At our January meeting, Jonathan McDermott of TPX told us of the updates to permitted development which would, in the example I gave then, allow a property owner to add 2 storeys in the middle of a block however daft and incongruous it may look. My example was the block in Arundel Street, Portsmouth which had one 'mid-terrace' shop/office available which would have met the criteria. That one has not come to planning yet but just across the road, the site of the old U Need Us shop is to get the same treatment, with a conversion to residential and 2 stories added – we will watch with interest to see its progress through the system.  

When buying white goods for your properties, do you struggle choosing between A** and A***? Well, as of 1st March 2021 it all changes and under new rules, nothing will be good enough to get an A! 

  It is a widely held view that private landlords are responsible for most evictions, yet official statistics indicate this is not true. Action in other areas would have a greater impact on homelessness than penalising landlords and making it harder for them to repossess their property when tenants default on their obligations.

Do ensure that you tenants understand what you insure and what they need to insure.

This is prompted by the sad case of Edge Igbibi who was out on News Years Eve when a stray firework went through his bedroom window in Hester Road, Eastney.  The resulting fire destroyed all of his belongings but fortunately, the fire door prevented further harm elsewhere in the property.  After the event, Edge said, "I have lost £15,000 worth of goods" - unfortunately he assumed the landlord had insurance which covered contents owned by tenants.