Ordered

Property Sparrow is pleased to report that she has got a possession order against one of her tenants. This follows a s.21 notice.

She's pleased because this tenant has completely forgotten the meaning of the word 'rent.'

He may hand the key in on or before the possession date. He may not. She's past caring. If he doesn't she has her N325 Request for Warrant Form ready and waiting.

A few more days to wait and then she can start to get back a sense of order.

Free property management software, Free tenancy agreements

Tips On Tenancy Deposit Disputes 34: The Tenant's Evidence

Tip 34: The Tenant’s Evidence

Unless you are very lucky, the tenant will defend your claim on the deposit. They will also have the opportunity to submit evidence in support of their position and you need to bear this in mind when preparing your case.

When putting together your statement, try to put yourself in the position of your tenant. Imagine arguing from their position. See what you can find in your own evidence that might seem to support the tenant’s position. Perhaps there is an ambiguity in the inventory, or a landlord obligation in the tenancy agreement that might be used by the tenant to support their claim.

If you can find anything, try to address it in your evidence and explain to the adjudicator why it is not relevant. Include evidence if you can. Although you should get a chance to respond to the tenant’s evidence later, in some circumstances additional evidence will not be taken into consideration. Don’t take the chance. If you have evidence on the point, submit it with your statement in the first instance.

Tom Derrett is the Principal of Deposit Claim, an experienced deposit protection adjudicator and an expert on the Deposit Protection Schemes. Tom helps landlords to claim money through the deposit protection schemes.


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BTL mortgages - most popular

Below is a selection of the most popular buy-to-let mortgages currently available. For full information on these products, and all other buy-to-let mortgage schemes available to you, please visit www.propertyhawk.co.uk/mortgages.aspx to use the free online buy-to-let mortgage finder. If you would like to discuss your requirements with a member of the support team please telephone 029 2069 5446 or you can submit a quick enquiry directly to the team by filling in our online enquiry form.

Most popular buy-to-let mortgages

Interest Rate	Overall Cost for Comparison	Max LTV	Product Detail	Completion Fee	Early Repayment Charges
3.6% Tracker	5.1% APR	60%	Variable tracker rate of LIBOR + 2.80% for 3 years then reverting to the lender's standard variable rate (currently 4.60%) + 0.5%. This product is available up to 60% and the rental calculation is 125% at a notional rate of 5%. There is a booking fee of £150 and an application fee will normally apply.	2%	5% of amount being repaid for 3 years
3.88% Tracker	4.2% APR	75%	Variable tracker rate of BBR + 3.38% for the lifetime of the loan. This product is available up to 75% LTV and there is a rental calculation of 100% at a notional rate of 8.5%. An application fee will apply. Available on a repayment basis only. The completion fee is payable at offer stage. Refer all cases for fees, maximum LTV and loan amounts.	REFER	1% of original balance being repaid for 1 year
3.99% Discount	5.4% APR	75%	Exclusive discounted rate of 3.99% (1.65% discount off the lender's SVR) for 2 years then reverting to the lender's standard variable rate which is currently 5.64% for the remainder of the term. This product has no early repayment charges. It is available up to 75% LTV and the rental calculation is 135% at payrate. There is a booking fee of £250 and an application fee will apply.	£2499	No
4.49% Fixed	4.9% APR	60%	Fixed rate of 4.49% until 31/03/2013 then reverting to the lender's standard variable rate which is currently 4.74% for the remainder of the term. There is a free valuation up to £700 for purchases and remortgages and free legals for remortgages only. This product is available up to 60% LTV and the rental calculation is 125% at payrate. There is a booking fee of £250 and an application fee will apply.	£999	4% of amount being repaid until 31/03/2013
4.8% Fixed	5.2% APR	75%	Fixed rate of 4.80% until 01/06/2013 then reverting to a variable of BBR + 4.24% to give a current rate of 4.74% for the remainder of the term. The product is available up to 75% LTV and the rental calculation is 125% at the payrate. An application fee will apply.	2.5%	3% of amount being repaid until 01/06/2013
4.8% Tracker	5.6% APR	75%	Variable tracker rate of LIBOR + 4.00% for 2 years then reverting to the lender's standard variable rate of 4.60% + 0.25% = 4.85% to the end of year 5, then for the remainder of the term, the lender's standard variable rate of 4.60% + 0.75% = 5.35%. The product is available up to 75% LTV and the rental calculation is 130% at a notional rate of 7%. Please note that the completion fee will increase by 0.25% on applications for HMOs, freehold houses split into flats and limited companies. An application fee will normally apply.	2.25%	3% of amount being repaid for 2 years
4.95% Discount	6.1% APR	70%	Exclusive discounted rate of 4.95% (1.04% discount off the lender's SVR + 0.3%) for 2 years then reverting to the lender's standard variable rate (currently 5.69%) + 0.3% for the remainder of the term. There is a free valuation up to £335 for purchases and remortgages and free legals on remortgages only. This product is available up to 70% LTV and the rental calculation is 130% at payrate. There is a booking fee of £199 and an application fee will apply.	0%	Tapered charges of 3/2% of the amount being repaid for the first 2 years
5.09% Fixed	5.5% APR	75%	Product for first time landlords only. Fixed rate of 5.09% until 28/02/2013 then reverting to the lender's standard variable rate which is currently 4.99% for the remainder of the term. This product is available up to 75% LTV and the rental calculation is 125% at payrate. An application fee will apply.	2.5% (min £595)	5% of amount being repaid until 30/04/2013
5.19% Fixed	5.5% APR	75%	Fixed rate of 5.19% until 31/05/2013 reverting to the lender's standard variable rate + 0.5% to give a current rate of 5.10% for the remainder of the term. This product is available up to 75% LTV and the rental calculation is 125% at a notional frate of 5%. There is a booking fee of £150 and an application fee will normally apply.	2%	5% of amount being repaid until 31/05/2013
5.99% Fixed	6.2% APR	85%	Fixed rate of 5.99% for 2 years then reverting to a variable rate of LIBOR + 5.00% for the remainder of the term. This product is available up to 85% LTV and the rental calculation is 120% at payrate. An application fee will apply.	2.5%	5% of amount being repaid for 2 years

IMPORTANT! Due to current market conditions, lenders are withdrawing and replacing products with little or no notice.
Please check our website regularly to see the most up-to-date products available.

Please visit www.propertyhawk.co.uk/mortgages.aspx to search the full product range and find a buy-to-let mortgage to suit your specific personal circumstances.

Email: info@propertyhawkbtlmortgages.co.uk

Tel: 029 2069 5446

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgages. The Financial Services Authority does not regulate some forms of mortgage.

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Interest rate hawk replaced

I've spoken several times about my underlying suspicion that despite talking tough on inflation both the Bank of England and the Government are secretly loving it.

The latest evidence of this is the removal from the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the main interest rate hawk Andrew Sentance from the 1st June 2011.  He is being replaced with Ben Broadbent a senior economist from Goldman Sachs.

A terribly British Coup don't you think?

Mortgage Search - whole market

House prices fall in February

House prices fell 0.9% according to the Halifax price index. This follows a rise of 0.8% in January.

The standardised average price of a UK home in February was a seasonally adjusted £162,657.

Commenting on the future prospects for the UK housing market Halifax's housing economist Martin Ellis said:

"Overall, we expect a modest 2% decrease in house prices in 2011. Uncertainty over the economic outlook is likely to weigh down on housing demand this year”


Landlord insurance - discounted rates

Renting more expensive

A Zoopla survey reveals that renting is now more expensive than owning in 80% of Britains towns.

Renting is now on average 10.5% more expensive than buying.

The research conducted using the price of 2 bed flats in 50 of the largest towns and cities compared the cost of a mortgage where the owner was paying an implied 5% rate of interest.

The survey noted that the cost differential has been rising steadily since the middle of last year when renting was 8.7% more expensive.

Landlord insurance - discounted rates