Expat Property Story

#183 Property & Poppadoms is the fastest growing network in the UK, cooking up a storm in 27 different locations across the UK, and more to come in 2025. In this episode, for the first time ever on a podcast, founder James Rogers shares the story of how and why he came up with the idea of putting property and curry together. James also shares his own story from  from painter and decorator to p...

#182 How would you like to get to a place where estate agents call you rather than you calling them? To get into their little black book? To find yourself in a position where you can offer speed and certainty allowing you to get discounted deals. That’s the stage Louise Smith of Braeside Property has reached in her property story and she’s here to give you tips on how you can do it too. I want hel...

#181 If you buy a 300K residential investment property in the UK after April 1st 2025, you'll pay£26,000 in stamp duty. But if you buy a commercial property for the same price, it''' cost you just £4,500.   I’m guessing you'd like to take a closer look at commercial! So how do you get started in this sector? Is it viable as a remote strategy? How do you go about picking an...

#180 What are the repercussions of the Autumn 2024 budget for expats, property investors and those that are both! How will it affect your tax residency, your retirement and your estate planning. And what impact will the budget have on your investment strategy, your pension or your domicile status? Jake Barber of SJB Global is an expat tax specialist who helps expats with their Retirement, Investme...

#179 Trading Vs Holding UK Property. Which do you prefer? Which is better in terms of tax, skills required or potential returns? Which is riskier? What are the pros & cons of each? What other factors do you need to consider? This episode answers all these questions in a debate style format between: Jay Howard , Auction Insider,  co-founder of auction consultancy Hammered & co-author of Bef...

#178 Lots of people in property talk about passive income and dangle the expression in front of us like a carrot in front of a donkey. It’s a very simple expression to say, but much harder to achieve, particularly if we’re talking about investing directly in bricks and mortar as opposed to by less direct methods. So we got the opinions of: Sean the Property Tax Accountant Helen Godbold-Eade Bronwe...

#177 Are you looking for an example of someone who observed the masses and did the opposite? Are you tempted by Serviced Accommodation? Have you thought about investing in a large holiday let? Are you up to speed with the proposed changes in short stay legislation? Have you ever wondered whether hot tubs are worth the hassle?  If any of the above applies to you, Phil Saunders , writer for YPN maga...

#176 In this episode, we’re taking a deep dive into the essential first step of building a UK property portfolio: setting your goals. During the introduction, we refer to this hilarious clip about goals . I'd Like Help With Setting My Goals (Download a Free Comprehensive Cheat Sheet PDF) This episode takes you through: The Importance of Setting Property Goals and starting with the end in mind...

#175 Have you thought about investing in UK commercial property instead of or as well as residential?  Jerry Alexander is the host of the brilliant Commercial Property Investor Podcast, so he is the perfect person to answer all your questions on this underrated sector of UK property investing. Along the way you’ll hear about the differences and similarities between the two sectors and how you migh...

#174 One of the aims of this podcast is to demonstrate what’s possible for you as a remote investor in UK property. And to showcase expats who are pushing the boundaries of what’s achievable.  So if I told you that today’s guest self-managed their serviced accommodation business in Norfolk from their home in New Zealand while in full-time employment and with three children under two, would you bel...

#173 Last week was a huge one for the sector after the new government gave the Renters' Rights Bill its first reading in parliament.  The bill has massive implications for tenants, landlords, investors and everyone else connected to housing in the UK. As an investor, you need to make sure you understand all the likely changes. Change Means Opportunity and opportunity means money. And we all n...

#172 You should listen to this episode if you’re looking for ways to get to your UK Property objectives that little bit quicker.  Even if you know these resources, download anyway to hear alternative ways to use them. I can almost guarantee you’ll find inspiration for your own story one way or another. In this episode we discuss: R for Rightmove: Everyone knows this well-known property portal but...

#171 Do you have a favourite resource that helps you get the best results when investing in UK Property?  Are you interested in new ones to take your Expat Property Story to the next chapter?  Are you looking for new ways to use your existing resources? For over seven years now, we’ve been collecting resources and inputting them on an XL spreadsheet.  In this 4 part mini-series of essential resour...

#170 Are you looking for handy hacks to get you closer to achieving your UK property objectives? I’ve been making a collection of useful resources for property investors for as long as I’ve been building a portfolio. In this mini-series of four episodes, I’m sharing 26 of them from A-Z, to help you get to where you need to go as fast as you can. Today we cover letters E to I. Even if any of these...

#169 Have you worked out your goals? Your purpose for investing in property? Your destination? The next step is to work out how to get there. You’ll need tools to get to your chosen destination and in the next four episodes, we’re giving you 26 of them from A-Z. Some of them you’ll know and some of them you won’t. Some of them you’ll need for your property story and some of them you might not. But...

#168 More and more expats are getting in touch with us asking about supported living as a UK Property investment strategy. Many are attracted by the lower maintenance costs,  absence of voids and the fact that it makes cashflow forecasting that much easier, knowing exactly how much a particular property will generate for an extended period of time. Return on Capital Employed is the go to metric fo...

#167 Would you like to know how to turn a three bed or even a two bed terraced house into a 6 bed all ensuite HMO, raising its value from 133K to 479K or more?  What you like a glimpse into how this business model works?  Would you like to understand the risks and how to mitigate for them?  It’s not as easy as the course pushers would have you believe. But it IS possible and people ARE doing it. I...

#166 It seems like everyone’s interested in HMOs these days. It’s one of the few business models that passes mortgage lenders’ stress tests and just about gives you enough cashflow to make the effort worthwhile. It’s fair to say that most HMO investors, ourselves included, focus on the Midlands or the North. But today’s guest puts forward a robust argument for investing in London. Yes... London. A...

#165 Is property still the best way to build wealth? Is it still worth all the effort and aggravation. How long does it take to build a portfolio to see you through your later years or pass onto your children or grandchildren. How much money will it take. These are just some of the questions we’re looking at in this week’s show, which will definitely get you thinking about your long term goal and...

#164 Should you look in or outside Article 4 areas for your HMO? This episode featuring Nick Smith of Saltbox Living will help you decide. The answer depends on your circumstances.  Are you investing for the long term or are you momnetum investing where you’re trying to replace an income quickly? Nick has the knowledge, experience, wisdom to answer this question. His property story started many ye...

#163 One of the most frequently asked questions I get when listeners reach out is around expat mortgages. Do you need a broker? Does it matter where you live or who you work for? What kind of bank account do you need? Can you get a limited company mortgage, or should you buy in your personal name? What are the rules around portfolio landlords? Today, Simon Allen of Searchlight Finance answers all...

#162 Did you know that commercial property usually cost less per square foot to buy than residential?  This can make commercial property a very attractive option if you’re looking to develop HMOs. And often the location of commercial stock is ideal for this strategy. But commercial HMO conversions come with their own unique sets of risks and concerns.  This episode tells you all about them. Timoth...

#161 For this episode, we’re going back into the archives to remind new listeners and refresh the memories of the rest of you about the importance and detail behind one of the most frequently asked questions of UK property investors:  Should you buy UK property in your own name or through a limited company? We’ll also be having another look at group structures, and tapping into the knowledge and e...

#160 Do you know what Sideways Loss Relief is? How about the Annual Investment allowance mechanism? And what do they have to do with Capital Allowances? Are you familiar with the deadlines for making a Capital Allowances claim and how to find out if they’ve been claimed before without alerting a vendor to the fact that they could make a claim. This episode covers all of this and lots more includin...

#159 You’ve probably heard about Capital allowances. You might even know something about this generally little known area of tax relief. But I’m sure you’d like to know more, right? If you have Commercial property, Serviced Accommodation or even HMOs, then it’s definitely worth your while listening to this two-part special on Capital Allowances because it could save you thousands of pounds. And wh...