1. Please introduce yourself. Say a bit about yourself and your company

HI I am Roberta Ward and my company – My Property Mentor started life as a help site for landlords and new investors to learn about property investing safely away from the ‘get rich quick’ mentality of some of the larger clubs and marketeers. By way of 1.2.1 mentoring and networking events I spent time helping others. However, that has led to many great things.We are currently involved in an a much larger event in Essex called be2campeast, which is revolutionising networking, and something we are very proud to be asked to run.Besides that the company has moved away from mentoring and into the further promotion in various ways of ethical investing. I’m also a full time investor running my own portfolio and get involved in renovation projects.

2. How did you first become involved in property?

It all came from humble beginnings as my dad and several members of my immediate family are builders and trades people, so I guess you could say I grew up on building sites! I did my first renovation back in 1994, I also developed property in Ireland and later bought some buy to let’s which I rent out on multi-let basis.

3. What do you think is your greatest achievement so far?

Thats a hard question to answer because I am very proud of the folks I have helped and who have gone on to invest themselves. However I am also very proud of our blog which has been phenomenally successful.Through it and the use of various forms of social media we are now supporting the EACH Treehouse Appeal, have had media attention, famous people blogging for us, have written for magazines and have been involved with several viral campaigns. Our newer finance section is doing very well too.

4. Do you or your company have any exciting plans for the future?

Yes we do, unfortunately I cant divulge our biggest project yet as its still in production, but it is a slightly different tangent to what most folks will think of us for! Our finance arm are planning lots of webinars & workshops on tax mitigation and further investing strategies for long term wealth. Our aim is to teach you how to invest your money safely and ethically whilst at the same time showing you the best way to keep hold of it!

5. What do you think are the greatest problems facing the private rented sector today?

Finance is the main issue right now and the spectre of the interest rate hike which still looms large over a lot of investors. I’m not heavily involved in the rental sector, I am more involved in the buy to sell end so thankfully it wont effect us too much.

6. What do you think are the greatest opportunities?

Personally I feel the market will drop yet, so I am waiting to see what happens when it all shakes out in the wash! There are opportunities in any market, but I do think the change within the Estate Sales sector, with the move for an ever more online presence, will eventually radically change our property market for the better. I suspect there will be many more opportunities when the market opens up and we are involved with some of the prime people driving that change forward.

7. We have a general election coming up – what would you like to see in the winning parties manifesto as regards the private rented sector?

I think a proper tidy up and full rework of the myriad of regulatory aspects that an investor has to deal with would be a real bonus, plus maybe some tax breaks where the govt recognises that BTL is a business which helps them sort some housing issues, and it should be treated as such, without weighing down investors with useless bits of regulation that no one can understand.

8. Do you use social media (blogs, twitter, LinkedIn etc)? What place do you think it has in the future of the property industry?

Yes I do use all the above and it has made our business streamlined and fighting fit. As I said above, our use of Twitter led us to be directly involved with be2camp – which itself is a way to bridge the gap between social media and the built environment. Very exciting. Social media is a crucial part of any business strategy in my opinion- and why not? It basically a modern form of great customer service,which is something we should all strive for in business.

9. What is the most important lesson you have learned during your time in property?

Well there are so many! Here are a few of my favorites…. listen to your own instincts re the people you deal with; invest in things you feel safe with; get good advice from financial experts; finally- network like crazy on and offline, because its people who move you and your business forward not products. Surround yourself with great ethical people who you can trust.

10. What advice would you have to someone thinking of entering the property industry today?

( Dont do it!- just kidding)
Get a grip of your finances first- know your own position. Dont’ attempt to run before you can walk, learn the business at a steady pace. It is currently a very volatile market, even seasoned professionals have been caught out, set a clear entry and exit strategy for each deal and always have a plan B exit strategy! Work towards multiple income streams so that you never get stuck with all your eggs in one basket. Diversity spreads risk.

*****
Great advice Roberta. And keep up the good work on your excellent blog.

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To get the blog on your phone you just put in the url www.landlordlawblog.co.uk and you will find it.  It will look like the picture.  You can also get it at http://mippin.com/landlordlawblog

Have you read our blog on your phone?  Let me know what you think.

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Every week I will be asking someone in the property industry to answer ten questions, in 100 words or less, and provide a photo.  These will then be published on the site.

The ‘notable people’ will come from all areas  – landlords, tenants, lawyers, agents, commentators, anyone really who has made their mark in the private rented sector, and who has an interesting story to tell.  There are, I know, a lot of you out there!

I already have a few persons in the bag, but who would *you* like to see featured in this series?  Please leave a comment with your suggestions.

January

My main story in January is the decision of TDS (the tenancy deposit scheme run by the Dispute Service) to withdraw membership from agents who are not regulated, for example by ARLA, RICS or NALS.   This is followed by a statement from My Deposits saying that their service was open to all agents, regulated or not.  I write a piece on drug factories in rented properties , a topic which I have noticed has been in the news on and off all year.

January is also the month I purchased my MacBook (which I am writing this on now) – I can’t believe it is nearly a year since I bought it.

The Charity of the month is Centrepoint.

February

In February I report on a case which raised the worrying possibility that Judges might consider an extra months rent paid in advance instead of a deposit as being a deposit in all but name and subject to the regulations.

I also announce my new twitter tips service for landlords and tenants, and appear on Radio Norfolk with Graham and Karen.

The Charity of the month is Unlock Democracy.

March

March features a post on complaints about the DPS, in particular the problem that people aggrieved about inadequacies in arbitrations do not appear to have any recourse. In the comments, Francis Davy suggests people might consider the Arbitration Act, and there are some interesting comments following this.

I report on a campaign for tenants the forgotten victims of repossession, supported by the Citizens Advice Bureau, and give some advice for tenants in this context.  I also attended the Landlord and Buy to Let Show in London.

The Charity of the month is Comic Relief.

April

In April I warn about the increased use of set off by banks, there was an new case about tenancy deposits paid before 7 April 2007, and a few posts on Foxtons of which my favourite is Foxtons on twitter.

I am informed by a client of a new interpretation of the tenancy deposit regulations, found on a consumer discussion forum, and Foxtons lose on a preliminary point in their case at the Court of Appeal.

The Charity of the month is the National Trust.

May

In May we had the governments response to the Rugg Report. I report on four more possession cases, one of which we subsequently learn is to go to the Court of Appeal (the Tiensia case).

I also report on Richard Susskind querying the end of Lawyers, we learn of landlords being out of pocket in the insurance based tenancy deposit schemes, and everyone will remember Joanna Lumley’s victory over the government on behalf of the Ghurkas.

The Charity of the month is Starlight childrens foundation.

June

In June we learn of a fake tenancy deposit company, I discuss lettings to tenants with pets based on a report from the Dogs Trust, and  write of my disgust at the governments treatment of North Norwich MP Dr Ian Gibson.

We also learned that the FSA are to regulate sale and rentbacks of properties, I do a review of five other housing/landlord and tenant law blogs, and the Night Jack blog falls silent.

The Charity of the month is the Woodland Trust.

July

In July the decision is published in the OFT v. Foxtons case which is in favour of the OFT. I then learn, via the 4Walls Tribes forum of the shocking behaviour of some agents in order to get more commission, and write a bit about the fiduciary duties of agents. I also give some general guidance for landlords on choosing tenancy agreements.

A report about the difficulties for people from non privileged backgrounds promots me to write an article on becoming a lawyer.

The Charity of the month is McMillan Cancer support.

August

In August I find an interesting article in the New Law Journal on a tenancy deposit case of Jacklin v Fraser Property Management Ltd and give my three top tips for landlords to protect themselves against their agents going bust.

A post about defences to possession proceedings (spurious or otherwise) brought forth some interesting comments from readers, and we have an excellent guest post, Twist stick or bust from solicitor Paul Hajek.

The charity of the month is the Dogs Trust.

September

In September I take a look at the TDS annual report, and write an article about fraudsters targetting student tenants.  A reader writes to me about the DPS not returning her deposit after she had obtained a CCJ.

I start my Urban Myths series with an item about whether a short let can be an AST and report on an interesting article about why landlords keep losing at arbitrations.

The Charity of the month is Liberty.

October

I report on a talk by Professor Martin Partington on the future of the private rented sector,  give advice to tenants on how to protect themselves against rogue landlords,  and give four tips for landlords on HMO and HHRS taken from a talk from David Smith of PainSmith solicitors.

I attend the Landlord and Buy to Let Show and awards,  and am twitterviewed.

The Charity of the month is Medicins Sans Frontieres.

November

In November I cover a DPS report that over 8,000 tenants fail to claim their deposits,  and a report of an tenancy deposit decision of District Judge Burn in the case of Da Cosat v. Pinter.  Surprisingly (or perhaps not, considering the economic conditions) the OFT v. Banks case is decided in favour of the banks.

This blog is launched in a new format (with all the old posts copied over), I develop a toolbar for my Landlord Law service, and we have  a great guest blog from Roberta Ward on the tax man in pursuit of landlords.

The Charity of the month is the Sherbet Foundation set up by enforcement company Shergroup.

December

In December the DWP publish a report and consultation paper on housing benefit and local housing allowance (deadline for responses is 22 February).  The  TDS state that they will be increasing their charges next year,  a private members bill is proposed to help tenants threatened with eviction by their landlords mortgage company,  and I discuss an ancient law which could help landlords whose tenants fail to vacate after serving a notice to quit.

I report on my new referral service and the resources page on this blog.  Finally, at the very end of the year, we learn that Foxtons are to appeal against the decision in the case brought againsg them by the OFT.

The Charity for the month is Habitat for Humanity

In conclusion – an interesting year with some interesting cases. Dominated, so far as my area of law is concerned, by the Foxtons case on unfair contract terms, and the increasing number of tenancy deposit decisions. Hopefully both of these areas of law should receive some guidance from the Court of Appeal next year which will make life a bit easier for those of us advising.

I wish you all a happy and prosperous 2010.

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However as the home page is looking a bit crowded I have decided to give a whole page for resources, which you can now see via the link in the orange navigation bar above.

The main part of the page looks at various free (and one members only) resources on the Landlord Law site, with links to the relevant section from the heading.

I have also done a new blogroll, or rather several blogrolls, covering different types of service. There are then RSS feeds showing the most recent Nearly Legal and PainSmith blog posts. Finally there is a contact form for you to use if you have any suggestions for other content (although note that all sites are included here at my discretion).

I hope the new resources page will be useful to you.  Let me know if you have any comments.

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