Melanie Bien

Everything potential landlords need to know about the UK rental market Renting Out Your Property For Dummies is the essential roadmap to successful property letting. This easy-to-read guide walks readers through every step of renting out their property - showing how to avoid legal problems, find and keep the best tenants, maintain the property and maximise their rental income. As well as lots of helpful advice, it contains a wealth of sample forms and standard letters that can be used when dealing with their own tenants. Crucially, it is fully up to date on all the latest legislation including the Tenancy Deposit Scheme and Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs). Renting Out Your Property For Dummies covers: How to prepare a rental property for prospective tenantsTackling rent, deposits and tenancy agreementsDeciding whether to manage the property yourself or to hire an agentEssential information on financial management and record-keeping

No-one obsesses over property quite like the British, even though buying and selling a home can be a personal headache and a financial lucky-dip. British newspapers groan under the weight of property supplements; TV reports constantly track house prices; young people fret about getting on the property ladder, while established homeowners worry about how to increase the value of their home or the market crashing. Buying a property is rarely straightforward and can be very time-consuming. There are numerous choices to make, from the style of building and location, to proximity to schools and other amenities. Most of all, there are plenty of opportunities to make the wrong decisions. Selling your home is also fraught with stress; from deciding to move and evaluating your property’s worth to finding an estate agent and putting your home on the market, every step comes with it’s own difficulties. Plus the advent of the Home Information Packs has also created a new headache for potential vendors. Buying and Selling a Home For Dummies, 2nd Edition covers everything from finding a property and getting a mortgage to preparing your home for sale and moving on. It is also one of the few guides to cover England, Wales and Northern Ireland as separate entitles from Scotland, and to cover the Scottish property market. This updated guide also contains coverage of HIPS (Home Information Packs), which were made compulsory in September 2007 and apply to all properties with three or more bedrooms.

If you think that you'll never get a first foot onto the UK property ladder, think again! This readable guide shows you how to buy your first home without having to borrow more than you can afford. Clued-up first-time buyers will understand the pros and cons of a wide range of alternative routes to home ownership, from the legal intricacies of buying with friends to part-rent part-ownership schemes. It's the biggest financial decision of your life and it's tough at today's prices, but if you're prepared to compromise a little then there are plenty of options.