Guest Contributor on Money Questions and Answers Blog

Five Regulations Landlords Need To Know About Renting To Tenants

Regulations Landlords Need To Know In the midst of the UK’s housing crisis, it’s difficult to be a tenant. That’s widely acknowledged. It can also be difficult to be a landlord in this climate though. Pressure is building on all sides and now, more than ever. It’s vital to know your legal duties and rights as a landlord.

Though many landlords are crystal clear on their duties according to the tenancy agreements they have drawn up, relatively few know what is supposed to be in every tenancy agreement, and what is generally required of them by law. Clarity on these matters should allow you to protect yourself more effectively with safeguards such as landlord insurance.

Moving In

First things first: the deposit you take from your tenants when they sign your tenancy agreement must be secured in one of the three government-approved Tenancy Deposit Protection (TDP) schemes.

Landlords are also required to supply their tenants with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) when they move into a property. This will give the building an energy-efficiency rating from A down to G, based on the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) for energy-efficiency (which is a score out of 100).

Setting Resolutions For Affordable Dental Insurance And Care

by Guest Contributor

Dental Insurance With the holidays approaching, families across the US recognize that one of the most expensive times of the year is upon us once again. The budgets will likely get tighter, while thoughts and resolutions turn to the new year, often with commitments to live healthier lives.

One important but often neglected method of living healthily is in regards to dental care. Many families struggle to afford the cost of routine dental work, which is all the more expensive without a comprehensive dental plan.

While dental work is technically a part of healthcare, standard health insurance plans omit coverage for oral care. However, dental work is provided as part of oral health insurance, or through an annual dental plan.

Believe it or not, there are notable differences between dental insurance and dental plans. There are typically more restrictions for you as a patient when you acquire dental insurance, along with high annual rates, and potentially long waiting periods to see a competent dentist.

On the other hand, a dental plan is more affordable and frankly, a much simpler option to maintain quality oral care. Most dental plans are independent from an insurer, which eliminates the administrative headaches of filing insurance claim forms, and paying for high clerical fees.

There are also discounts for most dental plan members, though you should verify that your dentist is part of the discount dental plan network. For families on a tight budget, particularly after the holiday season, this can be very important for the oral health of the children.

Salaries Of The Five Most Traditional Professions

by Guest Contributor

Salaries-of-Traditional-Professions The following article is a guest post. If you would like to write an article for Money Q&A, please visit our Guest Posting Guidelines page.

The following traditional professions are so integral to our society we can hardly imagine them ceasing to exist. Each serves an integral role, and demands a great deal from those that pursue them. In other regards, they are high dissimilar. They all have widely varying salaries, work environments and amounts of respect and prestige associated with them.

Salaries Of The Five Most Traditional Professions

1. Doctor

The profession of doctor has always been one that carries a certain level of respect. The profession is one that is difficult and expensive to obtain but usually comes with one of the highest payoffs of any of the five traditional professions discussed.

A doctor’s salary can vary widely depending on his place of employment and his specialty within medicine. The median annual salary for those considered “physicians and surgeons” in 2010 was $166,400 a year, or approximately $80 per hour.

2. Lawyer

The lawyer profession is one built heavily around prestige. The type of law an attorney specializes in can have a great effect on their potential income due to the types of clients and cases it attracts. Generally, those in corporate or personal injury law earn the most, but the salary is healthy regardless of law type. The legal system is constructed in such a way that an attorney is required for most legal matters, regardless of their scope.

The median pay for lawyers in 2010 was $112,760, or about $55 per hour. A lawyer may be hired by a large firm, or they may pursue private practice. Experience as a lawyer also opens up other legal professions, such as judge, that may come with higher salaries.

Tips To Selling Your House Quickly When You Need The Cash

by Guest Contributor

The following is a guest post on Money Q&A. Would you like to write the next one? If you would like to write an article for Money Q&A, please visit our Guest Posting Guidelines page.

Selling Your House Quickly

If you are considering selling your house quickly and you need a quick sale on the open market, there are a two things that will attract potential cash buyers to your sale, appearance and pricing.

If a cash buyer is looking for a good deal on a property, be it for investment or for their own residential home; usually there first priority is getting the price right, and finding a bargain. If you can price your property effectively and undercut other properties in your area, you are well on your way to getting the cash sale that you desperately need.

If you don’t want to give out huge discounts on your property in order to sell it, there are other ways you can entice buyers with pricing. How about agreeing to pay their legal fees for them? Or gifting them surveyor costs? Anything that you do to make your price more attractive will surely send buyers flocking to your property sale.

Selling Your House Quickly When You Need Cash

Realistic Pricing Matters

Getting the valuation right on your home in the first instance is crucial when you need a fast house sale. Overvaluing your home will just set you back further, and increase the time it takes to sell – if you are desperate to get the cash out of your property, any delays could be vital and may cause you to get into further trouble with your bank which may lead to repossession procedures.

To get a reasonable accurate valuation of your property, the best place to start is to look at recent sales in your area. There are various tools online such as NetHousePrices, and Zoopla that can give you this information for free. Once you have this, you can average the sale prices out, and come up with a valuation for your home. If you are looking to sell quickly, it may be an idea to consider discounting a further 5-10% from this figure in order to attract cash buyers to your property listing. Remember, cash buyers can buy in as little as 7 days, whereby a regular mortgage purchase will take over 1 month.

Things To Remember When Setting Up Your Business

by Guest Contributor

The job market in the UK is improving but more and more people are choosing to set up their own businesses, both creating jobs and helping with the recovery of the economy. Coming up with a feasible business idea and strategy is the hard part, and once you have decide what you want to achieve you can set about doing all the necessary paperwork and sorting out the logistics of setting up your company. There are a few important things to remember when setting up your business. Some of the main ones are listed below.

Business Bank Account

You should consider opening a business bank account from the very start. If you are setting up as a limited company or a partnership you are required by law to have a separate account for your business finances. If you are setting up as a sole trader or self-employed there is no legal requirement to have a separate business bank account, but it can be useful if you want to keep track of your incomings and outgoings quickly and easily, and for tax purposes.

The government is very keen to encourage start ups and new businesses and has made sure there is a provision in high street banks for those wanting to set up their own business. Most big name high street banks have specific accounts designed especially for start up businesses.

Business insurance

You should look to take out relevant insurances to your business from the offset. Seek advice to find out exactly what you need to be covered for. If you are going to be employing one or more members of staff you are legally required to have employers’ liability insurance. This covers you in case anyone working for you falls ill or is injured as a result of their job. The other big thing to remember when setting up your business is public liability insurance.

This is important for any businesses that are visited by customers, contractors or visit other companies. The insurance protects you should an accident occur that injures a third party or their property on your premises, or if you cause any damage whilst on theirs. You can find out more about liability insurance online or by speaking to a business insurance provider.

Holiday Shopping Without Breaking Your Budget

by Guest Contributor

How To Save A Ton of Money Shopping For Christmas In July

The following is a guest post by Melissa Schraiber who writes for The Fat Wallet. If you would like to write an article for Money Q&A, please visit our Guest Posting Guidelines page. The holidays are upon us. Or, at least that’s the way it feels. While many people start thinking about the winter holidays earlier, the season gets underway in earnest just after Halloween. That’s when the stores start putting out big holiday displays, and you can’t look at the TV without catching a holiday-themed show or ad. No matter what your plans are this season, setting a budget and actually sticking to it is going to be very important. As you start planning for this important (and often expensive) time of the … Read more