Sawyet

it’s given me sleepless nights as we’ve had the same tenants for over a decade and I have no idea where they can go - there’s no rental properties anywhere inside the M25 now, they’ve all gone. We were fortunate when we moved from Cheshire to N.Wales around 6 years ago Wife sold 3 BTL & kept 2 (used the three to buy holiday lets in the village), two of the tenants approached us to buy as we could pass on the savings of a direct sale to them (one were private individuals & the other a Corporate that we provided serviced accommodation for senior managers/execs that were on secondment to satellites in the NW). One of the remaining tenants has shown interest in buying & we are looking into some sort of "buy as you pay" scheme as again we can pass the saving on to them (Estate Agents CGT etc) but although we are quite happy we are struggling to find legal that will draw up a contract! We spoke to our tenants long before we jumped & it made sense to take a hit on the price in order to have income literally until completion date so it suited both parties. We probably could have got a bit more on the open market, but as you have alluded with your "sleepless nights" I think its important that you treat people as you would like to be treated. Good luck with whatever you do.

Read this tread with interest, as an employer of 22 (16 full time & 6 varying degrees of part time) the budget has sealed the death knell for our Business. We have been a "Family Business" since 1849 (we were manufacturing presentation boxes when Florence Nightingale was nursing), the latest round of cost increases is just not sustainable. Following the NMW hike earlier this year I had four people leave (organically, retirement etc) & I havent been able to afford to replace them, currently for the first time since NMW came out we are not paying at least 10% over it, in fact bang on it. We work a 4 day compressed hour week & historically we provide 5 weeks plus the Public Holidays & the bottom line costs have been unsustainable, this will be the first financial year in my memory (58) where we will not show a profit. There is no margin left & no possibility to increase our costs further to our Customers (echoed by most of our Customers), we tend to deal mainly with smaller SME businesses & the environment for Business owners is now toxic. Our gross profit has remained a constant percentage of turnover for the last 5 years but the underlying costs have escalated beyond control (despite cutting back on outsourced services to the point where the Directors clean the toilets etc before we finish on Thu night. Speaking to a lot of our Customers they, as we, are looking for a way out & relieving the constant headaches of running a small Business.

I have been reading this with interest as Wife & I are at 56/58 just about to sell our Business & retire. We have no pensions as we have always bought property & rented it out (both revenue & capital appreciation) but in the current climate, along with an awful lot of other small landlords we are selling up as the future for the rental market does not look attractive. The one thing that has struck me reading through the posts (was very pointedly noted by the Financial Advisor we use) is that you have to look at your income based over the whole course of your retirement (our guys use 85 as a standard finish age). This means that due to inflation/indexation the comfortable income you have now will struggle to keep you the same in 5/10/15/20 years time, its crucial that your "pot" grows to allow for increases in the cost of living which are inevitable.

Try again now the PP Police have deigned to rear their heads. Happy to take, PP okay. Had no idea about F&F not being a “thing”, at the age when lectures are way past me. A quick DM usually gets my attention the same without the bristles.

Hi Steve, yes please how do you want paying? Mark

We have had then for 35 years, they are a cracking breed loyal to the end & totally fearless but they are a "challenge" if you have never had one! To put it in context my youngest is a Vet & when anyone comes in to ask about them he tells them to do their homework if moving from another breed🙈 He grew up with them & understands/knows their idiosyncrasies, if we didnt already have 5 then I would be sorely tempted (will be working on my Wife over the weekend)😉

These are exactly as the description, tried everything else on the market & ours is now 12 years old & not a mark on it, even our Dachshunds cant destroy it let alone the myriad of Labs/Rottweilers/Spaniels & Terriers when the kids bring their menagerie home! If we didnt already have two would have had this in a heartbeat. Good luck, great product at a good price.

FWIW my Son-in-Law works in "The City" & yes he receives an obscene amount of reward, but last year made in excess of £350 million profit for his Company, does he deserve a bonus yes he does. Perhaps to give a little insight to those who criticise/berate the people at the top, their life is not their own my SiL has 3 work phones & they are on 24/7,he had to fly back recently from a holiday to respond to a situation that had arisen (he flew back out 48 hours later) & on many occasions Family gatherings are interrupted as he has to apologise & disappear back to London (we live split between Cheshire/N.Wales). At 32 he is now looking to get out as the constant stress/pressure is starting to show (rarely are the people in his position over 40), he looks older than he is. Do I envy him, certainly not & would/could I do it certainly not (that is coming from someone who has built a manufacturing business up to employ 40 people & carry on a Family tradition that started in 1849). Now my Daughter who is a quite high ranking Civil Servant, that is where the Countries money is leaching away, six figure salary/final salary pension at 55 & this year due to "time off in lieu" 8 weeks paid holiday (even though during Summer recess its effectively a 3 day week)

I will take that PP okay? Let me have your email.

Probably not PC at all in the sanitised world we live in today, but I was shot & shot mates with these on many occasions as a kid (rule was no head shots).😳😳🙈🙈

Hi Rewulf, did you manage to get any images?

Thanks, spec wise is it the same as the below? https://www.uttings.co.uk/p107636-yukon-nvmt-spartan-1x24-gen1-nightvision-goggle-kit-yuk-24125/#.XzVhZcBKiUk

That is the kind of thing I am looking for, do you have a couple of images?

One handed is not a problem, the distances are so short that a small "flick" is all it needs & use my net handle as a wading stick (hangs on a lanyard by my side). If I eat any more carrots I will look like Bugs Bunny!!!! I did try a set of NV goggles a few years ago, borrowed from a friend who does a lot of security work here & abroad, amazing things but way beyond my budget to catch a couple of Sea Trout.