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Private Landlords Fight Unfair Buy-to-Let Tax Changes

Changes to tax laws that govern buy-to-let properties have landlords up in arms. The planned buy-to-let tax is deemed unfair because it targets private landlords who have buy-to-let properties in their own names and doesn’t target companies that invest in rental properties. Furthermore, tax will be on turnover rather than profit, which will eat into […]

New Campaign Forces Premier League to Accommodate Disabled Fans

We’ve written about popular sports for people in wheelchairs, but what about wheelchair-bound and other disabled sports fans? Do sports stadiums give them easy access so they can watch their favourite sports live? Apparently not, if the sport concerned is football. There are only seven clubs in the UK which have or will soon have […]

How Can We Make Playgrounds Safe & Fun for Disabled Children?

Children’s playgrounds are places of fun, laughter and the occasional injury. But not all children can join in the fun because playgrounds simply don’t cater to their special needs. Sadly, children with disabilities are often unintentionally discriminated against in public parks and playgrounds. Parents of disabled children in Cork have had enough. They successfully lobbied […]

Are Employees Taking Advantage of Disability Discrimination Claims

In 2010 Government introduced the Equality Act to protect disabled employees from unfair treatment and discrimination. Recent statistics reveal that the number of claims for discrimination against disabled workers has increased steadily over the past few years. Many employers now question the legitimacy of all the claims. They believe that some employees are looking for […]

Built-to-Rent Market Threatens Buy-to-Let Private Landlords

Property is a smart investment. With more people unable to afford to buy their own property and needing to rent long-term, investing in the rental market is a good idea. While renting is a good idea for landlords, it’s not ideal for tenants. Negligent landlords are a problem (although they’re a minority). And tenants are […]

Easy Peasy Tips for Home Improvements that Save Your Energy Bill

Living can be expensive. When we think about the costs of everyday living, we need to consider the cost of food, travel, rent and then bills on top of that, and that’s just to get by! Sometimes it feels like there’s nothing left after necessities – nothing for a spot of fun. So how would […]

Most Popular Sports for People in Wheelchairs

Sports are a great way to keep fit, relieve stress and hang out with friends. You can participate in an individual sport, or you can play in a team. Being in a wheelchair by no means suggests people aren’t interested in or capable of participating in sports. Although wheelchair users are restricted from some able-bodied […]

Safety Checks for a New Home: Don’t move into a danger area!

Courageous Landlords Capitalise on Short-Term Rentals!

Buy-to-let property owners want the best possible returns. One of the most promising areas is the short-term rental market. In the short-term renal market landlords let their properties at daily, weekly or monthly rates.

Deposit Protection is Failing Tenants: What You Need to Know

Rent (or tenancy) deposit protection schemes are designed to protect the deposit amount that tenants pay landlords when they move into a property. The deposit is supposed to be reserved for repairs to damage or replacement of lost (or stolen) items. It is also supposed to be returned to tenants when the tenancy ends. This […]

Government Tells Landlords: Green Up & Improve Energy Efficiency

2016 has been a heck of a year for landlords, and there are still 4.5 months to go. The latest is the revision of the government’s energy efficiency policy for landlords. It’s illegal for landlords to rent any property that doesn’t meet Band E energy requirements come 2018. Furthermore, they won’t get any help paying […]

7 Critical Factors That Affect Your Home Insurance Rates

How much are you paying for home insurance, and what can you do to reduce insurance rates? Insurance providers, much like the homeowners themselves, want less risk. In a sense, their confidence in the homeowner is reflected in the cost of the insurance premiums. As such, anything you do to make your property more secure will […]

What New Landlords Need to Know About Energy Performance Certificates

Energy efficiency is one of the most important issues of our time, and it’s an issue that the UK government takes very seriously. In 2008, legislation regarding energy performance certificates (EPC) gave landlords incentives to improve the energy efficiency of their properties. If you’re looking to get into the landlord business, you need to be […]

Exactly How Does Universal Credit Affect Tenants & Landlords?

Universal Credit is rolling out across the UK, but not everyone is happy, especially landlords. The intentions behind Universal Credit (UC) are good. It replaces six different benefits and simplifies payments. It should also encourage recipients to learn financial responsibility. Unfortunately, the process is proving problematic. One of the biggest problems is late payments. Many […]

How to Choose a Reputable Contractor for Home Renovations

There is little Brits love more than a good home renovation. This is evident in statistics released by Zopa following a survey of over 1200 people who’ve qualified for home improvement loans. One of the biggest findings is that most Brits renovate so that they can create their dream home. The intention is not to […]

Discover How Home Maintenance Affects Home Insurance Claims

Many first-time homeowners aren’t prepared for the work required to make their houses well-maintained and habitable. They also don’t realise that home maintenance is not just a matter of aesthetics or practicality. It’s also necessary to ensure the validity of home insurance claims in the event of some sort of disaster. According to statistics from […]

Landlords Benefit from Massive Growth in Retirement Rentals

What do you want to do with your retirement years? Do you want to indulge your love for travel? Do you want to live close to your children and grandchildren? Would you prefer a quiet life in the country? Whatever you want to do, you have to make one important decision: Are you going to […]

Discover How Your Claims History Impacts Your Home Insurance

Buying a home is the dream, but actually having a home is an expensive business. Every month we dutifully pay for home insurance so when a disaster happens, we can claim and replace household items. Unfortunately, claiming from your insurance just once will have an effect on any future claims, no matter the reason for your claim. […]

Renovating Your Home? It’s Critical You Remember Insurance

Are you thinking about renovating your home, even doing something relatively simple like remodelling your kitchen cupboards or making your bathroom en suite? Whatever renovations are on the cards, you need to take care of one detail first. Inform your home insurance provider of your intentions. It’s essential that your home insurer knows what your […]

Discover if Your Listed Property is Suitably Insured?

Listed buildings are a treasure and often have hundreds of years of fascinating history lending to their character. Life is complicated for listed property owners when they want to buy insurance. This is thanks to a tangle of red tape that average homeowners never consider. What insurance do listed buildings need? Listed buildings require non-standard […]

Forced into Mortgage-Linked Home Insurance? You Can Say No!

Thirty per cent of home buyers in the UK believe they have to buy home insurance from their mortgage provider. This is according to recent research by Gocompare. Home insurance is compulsory for most mortgage lenders, and most mortgage lenders offer home insurance products. You should know that you can shop around and choose the best deal […]

4 Simple Tips to Keep Your Drains Smelling Fresh as Daisies

4 Simple Tips To Keep Your Drains Smelling Fresh As Daisies Ew! What is that smell?! It must surely be coming from outside. No, wait… It’s the bathroom drain. There must be something in the kitchen cupboard to stop the smell. What? It’s in the kitchen, too! What is going on? Neighbourhood kids’ prank? Someone’s […]

What’s Safe to Put in Storage Units (and what isn’t)?

One of the most common questions people ask when it comes to self-storage is what exactly they can put in storage units? It’s not a foolish question. The penalties for storing prohibited items include fines, confiscation of items and if you’ve really fallen foul of the law, prison. The answer is that you can put […]

Self-Storage Tips to Help You Find Safe Facilities

The self-storage industry in the UK is growing rapidly, but it is still officially unregulated. This means consumers need to be very careful so that they don’t get taken for a ride. The good news is that some facilities take their customers’ best interests very seriously. They have voluntarily joined a self-regulating code of trading […]

5 Reasons Why Your Freezer Keeps Defrosting

Most freezer models today have a self-defrost option, i.e., the freezer defrosts periodically without any action on the part of the owner. But if you notice that your freezer keeps defrosting more often than normal and fails to keep food frozen, it may be due to the following reasons. 1) Incorrect thermostat settings Sometimes the […]