The Business of Property

Simon and Stuart chat about a recent article in the Financial Times claiming property transactions are increasing thanks to the stamp duty holiday. Show notes include a link to the source data. This week's conversation covered: House sales climb for second month. Based on HMRC figures using stamp duty records ( direct PDF link ). Too early to be from the stamp duty holiday. High LTV mortgage produ...

Stuart and Simon actually manage to chat about property training, without getting sidetracked. Listen to last weeks episode for the first part of the property training chat, then get the deeper dive in this episode. The discussion this week includes: Continuing from last week about property training. Some years ago Stuart attended a Property Protege course. Do due diligence before choosing trainin...

Simon and Stuart attempt to talk about "property training" and "property courses" but accidentally end up chatting about doing your own viewings for prospective tenants and the apparent high demand for London short term lets. This week's conversation covered: Being a (lapsed) certified landlord. The NLA, RLA and now the NRLA . Continuing professional development (CPD). As a landlord, there are som...

Stuart talks about his problem tenant situation and the current tenant eviction rules which seem to be the subject of weekly government announcements at the moment. The discussion this week includes: Problem tenants, of the not-paying kind. Changing eviction notice periods and rules . Communication is key. The new normal is (generally) six months notice. There are some notice period exceptions tho...

Stuart and Simon chat about their (very) long-term goals and how their portfolios might change as they get older, perhaps even providing a form of "exit strategy". This week's conversation covered: Simon's property in Brighton in finally for sale. There's also a virtual tour . Stuart talks about the change to looking for cash buyers. Investors from Hong Kong seems to be a noticeable thing, includi...

Which should you buy - leasehold or freehold? Simon and Stuart discuss their experiences and evolving thinking on this important property decision. This week's conversation covered: Tales of woe in leasehold blocks. Lease extensions. Share of freehold. Reverse freehold. Unexpected leaseholder costs and challenges. A converted flat with the building freehold. Using a management agent for block mana...

Updates and chat from Stuart and Simon; talking about title changes, selling and dealing with cladding on flats. The discussion this week includes: Creating two properties from one - title splitting. The wonders of bank communications. Delays at the Land Registry. Simon has decided to put a property on the market (listing not live in time!). Stuart also has two properties for sale: studio flat in...

Simon opens with his "extensive" updates before Stuart and Simon chat a little about title splitting and lots about rent-to-rent. The chat this week includes: Title splitting mortgage mechanics. Finding opportunities with a "rent-to-rent campaign". How rent-to-rent can work for both the owner and R2R-er. Quick R2SA and R2HMO explainer. Details to consider when starting a R2R project. How Article 4...

This week is a deep dive into Stuart's current HMO refurbishment project. The discussion this week includes: Refurbishing an underperforming student HMO into a trendy young professional HMO. Creating an environment that tenants like living in and want to take care of. A detailed walk through of the property with room by room changes. Going for an "industrial" feel. Removing, moving and adding wall...

The property chat this week starts with stamp duty holidays and wanders through Land Registry title changes and on to selling a couple of flats. The discussion this week included: The stamp duty "holiday" has changed Simon's plans. How do you correct a Land Registry title plan. Stuart has completed his (long running) title split. The first time you do it, there's going to be a big learning curve....

Stuart and Simon talk stats. Comparing the property market in 2020, with all it's ups and downs, to the much more steady 2019. Included in this weeks discussion (and see below for the graphs): Three interesting graphs based on data collected by PaTMa's price history browser extension . 30% fewer properties currently on the market. Three key phases of 2020 are clearly visible: "Boris bounce" Covid1...

Simon and Stuart talk over Stuart's updates and recent experiences with estate agents, banks and more. The discussion this week included: Agent experiences and choices getting ready to sell. Capital Gains Tax and possible off-sets. Purple Bricks vs local agents. Successful valuation. Bounce Back Loan gets raised (again) by a bank - Stuart manages not to swear! Please leave us a rating and review i...

Stuart and Simon chat about their thinking as they approach a changing property market outlook, and how they could approach it better. Recorded on Tuesday 7th July - before the Summer Statement! The discussion this week included: Stuart's words linger in Simon's thoughts! Cash reserves make for a stronger position to offer from. Possible implications of a stamp duty "holiday". Simon is wrong about...

Simon and Stuart would like to know what you always "accidentally" pick up when visiting IKEA? They also talk a bit about property, especially student HMOs. Some of topics and links from this week: Remortgages. Spending on a young professional refurb. Solicitors involved in title splitting. Why split a 13-bed freehold title. Trends in student accommodation - occupancy rates in larger HMOs. Cinema...

Stuart and Simon revisit the goals they set for 2020 and reflect on their progress, including how Covid-19 has impacted them. Some of topics and links from this week: Our 2020 goals episode . Our property investment terms episode. Remortgaging with loan to value , rental cover and stress tests being mentioned. Risk of having a higher mortgage vs the risk of having less cash in the bank. Students v...

Simon and Stuart chat about some of the recent enhancements in Simon's property software ( PaTMa ) before the conversation wanders onto "property porn"! Some of the topics from this week: The new investor focussed Property search from PaTMa. Using re-listed properties to find motivated sellers . Have median house prices really gone up during lockdown. Are relationship "changes" driving rental dema...

Stuart shares his ongoing experience with the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) and how it's now interacting with his latest mortgage application. Some of the topics from this week: TMW use a bounce back loan to turn down an application. Are lenders being over cautious. Missing tenants. Is there, will there ever be, a cap on the price small properties can reach. Universal Credit tenants as an investm...

HMOs are dead! Or are they? Simon and Stuart explore the topic. No spoilers this week, you'll have to listen to find out what Stuart and Simon think the future may hold for houses of multiple occupation. CBILS and Bounce Back Loans also get a mention. Please leave us a rating and review if you're enjoying the show.

Emma once again joins Stuart and Simon to chat about the current state of the property market now that estate agents are opening up again. This weeks chatter includes: Emma has been reading lots of government guidance to make sure that Estate Agents Hub is ready to function while keeping everyone as safe as possible. Virtual viewings come in a few flavours, some with music! Property transactions p...

Stuart and Simon discuss their rent receipt situations, shaky airport futures, along with the delights and risks of furlough. Some of the topics in the chat this week: Pro-active rent reductions. The short term future for Gatwick is looking uncertain. Tenant job losses. Student rent payments seem better than they could be! Tenant communication (and difficulties with it). What will September bring...

Simon and Stuart chat about things getting going again in the property world along with their thoughts on CBILS and BBLS borrowing. Some of the topics discussed this week: Stuart's refinances seem to be coming back to life. Will mortgage payment holidays damage your ability to borrow in the future. The first rule is "Survive!". When a lender doesn't want to lend, they'll find a way. Applying for C...

Stuart and Simon set out to chat about some positive actions that can be taken to improve your property business during lockdown and end up talking about the power of multiplication. Some of the topics discussed this week: Catching up on paperwork and thanks to PaTMa , having property tax return figures are ready to go. Having a very pleasant chat with HMRC. Review your mortgages, don't let them l...

In this update episode, Stuart and Simon chat about what's been changing in their property businesses in recent weeks. Some of the topics covered in the chat: Stuart has experienced finance options being withdrawn. Building works have stopped - due to isolation needs! Trying to get up-valuations from a "desktop valuation" is tricky. Simon's experiences with rent payments during lockdown. PaTMa is...

The second, and final, part of Simon and Stuart's property back-story, continuing their "how" from part 1 . Some of the topics in the chat covered: Were things planned? Making crazy goals. A lot of property learning is actually business learning. Dealing with a student non-payer. A buying-with-tenants experience.

The first part of Stuart and Simon's property back-story, starting with "Why?". Why? Why was property the business that they each chose? Simon and Stuart have very different answers! Stuart gets in a mention that some of his story is also available on Executive Juice - another excellent business podcast! When? Simon discusses the difference between being "just" a landlord and being a deliberate pr...