Thursday November 14, 2019

Most of us can be proud of our generation tag. Baby Boomers got to see all the good bands. Generation X raved the night away in a muddy field. Generation Y gave us much of our technology. So why does journalist India Knight describe Generation Z as “Generation Mummy’s Little Sausage”? Harsh judgement on an […]

Tuesday October 1, 2019

I am Englishman of Italian heritage with a Bulgarian wife, so I consider myself European. Our children are British–Bulgarian, which may be an issue if Bulgaria declares war on Britain. Or if my parents declare war on anybody; that would be a mistake and I have told them so. For the most part, my Italian […]

Saturday June 1, 2019

Half way through 2019 and it seems every month I rail against tenant protection legislation that turns out badly when put into practice. Cynics in the lettings sector suggest this is a cunning plot to free up rental properties for the hard-pressed first-time buyer. But a three-storey mid terrace in Heaton is beyond the means […]

Tuesday May 7, 2019

In 1959, American academic William Foster-Harris postulated that there are three plots for a novel or movie. ‘Happy Ending’, ‘Unhappy Ending’ and ‘Tragedy’. In 1977 Meatloaf reached number 32 in the UK charts with ‘Two out of three ain’t bad’. Which, in the private rental sector is what Governments have achieved so far. I look […]

Monday April 1, 2019

Now that it is officially Spring I would love to write a column full of fluffy bunnies and dancing daffodils but sadly, the outlook for the private rental sector currently looks like the bleak mid winter for both landlords and tenants. This is largely the result of well-meaning legislation plotting a torturous and ill advised […]