The Property Podcast

This week on Ask Rob & Rob, we’ve got Dave Cookson joining the guys again to answer even more mortgage related questions. Maybe we should have dedicated this month’s ‘ask’ questions to Dave. But nevertheless we’ve got another two cracking mortgage related questions that you may never have thought to ask before. So let's get started... The first question comes in from Stuart who has more than one buy to let property in his personal name. He’s wanting to know if there is a mortgage product where you can combine all of your BTL mortgages into one and effectively just have one lump mortgage that covers all of your properties. Turns out it’s a pretty common question and one that Dave gets asked quite frequently; ‘can I have one lender that supports my portfolio in a limitedconpany?’ You’ll have to tune in to find out the answer… Our second question comes from a listener who is wanting to know if he needs a limited company for every property that he purchases. He’s heard of some investors using this strategy

This week on The Property Podcast we’ve got a special episode for you - and it’s one that The Robs have been wanting to do for a while. [Drum roll!] Today, you get to listen to Rob B mentoring two lucky podcast listeners - LIVE! Avid listeners will know that strategy is key, and today we’re revealing just how important we think this is by putting Rob on the spot to offer his advice. Now don’t worry, this isn’t just specific to Ruth and Christian’s investment plans,(who are the two lucky listeners by the way) there’s so much information given out in today’s podcast that you can apply it to your own property investment strategy. So it’s well worth the listen. The Robs (and the team at Property Hub Invest) have spent years helping people with their property journey. Many they speak to don’t even have a strategy. But that’s OK, because that’s where we excel. And we’re all for sharing knowledge. The first lucky listener is Ruth from Dorset. Ruth and her husband Dennis have already started investing in propert

On this week’s Ask Rob & Rob, Dave Cookson is back to answer more mortgage related questions. Mortgage broker Dave has appeared on The Property Podcast numerous times and most recently busted some of the most common mortgage myths in conjunction with the launch of Property Hub Mortgages. And today he’s back to answer your mortgage related questions. The first question is from Rob (yes, another Rob!), who has two properties in his portfolio - both are based in London and have development potential. He’s pretty confident that if he does these improvements, both the rental and resale value will increase. But how does he raise the initial funds to crack on with his plans? Both of his properties are on a standard 75% LTV mortgage and the lenders are not allowing any further advance. Does Dave know of anything Rob can do? The next question comes in from Hannah. Hannah runs her own business and has the choice of how much income to take in the form of dividends, whilst leaving the rest in the business to avoid

The property world suffers a lot of noise. Everyone (mostly) considers themselves to be an expert - you’ll hear a lot of“you can do this”or“you can’t do that”- but quite frankly, a fair bit of it is rubbish. So today on The Property Podcast, Rob & Rob are putting six mortgage myths to bed. And what better way to tackle this subject than to get mortgage expert Dave Cookson, from Charles Louis on the show with The Robs today. The three musketeers go on to clear up six mortgage myths that might either be steering you in the wrong direction or holding you back altogether. But we know for a fact that they’re not true. Tune into this week’s Property Podcast to find out what these six common mortgage myths are and what the guys have to say about them. In the news this week, mortgage products for expats are improving after being ignored for so long. TML (The Mortgage Lenders) are launching the first expat buy-to-let mortgage product range. Also in the news, Precise Mortgages are making slicing available across it

This week we’ve got one lucky listener Lisa, who’s having both of her property investment related questions answered. First of all, Lisa wants to know if she should manage her new buy to let property herself or whether she should be working with a lettings agent? She already has one property in the south that’s fully managed by a lettings agent, so she’s wanting to know if she should stick with that for her second investment property or just give it a go herself. Whilst Lisa’s second property is in Manchester and she lives locally, Rob B doesn’t feel that she should self-manage just because she lives nearby. It’s completely Lisa’s decision but Rob’s happy to chip in with his reasoning from a personal perspective. Secondly, Lisa is looking at buying another flat this year and has her eye on Manchester and Liverpool. However, she’s noticed a lot of properties on the market waiting to be rented out. So Lisa wants to know if The Robs have any advice on what she should prepare herself for, and what she can do

This week on The Property Podcast we’re bringing you a blast from the past and going back to episode 31, way back in 2013! The Robs are discussing the topic of how to search for a buy-to-let investment property. Why are we going back? Because no matter how much Rob & Rob bang on about how important research is, people are still getting it very wrong. The guys will also be giving you a pretty solid framework to follow. Not everyone goes back and listens to The Property Podcast from the very beginning, so this is a great opportunity to listen to what The Robs have been saying since the very early days of The Property Podcast. Fundamentally, research will not only make you money, but will also save you a lot of money too. So tune in and join Rob & Rob on a trip down memory lane and see what research tips you can pick up and use to your advantage. It could just be the starting point you need. Rob & Rob are also covering their news story of the week. They’re discussing the slowdown of the property market in l

This week the dynamic duo are back together after Rob B left Rob D to fly solo last week. On this week’s Ask Rob & Rob, we’ve got two listeners who are asking The Robs their advice on how best to invest their lump sum of cash and what they think about mentors. First up we’ve got Tom. Tom has joined his family business and they have £200,000 sat in their current account and he’s wanting to know how best to invest the money. He wants to find out where he should invest, how much he should invest in each property and how many properties he should stretch his money across. Rob B confesses that Tom shouldn’t be looking at investments right now. A bizarre move considering that’s what the Property Hub is about, but he has a pretty good reason for it. Hit the play button to find out why Rob B is advising this. Next we’ve got Danny who is wanting to know what Rob & Rob think about mentoring. How much should it cost, what should it include and what are the key aspects to look out for? Rob D advises there are two t

This week on The Property Podcast we’ve got an action packed episode for you as we revisit some of our listeners success stories. Today we’re catching up with three Hubbers who started their investment journey just one year ago. First up we’ve got Sarah who started a flipping company in Sheffield and bought two buy-to-let properties. Sarah also teamed up with Simon, her project manager, in a joint venture (which we know a lot of you Hubbers are interested in) so this one will be worth a listen. Next we spoke to Iain who started off with a two-bed house and then went on to convert his HMO into two houses. Not content with stopping there, he’s also  building a third property onto the end. Iain is used to the developer side of things, but he’s now also dipping his toe into the world of leasehold, mixing up his strategy. But what will the outcome be? Will he stick to developing or will he eventually become a lot more hands off? Last but not least we’ve got Steve. When we last spoke to Steve he’d been investin

Rob D is flying solo on Ask Rob & Rob today whilst Rob B is enjoying his holiday. So this week we’ve got two very interesting questions - and one is on a topic we’ve never covered before. That almost never happens! First up is Marcus: He’s in full time employment and paying into a company pension scheme. He isn’t satisfied with how his pension pot is looking for when he retires so is looking at turning his hand to buy to let property. After doing some research, Marcus found out that he could get 40% tax relief on any extra money he puts into his pension. So is he better off investing in property or putting the extra money into his pension fund? Rob D completely agrees that pension tax relief schemes are fantastic and even better if your company matches your contribution. However, if you’re thinking of retiring early you won’t be able to access this cash, so you’ll need a back up plan. He’s no tax expert so you definitely should speak to the professionals, but have a listen to what else Rob D has to say a

Welcome to another episode of The Property Podcast and today Rob & Rob are discussing how to transform your life by changing your inputs. Succeeding in property is so much more than viewing properties and crunching the numbers - it takes a “can do” attitude and a positive mindset. So this week, The Robs are focusing on techniques, tactics and tweaks that you can use to block out the unhelpful, and focus on what you need to do to succeed.   Listen as The Robs cover: Social media: How can you tame it? How can you block out negativity and the dreaded topics you just don’t want to read about?   If you’re looking for the links Rob & Rob discuss on today’s podcast, look no further. You can block the Facebook newsfeed with this handy Chrome extension and use Nuzzel to extract just the links from Twitter.   Reading: What should you be reading, and how can you make the best use of your time? Also, how can you save the content you’ve found valuable? Listen as Rob D explains how he uses Readwise to highlight i

And we’re back… welcome to another episode of Ask Rob & Rob. First up this week we have Matt from Birmingham. Matt has read an article about a couple managing to avoid paying the 3% stamp duty on a derelict building they’ve purchased. Naturally Matt is wondering if there is any evidence on landlords now being able to claim back the 3%. Rob D is familiar with this story and is aware of the court battle between this couple and HMRC, so listen as he delves into some of the facts. But before you start to swamp HMRC with claim-back requests, listen carefully at some of the pointers and areas of uncertainty. A very interesting one to keep an eye on. Our second question is from Aseeb who wants some tips on auction property. He’s seen a potential investment property where there’s a regulated tenancy in place, but the rent is half the expected amount on a property of this size and type in the area. Listen as Rob D talks us through what a regulated tenancy is and what makes it so unusual - and why a Section 21 not

On today’s Property Podcast, Rob D is looking at how you research a buy-to-let property investment in a brand new city.   Rob & Rob have talked extensively about the joys of investing in cities, but what should you do if you don’t know any of them that well and you don’t live close to them? That’s exactly what Rob D is covering today, and he’s using a real life guinea pig (and by that, we mean Dan), to explain how he approached being in this exact situation. If you’re an avid Property Podcast listener, you’ll know that The Robs covered their 2019 property investment hotspots earlier this year, and off-air were hit with questions from Dan whilst he was doing his research. Dan had been looking at a city that’s brand new to him, and today he shares his journey and the process he went through to understand what the city offered and whether it would help him meet his buy-to-let property investment goals. He’s got Nottingham and Manchester boxed off already, and is happy with the steady cash flow his investment

Happy Tuesday! And welcome to another episode of Ask Rob & Rob. As always, The Robs are on-hand to answer any property investment related question you’re dying to know. It’s an important one today, as Sarah from London is asking about Section 21. She’s seen the headlines (as we’re sure most of you have), and has seen that no fault evictions are likely to be banned in England. Sarah wants to know exactly what a Section 21 ban means for landlords and what impact this is likely to have. As you can imagine, this is a pretty big deal. If you missed the BBC headlines, you can sort that right out and read all about the no-fault eviction ban proposal here. If you weren’t aware already, a section 21 is a no-fault eviction procedure. As a landlord you can ask a tenant to leave your property at the end of their fixed contract or when they’re in a periodic tenancy without any reason. And because you don’t have to prove fault, this has been the quickest and most efficient way of evicting someone. So what now? Landlo

This week on The Property Podcast, Rob & Rob are unveiling the 5 buy-to-let property investment locations you should be keeping an eye on. The Robs have talked extensively about their buy-to-let hotspots of 2019, but where should property investors be looking outside the major cities? Sit back and listen as The Robs talk us through their top 5 buy-to-let towns you should be investing in: Warrington: What’s not to like? Connectivity is unrivalled - there are direct trains from London (taking just 1 hour, 45 minutes), it’s also perfectly placed between Manchester and Liverpool. The motorway networks are also great. Now, the town needs some work - but that’s what’s most exciting about this location. Listen as The Robs talk through the plans for Warrington and how you could take advantage of this. Doncaster: They’re doing some interesting things in this town - they’re savvy enough to turn their weaknesses into strengths. There are many positives for Doncaster, such as the road network, that have made this t

Welcome to another Tuesday Ask Rob & Rob - your weekly dose of property advice about investment matters you care about the most. Our first question this week is from a listener who has recently discovered The Property Podcast and has been racing through the episodes to catch up to the present day. She wants to know what exactly makes a good area to invest in property and what research should she be doing to find these golden buy to let property locations. She’s discovered our list of 2019 property investment hotspots, but she wants to know how she can spot these areas herself. Rob B is quick to dive into one of the most important things when looking at property investment hotspots, and that’s fundamentals. Not just one or two of the boxes need to be ticked… they all need a huge tick in the box. Just having a few alone is simply not enough. There are a load of other ways to spot a property hotspot too - and Rob B shares a great tip for anyone who’s in the same position. There’s also a great podcast on usin

This week on The Property Podcast, Rob & Rob are giving away some top secrets. Just a couple of decades ago, city centres were considered no-go places to live, and those who were deemed “successful” were the ones who escaped to the suburbs. How times have changed!   Now, city centre living has never been so popular. To throw a few stats out there, the population of central Birmingham has grown by 163% since the millennium and Liverpool has grown by a whopping 181%. In today’s episode, The Robs are answering a number of questions around this topic: What’s changing the sentiment of city living and are places like Manchester and Birmingham in danger of suffering loss of confidence like London is currently? As an investor, is this a trend you should be trying to take advantage of? Is this a short term trend? And is there a bubble that may burst? Tune into this week’s Property Podcast to find out the answers to this ‘secret trend’. In the news this week, research shows that generation rent are wanting

This week on ask Rob & Rob, we’ve got two Hubbers who have both asked questions on the same topic: how should your own home fit in with your investment plans? Without attempting to dish out life advice, The Robs answer Claire and Azar’s questions in the most informative way possible. Rob D points out one thing to remember: your home is your home and your investments are your investments. Sometimes they work in perfect harmony, and sometimes one takes priority over the other. From Rob B’s point of view, both Claire and Azar need to be very clear about what they want first and foremost. Each person's situation is different, what works for one person might not necessarily work for the other. Tune in to find out what The Robs think you should do if you’re undecided on buying your own home or buying an investment property. Do you have a buy to let or property investment related question for Rob & Rob? You could feature on the next episode by giving us a call on 013 808 00035 and leaving a message with your

This week on The Property Podcast, Rob & Rob are getting personal. Property development is no easy task, and this week The Robs open up about everything that’s gone wrong, and what lessons can be learnt.   If you’re an avid Property Podcast listener, you’ll know that the development in Crewe is the first site to come out of the ground for Property Hub Homes. While they’d have liked for the process to have been a walk in the park, sometimes things just don’t go to plan. And whilst the finished result looks pretty darn amazing (if we do say so ourselves! - Rob B has shared some pictures on Instagram) there’s been a steep learning curve for all involved. So if you’re interested in diving into the world of property development, this is the podcast episode for you. Tune in to hear all about why they chose Crewe, what process they followed and also to find out what went wrong... In the news this week, it appears that tenants can now sue their landlord directly if their home is unfit for human habitation. Howev

This week on ask Rob & Rob we’ve got another two cracking property questions from our listeners. First up we’ve got Andrew who is wanting to know if there is a particular point in the property cycle when it’s best to renovate your property? He’s wondering if there’s a key point where you can both minimise your costs whilst maximising your profit. Rob D explains that the prime times to renovate your property are early and late on in the cycle. When it comes to having the renovation work done, the best time is early in the cycle, ideally just after the crash when nobody else is going to be doing it. Whether you’re wanting to flip a property to sell or keep it as a long term investment, Rob D delves into the detail on this week’s Ask Rob & Rob. Second up we have Kiki. Kiki is wondering if derelict properties make a good investment? This isn’t a typical investment option and Rob B talks us through what a derelict house actually is and how people usually get their hands on them. If you’re after Rob B’s thoug

This week on The Property Podcast, Rob & Rob are answering your top 10 Brexit questions. Over the past couple of weeks we’ve been talking Brexit. Are we staying, are we going? Who knows! In episode 312we heard from some Hubbers who were determined to not let Brexit scupper their property investment plans, and Rob & Rob backed this up by sharing their thoughts on the current state of affairs. Since then, we’ve been inundated with your Brexit questions and this week, Rob & Rob tackle them head on. Tune in to find out: Will the market crash? Will prices go up or down? What effect will this have on owner/occupiers? How will Brexit affect the long term property market? What should I do next? And In the news this week, we have a bit of positivity for once! The Halifax House Price Index shows a huge property price increase of 5.9% in February - adding more than £13,000 to the average house price in just one month! Rob D is a bit dubious about the report, so tune in to find out what he has to say. In