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Hello again <<First Name>>
Welcome to the summer edition of ARaja Property newsletter of 2016.
In case you haven't noticed, I've designed a new banner and finally got round to creating my domain name with a new email address, so hopefully this newsletter will be delivered to more of you (Gmail and other free email providers often have restrictions when 'email campaigns' are sent by other servers using a Gmail address), so please do let me know if you have received this out of the blue and not received my previous newsletters. The next step is to get a website up and running so if you are a web designer, or know any good ones that you'd recommend, please let me know!
In the last few months, we have completed the purchase of our newest investment property, which is due to undergo a substantial refurbishment and will then be rented out as a house share ("HMO"). As a HMO, it has to comply with far stricter regulations and licensing requirements, but I'll spare you the boring details! It'll be an interesting project and a new challenge which I'm looking forward to.
We have also had to carry out substantial refurbishment of another buy-to-let property which was bought just before the SDLT hike in April, as the existing tenant decided to leave. Thankfully we didn't have to go to court to evict her and she left of her own volition, although we were hoping she would stay for a bit longer, and thus avoid us having to expend money on the property for a while. It wasn't meant to be, but on the flip side we're turning a run-down property into a nice new home with new electrics, plastered walls, new double glazed windows and doors, new kitchen and bathroom suite, new flooring and complete redecoration. This project has been handled by a new set of builders which I've found, so I'm slowly but surely growing my network of trusted tradesmen. Photos of the project will be uploaded to my Flickr account in due course, although you can of course 'follow' my account to receive instant notification.
On that note, this month I finally got round to getting professional photography done of my house, which we bought and renovated last year. I've found a great photographer who I'd highly recommend - see some of the sample photos below. I've uploaded photos of the renovation (before, during and after) to my Flickr account. For those of you who are interested (or nosy!), have a look at my album here. If you are in and around the Midlands and are looking for wedding, fashion, commercial or home photography, I'd be happy to recommend his services. Just send me a message and I'll pass you his details.
On the tenancy front, this month I achieved a small but satisfying victory against one of our ex-tenants regarding a deposit dispute, which was finally settled in our favour by the TDS. Essentially, the tenant left the property worse for wear due to smoking and illegally subletting the property, which resulted in us having to replace the carpets, carry out various repairs, and completely redecorate the property. He didn't accept any responsibility for the damage or agree to my repair and decoration costs, so it had to go to the TDS for settlement. They took an absolute age to decide the matter but eventually paid the whole of the deposit to us!
Until next time...
Best wishes
Anish Raja
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Living room before works
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Dining room before works
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Bathroom before works
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Living room post-renovation
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Kitchen-diner post-renovation
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Bathroom post-renovation
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