
DOING IT FOR THE KIDS: BUILDING A BUY-TO-LET LEGACY FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY’S FUTURE
By Phillippa Baillie-White on 20th Jun 2022Bricks & mortar never go out of fashion.
People will always need homes, which makes buying to let one of the safest investment strategies around. It's also a smart way to build a tax-efficient inheritance,...

Number crunching: our essential guide to rental yields for every landlord
By Phillippa Baillie-White on 6th Jun 2022Financial management is at the heart of every successful business. As a landlord, the rental yield of a buy-to-let can affect whether you buy a property in the first place. After that, it can help you monitor your investment's...

Blooming Rentals : Grow Your Renturns in the Garden Boom with Stylish Outdoor Upgrades
By Phillippa Baillie-White on 23rd May 2022Not so long ago, many landlords saw gardens as a bit of a liability. Tenants weren't exactly clamouring for them, and landlords were convinced they'd be handed back an overgrown jungle of weeds.
But the...

Is buy-to-let broken? Facts, figures and future trends for private landlords
By Phillippa Baillie-White on 9th May 2022There's no denying that buy-to-let isn’t the same as 10 or 15 years ago.
Changes in lending criteria mean landlords have to put in more of their own money; changes in tax policy have affected initial yields;...

Rentability review: does your buy-to-let tick the right boxes for the right tenants?
By Phillippa Baillie-White on 3rd May 2022There's a book by Simon Sinek called Find Your Why, and it's all about identifying your reason for having a business: why do you do what you do?
The same question can be applied to your rental property: why...

Protection money: a guide to landlord insurance and reducing your premiums
By Phillippa Baillie-White on 25th Apr 2022We all know someone who never insures anything and never has any problems. But given that £8m is paid out every day in home...

Premium lettings: How to Attract High-Earning Professional Tenants
By Phillippa Baillie-White on 18th Apr 2022Landlords are always asking us how they can make their property more attractive to professional tenants, and no wonder. It's a lucrative market of high-earning people who'll pay a premium rent for the right home. But what...

Unfurnished lettings: what features do tenants pay more rent for?
By Phillippa Baillie-White on 11th Apr 2022The average age of a first-time buyer has risen to 32, and tenancies are lasting longer than ever. Not all national trends apply to lettings in Benfleet, Basildon, Canvey Island or Wickford, but this one absolutely does.
...
Switching letting agents – All you need to get it right
By Phillippa Baillie-White on 4th Apr 2022As a landlord, when you use a letting agent to find a tenant – and particularly if you have a ‘fully managed’ service, where they look after both the tenant and the property on your behalf during the tenancy – there’s...

Cost of living crisis: what can landlords do?
By Phillippa Baillie-White on 28th Mar 2022We've all seen the headlines: inflation at its highest point in almost 30 years; interest rates are rising, and the energy cap is about to lift. Everyone's on tenterhooks to see what it will mean for their bank balance, and of...