‘A Scotsman’s Home is his Castle’ is (almost!) the phrase that was coined in Victorian times as the UK has a reputation for being a country of home owners  ... but the truth could be further from the point, because in a league of the top 46 economic nations of the world, where owning your property is permissible, the UK is only ranked no.37. As I have mentioned, at the end of the First World War, 77% of people rented their home (the vast majority renting from a private landlord as Council Housing was still very much in its infancy). Homeownership rose very slowly in the 1920’s and started ..read more

I am genuinely concerned about the Falkirk property market, but in a way that might surprise you. Zoopla announced that average ‘asking prices’ rose in the last six months by 1.5% in Falkirk, leaving them 0.9% higher than a year ago.  Looking at all the data on the Falkirk property market, and putting aside the need for more houses to be built in the next decade to balance out the increase in population not matched by a similar increase in housing being built, my research shows there is a widening gap between what property buyers want and what is available to buy. In a nutshell, many ..read more

The Falkirk Property Blog today features an article from a guest contributor, Jake Ryan of Wise Knotwood Solutions all about Japanese Knotweed ….. something that all landlords need to be be aware of.  Over to Jake ….. Spring begins with a warning for landlords It has been estimated that Japanese Knotweed costs the British economy an astounding £166 million each year. The invasive plant has been listed by the World Conservation Union as one of the worst invasive species globally so it is critical that landlords familiarise themselves with the destructive plant, especially in spring. The sprin ..read more

All letting agents are required to be registered with, and regulated by, the Scottish Government.  It has been a criminal (not civil) offence to trade as a letting agent after 1 October 2018 if you are not registered with, and regulated by, the Scottish Government. Registered letting agents require to adhere to the Scottish Government Letting Agent Code of Practice which means that, amongst other things, they have to have suitable policies and procedures in place, there staff need to be appropriately qualified, and they have to control their clients’ money sensibly and they have to have profe ..read more

Today’s buy to let opportunity from The Falkirk Property Blog is a three bedroom semi-detached house in the Bantaskine area of Falkirk.  The property on Bantaskine Street in Falkirk.  It has a large lounge/dining room, a separate fitted kitchen and a bathroom with a bath over the shower on the ground floor.  Upstairs there are three good sized bedrooms.  The front of the property have been mono blocked in full and can take two to three cars and at the rear there is an easily maintained garden. A thoughts about this property.  On the positive side, there are not that many family homes like th ..read more

Landlords often ask us what goes on behind the scenes at The Key Place and so we thought we would share our experiences, and what we have learned from those experiences, with you. If I had a penny for the number of times that I had rolled my eyes in despair at something a contractor had done, then I’d be a rich man by now (of course that is with the exception of our regular fantastic trades guys and you know who you are!). We sent Ron the painter to do some work in a property we manage in the borders.  The tenant was able to go and stay with friends for the weekend and so it suited her to hav ..read more

I recently attended a local meeting in Falkirk where I got recognised as being the Falkirk Property Blog chap (well you have to be recognised for something, why not that!).  A question I was being asked repeatedly was ''What is the ideal property to invest in in Falkirk?''.  So I thought I would share my thoughts with you. When considering a buy-to-let purchase what is believed to be a good deal will vary from person to person.  Everyone will have a different budget and varying preferences on location, style of property, condition etc as well as having different financial situations. That is ..read more