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[JamesHopeful]

It is perfectly possible for five friends to rent a house together in the same way a family would. In terms of the safety requirements (smoke alarms etc.), the requirements for a pre-formed group single let HMO will not necessarily be vastly different from what would be best practice for a family let....

[JamesHopeful]

That's exactly what I thought. Anyone who owns any shares at all but who also has at least one mortgage which they could theoretically pay down (which probably represents a high proportion of share owners) is effectively borrowing to invest.

Over the long-term, borrowing to invest in shares...

[JamesHopeful]

This may be a slightly controversial opinion, but I am always surprised when I find landlords doing any DIY at all on their rental properties. To my mind it shows a failure to take into account value of time. Given that the time which I put into my rental business is essentially fixed, it's much more...

[JamesHopeful]

Ditto the legal fee/disbursements in relation to the remortgage (sorry -- I too would rather it were otherwise!).

[JamesHopeful]

Would the property in question be mortgaged? If so, that could raise some difficulties. If you have it on a BTL mortgage you probably wouldn't be allowed to stay in it yourself. If you have it on a standard residential mortgage you wouldn't be allowed to let it.

[JamesHopeful]

On average, hedging will cost you more than not hedging (or else the hedging provider wouldn't make a profit). It would however provide you with certainty.

Given the very low risk of a sharp upwards trajectory in interest rates, why is this certainty so valuable for you that you are happy...

[JamesHopeful]

Thank you. I will get in touch with the council's HMO department to fully ascertain their requirements in terms of what report they might need, and then try to find a genuine fire expert (as opposed to a run-of-the-mill risk assessor) as you suggest....

[JamesHopeful]

Thank you for the further advice to JK0 and leaseholder64.

I suppose my fear remains that the conservation officer won't let me do what's required to satisfy the HMO licensing officer, and therefore I never get a licence. I think getting advice from the HMO licensing people might be the...