The Property Podcast

This week we’re talking all things tax When it comes to tax, property investors are obsessed with learning and understanding it.   And we don’t blame them because the difference between getting it right and wrong could be thousands of pounds.   So this episode is a must listen!  Here’s what to expect on this week’s property podcast episode It’s been a while since we talked about tax so we thought it was about time we changed that.   We’re always inundated with questions about buying in a limited company. And we even did a video on whether ‘should you buy property through a limited company’.  But because tax is complex, it’s always been better to leave the tax advice to the specialists.  To give you a brief overview, back in 2015 new rules were introduced which meant individuals could no longer claim mortgage interest as an expense, but limited companies still could.   So overnight, owning property in a company became a lot more attractive because those investing personally were left paying tax on profit that wasn’t really profit because it ignored the cost of interest.  It impacted investors to such a degree that the majority of those who invest through us at Property Hub Invest now do so using a limited company.  These rules have been eased in over the years but fully came into play as of April 2020, so we thought we’d take a look into it.   If you’re wanting to purchase property through a limited company, then make sure you check out the tax implications and give this episode a listen.    In the news  This week we’ve got two news stories that might incentivise you to become a greener landlord.   The first one, ‘yet another BTL lender issues cheap loans for homes with good EPCs’. Mortgage lender Keystones have now said that they offer a 0.15% reduction to landlords with properties older than five years with an EPC rating of A to C.  The second story is, ‘Buy to let lender says new eco-loan will be ‘push for landlords’. The Mortgage Works, part of Nationwide, has a new mortgage product called the Green Further Advance, which can be used to make sustainable home improvements.   So, if your property is in need of a little TLC, it may well be worth looking into going green and saving yourself some money as well as the planet.    Hub Extra  This week for Hub Extra, we’ve got a couple of resources for you.   And they’re an alternative to the popular messaging app, Whatsapp.   Whatsapp doesn’t offer a lot of privacy and are increasingly collecting data and insights into your activity.    So we’ve got a couple of different options for you. They are Signal and Telegram.   Both are apps just like Whatsapp that you can get for free, but your privacy is a lot more protected.     Let’s get social  We’d love to hear what you think of this week’s Property Podcast over on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. You might even have a topic you’d like us to cover in the future - if so, pop us a message on social and we’ll see what we can do.  Make sure you’ve liked and subscribed to our YouTube channel where we upload new content every week!   If that wasn’t enough, you can also join our friendly property community on the Property Hub forum. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rob & Rob are back again this week to answer two more listener questions.   Our first caller this week is Philippa.   She’s purchased a property in Liverpool that she needs some advice on.  The property was originally listed for £110,000 which Philippa thought was a decent price for the location and size of the build.   After submitting her offer, she was told she’d been significantly outbid.   It got to the point where Philippa’s offer of £126,000 was accepted and although she was still happy with the end ROI, she couldn’t help but think that the estate agent had invented this other buyer.   So Philippa wants to know if there’s any way of finding out if there was legitimately another interested party or if the estate agent was playing foul.  Our second caller this week is Noel from London who’s got a question about releasing equity.   He purchased two derelict properties and renovated them in 2013-2015. Now he rents them out.   The loan-to-value on the properties is around 50% each and he wants to release some equity to be able to purchase more property.   However, he’s finding it hard as he appears to be at the top of the stress test based on the rental income of the properties.   He can’t increase the rent as he’s already at the top end for that area.   Will Rob & Rob have any other suggestions for Noel?  Tune in to find out.    Do you have a buy to let or property investment related question for Rob & Rob? You could feature on the next episode by giving us a call on 013 808 00035 and leaving a message with your name and question (normal UK call rates apply).   Or if you prefer, click here to leave a recording via your computer instead.  The next question on Ask Rob & Rob could be yours.   Have you joined us over on the Property Hub Forum yet? Our online community is friendly, informative, and the members are waiting to welcome you with open arms. So get yourself over and introduce yourself. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we’re taking a look at how to win with a HMO strategy Ususally when you choose a HMO strategy you need to invest pretty close to home as it can be quite a hands on strategy.   But that’s not a problem for today’s guest, Tim.  Tim invests in student HMO properties 300 miles away from his hometown. And, he does absolutely everything himself.  Here’s what to expect on this week’s property podcast episode HMO strategies are becoming more popular and we often get questions on the best way to execute them.   If you’re not familiar with what a HMO is, it stands for House in Multiple Occupancy. So basically where you rent the rooms out individually and have shared communal areas like the living room and kitchen.   The reason they’re so popular is that they’re on the high end of the cash spectrum and the yields can be very attractive. But they’re also on the high end of the effort spectrum.   So, today we’re talking to Tim who’s been investing in property since 2017 and his portfolio consists of five HMO’s with a total of 28 rooms.   All of his properties are in Bangor, North Wales and are 300 miles away from where Tim lives.   We wanted to find out how Tim became a landlord managing 28 rooms and why he chose the location he did.   If you’ve been thinking about choosing a HMO strategy then Tim’s success story could be some great advice for you.     In the news  This week's news story is from Landlord Zone and the headline reads ‘step away from ‘disastrous’ rent controls campaign, landlords urge Sadiq Khan’.   The current Mayor of London is wanting to continue with his plans for rent controls if he’s re-elected later on this year, and landlords aren’t happy about it.   However since the last time Sadiq Khan was campaigning for this, rent prices in London have gone down by 9.8% according to Zoopla whereas outside of London they’ve increased by an average of 2.6% over the last year.  So it doesn’t stand well right now for Saidq Khan’s campaign methods.    Hub Extra  This week’s Hub Extra resource comes from our Podcast Producer, Dan.   It’s a YouTube channel called TED-Ed and it’s an extension of TED Talks but in the form of short, five minute educational videos on all sorts of topics.   The videos may appear to be specifically for kids, but Rob & Rob have already bookmarked ones they’re going to be watching themselves.    Let’s get social  We’d love to hear what you think of this week’s Property Podcast over on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. You might even have a topic you’d like us to cover in the future - if so, pop us a message on social and we’ll see what we can do.  Make sure you’ve liked and subscribed to our YouTube channel where we upload new content every week!   If that wasn’t enough, you can also join our friendly property community on the Property Hub forum.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back to another week of Ask Rob & Rob.  To get us started this week we’ve got Luke.   He’s only 22 and already looking into investing his money into property.   Luke knows that he wants to invest in buy-to-let properties through a limited company but he’s unsure on where to actually buy.   He’s been looking into the Northern Powerhouse locations but already knows that he’s priced out of Manchester and Liverpool city centre so has been looking at surrounding towns.   This issus is that Luke is struggling to find the confidence to invest in these locations and is wondering if Rob & Rob have any advice on whether he should just go for it.   Second up we’ve got Paul calling from Dubai.   Thanks to all the free content from Propety Hub, Paul and his wife gained the confidence to invest and are about to complete on their third property in 12 months.   Pretty good going!   Paul is wondering if The Robs think that there’s potential for the government to scrap stamp duty altogether and try to claw back the lost revenue by tightening on capital gains tax.  What do Rob & Rob think?  Tune in to find out.    Do you have a buy to let or property investment related question for Rob & Rob? You could feature on the next episode by giving us a call on 013 808 00035 and leaving a message with your name and question (normal UK call rates apply).   Or if you prefer, click here to leave a recording via your computer instead.  The next question on Ask Rob & Rob could be yours.   Have you joined us over on the Property Hub Forum yet? Our online community is friendly, informative, and the members are waiting to welcome you with open arms. So get yourself over and introduce yourself.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Rob & Rob discuss their failed property development venture called Grand Junction, which resulted in a loss of £1 million. They address the mistakes made, challenges faced, and the impact on their business and personal lives. The chapter highlights the importance of qualified individuals, not compromising on quality, and strategies to minimize damage and ensure timely completion. The hosts reflect on the lessons learned and emphasize the need to build a reliable team when venturing into new projects.

This week on Ask Rob & Rob, we’re answering two questions on investing in property away from home. First up this week we’ve got Ben.  Ben purchased his first property around four years ago before he got the property investment bug and found Property Hub.  He never had any intentions of building a portfolio but now he wants to try and get as many properties under his belt as he can.  He’s already decided that he wants to go down the BRRR (buy, refurb, rent, refinance) route and he’s aware that this strategy is more hands-on than most.  Ben lives in the South East of England and knows that he’s priced out of his local area so he’s turning his attention to the north to find himself a project.  But how cost effective is it trying to refurbish a property remotely?  Will Ben’s margins be squeezed too much as he’ll have to outsource the work? So will it even be worth it in the end? Our second caller is Hayley from Devon.  She’s been listening to the podcast for a couple of years whilst saving up. She’s previously bought her own residential property and is now in the process of building her funds back up.  She’s aware that the south of England is pretty expensive so is looking at purchasing a property further afield where property prices are a bit cheaper.  But Hayley wants to know how do you actually gain the confidence to invest in an area that you have no knowledge of and don’t know anyone from there either?  What advice will The Robs offer Ben and Hayley this week? Tune in to find out.   Do you have a buy to let or property investment related question for Rob & Rob? You could feature on the next episode by giving us a call on 013 808 00035 and leaving a message with your name and question (normal UK call rates apply).  Or if you prefer, click here to leave a recording via your computer instead. The next question on Ask Rob & Rob could be yours.  Have you joined us over on the Property Hub Forum yet? Our online community is friendly, informative, and the members are waiting to welcome you with open arms. So get yourself over and introduce yourself.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here’s what the April Market Update has in store for you In this month’s April market update, Rob & Rob are taking a look at which area of the country is growing by over 16% right now, and where £192 million is being spent every day.  Here’s what to expect on this week’s property podcast episode There’s been a load going on in the media and in the property market, so today Rob & Rob are taking a look at the bigger picture. And they’re kicking off with Rightmove’s claim of us having the strongest sellers market in a decade! Not to mention the House Price Index that’s revealed the best performing cities to be Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Nottingham with 5% year-on-year growth. That’s been a cracking start to our 2021 hotspot predictions.  It’s a big update today as The Robs are covering:  Controversial city is UK’s property hotspot Boomin warned - Rightmove hits record number of visits in a day Households repay record £17.6bn mortgage debt Yorkshire Building Society first to bring back 95% mortgages Habito launches 40-year fixed rate mortgage Landbay strengthens support for trading limited companies with new BTL range Labour claims tenants “barely considered” during the pandemic Shock report: Eviction ban’s 21,000 ‘in-limbo’ section 21 notice landlords Make sure you tune in to find out what’s going on in the property world.   Hub extra This week’s Hub Extra is a recommendation from our podcast producer, Dan. It’s another podcast called ‘The Rewatchables’.  Essentially they go over old movies and remind you of why you should watch them. They cover films such as The Terminator, Coming to America, Toy Story and Rocky. If it’s a classic film, they’ve got a podcast episode on it.  So if you’ve finally run out of things to watch as we’re coming to the end of lockdown, give this podcast a listen and see what classic films take your fancy. And to round off this week’s Hub Extra, here’s a recommendation from Rob B and it’s a film called Momento from way back in the year 2000.   Let’s get social We’d love to hear what you think of this week’s Property Podcast over on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. You might even have a topic you’d like us to cover in the future - if so, pop us a message on social and we’ll see what we can do. Make sure you’ve liked and subscribed to our YouTube channel where we upload new content every week!  If that wasn’t enough, you can also join our friendly property community on the Property Hub forum.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back to another episode of Ask Rob & Rob. Kicking things off this week is Lily.  She’s recently put in an offer on a leasehold apartment in a Grade II listed building and had it accepted. However, after having the structural report done, the results were shocking. Even though the property looked incredible on the outside, it clearly hadn’t been looked after on the inside. So what do Rob & Rob think Lily should do?  Should she walk away from the purchase or use the structural report to her advantage to try and negotiate a better price on the property? Next up we’ve got Tomas.  He currently owns a couple of buy-to-let properties and at the moment the income he gets from them he just sits in the bank. Tomas wants to save this money to buy another buy-to-let property but he’s wondering if he should leave the money in the bank, or if he should invest it elsewhere, like into shares.  He’s previously looked at an app called MoneyBox but wants to know if that’s a good idea.  So what’s the better option, leave money in the bank or invest it in shares?  Tune in to find out.   Do you have a buy to let or property investment related question for Rob & Rob? You could feature on the next episode by giving us a call on 013 808 00035 and leaving a message with your name and question (normal UK call rates apply).  Or if you prefer, click here to leave a recording via your computer instead. The next question on Ask Rob & Rob could be yours.  Have you joined us over on the Property Hub Forum yet? Our online community is friendly, informative, and the members are waiting to welcome you with open arms. So get yourself over and introduce yourself.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we’re taking a look at the future of London Since the Coronavirus pandemic hit last year, the future of London and its property market has been a hard one to predict.  As it stands, the London market is all over the place.  Rents are falling, house prices are falling and thousands of people are leaving the capital.  So what does all this mean for the future?  We’re dedicating a whole episode to just that. Here’s what to expect on this week’s property podcast episode The media love the property market. And they love London.  But journalists tend to look at what’s happening in the capital and presume this is the same across the country.  That’s why it’s important to not be swayed by headlines.  Normally we steer clear of discussing London on The Property Podcast but after the past 12 months and the effects Coronavirus has had on the whole country, we felt the need to address the future of London.  It’s common knowledge that people are moving out of the capital and clearly tourism has taken a hit over the past year.  So what does that mean for you if you’re an investor in London or you were planning to make an investment there? Today Rob & Rob are covering: Why has London been hit so hard? Why 700,000 people are leaving London Rents falling and what this means Falling house prices The latest price statistics you should know Plus so much more! So, is the future of London looking bleak or is there hope on the horizon?  Tune in to find out.   In the news This week’s news story comes from Mortgage Strategy and the headline reads ‘strongest sellers’ market for a decade’.  The article uses data from Rightmove where they’ve measured the number of enquiries per property, which is 34% higher than last year - that’s a busy month! This demonstrates how strong the market is right now and the supply of properties coming onto the market is certainly proving an issue.   Hub extra This week’s Hub Extra resource is one to get you out and about. It’s called All Trails and this app helps you to explore your local area. If your usual walk/run route has got a bit stale, this is worth a look. You simply pop your local area into the app and it’ll suggest a load of new routes nearby for you to explore.  Perfect if you’re wanting a change of scenery this weekend.    Let’s get social We’d love to hear what you think of this week’s Property Podcast over on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. You might even have a topic you’d like us to cover in the future - if so, pop us a message on social and we’ll see what we can do. Make sure you’ve liked and subscribed to our YouTube channel where we upload new content every week!  If that wasn’t enough, you can also join our friendly property community on the Property Hub forum.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s another week of your property questions on Ask Rob & Rob.  The first question this week is from Noel. He’s recently purchased a property at auction that was up for £150,000, but after getting into a bidding war, he ended up paying £175,000 for the property.  Noel is happy to pay that price, however he’s just a bit cautious that the surveyors might not value it at £175,000 and if that’s the case, what are his options?  He’s planning to convert the terrace property into a 3-bed but there isn’t anything comparable in the local area.  Terrace properties of smaller square footage have sold for £175,000 but if there’s nothing comparable to his property, what are his options? Next up is Max who has a question about yields. He’s currently running the numbers on a potential deal before he purchases it to see what his ROI would be.  One fee he’s included is landlord insurance which he knows is optional but he’s keen to know how much Rob & Rob think landlords should be spending on it.  Is landlord insurance absolutely necessary?  Tune in to find out.   Do you have a buy to let or property investment related question for Rob & Rob? You could feature on the next episode by giving us a call on 013 808 00035 and leaving a message with your name and question (normal UK call rates apply).  Or if you prefer, click here to leave a recording via your computer instead. The next question on Ask Rob & Rob could be yours.  Have you joined us over on the Property Hub Forum yet? Our online community is friendly, informative, and the members are waiting to welcome you with open arms. So get yourself over and introduce yourself.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.