The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has proposed an interim regulatory system for SARB followed by a final system at a later date to be confirmed. The interim system is due to commence on the 1 July 2009. Firms operating SARB will be required to hold interim permission. The regulation will also apply to situations where a vendor retains a share in the property.

Some of the main proposals for the interim system are bullet pointed below and we have also added our thoughts as to how they may affect Landlords. We have contacted the FSA with some questions to try and strike a fair balance for Landlords.
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By way of background, M S LAW LLP are a firm of Solicitors specialising in all aspects of commercial and residential property and have become the investor’s choice of law firm.  We are at the forefront of the scheme which has commonly become known as Rent to Own/ Lease Options. Our Paul Gelder also runs a Group on Facebook called: ‘What you need to know on Options & Rent to Own’. Please feel free to look this up on Facebook and join. We also operate a free monthly e-newsletter called ‘It’s Not Rocket Science’ which gives helpful hints and tips on all things property. To subscribe please email info@ms-law.co.uk
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First of all please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Valentin Varga. I am a Carpenter by trade. I have been working in the construction industry for over 8 years. Over the years I have had the opportunity to work for a variety of people from all sorts of backgrounds, some of them were “normal” people; others were property professionals such as architects, surveyors, designers, property investors, and developers. I have been employed, I also subcontracted work from various builders, and I have also run a few of my own jobs. Read the rest…

Serviced Accommodation is rapidly growing in the current economic downturn and the worse things get in the employment and property markets the better this sector will do.

The concept of serviced accommodation is largely mis-understood by many landlords to the extent that most don’t realise that they can achieve a 300% increase in rent and realistically achieve rental yields in excess of 20% with minimal outlay!

The process to do this is not that complex and is something most Buy to Let landlords can implement. Read the rest…

A is for ATTITUDE

A positive, can do, attitude is more important than anything.

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B is for BMV.

If you source Below Market Value properties, you can finance the entire purchase including costs. There is no limit to the amount of properties that you can obtain when you are not restricted by the size of your bank account. Read the rest…

This is a quick message to let all Property Investment Tips readers know about a brand new workshop from Singing Pig called ‘Fast Profits From BMV’.

The 1 day workshop is suitable for anyone who wants to learn the skills, techniques and methods to find, negotiate and buy below market value property in their local area. It is geared towards investors looking to take advantage of the abundance of opportunities that will exist in 2009.

Whether you’re a new investor wanting to get into the BMV market or an old hand looking for new insights and tips for the year ahead you’re sure to be well catered for.

In brief, this exciting day will consist of:

- Market overview
- Opportunity overview
- Defining your working area
- Simplifying your working area
- Selecting your team
- Marketing
- Finding prospects via marketing
- Preparing for phone call enquiries
- Researching market values/planning for positive cash flow
- Meeting with prospects
- Strategies after the deal - flip/hold/rent-back/broker
- Ensuring you complete quickly
- Customer care /reputation development
- Maintenance

The workshop is hosted and presented by Greg Jackson (also known as Rialto) and is a more in depth extension of Greg’s very successful manual system.

For a FREE 6 Part mini property course, and for more information please register at our website below:

http://tiny.cc/zhwLk

Remember, the workshop will be held on Saturday 24th January 2009 in Manchester and is sure to sell out fast - don’t miss out!

There are statutory regulations and guideline codes, which all consulting civil and structural engineers must follow in design work regardless of the size of the project.  I will try here to provide clarity on understanding the codes and bring you up to date with changes.  If you ever need to employ an engineer, surveyor or architect to perform services for you, this article may help explain the rules and perhaps even correct the occasional error in coding.  The Building Regulations 2000 require buildings to be stable, loadings assessed and structurally sound.   This may appear rather obvious and even flippant but in reality it is a very serious statement.  Read the rest…

Often on my travels to letting agencies and landlord meetings, I experience the second-hand surprise (sometimes shock) that a tenant has gone bad in some way, shape or form.

Various exclamations are offered:

“I can’t believe a tenant would do that?!”

“They seemed so nice when we referenced them…!”

“He ‘suddenly’ stopped paying his rent.”

“She’s been on the phone again, ranting on about (fill in the blank…)”

Has this ever happened to you? Surprised at the unreasonable actions of a tenant? Shocked at a repair that has taken months to get this bad? Staggered that your tenant ‘suddenly’ stops paying the rent?

If you answered ‘Yes’ to any of the above with a big sigh and an exclamation mark (!), it’s likely you could have avoided the issue altogether, or at least avoided the surprise.

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Comments from Phil Martin and The Mortgage Rescue Network regarding the OFT recommendation that SARB should be subject to FSA Regulation.

http://www.oft.gov.uk/advice_and_res…nt/saleandrent
http://www.oft.gov.uk/shared_oft/rep…on/oft1018.pdf

The OFT study is both comprehensive and accurate, I have found it extremely enlightening and it reinforced my views on best practise for the sector. Read the rest…