As of today 20th March 2020, all tenancies are to become subject to the provisions of the Fitness for Human Habitation Act. This has been introduced to ensure agents and landlords maintain proper standards in rental properties. (This did come into effect last year but only for new tenancies; as of today, it will apply…

We at Stuarts are preparing for ‘worst case scenario’ should we be locked down in the UK or should our staff become ill. The benefit of Stuarts being a family run company is that we will have continous access to our computer system from home remotely and there are 3 members of staff in one…

According to the latest research the cost of buy-to-let mortgages has continued to fall, and the biggest month-on-month fall was between February and March. For example, based a mortgage of £150,000, a two-year fixed rate buy-to-let mortgage at 50% loan-to-value, dropping by £12 per month, a two-year fix at 65% LTV dropped by £3 per…

The case In a recent case a landlord has won his dispute regarding the infestation of fleas that became apparent after the tenant and their cat had vacated the property. Dated and signed check-in and check-out reports along with the from a pest treatment contractor plus report stating his opinion, various emails and a photograph of…

Tax and legislation The number of landlords in the private rental sector has fallen to a seven-year low. The recent tax and legislative changes have caused a significant reduction in the amount of privately rented homes on the market. For example, since 2017, privately rented homes have fallen by 156,410 and the number of landlords…

Thank you to all our clients! Here at Stuarts Homes we do pride ourselves on our 100% genuine 5 Star reviews. We would like to thank all our clients, be it, Landlords, Tenants or contractors, that have taken the time to write such kind and supportive words. We are a small family run business that…

First, let’s look at How Universal Credit works. People who are on a low income or out of work usually get paid Universal Credit as a single monthly payment and can include help towards housing costs. This payment is normally paid direct to the tenants and is solely their responsibility to pay their rent to…

Stockport Stockport located just seven miles outside of Manchester city centre and is a town known for being a key part of the North West’s industrial past. Stockport is still one of the strongest economies today and has some excellent connectivity to key locations around the country, thus making Stockport an excellent buy-to-let location. Stockport…

New electrical safety regulations, if implemented, will only affect private residential tenancies; affecting new tenancies from 1 July 2020 and those tenancies already in existence from 1 April 2021. These regulations were only presented before Parliament on 13 January 2020. This potential new regulation is intended to strengthen electrical safety practices much like those, already…