Rob & Rob are back again with another Friday market update for you. 

It’s been a pretty busy week which neither of The Robs are complaining about right now. 

So far, yesterday’s podcast episode where Rob & Rob were pretty bold on their boom or bust predictions, has been quite popular with a lot of feedback coming in. 

One topic that the guys discussed on Thursday was the unemployment rate. Since recording, Rob D has been doing some further thinking and has been questioning if the UK hadn’t implemented the furlough scheme, would there be a higher rate of unemployment? 

And is the furlough scheme just delaying that potential unemployment rate? 

Rob B also shares his thoughts on the employment bounceback which is likely to be felt across certain industries. 

Which industries does he think are going to make a comeback first and which does he expect to see a number of redundancies? 

Tune in to find out.

Enjoy - and we’ll be back next week!

We’d love to hear what you think of our new market updates over on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. You might even have a question you’d like us to cover in the future - if so, pop us a message on social and we’ll see what we can do.

Make sure you’ve liked and subscribed to our YouTube channel where we upload new content every week! 

If that wasn’t enough, you can also join our friendly property community on the Property Hub forum.

Last week on The Property Podcast, Rob & Rob gave you their predictions for 2020. And this week they’re back for their annual rundown of the top UK property investment hotspots to help you decide where to invest next.  

It’s an episode that many of you look forward to at the beginning of each year. So now the wait is over - here’s a run-down of which locations made The Robs’ 2020 hotspot list, along with places should be on your radar to watch…

Cities:

1. Liverpool
2. Manchester 
3. Nottingham/Leeds

Towns:

1. Crewe
2. Doncaster 
3. Greater Manchester 

Up and coming:

1. Sheffield 
2. … you’ll have to listen to find out the rest. 

So, there you have it, Rob & Robs property hotspots for 2020. Some of them may come as a surprise, so make sure you hit that play button to find out why The Robs reckon these should be on your radar.  

Our news story this week is actually a positive one! (New Year, new Rob & Rob?) and the headline reads ‘Buy-to-let investment sentiment remains strong as 2020 kicks off’. According to a recent survey, 75% of people were positive about buy-to-let - rising to 83% if you include millennials.

Apparently a lot of young people have a positive attitude towards property investment, whilst those who have been in the game for a while are a bit more sceptical due to recent changes over the past few years. But, nevertheless, no matter whether you’re about to start or you started 10 years ago, property will still come out on top as the best investment model. 

For Hub Extra this week, we thought that this podcast episode on our 2020 hotspots just wasn’t enough. So, we’ve also done a new YouTube video where Rob & Rob go into more detail on these locations, allowing you to get even more of an insight on what made these locations capture their attention. 

So head on over to our YouTube channel to check the video out, and don’t forget to hit the subscribe button and turn on those post notifications. 

We’d love to hear what you think of this week’s Property Podcast over on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. You might even have a topic you’d like us to cover in the future - if so, pop us a message on social and we’ll see what we can do.

Make sure you’ve liked and subscribed to our YouTube channel where we upload new content every week!

If that wasn’t enough, you can also join our friendly property community on the Property Hub forum.

We’ve got an epic episode for you. This week on The Property Podcast, Rob & Rob are sharing just how they made £130 million worth of investments happen this year! 

Before you get the wrong end of the stick, this isn’t an episode of them bragging about their achievements. Oh no. They’re actually going to tell you exactly how they’ve done it and where they did it, so you can do it too. 

One question Rob & Rob get asked all the time is: “where are you investing?” 

And rightly so. They’re experts in this field so naturally, you want to invest where they are. 

We’re not just sharing where Rob & Rob have invested, but where Property Hub Invest clients are investing too. Sharing is caring. 

At the beginning of the year Rob & Rob shared the top five locations across the country that they were going to be targeting throughout the year. These locations were:

• Manchester
• Liverpool
• Leeds
• Sheffield 
• Nottingham

So how many have the guys been able to tick off this checklist? 

Tune in to find out!

Our news story this week isn’t a happy one, unfortunately. It’s an article from the BBC, ‘Devastated hotel investors fly to UK seeking their money’, which has sadly seen a number of investors lose an awful lot of money in a hotel investment that has gone horribly wrong. 

The hotel investment offered investors guaranteed returns, which haven’t been met and now angry investors have been flying over to the UK to find out where their money is. We’ve talked about this topic before, why we think you should stay away from hotel investments, and sadly, this is exactly the reason why. We actually even did a YouTube video on investing in hotel rooms, which you can watch here.

This week’s Hub Extra tool is a resource called Flux. If you spend a lot of time on your phone or your laptop, especially just before you go to bed, then this will be a tool you’ll want to use. 

It’s been proven that technology screens give off a blue light that makes it difficult to sleep at night and disturbs you from getting a full solid night sleep. Flux is a programme that detects what time of day it is and automatically changes the brightness of your screen and changes the colours that are given off, so you can now get the ideal amount of undisturbed sleep.

We’d love to hear what you think of this week’s Property Podcast over on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. You might even have a topic you’d like us to cover in the future - if so, pop us a message on social and we’ll see what we can do.

Make sure you’ve liked and subscribed to our YouTube channel where we upload new content every week!

If that wasn’t enough, you can also join our friendly property community on the Property Hub forum.

This week on Ask Rob & Rob we’ve got another two cracking property questions from listeners.

First up we’ve got Scott who is a first time investor looking to purchase a property in Sheffield. Sheffield is a great option but he’s also looking at properties in Doncaster as they’re slightly cheaper. Naturally Scott’s question is whether Doncaster will experience any capital growth.

The neighbouring city of Sheffield has been pegged as one of Rob & Robs hotspots for this year, but will Doncaster benefit from a knock on effect? With the amount of public and private investment being ploughed into the area, you may well think so.  

Listen as Rob B gives his opinion and reiterates the importance of fundamentals when investing in property. The Robs covered this last month so be sure to have a listen if you missed it.

Our next question comes from Adam. After listening to the episode on leveraging, Adam wants to know what would happen if his property decreased in value and he lost his initial 25% deposit (therefore having no equity in the property). Would he be tied into his current mortgage product and unable to switch to a better product?

Tune in to find out what the outcome is and what advice Rob D has for Adam...

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 name and question (normal UK call rates apply).

Or if you prefer, click here to leave a recording via your computer instead.

The next question on Ask Rob & Rob could be yours.

Have you joined us over on the Property Hub Forum yet? Our online community is friendly, informative, and the members are waiting to welcome you with open arms. So get yourself over and introduce yourself.

This week on ask Rob & Rob we’ve got two listeners who are questioning mortgage products and funding buy-to-let properties.

First up we’ve got Jay who is wanting some tips on how to raise the initial cash required for investing in buy to let property.

Rob D starts off by pointing out the difference between making money and growing money. Although property can be tailored to both, it is more suitable to the latter.

But how do you benefit from either of the methods mentioned by Rob D and how do you make it happen?

Next up we’ve got Helen who wants to know if the limited company mortgage market is going to disappear after a conversation she had with her mortgage broker.

Rob B pulls no punches with this one. Did you know 80% of the buy-to-let market is made up of limited company mortgages? Listen as Rob B tells it like it is.

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 name and question (normal UK call rates apply).

Or if you prefer, click here to leave a recording via your computer instead.

The next question on Ask Rob & Rob could be yours.

Have you joined us over on the Property Hub Forum yet? Our online community is friendly, informative, and the members are waiting to welcome you with open arms. So get yourself over and introduce yourself.

We've waited four years for Rob D to rant and this is the episode where it finally happens.

This week's topic takes information from an official government publication 'The English Housing Survey' which you can find here.

Here are some of the facts we look at in the report:

Size & composition of rental sector

• 4.5m households are in PRS. That’s 20% of all households. Up from 12% in 2006
• 24% of private renters receive housing benefit, but only 5% had their full rent covered by HB
• 74% were working

Ability to pay rent

• Households in the PRS spend 35% of their income on rent. 45% in London, 32% excluding London
• 71% found it “fairly” or “very” easy to pay their rent. Falls to 41% in London
• 9% of private renters had been in arrears in the last year, compared to 25% of social renters

• Mean weekly rent is £184 overall: £300 in London, £153 outside London. Slightly more expensive than the average mortgage payment
• 66% of private renters have no savings. Of the 1/3 who did, 41% of them were under £5,000. Scary!

Length of tenancy and satisfaction

• Average tenancy length 4.3 years

• 82% satisfied with accommodation. 10% dissatisfied, compared to 13% of social renters
• Of those who had repairs carried out in last 12 months, 18% were dissatisfied with how it was done. Compared to 22% of social renters

Why last tenancy ended

• 73% because they wanted it to. 11% ended by landlord. Only 2% left because of rent increase
• Of those 11% ended by LL, 63% were because the landlord wanted to sell or use the property (but could be skewed)

So these stats would indicate that private landlords are not doing too bad of a job in fact.

But hang on a minute, another perspective came out recently which, on the face of it, looks very different which was reported in Guardian as "Landlords are turfing people out of their homes without reason - and it's completely legal" And here we have the fuel for Rob D's very first rant in four years. You'll have to listen to the podcast in full to listen to him go... 

Resource of the week

Thanks to Damien for this resource, which is a good one. It's another look at the private rental market and gives you even more data than we've discussed already. Check this one out here. 

Join the conversation over in the forum

Want to join in the ranting? Join the conversation in the forum.

If you enjoyed The Property Podcast, please leave a review on iTunes

Reviews are really important in helping other people to find the show, so by way of thanks we read out every single review we receive on air.

If you’d like to hear your name on the show, leave us a review on iTunes here.

Not sure how to leave a review? This video shows you how to review and subscribe on iTunes.

It's time for another couple of questions in this week's edition of 'Ask Rob & Rob'. Two listeners...

...ask Rob & Rob... Should I take the guaranteed rent? PLUS: Is there a limit on how much interest you can claim?

ASK YOUR OWN QUESTION TO ROB & ROB!

Don't be shy! All you need to do is leave a message with your name and whatever's on your mind.

Just pick up the phone and call 013 808 00035 (normal UK call rates apply).

Or if you prefer, click here to leave a recording via your computer instead.

NEED MORE ANSWERS?

The Property Hub Summit is the place to get all your questions personally answered by Rob & Rob, and build a network of other smart, motivated investors.

Over the course of a full day at a swanky hotel we'll help you set your goals, form a plan to get you there, overcome your obstacles, and give you the support system you need to make sure nothing gets in your way.

Just don't hang around - there are only four Summits each year, and just 16 places available at each!

Interested? Click here to find out more.

It's time for another couple of questions in this week's edition of 'Ask Rob & Rob'. Two listeners... ...ask Rob & Rob...What's the best way to keep builders on track? PLUS: How do interest-only mortgages work? ASK YOUR OWN QUESTION TO ROB & ROB! Don't be shy! All you need to do is leave a message with your name and whatever's on your mind. Just pick up the phone and call 013 808 00035 (normal UK call rates apply). Or if you prefer, click here to leave a recording via your computer instead. NEED MORE ANSWERS? The Property Hub Summit is the place to get all your questions personally answered by Rob & Rob, and build a network of other smart, motivated investors. Over the course of a full day at a swanky hotel we'll help you set your goals, form a plan to get you there, overcome your obstacles, and give you the support system you need to make sure nothing gets in your way. Just don't hang around - there are only four Summits each year, and just 16 places available at each! Interested? Click here to find out more.

We're very excited to announce that Rob D's new book came out yesterday and we may be biased, but we think it is his best yet. In this week's special episode of The Property Podcast, we are going to discuss 'How to be a landlord', with tips from the book, and from all sorts of other places.

Also, we have Meetups next week. The evening's are lighter so there's no excuse not to join your nearest get together. Find all the details here.

You'll need to listen to the episode in full to get all of this week's tips and info, but here are some notes you may want to jot down.

You can make property management a lot easier with some little tricks and processes.

 Communicating with tenants:

• Writing is better than phone
• Do whatever’s easiest for them - WhatsApp group, text, even Facebook
• You don’t have to give out your phone number - Skype or switchboardfree
• Set out ground rules at the start about when you’re contactable, and stick to them!

Chasing up rent:

• Ideally use direct debit - you’ll know it’s set up properly
• Diarise rent date and make contact on the same day if it doesn’t come in
• Have a process: e.g. text day 1, call day 3, final warning day 5
• Don’t fall for sob stories
• If you have RGI, make sure you notify them in line with T&Cs

Dealing with emergencies:

• Define “emergency"
• Instruct tenants about what to do in an emergency. Often, calling you isn’t the best thing to do
• Consider landlord emergency cover

Dealing with routine maintenance:

• Build up trades contacts and treat them very well
• Save a visit by seeing if it’s something the tenant can easily sort - e.g. washing machine filter, defrost fridge, unblock sink, re pressurise boiler
• Communicate clearly around damp and condensation - explain the difference
• Use routine inspections to look for condensation, and also look for early signs of repairs that will need doing (including external)

Inspections:

• Quick check of each room
• Check smoke alarms
• Visually inspect electrics
• Look for fire risks
• Look for condensation
• Look for early signs of repairs that will be needed (including external)

Conclusion:

• Work smart, not hard
• Use checklists to get the best result every time
• Be proactive and stop issues from happening in the first place

Oh, and of course the first thing you need to do is purchase a book that tells you exactly How to be a Landlord, right? Funnily enough, we know just the book.

News story: General Election

Obviously the biggest news story of the week is Rob's new book but we also gather the Prime Minister has called a snap General Election. We'll obviously keep you fully up to date over what this means for you in property terms.

Resource of the week

This week's resource of the week is obviously Rob's book - make sure you get yourself a copy!

Continue the conversation over in the forum

Have you ordered your copy of the book? What is your must-add tip that you would include on How to be a Landlord?

Let us know and join the conversation over in the forum!

If you enjoyed The Property Podcast, please leave a review on iTunes

Reviews are really important in helping other people to find the show, so by way of thanks we read out every single review we receive on air.

If you’d like to hear your name on the show, leave us a review on iTunes here.

Not sure how to leave a review? This video shows you how to review and subscribe on iTunes.

It's time for another couple of questions in this week's edition of 'Ask Rob & Rob'. This week two listeners...

...ask Rob & Rob...What should I look for when offering finance to another investor? PLUS: Can I use a 2nd charge mortgage to borrow more?

The Robs give their take on these topics. What do you think? Head over to the forum to discuss.

ASK YOUR OWN QUESTION TO ROB & ROB!

Don't be shy! All you need to do is leave a message with your name and whatever's on your mind.

Just pick up the phone and call 013 808 00035 (normal UK call rates apply).

Or if you prefer, click here to leave a recording via your computer instead.

NEED MORE ANSWERS?

The Property Hub Summit is the place to get all your questions personally answered by Rob & Rob, and build a network of other smart, motivated investors.

Over the course of a full day at a swanky hotel we'll help you set your goals, form a plan to get you there, overcome your obstacles, and give you the support system you need to make sure nothing gets in your way.

Just don't hang around - there are only four Summits each year, and just 16 places available at each!

Interested? Click here to find out more.

Last week it was Scotland v England (or Rob D v Rob B) at the Meetups as Rob D ventured to Edinburgh to our brilliant Meetup there, led by Karen & Bill. Rob B took over the helm at the King's Cross Meetup and both locations were very busy. 

Rob D spent a bit more time putting the finishing touches to his new book 'How to be a Landlord' but we'll tell you more about that over the next couple of weeks. 

Now on to this week's big topic - all about lease hold. 

Something that puts some people off - and fear often comes from lack of knowledge. So let's get educated. 

What is leasehold? 

• You don’t own the land - you lease the land for a period of time. At the end of that time it reverts back to the freeholder if you don’t renew
• Typical lease terms are anything from 100 to 999 years
• You pay ground rent every year as payment for the lease
• The lease has conditions about what you can and can’t do
• Most common for flats, increasingly new build houses too

What you need to know 

• Lease extension is always possible and follows a set formula - BUT
• Gets more expensive with under 80 years left - marriage value
• Under about 60 years becomes hard to get mortgage

Things to check before you buy:

• Length of remaining lease term
• Ground rent, and if it increases after period of time

• Any restrictions - like not being able to sublet!
• Service charge is a bit different but this is important too
• Get your solicitor to look over the lease in detail

How to extend: 

• Extension is always for an additional 90 years, with no ground rent payable for this new 90 years
• Get a specialist valuer to value the extension and a solicitor to serve notice on the landlord, offering terms and how much to pay
• Landlord has 2 months to respond, either accepting or stating their own terms

• Negotiate. After 2 months either party can apply to tribunal for decision
• Wait for tribunal decision, which is final
• Can take a year or more from start to finish by the time you’ve waited for various deadlines
• If it’s close to 80 years and you’re buying, get the vendor to start the process and transfer it to you because you can’t do it in first 2 years

How to make money from leases: 

• Buy properties with short leases and extend them. Will need to be cash buy or bridging until you’ve done the extension. Make sure there’s a profit even after the extension costs.
• Buy freeholds. Ground rents give an income stream.

News story: Household savings ratio falls to record low.

This is a bit worrying in itself, but we're particularly concerned given that mortgages are cheaper than ever. What will happen when the cost of mortgages goes up? Take a look at this story here. 

Resource of the week

This week's resource of the week is Pocket Explore. This is an extension of a previous ROTW Get Pocket. Explore Pocket takes this a bit further and helps you find high quality blogs on any given subject. Check it out. 

Continue the conversation over in the forum

Have you invested in a leasehold or have you been put off? 

Let us know your take on this important subject and join the conversation over in the forum!

If you enjoyed The Property Podcast, please leave a review on iTunes

Reviews are really important in helping other people to find the show, so by way of thanks we read out every single review we receive on air.

If you’d like to hear your name on the show, leave us a review on iTunes here.

Not sure how to leave a review? This video shows you how to review and subscribe on iTunes.

This week our friend Pete Matthew is back, guiding us through alternative ways to get exposure to property – without owning it directly.

We discuss different types of "collective investment" vehicles (such as REITs, OIECs and a whole bunch of other acronyms) as well as investments that track property rather than holding it, such as ETFs. During our chat we get to the bottom of:

• Why it's useful to look at alternatives to holding property directly
• All the different options, and how to tell them apart
• The pros and cons of these types of investment
• How to research the prospects of different opportunities

If you enjoyed this episode, please check out more of Pete's fine work at Meaningful Money

So, Brexit happened...now what?

That's the question we attempt to answer in this week's episode. What happens next in general, what happens next for the property market in particular...and perhaps more importantly, what general lessons can we take away from the whole thing?

We discuss:

• What's happened during the last couple of weeks since the result
• What it means for property in London – and the UK market in general
• What to absolutely not do now as an investor
• Where there might be opportunities to profit from uncertainty
• The psychology of investors, and what Brexit can teach us about preparing for future major events

Further listening:

• Our Brexit special from last week
• Pete Matthew discussing Brexit on the Meaningful Money podcast

Resource of the week

Thank you to Charles for pointing us towards Office Lens (iTunes store and Android store).

It's another document scanning app, but Charles and Rob B agree that the quality is far superior to anything else they've tried – and even works for whiteboards.

Rob D noted that Evernote has raised its document scanning game too, and the mobile version ofGoogle Drive is improving all the time.

It's meetup day!

It's the first Thursday of July, which means meetups – 30 of them in fact, across the UK and beyond!

Go to thepropertyhub.net/meetups to find your nearest and book your free place.

And if you're in Leeds or Leamington Spa, one of the Robs will see you there!

Join the conversation

Will you be taking advantage of the post-Brexit uncertainty?

How have your plans changed, if at all?

We’d love to know, so join the discussion in The Property Hub!

If you enjoyed The Property Podcast, please leave a review on iTunes

Reviews are really important in helping other people to find the show, so by way of thanks we read out every single review we receive on air.

If you’d like to hear your name on the show, leave us a review on iTunes here.

Not sure how to leave a review? This video shows you how to review and subscribe on iTunes.

Rob & Rob own multiple property businesses as well as their own portfolios...but what do they actually do every day? That's what we attempt to answer in this episode, as a means of both showing what a full-time career in property looks like and extracting useful lessons for investors at all stages.

  We never claim to be the greatest investors in the world, but one thing's for sure – we're a lot better than we used to be. This week we share five specific things we've done that have helped us to get better results.