The Property Podcast

And we’re back… welcome to another episode of Ask Rob & Rob. First up this week we have Matt from Birmingham. Matt has read an article about a couple managing to avoid paying the 3% stamp duty on a derelict building they’ve purchased. Naturally Matt is wondering if there is any evidence on landlords now being able to claim back the 3%. Rob D is familiar with this story and is aware of the court battle between this couple and HMRC, so listen as he delves into some of the facts. But before you start to swamp HMRC with claim-back requests, listen carefully at some of the pointers and areas of uncertainty. A very interesting one to keep an eye on. Our second question is from Aseeb who wants some tips on auction property. He’s seen a potential investment property where there’s a regulated tenancy in place, but the rent is half the expected amount on a property of this size and type in the area. Listen as Rob D talks us through what a regulated tenancy is and what makes it so unusual - and why a Section 21 notice wouldn’t be any help at all. Another very interesting question this week, so hit play and have a listen. 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.

On today’s Property Podcast, Rob D is looking at how you research a buy-to-let property investment in a brand new city.   Rob & Rob have talked extensively about the joys of investing in cities, but what should you do if you don’t know any of them that well and you don’t live close to them? That’s exactly what Rob D is covering today, and he’s using a real life guinea pig (and by that, we mean Dan), to explain how he approached being in this exact situation. If you’re an avid Property Podcast listener, you’ll know that The Robs covered their 2019 property investment hotspots earlier this year, and off-air were hit with questions from Dan whilst he was doing his research. Dan had been looking at a city that’s brand new to him, and today he shares his journey and the process he went through to understand what the city offered and whether it would help him meet his buy-to-let property investment goals. He’s got Nottingham and Manchester boxed off already, and is happy with the steady cash flow his investments bring in. But now he’s ready to switch strategy and is looking at properties for growth… and he’s decided that Sheffield is on his hit list! What research did Dan do? What type of properties did he look at? And what made him throw certain properties in the junk pile? Today you’ll get to know his first impression of Sheffield as a complete outsider, what he thought of the properties he saw and the tactics he used to get to know the area and the local community. You’ll also hear how he stayed sane, tried to avoid ‘property blur’ and built a great rapport with the agent on the 16 viewings he booked! To paint the full picture, you can see links to a few of the properties Dan was looking at in Sheffield below:   Property 1 - which has a sitting tenant Property 2 Or there’s this one which is slightly more high-end Then there’s this one in Manchester   Listen as Dan and Rob D have a chat about Dan’s Manchester vs. Sheffield dilemma, and see what you can take away from Dan’s experience of investigating a brand new city to invest in buy-to-let property. In the news this week, you’ll have noticed a huge story! No-fault evictions are to be banned in England. This is a big change and effectively an abolition of the Section 21 procedure.   It’s not an enormous shock but it has come a bit out of the blue in terms of timing. So what should you do? It’s just a proposal right now so there’s a lot of time to adjust and plan. If you fancy a deeper delve into what Rob D thinks of this, you can hear more on this week’s Ask Rob & Rob where they covered what the Section 21 ban would mean for landlords. And we’re back with another Hub Extra resource. This week we have Workona - a tool if you’re one of those people who have multiple browser tabs open! It’s an extension for Chrome and is completely free - it allows you to arrange your tabs into different workspaces, so you could have one for personal, one for location research and one for official work duties. If you dive into one group, it hides all the others - a seriously great piece of kit to help you stay organised. 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. 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.

Happy Tuesday! And welcome to another episode of Ask Rob & Rob. As always, The Robs are on-hand to answer any property investment related question you’re dying to know. It’s an important one today, as Sarah from London is asking about Section 21. She’s seen the headlines (as we’re sure most of you have), and has seen that no fault evictions are likely to be banned in England. Sarah wants to know exactly what a Section 21 ban means for landlords and what impact this is likely to have. As you can imagine, this is a pretty big deal. If you missed the BBC headlines, you can sort that right out and read all about the no-fault eviction ban proposal here. If you weren’t aware already, a section 21 is a no-fault eviction procedure. As a landlord you can ask a tenant to leave your property at the end of their fixed contract or when they’re in a periodic tenancy without any reason. And because you don’t have to prove fault, this has been the quickest and most efficient way of evicting someone. So what now? Landlords still have options - and Rob D covers them all in detail on today’s episode of Ask Rob & Rob. And even though Sarah didn’t ask for Rob D’s opinion, she’s going to get it - because we just couldn’t hold him back! Should landlords be panicking? And how much time do we have to prepare for this change? Sit back and hit play 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 on The Property Podcast, Rob & Rob are unveiling the 5 buy-to-let property investment locations you should be keeping an eye on. The Robs have talked extensively about their buy-to-let hotspots of 2019, but where should property investors be looking outside the major cities? Sit back and listen as The Robs talk us through their top 5 buy-to-let towns you should be investing in: Warrington: What’s not to like? Connectivity is unrivalled - there are direct trains from London (taking just 1 hour, 45 minutes), it’s also perfectly placed between Manchester and Liverpool. The motorway networks are also great. Now, the town needs some work - but that’s what’s most exciting about this location. Listen as The Robs talk through the plans for Warrington and how you could take advantage of this. Doncaster: They’re doing some interesting things in this town - they’re savvy enough to turn their weaknesses into strengths. There are many positives for Doncaster, such as the road network, that have made this town ideal for logistics businesses which is bolstering the local economy. This is fast becoming a key buy-to-let town to watch in 2019. Preston: This is actually a city that’s snuck its way onto the list but we couldn’t ignore the prospects this location has. The Preston City Deal is set to transform this area: a £430 million investment will severely boost the economy and drive thousands of jobs here. Investment alone isn’t enough to drive Preston onto the list, so listen as The Robs talk us through some of the other reasons they’re so excited about this city. We’d say this is a very worthy contender if you’re scouting the top fundamental locations to invest in. Wakefield: Not only is Wakefield one of the most accessible places in the UK, it’s benefitted from the ripple effect of Leeds. The local economy is worth £6.5 billion - a real powerhouse of an area - and it’s a commuter hotspot for those working in Leeds which really sweetens the appeal. Crewe: One word: transport. More trains go through Crewe than any other station in England, highlighting just how well-connected it is to other towns and cities in the north, as well as London. Crewe is great now, but when the HS2 station arrives there, it’ll be a gamechanger for this area - London alone will be reachable in under an hour. Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds will also be under an hour, which is incredible. There are also many large-scale employers that have chosen Crewe as their homes, so listen as Rob & Rob talk through the several other reasons why this town deserves a place in their top 5 buy-to-let towns to invest in.   In the news this week, research shows that one buyer in six pulls out - is this more fuel for reforming the entire property buying process? We already know how bonkers the property buying process is in the UK, and this just demonstrates how broken the process actually is. If you take a look at the reasons, you’ll understand the frustrations that most vendors go through - 24% was because the buyer couldn’t raise the funds! Have a read through the article and let us know what you think over on our social channels.   And we’re back with another Hub Extra resource. Before you drift off, take a look at it. It’s called Build Your Stax: click here. Think of it as a Monopoly for investors. Rob & Rob were hooked, and it quickly outlines how your wealth can increase significantly when your tactics are right. 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. 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 to another Tuesday Ask Rob & Rob - your weekly dose of property advice about investment matters you care about the most. Our first question this week is from a listener who has recently discovered The Property Podcast and has been racing through the episodes to catch up to the present day. She wants to know what exactly makes a good area to invest in property and what research should she be doing to find these golden buy to let property locations. She’s discovered our list of 2019 property investment hotspots, but she wants to know how she can spot these areas herself. Rob B is quick to dive into one of the most important things when looking at property investment hotspots, and that’s fundamentals. Not just one or two of the boxes need to be ticked… they all need a huge tick in the box. Just having a few alone is simply not enough. There are a load of other ways to spot a property hotspot too - and Rob B shares a great tip for anyone who’s in the same position. There’s also a great podcast on using the ‘ripple effect’ to find the next buy to let property hotspot which is well worth a listen.   Our second question comes from an avid lover of The Property Podcast and she is half way through putting a plan together. She has over £400,000 to invest but isn’t sure on what property she should be investing in. She has a goal of generating £4,000 in rental income but wants advice from Rob & Rob on exactly what she should do and how many properties she should look to buy. Rob D wastes no time clearing up a few simple strategy principles that many investors tend to miss, focusing attention on the wrong things. If you have a fairly aggressive yield target like today’s listener, this is the episode for you. There’s some diamond advice here that you can take away and apply to your own property investment journey. 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 on The Property Podcast, Rob & Rob are giving away some top secrets. Just a couple of decades ago, city centres were considered no-go places to live, and those who were deemed “successful” were the ones who escaped to the suburbs. How times have changed!   Now, city centre living has never been so popular. To throw a few stats out there, the population of central Birmingham has grown by 163% since the millennium and Liverpool has grown by a whopping 181%. In today’s episode, The Robs are answering a number of questions around this topic: What’s changing the sentiment of city living and are places like Manchester and Birmingham in danger of suffering loss of confidence like London is currently? As an investor, is this a trend you should be trying to take advantage of? Is this a short term trend? And is there a bubble that may burst? Tune into this week’s Property Podcast to find out the answers to this ‘secret trend’. In the news this week, research shows that generation rent are wanting to live in city and town centres. This shouldn’t come as a real shock considering it’s the same generation that has practically been priced out of buying. But what was surprising was that 91% of them said that’s exactly where they want to live - certainly good news for both the high street and if you’re a landlord of city and town centre properties. Good news! If you’re a Property Hub Magazine subscriber, the next issue will be landing on your doorstep in the next few weeks. The cover story is about the UK’s return to urban living. So, if you’re not a subscriber, head on over to our website and subscribe to receive the next issue. Our Hub Extra resource this week is an attempt to get you out of the city and into the countryside, allowing you to enjoy the beautiful nature, wherever you are. Go Jauntly is the perfect app if you’re wanting to get out of the house and be at one with nature but you either have no idea where to go or you fancy trying somewhere new. Simply log into the app, click on your location and the app will bring up walks near you. So all you've got to do is pack up the car, get your walking boots on and enjoy the sights.   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. 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.

This week on ask Rob & Rob, we’ve got two Hubbers who have both asked questions on the same topic: how should your own home fit in with your investment plans? Without attempting to dish out life advice, The Robs answer Claire and Azar’s questions in the most informative way possible. Rob D points out one thing to remember: your home is your home and your investments are your investments. Sometimes they work in perfect harmony, and sometimes one takes priority over the other. From Rob B’s point of view, both Claire and Azar need to be very clear about what they want first and foremost. Each person's situation is different, what works for one person might not necessarily work for the other. Tune in to find out what The Robs think you should do if you’re undecided on buying your own home or buying an investment property. 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 on The Property Podcast, Rob & Rob are getting personal. Property development is no easy task, and this week The Robs open up about everything that’s gone wrong, and what lessons can be learnt.   If you’re an avid Property Podcast listener, you’ll know that the development in Crewe is the first site to come out of the ground for Property Hub Homes. While they’d have liked for the process to have been a walk in the park, sometimes things just don’t go to plan. And whilst the finished result looks pretty darn amazing (if we do say so ourselves! - Rob B has shared some pictures on Instagram) there’s been a steep learning curve for all involved. So if you’re interested in diving into the world of property development, this is the podcast episode for you. Tune in to hear all about why they chose Crewe, what process they followed and also to find out what went wrong... In the news this week, it appears that tenants can now sue their landlord directly if their home is unfit for human habitation. However it isn’t half as bad as it sounds, as Rob & Rob explain on the podcast. Plus, there’s a strong argument in saying that if your property is in such a bad condition, should you really be a landlord in the first place? So a lot of lessons are to be learnt from this week’s Property Podcast. And although things could have been done very differently and had a different outcome, The Robs firmly believe that ‘if you can dream it, you can do it - Walt Disney’. 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. 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.

This week on ask Rob & Rob we’ve got another two cracking property questions from our listeners. First up we’ve got Andrew who is wanting to know if there is a particular point in the property cycle when it’s best to renovate your property? He’s wondering if there’s a key point where you can both minimise your costs whilst maximising your profit. Rob D explains that the prime times to renovate your property are early and late on in the cycle. When it comes to having the renovation work done, the best time is early in the cycle, ideally just after the crash when nobody else is going to be doing it. Whether you’re wanting to flip a property to sell or keep it as a long term investment, Rob D delves into the detail on this week’s Ask Rob & Rob. Second up we have Kiki. Kiki is wondering if derelict properties make a good investment? This isn’t a typical investment option and Rob B talks us through what a derelict house actually is and how people usually get their hands on them. If you’re after Rob B’s thoughts on derelict properties, this is the episode for you! 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 on013 808 00035 and leaving a messagewith 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 Forumyet? 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 on The Property Podcast, Rob & Rob are answering your top 10 Brexit questions. Over the past couple of weeks we’ve been talking Brexit. Are we staying, are we going? Who knows! In episode 312we heard from some Hubbers who were determined to not let Brexit scupper their property investment plans, and Rob & Rob backed this up by sharing their thoughts on the current state of affairs. Since then, we’ve been inundated with your Brexit questions and this week, Rob & Rob tackle them head on. Tune in to find out: Will the market crash? Will prices go up or down? What effect will this have on owner/occupiers? How will Brexit affect the long term property market? What should I do next? And In the news this week, we have a bit of positivity for once! The Halifax House Price Index shows a huge property price increase of 5.9% in February - adding more than £13,000 to the average house price in just one month! Rob D is a bit dubious about the report, so tune in to find out what he has to say. In Hub Extra this week, The Robs are talking about something that you’ve possibly heard of before - and that’s Monzo. Monzo is an online bank account that gives you instant spending notifications, so no more waiting for those pending transactions to appear on your statement. Do you have a Monzo account? Get in touch and let us know what you think of it or, if you end up signing up to it, let us know how you find it.   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. 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.