Mark Alexander - Founder of Property118

Financing Property Refurbishment Projects

Financing Property Refurbishment Projects...

We receive hundreds of readers emails and telephone calls every month, the vast majority require contacts to arrange funding, hence this article which explores six very different strategies of financing...

Tax Treatment of Property Development vs Property Investment

Tax Treatment of Property Development vs Property Investment...

With so many buy to let  property investors now considering buy/refurb/sell deals I feel the time is right to explain the tax treatment of property development vs property investment. For example, did...

Mortgage fraud surges according to Experian

Mortgage fraud surges according to Experian...

Experian®, the global information services company, today revealed a 23 per cent jump in attempted mortgage fraud rates between April and June 2012. Examples of this being residential mortgages being...

Renting HMOs Sussed – BOOK REVIEW

Renting HMOs Sussed – BOOK REVIEW...

Property118 Columnists HMO Landlady and Ben Reeve-Lewis have had their book “Renting HMOs Sussed” published and it is now available to purchase via Amazon. If you are a regular reader of Property118...

Landlords should not be allowed to let their own properties

Landlords should not be allowed to let their own properties...

I’ve recently had a heated exchange of emails with a chap called Mike who’s opinion is that “landlords should not be allowed to let their own properties”. I invited him to produce...

Property Refurbishment – A guide for newbies

Property Refurbishment – A guide for newbies...

I spent most of yesterday with a lovely couple from Luton who emailed me asking for some guidance. After exchanging several emails we decided to meet and they came over to Norfolk. They have six buy to...

DSS Tenants and Pets Considered “subject to guarantees”

DSS Tenants and Pets Considered “subject to guarantees”...

If you want to get your phone ringing off the hook next time you advertise a property to let just add the words “DSS Tenants and Pets Considered subject to guarantees.” In this readers letter...

My Landlords Insurance is up for renewal again

My Landlords Insurance is up for renewal again...

As I sifted through the post this morning I thought to myself ‘how time flies‘ – my landlords insurance is up for renewal again. It’s nowhere near as painful as it used to be though.

Perfect tenant of 6 years turns heroin addicted prostitute – EVICTED!

Perfect tenant of 6 years turns heroin addicted prostitute –...

I first let to these tenants in 2003. They already had a daughter and later gave birth to a second. She was an accountant, I forget now what he did. They were model tenants but in 2008 I received a call...

Trading Company BuyToLet + Landlords Tax Strategy

Trading Company BuyToLet + Landlords Tax Strategy...

It is not easy to arrange a BuyToLet mortgage for a trading company, the few lenders that do offer loans to limited companies usually insist that the company is a Single Purpose Vehicle, often referred...

Taxation strategies for capital raising on a BuyToLet basis for retirement

Taxation strategies for capital raising on a BuyToLet basis for...

It is quite rare for me to share taxation strategies here in full on my blog, especially taxation strategies for capital raising purposes which I’ve not used personally yet (but intend to). However,

My recent tussle with Norwich City Council Tax Department

My recent tussle with Norwich City Council Tax Department...

I advised Norwich City Council Tax Department as soon as one of my properties became vacant for a few weeks between tenancies. I was undertaking refurbishment works. I fully expected to be granted exemption...

BEWARE – there is no Capital Gains Tax Roll-Over on BuyToLet

BEWARE – there is no Capital Gains Tax Roll-Over on BuyToLet...

Following an email I received from a reader yesterday I feel compelled to write an article warning landlords of the tax implications of selling their assets due to there being no capital gains tax roll-over...

Buy to let Exit Strategies – Readers Questions

Buy to let Exit Strategies – Readers Questions...

Following my article regarding Landlord Tax Strategies, I’ve woken up this morning to a very full inbox. I will do my very best to respond to everybody but please bear with me.

Tenants Guests Flooded Bathroom – GOOD NEWS UPDATE

Tenants Guests Flooded Bathroom – GOOD NEWS UPDATE...

I recently wrote an article about one of my tenants who recently reported that whilst she was away there was spillage in the bathroom which caused over £500 worth of decorative damage to downstairs ceilings and...

Partial Exit Strategies for Landlords

Partial Exit Strategies for Landlords...

Is it possible for landlords to have a partial exit strategy without selling the goose that lays the golden eggs, i.e. their buy to let property. I have spoken to a very wide cross section of landlords...

Moles! Landlords or Tenants responsibility?

Moles! Landlords or Tenants responsibility?

I’m having one of those weeks, this time it’s moles in a tenants garden! Who would be a landlord? LOL This is the email I received last night from one of my tenants about his Moles, the furry...

My tenants have flooded my property but who’s problem is it?

My tenants have flooded my property but who’s problem is...

I received a phone call a month or so ago to saying that my tenants have flooded my property and wanted me to pay to get the damage fixed. I suspect your response would have been the same as mine.

My BuyToLet Portfolio “Vintage 2003” – part 8 of my latest series

My BuyToLet Portfolio “Vintage 2003” – part...

My vintage year was 2003. I was followed for 24 hours by a camera crew to make a TV program about young entrepreneurs. By then I had 100 people working for me selling buy to let mortgages and turnover...

Disqus Commenting and discussions – how it works

Disqus Commenting and discussions – how it works...

At Property118 we’ve chosen to use the worlds leading commenting platform, it’s called Disqus and is used by over 500 million people worldwide. Disqus is more than just a commenting platform...

Registered with Property118.com
Monday 17th January 2011

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Bio

UK landlord since 1989.

Wedded to property, finance, tax and law since 1987.

Enjoying financial freedom since 2003 and location independence since 2016.

Homes in Malta, Florida and Central Russia but very much British with a UK property rental and development business.

Founder of Property118.com - “facilitating the sharing of best practice among UK landlords and associated professionals”

Happy to be interviewed on your Podcast, in Clubhouse, your YouTube channel and other online events.

My speciality is landlord tax planning and I head a team of 10 specialist Tax Consultants and four Tax Barristers. We are recruiting to meet demand.

I don’t offer mentoring or training as I am semi retired and enjoying a fantastic work/life balance, but I do comment frequently and answer questions posted here on Property118.