Increasing Profits with a Buy-to-let Property

As the Telegraph reported this month, buy-to-let loans are more appealing for banks than first time buyers. This means that buy-to-let investors are filling the gap in the market where first time buyers would usually be.

With decreasing house prices, increasing rent prices, and better mortgage loan opportunities buy-to-lets can be a great income investment.

Investors looking to invest in buy-to-lets should have knowledge of the property market, particularly if they intend to manage their own properties. Having ideal tenants and a comprehensive landlord insurance in place can help to maximise profits and ease any troubles that may arise.

Find an area and a property that both matches your price tag and that has the most potential. Areas that have good transport links are always appealing for renters. Does the area have a good community atmosphere? Is it close to shops, restaurants and bars? And most importantly what kind of tenant are you looking to attract; students, families or young professionals?

To attract tenants that will treat your property with respect you need to make your house or flat aesthetically appealing. For landlords with rental properties in London, a furnished property may be more appealing for the large Diaspora and professional community. Short term or long term furniture hire packages for buy-to-let  properties that means your flat will have stylish interior furniture that will give your property the wow-factor that will appeal to professional couples.

Furniture hire companies can help to improve the appeal of your interior with minimal fuss, furnishing your property as much or as little as you need. Be it a couple of couches, lounge and bedroom furniture or a full furniture hire package with home entertainment. A furnished apartment can help to maximise your profits by helping you reach a higher rent bracket.

A full documented inventory of any wear and tear, as well as list of any items in the flat will help to address any problems that may occur. Make sure you have money set aside for maintenance costs that can arise.

A buy-to-let is a long-term investment that can provide a good return if marketed correctly. A well-managed property that has a polished finish with appealing furniture in a good location will help to increase your profit margin in a buy-to-let.

Buy to Let Mortgages up by a Third

Buy to let mortgages in the UK are on the rise according to the Telegraph today and a re playing a crucial part in the property market as first time buyers can no longer afford to enter the property ladder.

Read the article here

Top Tips for Relocating to London

As someone who has relocated a number of times I think I’ve got it down to a fine art. Of course that is until I have to move again and spend ages agonising over scraps of paper and ribbons, books I’ll never read again and clothes with holes and stains. I am an absolute hoarder.

I have moved cities 4 times and moved houses an extra 5 but the biggest move of all was when I relocated to London a move that big takes lots of planning, packing and tears. 

1. Packing is by far the worst part of the process. Trying to decide what you want to take with you, what you want to put in storage, what you want to sell and what you want to throw out can cause plenty of arguments and stress. Start by creating a pile of things that you want to take with you and then try to reduce it by half. If it’s got a hole in it, it’s a definite no go. With the power of the internet it’s very easy to get your favourite brands and cosmetics online so don’t bring excess amounts of anything. You might also find new brands that you like in London.


2. Get all of your documents in order well in advance and make sure to have scanned copies of everything uploaded to a cloud a based system. Dropbox is a great system to use that allows you to access all your documents in an instance and you’ll really understand the need for this if you ever lose or have your passport or other documents stolen. It’s also great to have a scanned copy available for when you are signing a lease.


3.  If you are planning on buying and driving a car overseas get records of your driving history from your insurance company and find out which companies accept international driving records. This will help you save money as some companies treat overseas drivers as first time drivers and will charge a pretty high premium. Admiral accepts international driving records and offers a good premium.  On a side note, it will cost £50 to have your driving licence swapped over to a UK one and the DVLA require you to hand in your international licence.


4. If you are relocating on a visa that has an end date or if you’re not sure how permanent you want the move to be you can “stage” a move by putting your furniture into storage or selling it as overseas shipping cost can be expensive. Furniture hire helps to give you a bit more flexibility if you decide that London isn’t the right place for you.


5. Keep at least one bank account open in your home country. After your move you will still probably have some outstanding bills that are required to be paid off and it will be easier for when (or if) you do move back to your home country.


6. Have an unlocked phone handy so you can get a new sim when you land. Even if it’s just a pay as you go sim whilst you’re waiting to set up your banking accounts.


7. When looking for a place to rent be wary of any apartments that seem too good to be true. London is a hot spot for property scams. And never rent somewhere without viewing the place first.


8.  Expect a cultural shock. It is very easy to imagine coming from one English speaking country to another that there won’t be many if any cultural shocks
9.  Stand on the right hand side of an escalator. The locals hate anyone that takes up the whole escalator and even if they drive on the left they still stand to the right like many of their European counterparts.


10.  Embrace your new life. It’s not always going to be easy and there will be times when you miss your old home but if you dwell on all the things that you are missing out on you’ll miss all the good things that London has to offer. I always have a standby packet of tim tams available for when I’m feeling homesick. Be social and active. Go for after work drinks with your friends and join a sports or social club. It’ll help you assimilate into your new life in London.