Property Abandonment

Q . We think our tenants have left without saying anything. They are still in a Tenancy Agreement, are two months in arrears and we have not been able to make contact with them. Unfortunately we do not live locally, but the neighbours who are friends of ours say they have not seen them around and having peeped through a window it looks as if most of the furniture has gone. Where do we stand legally?

Shared Accommodation Rate for Under 35s

Question:

We currently rent out a one-bedroom flat to a single person. We have always received the rent on time and the gentleman looks after the property well. Unfortunately, he was made redundant recently and will have to claim Housing Benefit whist looking for another job. My concern is that he is 31 years of age and I have been told there have been changes to the legislation on single people under the age of 35. Can you tell me what those changes are and how they will affect my tenant and us? Many thanks.

Taxman to Target Buy-to-let Landlords

HMRC have launched 12 task forces aimed at targeting landlords with 3 or more properties in 2011/12 and more in 2012/13.

The buy-to-let taskforce will specifically target tax evasion among buy-to-let landlords who own or rent out more than three properties. HMRC taskforces form part of the government's aim to raise an additional £7bn a year by 2014/15 through tackling tax evasion, avoidance and fraud.

Mike Wells director of risk and intelligence at HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), is quite clear: "If you deliberately seek to evade tax we can and will track you down and you'll face not only a heavy fine, but possibly a criminal prosecution as well."

The Task forces will gain information from:

Banks Mortgage applications
Land registry Electoral rolls
Council tax records Letting agents

Deposit Schemes

I am going through a dispute with tenants who recently moved out of a rented property I own. They have caused quite a bit of damage and I have retained their deposit. Although I have provided an in depth detail of the damage along with photographic evidence of before they moved in and after, they have sought advice from the CAB. The CAB has advised them to seek confirmation of how the Deposit was protected. Unfortunately, I was not aware I had to protect the Deposit and am concerned at what this may mean. Obviously going forward I will ensure the deposit from the new tenants is protected but can you advise me on my rights with this particular case as I genuinely didn't know?