The Piccolo Property blog

When I first joined the letting industry, dinosaurs were roaming Salisbury Plain, we had no computer system, and Rightmove was in its infancy. Renting basically involved editing a simple tenancy agreement, amending a basic...

The expenses you claim against your property income will need to follow the usual HMRC ruling that the costs must be incurred wholly and exclusively for the purpose of renting out the property. An example set out on the Gov.uk...

As a Landlord, it is important to understand that there are numerous pieces of legislation which cover the private rented sector. Failure to comply with the plethora of legal requirements can create substantial financial and...

Should I put the rent up? This is the million dollar question. You may have just learned that your tax bill, mortgage and insurance costs are all increasing, and now you’re wondering whether you should increase the rent to...

Ok, I admit it; Location, Location, Location and any other property related programme hosted by Kirsty Allsopp, Phil Spencer or George Clarke is compulsory viewing in our house. There are numerous programmes about buying, selling...

What do you notice when you walk into a house or room for the first time? The colour, the furniture, how clean (or not) it is? That might be what you are thinking, but you are also picking up information about how warm or...

If you are considering renting out your home there are several things you need to think about before you take the next step in letting your property. A good letting agent will guide you through the process but we have outlined the...

Property business owners, particularly buy-to-let Landlords, are likely to be hit with a number of quite dramatic changes in their tax status. One of the most draconian is the gradual disallowance of tax relief for finance...

We are often asked who is responsible for repairs in rented properties. Fortunately the law is very clear about a Landlord’s responsibilities and these are laid out in Section 11 of the Landlord & Tenant Act 1985. Essentially a...

The rental arm of the property market has been compared to the ‘Wild West’ by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)! Indeed, landlords new to renting can be faced with a confusing array of services and fee...