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In this episode of WealthTalk, we're joined by Raj Beri, a former scientist turned full-time property investor, who reveals how he built a successful portfolio using innovative strategies—including the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) model) to maximise rental income. With hosts Christian Rodwell and Kevin Whelan, Raj unpacks the complexities of navigating housing benefit tenants, government regulations, and tenant relationships, while debunking common myths that deter many investors from exploring this path.Raj shares the ups and downs of leaving behind a stable career, the importance of having a financial safety net, and how mentorship and community support have been key pillars in his property journey. He speaks candidly about the challenges of tenant management, the need for adaptability in an ever-changing market, and how leveraging his corporate skills helped him become a more effective landlord and investor.The episode also highlights Raj's belief that anyone can succeed in property with the right mindset, education, and support. Whether you're just getting started or looking to expand your strategy, this conversation offers practical insights into achieving long-term wealth through property.This episode is essential listening for aspiring and experienced property investors alike—especially those curious about high-cashflow models, buy-to-let, HMOs, and building resilience in the face of regulatory change.Tune in now to learn how Raj Beri transformed his life through property investment—and how you can too.Resources Mentioned In This Episode: >> Raj Beri [LinkedIn]>> Raj Beri [Website]>> Brand New! Wheel of WealthNext Steps On Your Wealth Building Journey: >> Join the WealthBuilders Facebook Community >> Schedule a 1:1 call with one of our team >> Become a member of WealthBuilders If you have been enjoying listening to WealthTalk - Please Leave Us A Review!
PARTICIPANTS Dr Hannah Randolph, Associate Economist, Fraser of Allander Institute, University of Strathclyde Professor Mairi Spowage, Director, Fraser of Allander Institute, University of Strathclyde Dr João Sousa, Deputy Director, Fraser of Allander Institute, University of StrathclydeTIME STAMPS(00:40) Main policy areas in the party manifestos(02:00) Devolution, devolved issues, and funding(06:00) Social security(08:40) Q&A: What would an increase in Housing Benefit in Scotland mean for Scottish taxpayers?(12:35) Q&A: Is there scope to implement an Essentials Guarantee? (15:20) Q&A: Are there any plans to reform the Work Capability Assessment?(17:50) Q&A: Are there prospects for Levelling Up or City Deals funding to come to Scotland?(21:00) Immigration (23:50) Energy transition(25:50) What have the parties said about how they will fund and implement their manifesto commitments?(33:00) Economic strategy(35:00) Tax policy and costings in the party manifestos(41:00) Is cracking down on tax compliance a feasible way to raise revenues?(45:15) Q&A: Should UK parties have access to independently estimated costings for manifesto commitments?(48:35) Q&A: Are the economy and living standards set to improve before 2026?(58:55) Q&A: What are the main challenges facing the next UK government?(1:03:00) Q&A: Will the new government stick to their tax and spending commitments?
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A round-up of the main headlines in Sweden on March 23rd, 2023. You can hear more reports on our homepage radiosweden.se, or in the app Sveriges Radio Play. Presenter: Maya NaylorProducer: Kris Boswell
This week we are joined by the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness President and CEO, Tim Richter to discuss CAEH's new proposal for a Homelessness Prevention and Housing Benefit from the Federal Government that will support people currently experiencing homelessness and prevent thousands of new people from ever having to experience homelessness. Take a listen to find out how you and your community can be a part of this bold new initiative.
Derica Shields joins Nikita Gale and Alexander Provan to speak about the value of listening to Black peoples' accounts and analyses of their own lives. They discuss Shields's book-length oral history of Black experiences of the welfare state, “A Heavy Nonpresence,” recently published by Triple Canopy. Shields reflects on her effort to share the stories of Black people who are mistreated and monitored by the state, while also being made to feel that they should be grateful for receiving the assistance to which they're entitled. Her work shows how, in Britain, liberal nostalgia for the so-called care of the state is premised on not listening to those who receive benefits—and how politicians and journalists enable Black people to be shamed for doing so by upholding the age-old distinction between the deserving and undeserving poor (as if colonialism never happened).With Gale and Provan, Shields listens to and discusses excerpts from “A Heavy Nonpresence,” which includes accounts of seven Londoners whose lives are entwined with the welfare system. Shields advocates for oral history as a way of enabling marginalized people to be heard—and to hear each other—as well as to mitigate shame and circulate survival strategies. She notes that government assistance for Black people tends to be thought of as contingent on “good behavior,” but observes a recent shift in public opinion and political discourse, due to a reckoning with Britain's history of colonialism and racism. Rather than act thankful for the rewards of navigating an inhumane bureaucracy, more and more people are saying: “We are here, and the same rights accrue to us.” Derica Shields is a writer, researcher, and cultural worker living in London. She is the author of the forthcoming book Bad Practice (Book Works, 2021). Her work has been published by Frieze, Flash Art, Cell Project Space, and the New Inquiry, and presented by the Institute for Contemporary Arts (London) and Spectacle Theater (Brooklyn), among other publications and institutions.With Gale and Provan, Shields speaks about Beverly Bryan, Stella Dadzie and Suzanne Scafe, The Heart of the Race (Virago Press, 1985); Johnnie Tillmon, “Welfare Is a Women's Issue,” Ms., spring 1972; a video of the Labour MP David Lammy lambasting the British government for deporting immigrants on April 16, 2018; and a newsreel of West Indian workers, including the famed calypso musician Lord Kitchener, arriving in London aboard the SS Empire Windrush in 1948.Medium Rotation is produced by Alexander Provan with Andrew Leland, and edited by Provan with Matt Frassica. Tashi Wada composed the theme music. Matt Mehlan acted as audio engineer and contributed additional music.Medium Rotation is made possible through generous contributions from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and Nicholas Harteau. This season of Medium Rotation is part of Triple Canopy's twenty-sixth issue, Two Ears and One Mouth, which receives support from the Stolbun Collection, the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation, Agnes Gund, the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
Housing Benefit Tenants: Good or Bad? How to find the right tenant and protect the risks.
In a landmark ruling handed down at York County Court, housing benefit discrimination has been judged unlawful and in breach of the Equality Act. Research carried out by the charity Shelter shows that ‘No DSS’ policies put women and disabled people at a particular disadvantage, because they are more likely to receive housing benefit. The historic hearing took place virtually on Wednesday 1 July, involving 'Jane' (not her real name) a single mother of two. After a letting agent refused to rent any properties to her because she receives housing benefit, Jane contacted Shelter’s Strategic Litigation Team to take on her case. Jane Garvey discusses the issues with solicitor Rose Arnall, and Polly Neate, Chief Executive, Shelter. Nicole Chung was born severely premature, placed for adoption by her Korean parents and raised by a white family in a sheltered Oregon town in the US. From childhood she was told that her biological parents had made the ultimate sacrifice hoping that she would have a better life. She considered that she would always feel out of place as a trans-racial adoptee until she began to wonder if the story she had been told was the whole truth. All You Can Ever Know is her memoir of adoption. The writer and broadcaster Sali Hughes has been talking to women about objects in their lives that are important to them. The things we cherish aren’t always vintage, antique - or even expensive. Instead we treasure the stuff that reminds us of special people, particular times in our lives, or which stand for something important. Today it’s the turn of Rachel Eling. After the recent news of poor working conditions at a UK factory that could have helped fuel a local spike in COVID-19 cases in Leicester, we are reminded yet again of the consequences of fast fashion and the boom in online ordering. Campaigners and those in the industry are grasping the opportunity to raise awareness of the problems in global clothing production and are trying to change consumer habits. Jane is joined by Prof Dilys Williams, the founder and director of the Centre for Sustainable Fashion, and Aja Barber, a personal stylist and style consultant whose work focuses on sustainability and ethics.
Landlords and letting agencies who advertise property with a ban on renting benefits claimants - so-called "No DSS" clauses - risk legal action under anti-discrimination laws. So why do such restrictions persist? What can prospective tenants on benefits do about it? And what legal and financial risks are being run by landlords who display "No DSS" restrictions? Money Box Live takes your calls and hears from Polly Neate, the chief executive of the homelessness and housing advice charity, Shelter. And from John Stewart, policy manager of the Residential Landlords Association. Presenter: Paul Lewis Producers Paul Waters & Jordan Dunbar Email- moneybox@bbc.co.uk Twitter - @moneybox
Richard is joined by Jasmine Basran, Senior Policy Officer at Crisis, to discuss the issues with Housing Benefit and Universal Credit, as well as their campaign to increase Local Housing Allowance rates
New rules are set to change access to pension credit. At the moment the benefit can be claimed to top up income when the older partner in a couple reaches the qualifying state pension age. From May 15th it will switch to when the younger person in the relationship qualifies. Pensioners with younger partners who are already on pension credit or pension-age Housing Benefit will not be affected by the change while their entitlement remains. The announcement was made via a written statement by pensions minister Guy Opperman which was published on Monday. Guest: Gareth Morgan CEO of Ferret Information Systems. Money Box listeners who took out student loans in the 1990s have received letters offering to settle the debt if they agree to pay a percentage of their outstanding amount. Some of these former students are approaching the point where their loans will be written off anyway. Guest: Martin Lewis, Founder and Chair MoneySavingExpert.com Sorting out a £51 tax refund ended up costing one man £137 after he searched online and dialled a number listed on an official looking website which he thought belonged to HMRC. It wasn’t and the line he called which connected him to HMRC was a premium rate one. Guest: David Hickson of the Fair Telecoms campaign. Reporter: Dan Whitworth Presenter: Paul Lewis Producer: Charmaine Cozier Editor: Richard Vadon
Angela Mason, Camden Councillor and lead on matters concerning children and families, talked with Camden Community Radio about her concerns re the roll out of the Government’s policy of Universal Credit to Camden. All new claims for Child Tax Credit, Housing Benefit, Income Support, Income-based JobSeekers Allowance, Income-related Employment & Support Allowance and working tax credit will be replaced by Universal Credit and claims will have to be made online rather than in person. In 2019, all Housing benefit claims, excluding those of pensioners are to be replaced by Universal credit. Early rollout of the scheme suggests that it will drive people into deeper poverty and great hardship. Package: Marian Larragy Government on Universal Credit :: Citizens Advice Bureau on Universal Credit :: Back to Camden Community Radio home page :: Follow Camden Community Radio on Twitter :: File Download (17:13 min / 16 MB)
Angela Mason, Camden Councillor and lead on matters concerning children and families, talked with Camden Community Radio about her concerns re the roll out of the Government’s policy of Universal Credit to Camden. All new claims for Child Tax Credit, Housing Benefit, Income Support, Income-based JobSeekers Allowance, Income-related Employment & Support Allowance and working tax credit will be replaced by Universal Credit and claims will have to be made online rather than in person. In 2019, all Housing benefit claims, excluding those of pensioners are to be replaced by Universal credit. Early rollout of the scheme suggests that it will drive people into deeper poverty and great hardship. Package: Marian Larragy Government on Universal Credit :: Citizens Advice Bureau on Universal Credit :: Back to Camden Community Radio home page :: Follow Camden Community Radio on Twitter :: File Download (17:13 min / 16 MB)
This is a lengthy podcast. It is a recording of the Govan and South West Morning Star Readers and Supporters Group public meeting (11/10/17) themed 'Poverty, Homelessness and the Housing Benefit Cap. Guest speakers were Labour Party Glasgow City Councillor Matt Kerr and Margaret Wood from Unite the Union. The contributions and overall discussions were so good I decided to just put the whole thing out. Be warned though, some of the examples of poverty & destitution cited are difficult to listen to.
Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, asks why Britain spends such vast sums on Housing Benefit - now £25 billion. He examines the history of these payments and how government funding for house-building has gradually changed into subsidies for rents, especially to private landlords. 40% of tenants in private housing receive Housing Benefit. Critics argue that these have distorted the market and failed to address the fundamental shortage of housing supply. Paul asks how we got here and whether anything can change. Producer: Adam Bowen.
Do you associate your local council with costing you money or making you money? Yes, me too - but my guest this week, Mark Morris, has found three ways of turning his local authority into an important ally. He secures excellent yields from accommodating Housing Benefit tenants, has properties where the council pays a guaranteed stress-free rent even if they're empty...and has even scored free improvements worth thousands of pounds. In our conversation, Mark shares how he makes it all work - and ends up with a high-yielding portfolio which he can manage around his full-time job. It won't fit in with everyone's strategy, but it might make you think again about things you'd taken for granted... See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/council-leasing-profit-schemes
Many landlords shy away from accepting tenants who receive Housing Benefit. This is partially due to a lack of understanding of the benefits system, but also because of perceived problems of antisocial behaviour and non-payment of rent. Well, there's no one better placed to give us the truth about Housing Benefit tenants than Aki Ellahi, the founder of the portal DSS Move and the owner of a Wolverhampton lettings agency dealing with over 500 tenants on benefits. See this episode on the Property Geek site: https://propertygeek.net/podcast/housing-benefit-tenants
Hugh Muir examines the government's new housing strategy. Will it make any difference?
Tessa Shepperson talks to housing benefit letting agent Steve Perrons. Steve specialises in renting to benefit tenants, and shares some of his secrets in this podcast. The post Landlord Law Podcast – with housing benefit expert Steve Perrons appeared first on The Landlord Law Blog.
The caps and cuts on housing benefit have polarised the nation more than any other measure in Britain's age of austerity. Public anger about people "milking the system" by using benefits to get large homes in central London is pitted against the spectre of "Kosovo-style social cleansing" of Britain's cities. In The Report, Mukul Devichand investigates how the changes will really play out in the lives of Londoners: telling stories of the city where the cut will bite first. Around 1.5 million Britons get all or part of their rent paid by the state, costing £8bn a year. In fashionable Maida Vale and central SW1, Mukul visits the homes paid for by "Local Housing Allowance" that cost taxpayers tens of thousands of pounds each year. He asks if the government is right to blame landlords for inflating their rents. Will London's communities really be changed forever by these changes? In Stamford Hill in Hackney, Mukul meets the Haredi Jewish community. It is a tight-knit quarter of 70 orthodox Jewish synagogues where many families qualify for housing benefit because they have several children. Could this historic community now be compelled to move? Lord (David) Freud is a Minister in the coalition government and one of the architects of these reforms. He fields difficult questions about the government's plans to rein in rising welfare costs. And at the fringes of London, in Barking and Dagenham, Mukul asks where the poorest will move if they are hit by the changes. In a district already convulsed by deep-seated rivalries over housing - which have in the past led to racial tension and the success of the far right British National Party (BNP) at the ballot box - Mukul discovers that there are now fears of heightened tension as people trickle out of central London.
Brenda and Trevor contacted Age Concern Stafford & District because they were having difficulties with their Housing Benefit claim and were afraid that they would not be able to pay their rent. Brenda was becoming very stressed and both were...