If you’ve been a landlord long enough, you’ve probably had at least one call at 11pm about a boiler breakdown. Or lost an hour chasing a contractor who forgot the access code. Or worse, dealt with damage that spiralled because a tenant didn’t report it properly. These aren’t just annoyances. They cost you time, money, …
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June 2025 Today, I am interviewing Michael Jackson (MJ), Vice-Chair of the High Court Enforcement Officers Association (HCEOA), to learn more about how High Court enforcement could help some landlords evict tenants and take possession of their properties more quickly. Marcus Selmon Chair of PLAN ( MS) MS: What is the difference between a High …
As we navigate 2025, the property landscape feels a bit like walking a tightrope over a shark tank. At Willkates Property Group, we’ve been balancing on that rope for years, managing our properties and those of our clients, so we’ve become quite adept at staying on our feet. The rental market is changing, and not …
Read more “The Reality of Being a Full-Time Private Landlord in 2025”
You’ve seen it before. The perfect property hits the market – below value, solid location, scope for uplift. You’re ready to pounce, but the funds? Tied up. The lender? Dragging their feet. And just like that, another investor walks off with your deal. This is exactly where bridging loans come in. Fast, flexible, and built …
Read more “Bridging Loans: The Secret Weapon Smart Landlords Don’t Talk About Enough”
One of the seismic changes for landlords and letting agents this year will be when the Renters’ Rights Bill bans taking rent in advance. While many of the other measures in the legislation such as banning Section 21 notice evictions will affect tens of thousands of landlords every year, banning rent in advance will impact the 100,000s …
Read more “How To Get A Guarantee For A Tenant Without A Guarantor”
You would imagine that the more properties you have the easier it would be to find finance and the better the terms. But you would be wrong. Because Lenders actually do not like large property portfolios and put many hurdles in their way to borrowing. In this article I want to explore why and consider …
Read more “The Difficulty Of Getting A Mortgage For Portfolio Landlords”
As the Renters’ Reform Bill makes its way through Parliament, landlords across England are adapting to a landscape set for significant change. Among these changes, the abolishment of Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions and reforms to the court process for reclaiming rent arrears have underscored the importance of a robust guarantor system for landlords seeking to safeguard rental income. What is a …
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A landlord has an ability to issue proceedings under Section 8 of the Housing Act 1988. Such proceedings are most commonly used in circumstances where there are i) rent arrears or ii) anti-social behaviour at the property. However, the full list of both Mandatory Grounds (Grounds 1-8) and the Discretionary Grounds (Grounds 9-17) are found …
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Over the past few months, I’ve been working on implementing ECO4-funded improvements across some of our properties, and it’s been an eye-opening experience. The ECO4 scheme is a government-backed initiative designed to reduce carbon emissions while helping landlords and tenants benefit from free or heavily subsidised energy efficiency upgrades. It’s not just about insulation and …
Read more “The ECO4 Scheme: Transforming Properties and Maximising Value”
Every day, we encounter AI in various aspects of our lives, from how supermarkets stock food to the videos we watch on social media. It was only a matter of time before AI became deeply integrated into the property sector. Major institutions worldwide have utilised data for years to predict rent and price movements, as …
Read more “How Property Data Sourcing and AI Can Help You Identify Properties To Purchase”