industry

20 + years

Robert 's Recent Activity

Robert  Brown

From: Robert Brown 13 March 2024 10:30 AM

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From: Robert Brown 07 March 2024 21:03 PM

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From: Robert Brown 06 March 2024 08:54 AM

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From: Robert Brown 28 February 2024 11:28 AM

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Jo Surely one solution is to work 50 hours instead of 37.5, giving 1/3 more extra income (without any overtime uplift) without any additional outgoings? During our 4 years in our first home, my wife and I each did around 20 hours of tuition every week for about 40 weeks each year in addition to holding down responsible day jobs which demanded substantially more than 37.5 hours each week. This allowed us to sell our relatively modest 3 bed Wimpey for £17500, a profit of £6000 over 4 years and buy a large house in an affluent area for £35,000. Nearly 46 years later, we're still in it, although it's now far too big for our needs - but high moving costs are dissuaded us from downsizing until we need the additional support available in a retirement flat or care home. Today's Daily Telegraph says people in affluent areas live longer so we're going to hold on to our longer life entitlement for as long as possible. It also says that 1.29 million people over 65 live in 4 bedroom houses and 68.8% of England's homes are under occupied. Providing incentives to older home owners to downsize would make more modest homes available for first time buyers. Instead high stamp duties make people build unsuitable extensions instead of moving and builders build 5 bedroom 5 bathroom boxes miles from anywhere to compensate for the lack of larger properties becoming available through downsizing. The Government has made crazy decisions in terms of disincentivising landlords and downsizers, but promoting greater home ownership with 1% deposits isn't one of these crazy plans.

From: Robert Brown 24 February 2024 13:57 PM

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From: Robert Brown 24 February 2024 13:28 PM

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From: Robert Brown 22 February 2024 08:53 AM

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From: Robert Brown 21 February 2024 12:21 PM

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From: Robert Brown 21 February 2024 10:32 AM

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From: Robert Brown 21 February 2024 10:28 AM

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Ellie For many years I operated a hybrid system with one property let normally for 6 to 8 months on a standard AST tenancy agreement and let as a short term holiday rental for around 4 months. During the latter period I paid the standard Council Tax, energy bills etc. This worked well until the SNP banned mutually acceptable fixed term tenancies in December 2017 and it's now a full time short term rental property. Because of this it's no longer liable to standard Council Tax and is exempt from Business Rates because it counts as a small business. I also remortgaged it, paying off equivalent btl mortgages on two lower value properties and next year will enjoy 48% tax relief on this mortgage due to the SNP war on property owning Scots who will never vote for them but are outvoted by benefit claiming renters. On a brighter note I now also get a higher weekly rental over about 15 peak weeks than I used to get every month as well many off peak short breaks. Does Comrade Twomay really want to ban holidays for those who can afford a self catering staycation but can't afford UK or foreign hotel holidays? Incidentally many Edinburgh and St Andrews landlords used to operate this same hybrid system but couldn't rely on students getting their act together to give early enough notice to get the tourist season bookings. Many of these properties are now no longer available for students who now compete with families for the dwindling amount of rental properties. The market worked well without interference from leftie zealots who are now reaping what they have sown!

From: Robert Brown 20 February 2024 12:58 PM

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From: Robert Brown 19 February 2024 15:59 PM

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From: Robert Brown 16 February 2024 11:21 AM

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From: Robert Brown 16 February 2024 10:46 AM

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From: Robert Brown 15 February 2024 17:13 PM

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From: Robert Brown 15 February 2024 15:19 PM

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As predicted, the SNP/Green "war on Landlords" has just ended up pushing up market rents even faster, thus hurting the tenants, whom they claim to protect, and who are daft enough to believe them and vote for them. The new proposals, where a tenant doesn't agree to any increase, allow rents to go up by between 6% and 12% to match current market rents - whatever they are given the vast differential in quality even within the same street or block. However, where the tenant DOES agree, there doesn't seem to be ANY cap on what the rent increase might be - and if the alternative is that the property is put up for sale, it's highly likely the tenant will "agree" given the difficulty in trying to find an equivalent deal when faced with the acute shortage in rental properties caused by the same SNP/Green "Government". As predicted, ALL our tenants will now face ANNUAL rent increases to match current market rents, and since most Scottish Landlords will probably now do the same, market rents will continue to rise and tenants will continue to feel the pain. Up to now I have tended to leave rents unchanged during tenancies and then, every 3 or 4 years, market the property at the new going rate. I calculate that this change in policy will give me regular annual increases of over £20k per annum (around 7 to 8%). If I (wrongly) assumed every property got new tenants at the same time after 3 to 4 years, then over that period, my increases would previously have been zero but this change in policy will now let me bank an additional £80 to £100k before tax or £40 to £50k after tax. Before the tenants would have held on to this £80 to £100k themselves. I now win, HMRC now wins - only the tenant now loses!

From: Robert Brown 15 February 2024 15:17 PM

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From: Robert Brown 14 February 2024 13:52 PM

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Serge Firstly, full marks for engaging with us in a civilised manner and attempting to justify your position, although it's not one shared by many on this site. Regarding your plans for your own old age, I fear, like many others, you may have significantly underestimated how much a care home will cost, which is now typically £5000 to £8000 per month, a huge burden on the taxpayers caring for those with insufficient preparations to have amassed the necessary level of funds during their healthy lifetime. For most home owners, it means the sale of their home and a huge dent in the legacy left to their loved ones. For those who have never invested in their own property, it means further dependence on the taxpayers, after a lifetime of free NHS care, free education and subsidised housing. Regarding Councils saving money and profiting by employing their own maintenance staff, it's been proven countless times that outsourcing services to the private sector is significantly cheaper when the hidden costs of over generous sick pay, pensions, diversity training and layers of inefficient management are included in the calculations. I have yet to see any Council make a surplus which could be returned to the exchequer. Companies like Serco, Mitie, Capita etc. do very well providing services to the public sector, saving it vast sums whilst continuing to make respectable profits for their pension fund shareholders. Regarding Inheritance tax, I actually approve of it and other taxes on unearned income, like CGT, although I think there should be sensible indexation relief to avoid paying tax on non existent gains, balanced by the removal of the many loopholes which the seriously wealthy are able to exploit.

From: Robert Brown 07 February 2024 15:28 PM

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From: Robert Brown 06 February 2024 12:36 PM

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From: Robert Brown 01 February 2024 13:39 PM

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From: Robert Brown 01 February 2024 13:22 PM

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Humzalot Useless has just claimed in Holyrood that Scottish landlords are NOT selling up in droves as there is actually an increase in the number of registered landlords. Making it almost impossible for landlords to evict tenants in order to sell might disguise the problem temporarily but like the inevitable effects of their recent legislation the chickens will come home to roost. He forgets that many landlords have multiple properties and must remain registered until they have sold all of their portfolio. In any case, registration lasts 3 years and the Scottish rent freeze and cap are not yet 3 years old. In any case, one landlord selling 9 properties being replaced with 2 new landlords with one property each still means a loss of 7 properties, not a doubling of available rental properties. On a related topic, while the rent cap ends on 31 March, rents can't be increased by more than 3% until 1 July as any notices of increase must give 3 months notice and can't give notice of more than 3% until after 31 March. Anyone mistakenly giving notice of a rent increase before 1 April is then prohibited from any further increase for a further 12 months. A maximum increase of 12% is being rumoured but this is effectively an annual increase of 9% because of the 3 month delay and is actually around 3% on an annual basis once the rent freeze and rent cap periods are taken into account. Of course the way round all of the recent SNP lunacy is to avoid any tenants wanting to stay long term and focus on students who won't stay long term and thus allow rents to rise to market rents at every new tenancy.

From: Robert Brown 25 January 2024 13:33 PM

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From: Robert Brown 24 January 2024 10:28 AM

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From: Robert Brown 10 January 2024 15:09 PM

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From: Robert Brown 03 January 2024 13:49 PM

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From: Robert Brown 28 December 2023 09:52 AM

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From: Robert Brown 20 December 2023 17:40 PM

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From: Robert Brown 20 December 2023 17:31 PM

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From: Robert Brown 06 December 2023 11:24 AM

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From: Robert Brown 05 December 2023 10:47 AM

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From: Robert Brown 04 December 2023 17:38 PM

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From: Robert Brown 06 November 2023 20:51 PM

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Ellie is absolutely right. We still have two long term tenants on this property old rental agreements whose rents haven't increased but now that obnoxious bearded Green dwarf Patrick Harvie is threatening to be move all old tenancies to the new legislation and ban rental increases for new tenancies. Just before this happens our old tenants will be offered a new tenancy agreement at current market rents and will need to move out if they cannot afford them. Up until now we have been happy to keep the rent low whist we still have control over how long the tenancy will last but without that we will have no incentive to keep rents low and every incentive to get students in to replace long term tenants. A major reason for the Edinburgh shortages is that before many landlords operated a hybrid system with students in from mid September to mid May, a quick refurbishment scheduled for mid May and tourists in from June to mid September. Many landlords tried to retain that model after fixed term tenancies were outlawed but couldn't confirm tourist bookings until the students gave notice which many only did at the last gasp. This prompted the landlords to move full time to short term lets which made students compete with longer term tenants for properties further from the city centre more suited for families who were no longer wanted as landlords preferred students who wouldn't stay long term. The result is families struggling to get rental properties, students staying further out from the city and campuses in areas where they aren't welcomed by the neighbours and city centre flats often left unoccupied in off peak periods. Edinburgh Council's reaction is to limit short term rentals in flats without a main door which also pushes tourists and stag parties out to residential suburbs adding further to the shortage of normal family rental properties. Turn the clock back to pre December 2017, allow the hybrid system which worked well for decades, allow higher density occupation in bigger flats- currently limited by HMO licence rules - allow but control short term rentals in city centre flats- and leave the residential suburbs for families to rent under mutually acceptable tenancy agreements. All of this will make a big dent in Edinburgh's housing shortage but further legislation will only exacerbate the current problem, although it will give great comfort to the idiots in the SNP, Shelter etc. who couldn't care less about decent tenants and landlords.

From: Robert Brown 06 November 2023 10:14 AM

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From: Robert Brown 31 October 2023 08:52 AM

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Ellie I only know how the Scottish PRS legislation has affected me and my family and not much about the overall legislation in detail. As far as I am aware, fixed term tenancies were totally outlawed in December 2017 and some have taken advantage in pretending that they wanted a longer term rental but gave notice shortly after moving in as they just wanted a short term rental but at long term rates which are obviously much lower. More recently, there have been eviction and rent freezes which morphed into rent controls at 3% or a maximum of 6% if costs have risen by more than 3%. Older short assured tenancies were initially left alone but there was a consultation paper recently which threatens to retrospectively outlaw these and outlaw rents reverting to market rents for new tenants. It had been proposed that HMO licenced properties would be allowed fixed term tenancies but the SNP rightly realised this would place normal families at a disadvantage and lead to more student rentals at the expense of normal families. This has still happened as in practice students still operate as if they have a fixed term tenancy as it fits in with fixed term university courses and peer pressure from joint tenants by and large keep it working as it always has done. However another part of the new consultation document proposes to allow a joint tenant to leave but is unclear how this rent shortfall will be dealt with but almost certainly it will be the landlord who picks up the tab, either leading to higher rents if still allowed or more landlords selling up if the alternative is running a loss making business. Incidentally I tried to respond to the consultation document but it only allowed me to rank alternatives in order of preference. It didn't allow any free text or have an option to disagree totally with proposals. Incidentally another consultation document discussing doubling Council Tax on second homes had less than 1000 responses with over 900 in favour. The SNP interpreted this as overwhelming support and now plan to press ahead with a scheme supported by less than 1000 Scottish residents. Paul will always support measures to rob Peter even more!

From: Robert Brown 29 October 2023 09:29 AM

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From: Robert Brown 19 October 2023 09:22 AM

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From: Robert Brown 20 September 2023 18:46 PM

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From: Robert Brown 20 September 2023 18:40 PM

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From: Robert Brown 31 August 2023 08:34 AM

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From: Robert Brown 02 August 2023 13:25 PM

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From: Robert Brown 25 July 2023 14:23 PM

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From: Robert Brown 25 July 2023 12:13 PM

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From: Robert Brown 25 July 2023 10:26 AM

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From: Robert Brown 21 July 2023 09:49 AM

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From: Robert Brown 06 July 2023 21:18 PM

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From: Robert Brown 23 June 2023 08:28 AM

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From: Robert Brown 23 June 2023 07:56 AM

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From: Robert Brown 22 June 2023 17:21 PM

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From: Robert Brown 22 June 2023 15:07 PM

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The writer fails to mention what has actually happened in Scotland: Workers on short assignments are using the 28 day notice period to avoid paying higher level short term rental rates. Astute holiday makers are also trying this. The two solutions curbing this to some extent is to ensure the property isn't nearly as well equipped as normal short term rentals and local agents operating and sharing informal black lists to cut down on employers trying to save money by repeatedly using the 28 day notice period. A bunch of students who won't stay indefinitely and have several solvent guarantors are now preferred to families who want to stay long term. However there is now such a shortage of rental properties that over 900 groups of students who left things to the last minute were chasing one flat last September. Edinburgh University was advising students without accommodation lined up to defer for a year but since current student tenants don't plan ahead, prospective student tenants also can't plan ahead and reserve a flat for the following year. This lack of planning has exacerbated the shortage of long term rental properties particularly in Edinburgh and St Andrews where a hybrid model used to work well with winter student lets, refurbishment in early June and summer lets to tourists. Many hybrid Landlords got fed up with the students failing to cooperate and plan ahead and moved to short term rentals only. Students who used to rent in the old town or city centre are now displacing families in the suburban residential areas. Neighbours in both the suburbs and the city centre are not happy with the changes in tenancy profile. Finally the massive shortage in rental properties has increased market rates for the best properties by 30% in 2018 and again this year. My best 4 bed flat has seen its monthly rent rise from £1600 in 2017 to £2100 in 2018 to £2800 in 2023. I'm sticking with renting to students, not families, and will increase rents by as much as I can get at every opportunity from now on whereas I rarely increased rents other than when the tenants changed. Landlords who plan ahead and are well organised can prosper under the new rules but the real winners are the rogue tenants so beloved of Shelter, Generation Rant, Acorn and other rabble rousers who make a lot of money whilst harming decent tenants, especially families!

From: Robert Brown 17 June 2023 11:00 AM

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From: Robert Brown 16 June 2023 18:06 PM

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From: Robert Brown 15 June 2023 08:46 AM

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From: Robert Brown 31 May 2023 08:35 AM

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From: Robert Brown 26 May 2023 13:45 PM

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From: Robert Brown 19 May 2023 19:39 PM

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From: Robert Brown 18 May 2023 13:16 PM

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From: Robert Brown 16 May 2023 09:33 AM

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Ellie You're right about potential problems in a joint tenancy which needs unanimous agreement to be terminated. In theory a student could drop out of University, stop paying rent but refuse to move out and the tenancy would continue indefinitely. If their guarantors refused to pay the rent then the other guarantors would have to stump up. Currently the only escape route for the joint tenants would be to stop paying rent until a court took action to evict them all risking their credit ratings moving forward and landline them with huge costs. For joint tenancies a fixed term tenancy agreement should always be available to avoid being held to ransom by a rogue flatmate. The SNP refused to treat joint tenants or students tenants differently from families as they said that this would put families at a disadvantage as potential tenants. Families are now at this very same disadvantage but joint tenants are now exposed to the risk of the actions of their flatmates without the escape route of a fixed term tenancy. Since 2017 I have successfully twice had a mid term change of a joint tenant when one dropped out. The onus was on the current four tenants to find a suitable replacement and then on the same day the four current tenants signed a formal notice to quit and the remaining three and the new tenant signed a new open ended tenancy agreement. The departing tenant and the new tenant agreed informally exactly how the change over happened and I didn't have to do anything other than agree to waive the 28 day notice period to allow the new tenant to move in on the day the departing tenant formally moved out. If all agree, there's no problem. If one doesn't agree, the current tenancy can't be easily or cheaply terminated in the current People's Republic of Scotland. On a related point, on one of these two occasions, the departing tenant quibbled on paying for utilities after leaving but still a joint tenant. I asked Safe Deposits Scotland if I could withhold part of the deposit to recompense the remaining tenants for the missing utility payments and was told that the deposit couldn't be used to compensate a "third party" - the joint tenants!

From: Robert Brown 10 May 2023 10:14 AM

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From: Robert Brown 10 May 2023 09:02 AM

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From: Robert Brown 21 April 2023 08:58 AM

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From: Robert Brown 21 April 2023 08:53 AM

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From: Robert Brown 19 April 2023 09:00 AM

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From: Robert Brown 17 April 2023 12:46 PM

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In Scotland since 2017, when mutually agreed fixed term tenancies were outlawed, students have miraculously become the most preferred groups of tenants as they won't stay indefinitely. However, this year, because of the massive shortage of PRS properties, many have not yet confirmed their plans to leave and seem to be waiting to see where they get jobs after graduating. This is preventing new groups from making plans for next year and also preventing me from putting the rents up to current market rates because of the current 3% rent cap (or 6% if I can prove my costs have gone up by double the proposed rent increases). I can't do anything about confirming new tenancy agreements, scheduling refurbishment work or even plan my own summer holidays until these underpaying kids get their acts together. I have indicated that they may well need a Landlord reference if they move to another city after graduating and their ability to cooperate and plan ahead (or otherwise) would be something that new Landlords would be interested in. One of my mates who has still managed to have summer tourist lets and winter student lets in Edinburgh has also found this time much more difficult to get students to give notice and is moving some more flats to full time short rental properties because he's had enough of the lack of co-operation and forward planning from his current student tenants. Of course this means even fewer long term rental properties available putting even more pressure on the PRS. Abolishing Section 21 does NO ONE any favours but the zealots put their dogma above the interests of tenants who are sleep walking into a nightmare.

From: Robert Brown 15 April 2023 16:32 PM

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From: Robert Brown 13 April 2023 17:27 PM

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From: Robert Brown 13 April 2023 12:37 PM

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From: Robert Brown 30 March 2023 17:49 PM

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From: Robert Brown 28 March 2023 13:29 PM

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From: Robert Brown 20 March 2023 09:02 AM

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Jo I agree with everything you say apart from your first sentence. I don't think house prices are substantially higher now than they were 50 or so years ago, either measured in pints of beer or salary multiples, and measured in cups of overpriced coffee they're substantially cheaper now. As you say, it's the monthly cost that matters most (especially as a proportion of take home pay). I bought my first house in 1974 for £11,500 on an endowment mortgage and I remember the monthly interest payments were around £95 with full tax relief taking them down to around £65 per month after tax. I sold that house in late 1977 for £17,500 (it would now be worth around £300,000) and bought my current (much nicer) house for around £30,000 with a new £25,000 endowment mortgage, paying around £225 per month interest together with endowment insurance payments around £5 (I was young and healthy then and lied about my lifestyle!). I am still in the same house, now worth well over £600,000 - so it's a bit more than 20 times what I paid for it but my final salary before retiring was also more than 20 times what I earned when I bought it. During the course of my mortgage payments, they soared to well over £700 per month at one point before falling way back to negligible amounts around 2010 - just as I finally paid the thing off! Negative equity is a risk that those buying an expensive property with a high LTV mortgage have faced from time to time, then inflation helps us climb out of it. I still think buying property is by far the best strategy, especially if we can buy more than one and have renters pay them off for us over our working lives. In buying my first house, I sacrificed the possibility of buying around 40,000 pints of beer but if I were to sell my whole portfolio now totally, I could buy around a million pints with the proceeds (ignoring CGT). I might then be homeless for the rest of my life - but would be oblivious to that and it wouldn't be for long!

From: Robert Brown 17 March 2023 11:13 AM

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From: Robert Brown 17 March 2023 09:04 AM

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From: Robert Brown 09 March 2023 09:46 AM

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From: Robert Brown 07 March 2023 15:37 PM

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When I built up a £1 million BTL mortgage debt around 25 to 30 years ago, I had quite a bit less than 50% equity, was paying around £50 to £60k interest and barely covering my outgoings with gross rental income. HMRC questioned why my rental income was so close to my outgoings but I was in it for the long haul and still have no intention of bailing out as I am only 73 years, 3 months and 1 day young. Living in the People's Republic of Scotland I have also seen the future that awaits English Landlords and it's not that scary if you avoid sentimentality, stick to students who won't stay indefinitely and put rents up to the market rent as often as possible. Incidentally I have just started to do this last bit having done the same as most in leaving rents unchanged for good tenants - but not any longer. My £1 million debt costs around £20k, fixed at 1.99% until December 2026 but even if it then trebled I would still be above break even based on gross rental income keeping up with market rates over the next 4 years. My kids will also pay £400k less IHT than if I had repaid these mortgages over the years and my wife and I would not have enjoyed such nice holidays and a very nice holiday home, mortgage free I'm not intending to increase my debt but compared to paying 28 % CGT, it's not a bad strategy to increase debt to enjoy later life rather than sell up and live off the 72% remaining equity, which will eventually attract a further 40% IHT. Incidentally any "professional" to whom I have set out my past and current strategy has been horrified, unable to differentiate between "good" and "bad" debt! Fortunately I have always trusted my own judgement over any risk averse bean counter or "adviser".

From: Robert Brown 07 March 2023 15:08 PM

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From: Robert Brown 15 September 2022 09:07 AM

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Excellent logic from Jo and Ellie. I am still in only the second home we ever bought some 45 years ago which back then was far too big and expensive – and we really couldn’t afford it for a long time after buying it - but having scrimped and saved for the first 5 years of marriage, we just continued to do so and weathered the 15% interest rates of the Major-Lamont years, removal of mortgage tax relief etc. We’ve also saved a fortune in stamp duty, estate agent and legal fees by not moving house during all that time. Our next move will be either to an overpriced McCarthy and Stone flat, into care or bypass both and straight into a wooden box. Moving to an interest only mortgage, which in theory has an infinite period, saved our bacon then and while we’ve since paid this mortgage off, we’ve still got around £1 million of interest only mortgage debt on a £4 million portfolio. This costs around £20,000 pa in interest but generates an additional £60,000 in gross rental income and will save my heirs £400,000 in IHT when I eventually pop my clogs, which will probably equate to the gross interest costs payable over my lifetime, making this £1 million of debt actually interest free! Long term and interest only (infinite) mortgages have their place – as does equity release (with a reputable company) – but these are not for the unwary or those who won’t plan ahead and take responsibility for their own futures. However the most important factor is to balance the housing market by encouraging landlords to stay invested in the market and by building sufficient homes to meet demand and ensure developers can’t make unwarranted levels of profit through too many buyers chasing too few new houses – as happened with the help to buy schemes.

From: Robert Brown 19 August 2022 10:17 AM

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From: Robert Brown 14 June 2022 17:19 PM

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You're an idiot! The mortgage company does NOT give the borrower the property as it belongs to the property owner who will give the buyer the agreed property in exchange for the agreed purchase price, possibly funded through a mortgage but with significant additional costs going to the mortgage company, tax man, legal advisor etc. All responsibility for its upkeep passes to the new purchaser. When a property owner allows temporary use of his property by a renter, no fees are charged to the renter by any party other than the AGREED rental payments for the AGREED rental term, which may be extended by AGREEMENT or possession sought as outlined in the AGREEMENT. No further fees are payable by the renter on vacating the property owner's property, provided it's been returned in the condition in which it was handed over. During the entire rental term, the responsibility for all maintenance, local authority registration or licensing charges, letting agent fees etc. has remained with the property owner, not the temporary resident. The two scenarios are totally different but the former can cost much more over the average rental period when all ancillary costs are included and the owner occupier cannot decide to move on unilaterally but is dependent on the AGREEMENT of a new purchaser to allow him to do so and is then faced with all those ancillary charges all over again. I repeat : "Why is giving money to purchase a property to its owner to become an owner occupier GOOD whereas giving a much lower amount to an owner to rent the property for an AGREED rental period BAD?" Neither can happen without AGREEMENT which is always available for inspection and on which legal advice can be obtained if desired or required.

From: Robert Brown 14 June 2022 14:55 PM

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From: Robert Brown 11 April 2022 16:55 PM

Robert  Brown
Max This time you’re not that wrong! Many students used to rent in the old town (near the University but right beside the Royal Mile etc.) for term time and, after a quick refurb, landlords rented to tourists until the new term started. In December 2017, the SNP banned fixed term tenancies mutually agreed by landlord and tenant which meant landlords could no longer force or trust students to leave promptly in time and thus plan for tourist rentals. As a result, many landlords moved to short term lets all year round, making far more money and having sufficient voids to keep the properties well maintained. The students had to move further afield into residential areas, much to the consternation of their new neighbours! Scottish students can afford higher rents as they get “free” University education, subsidised by higher income tax paid by all Scottish taxpayers earning above the average wage and huge fees paid by rich Chinese students (perhaps made wealthy through forced or slave labour?). Families were therefore priced out from their previous homes and YES – no doubt some ended up homeless! The SNP’s answer is NOT to repeal their current anti-PRS legislation but to bring in MORE! We shouldn’t be surprised as their track record includes: • Procuring ferries on variable cost contracts rising from £97 million to over £250 million • Buying up a shipyard but placing new ferry orders in Turkey • Buying an airport and then getting into bed with the Greens who want to ban air travel • Investing in a wind turbine fabrication plant but placing orders in the Far East instead. • Abolishing bridge tolls so they could no longer afford to carry out routine maintenance on the Forth Road Bridge, resulting in its unplanned closure for many weeks. • Building a new bridge across the Forth that needed to close every tie ice formed on its cables. (This one is needed to augment the old one which was not properly maintained) • See the next post for their successes to date in the PRS sector!

From: Robert Brown 09 April 2022 13:20 PM

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From: Robert Brown 24 February 2022 22:02 PM

Robert  Brown
EPC's are only one of many weapons which the unholy SNP Green alliance plans to use to batter the Scottish PRS landlords even more, in the mistaken belief that this will get them more votes and secure " independence". Most of their voters are renters, but mainly in social housing. Many PRS renters are students or young professionals and in my discussions with them, the effects of the December 2017 private rental legislation in Scotland are far from welcome, with fewer properties to choose from, no dependable time when most properties are coming up for rent, rents up 30% for the best properties - assuming they're no longer reserved for short term rentals only etc. Most of these more savvy renters will never support the SNP but unfortunately most also won't participate in this consultation process, which is a foregone conclusion and its harmful effects on the prs as predictable as its conclusion! I'm not selling up as I believe market forces will win, as they have in totally destroying the ill-fated energy price cap. I have already taken some precautions, in upgrading my properties to justify higher rents and more affluent tenants with home owning guarantors, having several tenants with joint and several liability, mainly students or young professionals who won't want to stay for ever, avoiding families who might outstay their welcome and can't be easily evicted. The new legislation is a disaster for decent young families but the blame is firmly on the loony lefties who introduced it and now, recognising it hasn't worked as planned, now seek to make it worse.

From: Robert Brown 16 February 2022 11:56 AM

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From: Robert Brown 14 December 2021 13:32 PM

Robert  Brown
Sandra There's ALREADY a huge shortage of good tradesmen, probably exacerbated by the punitive levels of stamp duty making extending cheaper than moving. This has also affected the balance in the housing market by reducing the number of starter homes ( now extended instead of sold to new first time buyers) and so increasing house prices in real terms. Let's just summarise the effect of Government interference on housing over the last 30 years: 1. Tony Blair vastly increased the number of students, reducing the number of apprentices and thus tradesmen. 2. Tradesmen flood in from the EU to plug the gap. 3. Gordon Brown hikes up the stamp duty thus increasing the cost of moving house. 4. More EU tradesmen flood in to meet the increasing demand for house extensions, now cheaper than moving house. 5. Huge negative feeling to EU immigrants "stealing" UK jobs leads to David Cameron calling the June 2016 EU referendum. 6. Boris pushes through Brexit. 7.EU tradesmen go home, leaving a huge shortage in the building trades. 8. In Scotland in December 2017 the SNP ban fixed term tenancies, removing the right of landlords to regain possession of their own properties other than for a very limited range of circumstances. 9. Less prs properties available for rent in Scotland and market forces cause rents to increase by 30% virtually overnight. 10. The Scottish Greens are now pushing for rent controls! 11. What next? Who's going to do anything that needs done to meet anything further that the Government throws at us? One thing we DO know. The above list of failures won't deter them from continuing to interfere!

From: Robert Brown 14 December 2021 09:17 AM

Robert  Brown
Max I was born in a council flat 72 years ago and all my relatives lived I council properties for most of my early life. Over 90% of Council Tenants then we're "salt of the earth" but there were enough scrum families to incentivise decent tenants to buy or build their own properties as soon as they could afford to do so. I do accept there will still be many decent Council Tenants but the percentage of scrum will be significantly higher than before and higher than in more expensive prs properties where landlords can still he them out at the end of the tenancy term. Since tenants are mainly responsible for causing properties to "fall" into disrepair, the higher proportion of scrum tenants in council properties, coupled with poorer quality of management in public sector, means that council properties with very long tenancies are on average in poorer condition than prs properties which have much shorter tenancies. The Queen apparently thinks the outside world smells of fresh paint because that's her limited experience of the outside world. I suspect your experience of prs is similar and limited to the lower end of the market where rogue landlords and tenants live in harmony. I can't think of any reason why landlords with better quality properties would want you in their properties or need your "expertise " which may have given you a skewed opinion of much of the PRS. Anyway, whatever the reasons for your faulty perceptions, on reflection, I think Andrew is right - so it's also goodbye from me!

From: Robert Brown 08 December 2021 09:17 AM

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From: Robert Brown 07 December 2021 16:08 PM

Robert  Brown
Max If every single Council house was refurbished between 2003 and 2017, that means tenants have had plenty of time - 4 to 17 years - to trash them again! I refurbish my properties very frequently - certainly several times in a 17 year period - because that's the way to attract the better off tenants who can pay the highest rents - and in my experience of well over 300 tenants over around 30 years, the best returns are made from the best properties occupied by the highest rent paying tenants. Such properties also generate the least hassle. I learned this lesson early on and upgraded my cheaper properties in areas that justified them and ditched the cheaper properties where upgrading them couldn't be cost justified. I am not in the social work business and want to choose what charity donations I make so I will not considerhousing benefit claimants or buying the type of property they might be able to afford with or without tax pay hand outs. Whilst there are a few rogue lsndlords, I believe most prs properties are initially let out in good order and contrary to one of your earlier claims, properties do not "fall" into disrepair in a passive manner. Toilet seats, power points, fixtures and fittings don't break spontaneously. They break because they are abused. Mould does not grow spontaneously and even most social housing providers produce advice notes on how to avoid it - ignored by those problem tenants who cause it and then complain about it, usually as a justification for rent dodging. In summary, no housing sector, social or prs, is homogeneous and your assertion that the majority of social housing is maintained in a superior condition to the majority of the PRS is nonsense. Market forces dictate that high prices demand high quality to justify them and any landlord who wants to compete for tenants with the social housing sector by charging lower rents is doomed to failure as his costs will exceed his income. I am astonished you don't think the "mistake" of "forgetting " mandatory checks merits the same sort of sanctions that would be levied against a private LandLORD. Finally - remind me - was Grenfell Tower a social or private rented property?

From: Robert Brown 07 December 2021 15:05 PM

Robert  Brown
Michael In Scotland, any property let to more than 2 unrelated adults has needed an HMO licence since 2004, costing nearly £2000 for the first 3 years and over £950 for every 3 year period thereafter. A normal 3 bed flat pays the same licence fee as a "proper" HMO property sleeping 10 "households" which is crazy and led to higher rents and lower availability of normal flat shares for 3 or 4 people. In addition we had to spend over £5000 on interlinked smoke alarms, fire doors, 24 hour exit lights etc. to get the licence and since then at the 3 yearly inspections we have had to upgrade to 6 accessible power points per Rom ( I.e. not behind furniture or beds etc.), had to fit intumescent collars on extractor fans, threshold bars on doors, rehang fire doors which no longer had a perfect seal due to wear and tear, abuse, building movement etc. The £2100 flat sleeps 4 in 4 large double rooms, the £1400 flat sleeps 3 with the lounge now converted into a third double bedroom ( had to disconnect its gas fire before licence issued). The bigger flat is very similar to one that I shared with 7 other guys (and often a few female overnight guests) in the very next street, but that's no longer allowed in Glasgow, even although it would help the housing shortage! I can't remember how much rent we paid as it simply didn't figure, leaving us well able to afford severe food and alcohol poisoning almost every night. Ask today's students how they would prefer to spend their cash. The do gooder lefties have taken this choice away from today's youth!

From: Robert Brown 03 December 2021 15:18 PM

Robert  Brown
Unfortunately the SNP is still way ahead in screwing up the PRS and its landlords and tenants than its left wing Welsh cronies. In December 2017 it outlawed fixed term tenancies, even where both landlord and tenants wanted this. It drastically reduced the grounds for repossession of the landlord's own property and allowed all tenants to leave at any time on 4 weeks notice. Some tenants even use this as an opportunity to rent a property for one month at long term rental rates and so landlords can be faced with paying a 6 week rental fee to letting agents and be 2 weeks' rent down with more costs to find new tenants. The SNP were warned of the pitfalls of their legislation and its effect on rents increasing for decent tenants but ignored it all. Market rents went up around 30% in early 2018 for the best propertiesas a direct result of this attack on our business. Recently we have seen the real costs of energy price caps and increasing insurance premiums looming. These hurt those with the common sense to shop around for the best deals but DON'T help the feckless who couldn't be bothered to make the effort to shop around, instead EVERYONE will now pay more for energy and insurance. Despite the evidence of what happens to energy bills when we become overly reliant on unreliable renewables and foreign powers whist becoming less self sufficient in reliable nuclear and fossil fuels, we have the usual idiots clamouring for us to ignore the cleaner energy stored here underground or in nearby coastal waters A bit earlier banks were prevented from penalizing those who breached their agreements and had unauthorised overdrafts. Now they charge up to 39.9% for all overdrafts, hurting EVERY debtor irrespective of how responsibly they operated their overdrafts. Despite all the evidence of the harm done when Governments interfere, the SNP and its even worse little green helpers are he'll bent on imposing rent controls in Scotland. I think this will be a disaster for decent Scottish tenants but landlords will have their rents raised as much as possible before the legislation comes in and will continue to increase rents by the maximum allowed at the highest frequency allowed. We must do so for self preservation but that doesn't mean we won't have sympathy for the decent tenants caught up in this nightmare! The Welsh lefties will have a lot to think about, and many consequences to ignore, over the years ahead!

From: Robert Brown 03 December 2021 13:29 PM

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From: Robert Brown 12 May 2021 13:17 PM

Robert  Brown
I agree about how vital fixed term rentals are for the student market and shared flats generally. True to form, the SNP, aided by their little green helpers, totally ignored advice when they brought in their ludicrous prs legislation in December 2017, bringing chaos if one joint tenant wants out of the flat or is kicked out of University or College. In theory, in Scotland, one joint tenant could decide to stay in the flat for the rest of their lives and the others would still be liable for their share of rent, utility bills etc. The Scottish legislation has no means of ending a joint tenancy other than by mutual agreement or eviction on a very narrow range of circumstances. Purpose built student accommodation is exempt from the 2017 legislation but not shared or HMO flats with a joint tenancy agreement. The only bright side is that many landlords decided to avoid flat sharing joint tenancies resulting in a shortage of good quality well located flats and the market rents for those went up by about 30% overnight, with the best 4 bed flats near Glasgow University getting around £25k per annum from early 2018 onwards compared to around £19k in mid 2017. Whilst in Glasgow landlords are gaining and students losing because of this ill thought out legislation, in Edinburgh there are NO winners. When fixed term tenancies were allowed, many student rentals were for 8 or 9 months and the flats were quickly refurbished and let to tourists over the summer months. This kept the flats in excellent condition and student rents lower than in Glasgow or Dundee etc. However, because landlords can't plan ahead - and most students don't - these flats can't be booked up well in advance by tourists, so tourists are pushed out to residential areas where many owner occupiers let out rooms or full houses with airbnb at huge rents but no tax is paid and city centre hospitality businesses lose out on evening food and drink revenue. As I said earlier, a lose-lose for practically everyone including HMRC, with only a few tax dodgers winning letting out unlicensed and unregulated potentiality unsafe short term rentals. England could study what has happened in Scotland and learn from it, but somehow I doubt that will happen. The only glimmer of hope I have is that the SNP hates to have anything the same as England, so the SNP might change our legislation if England copies us!

From: Robert Brown 11 May 2021 15:05 PM

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From: Robert Brown 31 March 2021 10:55 AM

Robert  Brown
Totally agree! Glasgow Council brought in compulsory HMO licences around 2005 for all properties let to more than 2 unrelated adults, irrespective of size or number of rooms etc. On each flat I had to spend around £2k on a 3 year licence and around £5k on fitting mains operated interlinked smoke and CO alarms, new fire doors, new locks on external doors etc. I also have ongoing annual costs of around £500 for LGSR, boiler servicing, PAT checks and alarm servicing, around £1000 every 3 years for each renewed HMO licence - plus upgrading to meet any changes in regulations, like 6 easily accessible power points per room, intumescent collars on extraction fans etc. However I found I could increase my rents from a bit under £200 per month per bedroom in 2004 to over £250 as soon as the HMO regulations took effect and I had up to 17 groups of four wanting the best located flats. Rents continued to rise steadily to around £375 per room per month in 2017 and since the new loony SNP legislation came into force in December 2017, I can now get £525 per room per month - so £2100 per month for a four bed flat from 2017 onwards that used to get under £800 in 2004! Tenants will always have to pay for the policies of those who claim to be looking after them! PS. When I was a student in Glasgow in the early 70's there were 8 of us sharing a grotty 4 bedroom flat - but we could easily afford the essentials like 8 pints of beer per night and copious quantities of fish and chips from the local chippy. No wonder there's a huge housing shortage when youngsters are banned from doubling up (at least officially!) and thus needing twice as many flats (and paying twice as much rent) compared to earlier generations - who didn't die in their thousands due to house fires, gas explosions, legionella, CO poisoning or electrocution!

From: Robert Brown 29 March 2021 10:34 AM

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From: Robert Brown 24 February 2021 22:47 PM

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Michael The SNP war against Landlords (and by extension, decent tenants ) has led a real shortage of decent properties. I had 17 groups of 4 students chasing one 4 bed flat in June 2019, and only one out of a dozen flats suffered the early termination by tenants last March (allowed in Scotland) when lockdown started, as the others knew they wouldn't get such nice flats again. I have another really nice holiday house in a lovely seaside village which easily rents from April to September every year. I used to take a 6 month let for the winter, basically to avoid the Council Tax and keep it heated, but it still gave a family a nice home, albeit for only six months. SNP legislation now means I can't set a 6 month limit on a winter let, so I stopped doing a winter let. However I have found that with Christmas and New Year weeks let at peak rates, along with off peak short breaks and weekends, I make more than previously from the six month rental. It also now qualifies for tax advantages and council tax exemption as a furnished holiday let. Net result is I am about £3000 per annum better off, would qualify for only 10% CGT if I sold it, and the local market has lost a fantastic value winter 6 month rental opportunity. Many of the former high quality student flats in Edinburgh are no longer rented to students as the short term summer rentals couldn't be booked up in advance until students deigned to give the minimum 4 weeks notice. Purpose built student ghettos charge £500 plus per room and tend to be in more dodgy further out areas, so that sets expectations for rents for the better situated normal 4 bed properties. In addition, local residents want councils to limit the number of HMO licences issued so limiting availability and creating higher demand from the growing numbers of students and other young flat sharers. I don't see anything interfering with this situation in my lifetime. These are some of the reasons good properties are in short supply and in high demand making very high yields in Scotland for the best properties. Incidentally the flats yielding £25k per annum would sell for between £250k to £350k maximum, so yielding around 8 to 10% gross. I never paid over half this amount, with many of my flats being well under a quarter of that 30 to 40 years ago, so I could cope with a serious step change but really can't see it happening in Scotland.

From: Robert Brown 24 February 2021 22:46 PM

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From: Robert Brown 19 February 2021 09:21 AM

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Spot on! A key reason for the lack of rental properties is renters being unwilling (or not allowed) to share in the manner they always did in previous generations. I shared a 4 bedroom student flat with 7 other guys (officially) and often also with a few girls (with the "single" guys sofa surfing on a "my turn for the bedroom tomorrow" basis). We had 1. an electrical engineer - who couldn't even by-pass the meter, 2. a mechanical engineer - who couldn't fix anything we broke, 3. a medic - sometimes came in handy, 4. a vet- in case the medic took ill, 5. a law student - useless if we ever needed him - still is! 6. a microbiologist - couldn't even brew decent beer, 7. a chemistry student - nearly blew us up trying to distill home made hooch, 8. an art student - never expected him to be useful anyway. We had thread bare rugs, draughty windows, fire trap sofas, dodgy gas fires and old round pin plugs and frequent rodent visitors - but the biggest risk we had was dying of food or alcohol poisoning or fatal skin diseases through unwashed skin, clothing or bed clothes. The bottom line was we could well afford the rent split 8 ways and higher density sharers only needed half the number of flats than we would need with current day HMO rules, so leaving many more flats available for others to rent. Another case of the "campaigners" shooting themselves in the foot at the expense of other innocent tenants and the homeless who are no longer allowed to share as cheaply like we did ? PS - Never had so much fun (don't tell the wife!)

From: Robert Brown 17 February 2021 14:29 PM

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It looks as if our right of reply to Shelter's claims in the adjoining thread have been curtailed. This is a pity because for once Shelter is right. We can, we do and we WILL discriminate - and we WILL get away with this discrimination - because otherwise how else can we decide who to rent to? Should it be based on any logical selection criteria - which means discrimination - or on a random basis - like always first come, first served.... or by raffle ticket .. or by drawing straws? If it's anything other than a purely random selection then it will always be discrimination - positive discrimination in favour of the fortunate tenants we choose, balanced by negative discrimination to the disadvantage of those we don't choose. Unless we only have two applicants for each empty property then there will, by definition, be more negative discrimination than positive discrimination. That's life! It was ever thus - even if the lefties try to thwart every selection process by removing or hiding or falsifying the information on which we make our selections - like they are doing now with abolishing school exams and letting them mark their own homework! Surely it's better to have a known, quantifiable and visible method of selection - like working tenants only - which time and experience has shown to work well, by and large - than an invisible method subject to hidden or unconscious bias with no scientific or verifiable basis and thus no means of subsequent quantification of its level of success and hence justification?

From: Robert Brown 21 December 2020 14:13 PM

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From: Robert Brown 19 November 2020 15:12 PM

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I wonder if they will abolish the annual £12.5k CGT allowance which stock market investors (I.e. Most MP's and Tory voters) can use every year but landlords can only use once when they crystallise a capital gain (largely inflation) when they sell, usually after a number of years of caring for and improving the property. I foresee two outcomes, neither of which will be what the Government wants. 1. Landlords will dramatically reduce how often they sell or churn their properties, so the amount of CGT raised won't necessarily increase as the Government hoped for. Look at how the Stamp Duty hikes have reduced the amount of activity in the owner occupied sector, with many ugly unsuitable extension being built to avoid moving. This has all reduced the availability of smaller homes for the first time buyers. Any. CGT hike will add to this problem - not the outcome the Government wants! 2. In the 80's and later, rents stayed relatively stable as landlords were happy with modest yields and healthy capital growth. Now that capital growth is stalled, rents have grown substantially in the last 10 to 15 years. A hike in CGT will add to. Landlords' potential costs and thus increase rents in the current market where demand outstrips supply. Again, not what the Government wants. It's notable that they are steering clear of a much fairer strategy - taxing the dead! Whilst I expect my children to pay a modest amount of IHT on my demise, I have taken steps to minimise this by buying much of my portfolio in their names and receiving the after tax rental profits as tax free gifts from them. However I wouldn't object too much if the rules were changed to close IHT loopholes and spread the load amongst all relatively comfortable families. However that would hurt the Tory voter base too much so it's easier to penalise landlords as most voters would support that, not realising that it's actually tenants who would be penalised in most cases. Any landlords who plan to sell up in a few years would be well advised to set up a company and sell to it NOW, so crystallising the current gain under current CGT rates, gaining the current tax advantages of owning properties in a limited company and also gaining the flexibility of selling a proportion of the company later over a number of years to maximise any remaining CGT annual exemptions. In summary, I think only changes to unavoidable taxes like Council Tax, PAYE and VAT will actually make any difference to the amount of tax revenue raised. All other taxes are too easily avoided or mitigated by sensible tax planning and creative thinking.

From: Robert Brown 12 November 2020 09:39 AM

Robert  Brown

From: Robert Brown 05 November 2020 10:27 AM

Robert  Brown
Mark For generations, most working people have been unable to buy their own homes. Keeping families fed and clothed was a daily struggle for many before WW2.This eased up a bit for probably one full generation but it now seems more difficult again in many areas, but by no means everywhere or for every property. Evidently there is no current problem in affording copious amounts of food for the vast "bulk" of people, whether working or not. There are plenty of buying opportunities in auctions throughout the UK for those with the gumption to grasp them. Working people were undeniably poor up until WW2 but given the obesity epidemic, sky dishes, fancy cars, fancy holidays, costalot coffees and expensive mobile phones, the biggest barrier to home ownership for many is the inability or refusal to get their priorities right. For many renters, they don't want to buy and take on the responsibility of mortgages, maintenance, prohibitive stamp duty payments on moving house - compared to no fees at all on renting another property. PRS investors ( NOT speculators!) are providing a valuable and much wanted service and contributing to the mobility of the working population, although not enough of them seem to be prepared to exploit such mobility opportunities and go where the work is and just bemoan lack of local opportunities, ignoring those opportunities further afield. Perhaps if the benefits system, and especially the furlough schemes etc. were less generous then they would have more incentive to chase the opportunities that do exist. However it's easier to moan about those who have grasped opportunities past and present!

From: Robert Brown 04 November 2020 13:38 PM

Robert  Brown

From: Robert Brown 31 October 2020 23:01 PM

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From: Robert Brown 28 October 2020 10:16 AM

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From: Robert Brown 27 October 2020 11:12 AM

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From: Robert Brown 19 October 2020 09:18 AM

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From: Robert Brown 13 October 2020 16:23 PM

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From: Robert Brown 09 October 2020 18:30 PM

Robert  Brown
Almost every article comparing alternative investments ignores the multiplying effect of gearing or leverage available on residential btl properties. 20 to 30 years ago I was quite comfortable with a 90% ltv mortgage but now I wouldn't go for more than 75% ltv ( if I were still investing personally which I am not as currently 40% of any gain would eventually go to HMRC and I give them enough already in income tax). Getting back to gearing, with a 25% deposit then a nominal 6% yield on a btl property grows to 24% gross, less about 1.5% interest on the 75% mortgage. That £240 per annum income per £1000 equity is solely on rental income and capital growth should augment that further. A 25% increase in property values represents 100% increase in equity on a 75% ltv property - not an unreasonable assumption over a few years based on past performance. The risks are that the 25% equity is wiped out by a 25% reduction in property values and the rent doesn't get paid. I don't think the former will happen and would guard against the latter with solvent guarantors being required. I therefore believe property investment, using money lent by the more cautious (or timid) building society investors is a much better and safer investment than any other investment opportunity. Government bonds might be safer but NS&I has just reduced its interest rate from 1.16% to 0.01%, so earning 10p per annum on every £1000 "invested". I prefer the £240 per £1000 of equity from a 24% return on equity plus probable capital growth which is why I won't be selling up and would advise anyone with a net worth under the iht threshold to invest in property but do so carefully and cautiously.

From: Robert Brown 02 October 2020 22:23 PM

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From: Robert Brown 01 October 2020 08:59 AM

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From: Robert Brown 27 September 2020 15:54 PM

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From: Robert Brown 27 September 2020 09:14 AM

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From: Robert Brown 14 September 2020 19:34 PM

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From: Robert Brown 11 September 2020 18:42 PM

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From: Robert Brown 26 August 2020 18:25 PM

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From: Robert Brown 26 August 2020 10:07 AM

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From: Robert Brown 25 August 2020 10:18 AM

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From: Robert Brown 24 August 2020 13:20 PM

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From: Robert Brown 06 August 2020 09:24 AM

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From: Robert Brown 26 June 2020 15:33 PM

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From: Robert Brown 09 June 2020 17:34 PM

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From: Robert Brown 03 June 2020 09:06 AM

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From: Robert Brown 21 April 2020 15:42 PM

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From: Robert Brown 11 April 2020 17:55 PM

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From: Robert Brown 07 April 2020 09:10 AM

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From: Robert Brown 07 April 2020 09:08 AM

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From: Robert Brown 26 March 2020 21:49 PM

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From: Robert Brown 24 March 2020 08:54 AM

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From: Robert Brown 19 March 2020 12:33 PM

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From: Robert Brown 18 March 2020 12:32 PM

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From: Robert Brown 17 March 2020 12:55 PM

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From: Robert Brown 17 March 2020 12:53 PM

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From: Robert Brown 17 March 2020 10:14 AM

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From: Robert Brown 21 February 2020 16:50 PM

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From: Robert Brown 27 January 2020 10:48 AM

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From: Robert Brown 27 August 2019 09:36 AM

Robert  Brown
Paul You talk a lot of sense but you forget that the source of the rental surge in Scotland is due to the SNP having abolished AST, so the landlord has NO say in when the tenancy ends, only the tenant can decide (unless they breach the terms of the Scottish Government drafted private rental tenancy (PRT) agreement. That is why many landlords have sold up or moved to holiday rentals. Incidentally the normal holiday rental market has also been screwed up by this legislation as many student flats in Edinburgh, St Andrews, Aberdeen etc. were used as holiday rentals over the summer, but these can't be advertised until the landlord is certain that the current tenants are leaving, and they only need to give 28 days notice. Another feature is landlords are now insisting next academic session's tenants sign up from 1st June, so depriving tourist areas of much needed short term rental accommodation and forcing students to pay over the summer for properties they don't want to occupy. Indeed the only way the SNP could screw things up worse would be by persuading 50.0001% of the Scottish electorate to vote for independence and they only need around 200,000 voters from September 2014 to switch in order to do so. Perhaps the English Brexiteers will nudge them over the line? What a coup that would be, not sending £350m a week to the EU AND saving the £14 billion or so subsidy sent to Scotland as it doesn't have enough Income Tax Payers paying a marginal rate of up to 61% ( and many believe UK Income Tax doesn't go above 45% !). Perhaps Nigel and Nicola have more in common than they imagine? A marriage made in Heaven, probably with Corbyn as the Church Minister!

From: Robert Brown 11 June 2019 22:58 PM

Robert  Brown

From: Robert Brown 12 December 2018 12:28 PM

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From: Robert Brown 05 November 2018 13:26 PM

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From: Robert Brown 25 September 2018 19:13 PM

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From: Robert Brown 12 September 2018 11:10 AM

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From: Robert Brown 12 September 2018 10:56 AM

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