Episodes

Last year one man paid an estimated £330 million in tax. This year, the UK will get nothing... Rob & Rob ask what happens to everyone else when the wealthy leave the country. They also put a landlord survey on management time to the test, and share how AI came to the rescue when both their boilers broke. (02:14) The global league table the UK now tops, and it's not one to celebrate (06:15) Rob & Rob agree with Gary's Economics on the problem. So where do they part ways? (12:52) Would a 2% ye...

Is it time to leave a strategy that's working and chase capital growth further from home? And should a new landlord show a property to every prospective tenant at the same time? It's Tuesday, which means Rob & Rob is back answering your questions. (00:48) Regan and his dad own two one-bed flats in Hemel Hempstead, both let at £1,100 a month. Should they keep buying more of the same, or switch to a cheaper area? Rob B explains why total return changes the sums, and Rob D weighs how long any adv...

98 separate measures, and for property investors it all comes down to one line... Recorded hours after the Chancellor sat down, Rob & Rob pick through the headlines and the extra tax heading for landlords who hold property in their own name. They also weigh up the government's big promise on AI, then end on a positive note for anyone building a portfolio. (00:49) Is that it? Why Rob & Rob came away from this Budget frustrated (06:12) Why the extra tax on property income won’t touch three in ...

Is it worth selling your investment properties to become mortgage-free? And why do bungalows get so little attention from investors? Rob & Rob answer two tricky listener questions on this week's show. (00:40) John owns two buy-to-lets in the North West, and selling both would clear his personal mortgage. Should he pay it off and save to go again, or reinvest somewhere with stronger fundamentals? Rob D weighs up the emotional side, while Rob B runs the cold, hard numbers. (05:21) Gareth has no...

A new Chancellor, a Budget rumour mill in full swing, and the first hard data on tenants who challenge a rent rise... Rob & Rob weigh up what's likely to land next week and what it could mean for property investors. Rob D shares what he found when he got AI to work through every tribunal ruling since May. Then Rob B reveals what happened when he asked Claude to point out his blind spots. It didn't hold back. (00:59) Ambition or a holding pattern? What Rob & Rob expect from this Budget (04:37)...

What should you do if the council thinks your serviced accommodation breaches planning? And is it worth moving a buy-to-let you already own into a company? It's Tuesday, so it's time for another episode of Ask Rob & Rob. (00:36) Johnny turned his first buy-to-let into serviced accommodation in May, then got a letter from Leeds City Council about a possible planning breach. Should he put in a retrospective application? Rob D explains who to speak to before doing anything else, and the fallback ...

Mortgages keep getting dearer while the base rate stands still, house prices have stalled, and politicians are making promises again... Rob & Rob explain why markets expect interest rates to go up over the next few years, even though the Bank of England might not want them to, and how that’s feeding through to the deals lenders offer. They also get into the new admin heading landlords' way, two very different pitches from opposition parties, and why the building slowdown matters for buyers and...

Should landlords sign up to a no-deposit scheme? And what's the fairest way to put the rent up when it's fallen well behind? Your questions answered on this week's episode of Ask Rob & Rob. (00:36) Tim's letting agent has sent him a leaflet promoting Reposit, a deposit alternative scheme. Should he consider using one? Rob D looks at who these schemes serve, and the question he'd ask before letting a tenant skip the deposit. (03:11) Miss Moneypenny's tenants have been in for four years with no...

One of the most respected investors on the planet has just stepped down at 96. Another says he's $1.2 billion in debt, and proud of it... Rob & Rob mark buy-to-let's 30th birthday with three decades of Hamptons data, pick out the Buffett lessons that carry straight over to property, and ask whether Robert Kiyosaki's approach to leverage is one worth copying. (01:01) What £1 put into buy-to-let in 1996 is worth today (01:31) The one thing Hamptons left out when comparing buy-to-let with the S&...

How do you use AI to get ahead in property? And when you buy a new home, is it worth letting out the old one? It's Tuesday, which means Ask Rob & Rob is back answering your questions. (00:51) Harley has a rent-to-rent unit under his belt and a job with an HMO developer in Leeds. With AI only getting bigger, how can he make the most of it throughout his career? Rob B explains the extra step most people skip, and why taking it puts you in the top 5% of AI users. (05:03) AJ is buying a new Londo...

Everyone has an opinion on whether being a landlord still pays off. Very few have the data to back it up... Richard Donnell, Zoopla's Executive Director - Research, is back on the show. Rob & Rob put the big question to him straight away, and his answer comes with a condition every landlord should hear. From there, he tests the headlines investors have been worrying about against the evidence. (02:12) Are landlords really heading for the exit, and who's buying the homes they sell? (04:00) Why...

Should you buy with cash or take out a mortgage when you're starting out? And what happens when the tenant you're evicting gets a job at your company? Rob & Rob answer two tricky listener questions on this week's show. (00:48) Alice has £600,000 saved and wants to get into property, but she's torn between flipping doer-uppers with cash and building a rental portfolio with a mortgage. Which way should she go? Rob B explains what needs to come first, before any strategy is on the table. (05:24)...

The Renters' Rights Act has been live for five months. The changes it's caused aren't the ones anyone was arguing about beforehand... Rob & Rob get into the bidding ban that backfired, the financially secure tenants now struggling to rent at all, and the new fees letting agents are testing on landlords. Then they work out what £100,000 in savings is really earning once tax and inflation have taken their share, and what the same money does over five years in property. (02:05) Inverse bidding wa...

Should you add the mortgage fee to your loan, or pay it upfront? And if your tenant's running a business from your rental, what does that mean for your insurance and mortgage? Rob & Rob tackle both questions on Tuesday’s Ask Rob & Rob. (00:41) Esther is buying her first property through Property Hub and weighing mortgage deals with and without an arrangement fee. Should she pay the fee upfront or add it to the loan? Rob D breaks down the two options. (04:00) Lawrence and his brother have disc...

Whatever the national rent headline says this month, there's a good chance it isn't describing everything... Rob & Rob are joined by Richard Donnell, Executive Director of Research at Zoopla, who tracks what 9 million monthly users do on the site and how landlords and agents set rents in real time. He takes them through what's driving the gap between one town and the next, and why the case for owning rental property looks nothing like it did 10 years ago. There's also a free tool to check what...

What would you do differently if you were buying your first buy-to-let today? And can you get a mortgage on a property you're planning to rent to a family member? Your questions answered on this week's episode of Ask Rob & Rob. (00:48) Anya is renovating her own home and plans to put the equity into her first buy-to-let, but she's hesitant about taking the plunge. How do you buy with confidence when it's your first? Rob B sets out what he'd put in place to take the guesswork out of it. (03:59...

Bond markets are under pressure across the UK, the US and much of the world. That sounds like a problem for economists, but it has a direct impact on your mortgage... Rob & Rob explain what's pushing government borrowing costs up, and why that's already showing up in swap rates and lender pricing. With the October Budget on the horizon, fresh data on prices and rents, as well as a striking number on where professional investors are putting their money - there's a lot here that could change the...

What do you do when a holiday let won't sell and keeps bleeding money every month? And when a new landlord inherits a rent set well below market value, how much of that gap can be closed, and how fast? Rob & Rob tackle both questions on this Tuesday's Ask Rob & Rob. (00:50) Stephanie's last remaining holiday let is losing money every month as mortgage rates bite, and it's been on the market for over a year. Is there anything left to try before covering the shortfall out of her own pocket this ...

Warren Buffett has never invested in property in his life. That doesn't mean his rulebook can't tell you if it’s worth investing right now... Rob & Rob borrow the value investor's toolkit, the same one that made Buffett one of the richest people alive, and run UK property through it from first principles. They build a fair value model using bond yields, price-to-income ratios and the cost of building from scratch, then compare it against what property is trading for today. The numbers say some...

Do period properties really outperform new builds when it comes to growth? And if an investment comes with a guaranteed return of up to 10%, what’s the catch? It’s Tuesday, which means Ask Rob & Rob is back answering your questions. (00:45) Gina is starting out in London and has noticed new builds looking tired a few years after completion. Period or modern, properties, are there any rules of thumb? Rob D goes through what the Land Registry data shows, and what separates a development that hol...

Rob & Rob get asked how they fit it all in more than almost anything else. This week they answer it properly... Pulling back the curtain on how they run their days, from the AI systems tracking what they've promised to the small rules that keep them consistent, this episode should help you optimise your day. (00:58) News story of the week (02:26) Why the small, repeatable stuff is what makes the big achievements land (05:33) The template day, the 90% rule and the case for one less decision e...

What do you do when you've got enough to stop working, but spending it means you can never buy again? And, even once you've built something worth passing on, how do you stop it being sold off the moment you're gone? Rob & Rob answer two tricky listener questions on this week's show. (00:41) Liam has an HMO, a couple of single lets and a construction company. He could replace his income tomorrow by putting his refinance money into two more HMOs, but that leaves nothing to recycle into future p...

August is always a strange month for property. This one is stranger than usual... There’s been good and bad news in equal measure, and often it looks like the headlines are pointing in opposite directions. In our latest market update, Rob & Rob go through every number that moved: prices, rents, lending and what landlords are doing with their money. Sentiment is grim, the returns on offer are the strongest in years, and the space between those two things is the whole story. (00:45) A new Prime...

Could a doubling ground rent clause be a hidden opportunity, or a deal-breaker you can’t afford to ignore? And what happens when your tenant gives notice but then refuses to leave? Your questions answered on today’s Ask Rob & Rob. (00:45) Charlie’s got properties with ground rent clauses that double every 25 years. Will lenders play ball? Rob B explains why leverage is everything here, and why the upcoming Leasehold Reform Bill could change the game of ground rents. (03:47) Ryan’s tenant gave...