Hi [name]

Hope your bank holiday weekend wasn't effected too much by the weather! I'm sure one or two of our overseas based readers will be shaking their heads right now! Not on your nellie!

I wanted to remind you about our latest Property Presentation Seminar which this month is back in London on Thursday 24th May and will as usual, be in a Central Based location.

During the night we'll be highlighting new deals in the capital as well as opportunities in the North West & Midlands with Hotel Investments also high up on the agenda.

Our evening kicks off at 6:30pm with networking opportunities and hot drinks supplied, at 7pm Alan Forsyth and team will discuss how the company operates and various opportunities that we have - this will be followed by more networking opportunities and q&a's with our team around 8:30pm.

This is a great opportunity to meet with our team and other 'like minded' investors - and see for yourself some of the best below market value opportunities around - offering both positive cashflow and high yield!

To book your space - completely free - then register your interest in attending here, why not bring a friend? Our last event in London filled out very quickly so book your place now and we'll send confirmation of location and event details.

What Expenses Can I Claim?

This article is intended to give a quite comprehensive checklist of expenses incurred by a landlord that can be claimed for Income Tax purposes in a normal property rental business. The list doesn't cover every conceivable expense but hopefully should give the reader a useful guide - with some tips and warnings about common pitfalls along the way.

Basic Principles

Before the list itself, let's look at the fundamentals - why some expenses can be claimed, and others cannot.

The first question to ask is, "Was the expense incurred for the purpose of the property letting business?" This is a deceptively simple question, and there are many tax cases which have covered this point in minute detail but the basic principle holds good. Often, the answer will be straight forward. For instance, paying an agent to look after a property is directly related to the letting business but buying new clothes is not. On the other hand, if you're maintaining the property yourself then the cost of protective work wear such as overalls, gloves and safety boots, etc., should be allowable. There can also be more than one 'purpose' to the expenditure, in which case a realistic apportionment in respect of the business element may be allowed. Read more on our website

Spain Property Q&A's

The Spanish Brick and property secrets columnist Daniel Talavera explains the do's and don'ts in the Spanish Property market right now, in a Q&A section Daniel comments on whether now is the right time (or not) to buy? whether the market has hit 'rock bottom' and what sort of market buyers are facing at the moment. For the full article click here

Sealand play first international

In lighter-hearted news, the principality of Sealand played their first 'minor nations' international football match at the weekend losing 3-1 against the Chagos Islands at Godalming Town FC in Surrey. Sealand, sponsored proudly by Property Secrets included actor Ralph Little, Sun columnist  Gordon Smart and former footballers Simon Charlton & David Stillie in their ranks. Our very own Alan Forsyth and his brother Neil also featured in a proud day for their adopted homeland!

You can view more on the game on the BBC website

Daniel Peacock (Editor)

PS: Look out for Budget Hotels Investment Opportunity tomorrow, to be ahead of the game you can read the following article and register for details - any questions contact our team on 0115 985 3963 and we'll send a full PDF pack of our latest Hotel Opportunity in the UK!