Naive Questions from Landlords?

I've only recently joined this forum, but read every comment on a daily basis, and thoroughly enjoy the read.
" you don't know what you don't know " I was told that by a long standing professional, and it's true.
So keep up the good work.

PS - He is right about 1 thing!
Too many articles pretend to be helpful and informative, but they are just crude pitches for their services.

That is what is so fantastic about this site. is that you can ask simple questions without feeling embarrassed and ultimately save yourself a lot of mistakes/hard work and money as I have. I am sure that when he was a newbie he would have valued a site like this( he probably lost a few quid by being too proud to ask the simple stuff) and i hope as I get more experienced I will be able to give valuable input to help the next generation of newbies. I really appreciate the fact that experienced landlords share their invaluable experience. Thank you so much every one. Life isn't always about what you can get out of something it's also about what you can give.

The World is full of Numb-Nuts and you will find them where ever you go and in all walks of life.
I too have been a landlord for just over 25 years now and from a greener-than-grass first letting landlord to where I am now, experienced yes, but you never stop learning in this business and you can still make mistakes.... even small ones... and I do.

The purpose of a Public open forum is discussion of relevant topics. If you don't want to read what is being said or discussed then don't read it!
If you have something to say then say it if you think it would help or you know the answer to the question being asked.
It is true that some poster's do not like some of the replies given but that is tough luck. It's an open forum.
Being a landlord is a tough business sometimes and requires a thick skin and straight talking.

As I said before, and I repeat again: with little or no professional help, a great many 118 members have created amazingly large property portfolios. I wonder how your whingeing writer's portfolio compares?

Yes it's true that accumulating wealth brings responsibilities, and yes many 118 members still have these to learn. But I would have thought one responsibility is for the more experienced to help others, not to denigrate their efforts and disappear into the night!

My own frustration is finding so many landlords without a trace of asset protection, and no real idea of what they should be doing, and VERY slow to take action when they do! But I don't pour scorn over them and leave them to the wolves. I stay, I try to educate and open eyes to what is possible. And where necessary I prod, push and disturb peoples complacency.

Perhaps your departing professional landlord needs his conscience prodding?

Garry Streeter

I am gratified to hear of someone who knows all, however, I believe you can learn something from everyone, regardless of their own perceived status.
As noted by others, even some seemingly mundane queries have a thread that becomes relevant.

Keep up the good work, and perhaps said hyper intelligent person will vote with his feet and leave more space for the professionals. I wonder at what age he became such an expert.
Lord John Lown.

If that’s the case, I guess Property 118 isn’t the place for him, but it is for many other people who don’t consider themselves guru’s in the business.
I would however agree with some members using the site to offer their services to others. The site is supposed to be a none advertising site isn’t it? And supported by members donations.

I worked in property in the early years of BTL and then left the country and worked in media. Now back in the country I am picking up where I left off some years on with BTL/Commerical/self financed and many of my questions are purposefully naive so that I can generate the obvious answers.

It's the obvious that we miss all too easily.

As a post I read yesterday about the six-month-rule-that-doesn't-exist-in-all-cases demonstrates, sometimes the knowledge that people have is merely received wisdom. Challenges are required.

If you don't want to read something you don't have to, it's that simple. It's a shame though. If someone has that much experience then surely they'd have something useful to pass on?

Or maybe not...

Very sad or just said? Ha ha, loads of things make me said in Landlord life & then I think ‘screw ‘em’, they be gone soon & forgot about & onto the next thing.

What your forum has taught me Mark, is that there are some strange old (or young) people out there.

They make ridiculous blanket statements without having a clue of ‘the other side’.

You like your posh or normal tenants-But u also understand the market for the lower end that I deal in.
And vice versa, I like your model too, but couldn’t be doing with talking to people nicey nicey all day.

We was all amateurs at some point.

I know a LOT about complicated HB, but Postal Orders confuse me ha ha.

Note wrong with pushing the odd service on here if u can. We always got to try to look after ourselves when we can.

Just ignore the comments Mark, you do a fantastic job maintaining this site and offering advice on a personal level (I have first hand experience of this for which I thank you).

I think it was Shakespeare who said:

"The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool."