How to turn a rental property into a stylish modern home

Author: homefan  /  Category: Home, Home Improvment, Real Estate

As a landlord, attracting the right tenants to lease your property isn’t all about location, though buying in a desirable spot will go some way to ensuring you don’t have to worry about your investment standing vacant. Turning your rental property into a stylish modern home will help attract interest and the right rental yield in order to maximise your return on investment.

Maximising the space within the accommodation could help you demand higher rent, particularly if you rent by the room. If you do want to build an extension or change the use of a room, it’s important to remember that you may require planning permission to do so. You’ll also need to check you are covered for the changes by your Simple Landlords insurance or a policy from another provider, and that your insurer is informed of any changes. The three Fs will also be vital in helping you turn accommodation into an attractive home.

Providing the right finish, fittings and furniture can persuade renters to part with a little more cash every month and will help ensure you aren’t refurbishing every five minutes! With this in mind, select good quality products to use when decorating and kitting out the property. However, it’s important to remember that even renters will want to put their own stamp on things, so allow scope for them to input a little where they can. This may mean decorating in neutral shades that is not to your own personal taste.

When it comes to renting a home, there’s nothing that puts people off more than seeing a place that’s in a state of bad repair. One of the main benefits of renting is knowing that someone else is responsible for the upkeep of your home and you therefore expect it to be looked after well. Adopting a proactive approach to maintenance will help people feel more at ease and make a property appear modernised and up to date. All the frills in the world will not make your property appealing if the heating isn’t working or there are serious areas of mould or damp on show. Keep on top of potential problem areas to avoid issues mounting and you should find less of your time and money are taken up in the future.

Top Tax Tips for Foreign Property Owners

Author: homefan  /  Category: Real Estate, Tax Tips

The UK real estate market is not new to recession in the market. The real estate market has been in news recently because of the sudden decline in prices. So, if you are interested in property investment, UK might be a wise decision but the market is expected to fall further so one should wait a little. The current prices may offer you the best deals as a first time investor but the sudden devaluation has shocked many sellers who bought the properties at previous rates. The government of UK has already started taking initiatives to cope up with the situation.

The market in UK can be highly rewarding when in its positive phases. You may come across several tips to buy property in UK but in case you are looking out to buy the land somewhere outside then you just go through the following top tax tips for foreign property owners before making an investment.

To begin with, irrespective of the fact that you own the land outside UK, you are still entitled to pay all the taxes applicable by the UK government including income tax, capital gains tax as well as inheritance tax. However, if you want some exemption in the capital gain tax you can declare your foreign holiday home as your main residence but that could put you in problem if you sell your main residence in UK. So, instead show the holiday home as the main residence only for a week or two. You can also rent your foreign home that will entitle you to some tax relief as it will be considered as a foreign rental business. Also, in this case you can also show your travel expenses as expenses for business and ask relief in taxes.

You must also be aware of the tax regulations of the country you are buying land in. Each country follows different set of rules. However, the ones that are compatible with the UK regulations may entitle you for double tax reliefs wherein you can deduct the tax paid in other country from your liabilities in UK. After you decide to invest outside, make sure that you oblige all the local tax regulations. Some country may even require you to register with the local authorities. In case you do not follow the rules, some country even hold the rights to seize the properties. Finally, it is better that you do not have any preconceive notions about the tax system of the foreign countries or you can find yourself in some serious trouble.