White Knight Associates on ways to go green at home

White Knight Associates have had a big push on " going green" this year and hope to help spread the message that we can all do our bit to help save money and the

1.Set your thermostat a few degrees lower in the winter and a few degrees higher in the summer to save on heating and cooling costs.

Install compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) when your older incandescent bulbs burn out.

2.Unplug appliances when you're not using them. Or, use a "smart" power strip that senses when appliances are off and cuts "phantom" or "vampire" energy use.

Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible. As much as 85 percent of the energy used to machine-wash clothes goes to heating the water.

Use a drying rack or clothesline to save the energy otherwise used during machine drying.

Save water to save money.

3.Take shorter showers to reduce water use. This will lower your water and heating bills too.

Install a low-flow showerhead. They don't cost much, and the water and energy savings can quickly pay back your investment.

Make sure you have a faucet aerator on each faucet. These inexpensive appliances conserve heat and water, while keeping water pressure high.

Plant drought-tolerant native plants in your garden. Many plants need minimal watering. Find out which occur naturally in your area.

4.Walk or bike to work. This saves on gas and parking costs while improving your cardiovascular health and reducing your risk of obesity.

Consider telecommuting if you live far from your work. Or move closer. Even if this means paying more rent, it could save you money in the long term.

Lobby your local government to increase spending on sidewalks and bike lanes. With little cost, these improvements can pay huge dividends in bettering your health and reducing traffic.

White Knight Associates believe that you can Eat smart.

5.If you eat meat, add one meatless meal a week. Meat costs a lot at the store-and it's even more expensive when you consider the related environmental and health costs.

Buy locally raised, humane, and organic meat, eggs, and dairy whenever you can. Purchasing from local farmers keeps money in the local economy.

Watch videos about why local food and sustainable seafood are so great.

Whatever your diet, eat low on the food chain. This is especially true for seafood.

WK Associates think that you could Skip the bottled water.

6.Use a water filter to purify tap water instead of buying bottled water. Not only is bottled water expensive, but it generates large amounts of container waste. Bring a reusable water bottle, preferably aluminum rather than plastic, with you when traveling or at work.

Author: Barry Williams ,White Knight Associates www.wk-associates.com

Or contact one of our consultants on 02033847230

White Knight Associates Pros and Cons of overseas property part 2

Cons

A downside of jumping into investing in a property abroad is that you may have to put down a large sum for a deposit whereas in the country you’re based, a huge deposit is not necessary.

Something that often leaves people confused is the language barrier. Depending on where you choose to invest, it might be that people don’t speak your mother tongue. This can make negotiating and dealing with the legal aspects quite difficult. Often things get lost in translation and important details are passed, this can cause difficulties further down the line.

The country you are investing in may be going through political or economic change, all these factors can have a large impact on the value of your property. If the worst happens you could stand to loose a lot of money, so make sure you do your homework and are fully confident in the future of your content before you invest.

When you are not around all the time, trust is a major factor in investing abroad. If you are having a home built then you really need to trust the builders you hire. Being abroad you will have no way of regularly checking up on your investment and the progress of your new home. You need to find people that you can rely on to either manage the project or feedback on progress to you. If you’re renting out a holiday home then you also need to make sure you have someone who you can trust to look after it for you.

 written by Us For Homes

For more information please go to our website www.wk-associates.com

Or to speak to one of our consultants please call 02033847230

White Knight Associates Pros and Cons of overseas property part 1.

Many people dream of owning a property abroad, however some people rush in without thinking it through properly. Foreign property markets don’t work in the same way as they do at home, so proper research is a must.

The Pros

The first thing that attract most people to foreign property is the price. With property at home being so expensive, the thought of a much bigger home for less money abroad is extremely tempting.

If you invest in a country at the right time then you have the possibility of gaining capital growth which may not be feasible in your home country.

Some people choose to invest in property abroad for tax reasons. By becoming a home owner in certain countries you can benefit from tax breaks. However, it’s well worth doing your homework on this first as tax rules change regularly.

If you’re looking to make a profit then investing in overseas property may provide this for you as sometimes it’s too difficult to make a profit from property in your home country. Therefore investing overseas gives you a financial boost despite the state of your local housing market.

Of course, the other benefit to having a property overseas is that you now have a property that you can visit for holidays. This makes for the perfect cheap holiday from home as you only have to cover the cost of your flights and travel.

For more information please go to our website www.wk-associates.com

Or to speak to one of our consultants please call 02033847230

White Knight Associates explains what below Market value properties are.

In its’ simplest terms, BMV or Below Market Value is an abbreviation. BMV properties are residential properties that are available below their market value. This is normally because the owners are faced with some kind of financial difficulty and want to or need to dispose of their property quickly and without going through a protracted marketing and sales process. The precursor to this is quite often the threat of repossession.

White Knight Associates explains how to value a property.

The guidance from the Royal Institute for Chartered Surveyors on how a surveyor should value residential property is contained in Appendix 5.1 of the Royal Institute for Chartered Surveyors Appraisal and Valuation Standards (Red Book).  The basis for the valuation of a residential investment property is normally its’ market value.  Market value is defined in the Chartered Surveyors hand book as:

 ‘The estimated amount for which a property should exchange on the date of valuation between a willing buyer and a willing seller in an arm’s-length transaction after proper marketing wherein the parties had each acted knowledgeably, prudently and without compulsion.’

Therefore if a property has been properly marketed and then a sale agreed, whilst the landlord may consider that they have a bargain and a BMV property because the property is sold at less then similar property sold for previously. For instance an investor buys a property for £180,000. A year previously a similar property sold for £200,000. The investor might consider that they have obtained the property at 10% BMV. This is not the case under the guidance on valuation standards from the chartered institute of surveyors, the investor has actually just paid the market price.

White Knight Associates explains when BMV properties exist? 

Where a BMV property may exist is if the property was not fully marketed first. This situation occurs where buyers are able to access so called ‘distressed or motivated sellers’ who cannot afford or want to go through the normal marketing and sales exercise.  

Source: property Haw

Posted by: White Knight Associates

For more information please visit our website www.wk-associates.com

Or speak to one of our consultants on 02033847230

White Knight Associates on BMV property part 5

White Knight Associates discuss how to locate auction properties.

White Knight Associates found that a good starting point to find out about your nearest auctions is your local paper. This will frequently contain adverts or listings of upcoming events. Property industry publications such as Estates Gazette also have the details. However, for those who don’t want to subscribe or chance their local paper there are several websites UK PAD and Auction Property for Sale which have full national listings

White Knight Associates have found that Auction Property for Sale is useful in that it allows you to view the full catalogue on line. However, for those that are really serious about auction investing the Rolls Royce of websites is undoubtedly EIG’s.

WK Associates has been subscribing for a little over six months and the information available is literally short of mind blowing. It gives previous auction results, location maps, historical price data and what is particularly useful is the alert system which notifies you if properties that match your criteria are unsold and still available. This means that you can approach the auctioneer directly and make an offer to a vendor who is keen to sell. All this is not cheap with a subscription being several hundred of pounds for the year, but worth it if you are serious about identifying bargains at auction.

White Knight Associates on BMV property part 4

White Knight Associates why auctions are such a good place to find bargains:

1. It is a place where ‘desperate’ sellers are driven to because of their need to sell quickly. This often means that they are prepared to accept a price far less than they could have achieved if they were prepared to be more patient and sell through an estate agent

2. Auctions are full of ‘tired’ properties where the owners can’t be bothered or can’t afford to give them the ‘make over’ that would secure them the maximum price. Thus this represents a real opportunity to an investor developer willing to do some work.

3. Auctions have always attracted problem properties. These are properties that have issues with ownership, structure, access, etc. Something which has prevented a sale in the traditional owner occupier market. However, as long as you do your research into these problems they are frequently resolvable or are not such a problem to an investor who views the property as an income stream and business not as a home.

4. They are increasingly full of failed buy-to-let investments. For those who have resisted the temptation to fill their portfolio with ‘overpriced’ designer apartments. The auction room is where you can often acquire these same properties 12-24 months down the line as repossessions from the mortgagee at a genuine 20-30% off the original selling price (a price that supposedly included a market discount!).

White Knight Associates on BMV part 3

The best way to buy BMV

White Knight Associates think the best way to buy a BMV is to purchase a property at auction. Recently a Client of White Knight Associates has been trying to sell the most problematic property in his portfolio. It has suffered from the glut of new apartments. Two years ago it would have let in a couple of weeks. Now, despite several rent reductions I have only just got a tenant. Previous to that he had it for sale but had little or no interest.

Therefore, in considering its’ future within his portfolio He thought he would look at all options including trying to dispose of it at auction. Following some very astute and helpful advice he was told that the price he was likely to get given the glut on the market would not really reflect its’ true investment value. Fortunately, He does not need the cash and had decided to retain the property as a ‘cash cow’

White Knight Associates on BMV part 2

White Knight Associates explains how you could Increase your returns On BMV

It’s not rocket science to assert that the starting point for buying a good investment is buying something that is below its’ true value.

Buying a property at 5...10…15% below value is a great start to your investment. Securing a £100k property for £90k will for example increase your returns by over 5.5% pa during a 25 year investment. This is because the equity you put in and your loan costs are less in relation to its’ capital value.

Below Market Value (BMV)

White Knight Associates have found that some buy-to-let chatrooms are full of references and of individuals promising to sell BMV. Our advice is steer clear of these, particularly if you are a newbie landlord or don’t know the area. People selling on these sites are not doing it out of charity and the likelihood is that they will know the market and their properties value better than you will. This puts you immediately at a disadvantage when it comes to negotiating a good deal.

White Knight Associates explains what BMV is Part 1

White Knight Associates believe the theory behind BMV is simple, yet sometimes something difficult to grasp, however, once mastered this is a tool that can be used over and over again effectively.

What is BMV?

BMV stands for below market value, so typically a bmv deal consists of a property that is 25-30% below market value which is easily done as long as you are hard working and open minded.

So how do you get started with BMV? Finding a target area where BMV will work is always a good beginning and this can be done by looking on the demographics for your area. You want to target the grade D-E areas, as these work best with BMV deals.

Marketing for deals usually consists of leafleting, sourcing from Estate Agents, the internet and sometimes word of mouth. Obviously there are more ways of sourcing deals for BMV, and you can be as creative as you like and think out of the box ideology. You want to send out at the very least 20,000 leaflets and this can be done easily by sourcing someone else to do this for you, as your time is money.

As mentioned before, for a below market value deal, it is ideal to get a property that is 25% below current market value, so that you do not have to put any of your own money into the purchasing of the property and it is always good to get a reasonable amount of cash back from the deal and a positive monthly cash flow.

For more information please visit our website www.wk-associates.com

Or speak to one of our consultants 02033847230

White Knight Associates writes about the benefits of companies reducing their Carbon foot print.

White Knight Associates believe that by offsetting your business's carbon footprint you are making a positive, tangible statement to your employees, customers, suppliers and shareholders. Like you, they are all affected by climate change and will be more attracted, and loyal to, businesses which are committed to caring for the environment.

Green companies tend to be better managed, more efficient and more profitable than their rivals. Many of the most successful ones now recognise the clear business benefits of addressing environmental issues.

So what is Carbon Offsetting?

Everyday actions like driving a car, heating your home and office, transporting goods and even using your computer use energy and produce greenhouse gas emissions (such as carbon dioxide) which contribute to climate change.

You can compensate for your unavoidable emissions by buying carbon credits from an internationally verified project that makes an equivalent greenhouse gas saving. This is called ‘carbon offsetting’.

Is this a ‘cure’ for climate change?

Offsetting your carbon footprint will not reverse the effects already caused by your carbon dioxide emissions. The harm to the environment caused by these emissions cannot be undone. However, by saving an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide elsewhere, you can help to minimise the total global emissions.

Author:White Knight Associates

For more information please visit our website www.wk-associates.com

White Knight Associates say: Go Green all the cool companies are doing it!

For about 40 years, companies have been making efforts to go green. Going green is often mistaken for “environmentally friendly,” when in fact it’s more like “not particularly harmful to the environment” or “environmentally neutral.” There isn’t much you can do that will actually improve the condition of the environment, so many experts say that we shouldn’t get caught up in that line of thinking.

                                                                                                                 

These tips can help companies like you become "Green"

1.Make communications electronic. Keep communications with employees, clients and other businesses via email or phone to reduce the amount spent on paper and make a lighter carbon footprint.

2.“Add a line in every email you send, requesting the receiver to print the mail only if absolutely necessary.” This is a tidbit from Krishna Mohan Roa D (via LinkedIn) that could also improve the security of emails you send.  Kill two birds with one stone by discouraging others from printing your emails.  Krishna suggests fancying it up with a green tree image.

3.Use a tablet connected to your computer for signing documents. Many businesses, including White Knight Associates require signed contracts or other documents.  Often, we generate and send proposals electronically, and our clients need to print them, sign them, and then scan and email them.  Tablets cost as little as £50 (decent ones start at just £100) and will prove worth the money to save paper and time!

4.Invest in an all-in-one printer that does duplex printing. These very quickly become worth the money.  All-in-ones have had a bad reputation, but they’re being made quite well these days, and duplex printing cuts out approximately half of the paper you’d normally use.  I got my duplex all-in-one printer on sale for only about £150

5.Save money with recycled ink cartridges. This is one area where there is no initial investment – and going green is actually much cheaper!  I’ve bought packs of two ink cartridges from the Amazon Marketplace for under $8 (compared to $ 16 for a single brand name cartridge) and am still impressed with the quality!  Regardless of which brand you buy, be sure to recycle your empty cartridges.

Source: Lymelight

White Knight Associates hope you have found this article interesting if you require any more information please visit our website www.wk-associates.com or alternatively contact us on 02033847230 to speak to one of our consultants.

White Knight Associates on Management Consultancy

White Knight Associates can help clients formulate their business and functional strategies. WKA can ensure they are realistic and practical to implement. Equally the world does not stand still once a strategy is defined, so in addition to providing hands on project management resource to support delivery, the White Knight Associates will maintain a strategic perspective to continually check the priorities and maintain strategic alignment White Knight Associates will provide support at any stage in the life cycle of business change, from conception of strategy to maturity of benefits.

White Knight Associates tackles FAQ's on Capital Allowances.

Shouldn't my accountant have claimed these already?

Capital allowances are a specialised area, particularly in the gap between "obviously movable" and "obviously immovable" assets. Recent cases have clarified what can and what cannot be claimed, but up to 96% of accountants and their clients are still unaware of the opportunities.

Is this 100% legal?

Yes,100%

How do I know whether my accountant has already claimed these allowances?

Has your accountant been round your property making detailed notes, a detailed inspection, and taking dozens( possibly hundreds) of photographs? If the answer is "no", you can be sure you have a valid claim to make.

I don't want to upset HMRC

Nor do we. If we acted in anyway questionably, we would soon be out of business. We have an established relationship with HMRC based on mutual understanding. Their role is to collect all taxes that are due, by applying the law in a consistent and fair manner. Case law has already established clear lines between what can and what cannot be claimed. We only identify claims that are strictly within the law and will be agreed by HMRC -provided your case is presented in the correct, approved manner. Throughout the process our specialist advisers will handle your claim for you, in collaboration with your accountant.

Will this take up much of my time?

We require only basic information from you; then we do all the work. When our surveyor visits the property they will glean most of the information they require: you actually need to provide very little.

This looks too good to be true.

There are no hidden catches. Your agreement with us is " no report - no fee".

We won't earn a penny unless we can identify at least £25000 of genuinely claimable capital allowances for you or your company.

What if you find me £24999 of claimable allowance?

Our promise is clear. If we do not find you additional claimable allowances of  £25000 or more, you owe us nothing. To be quite clear about this, you will not owe a penny to anyone: you can keep our report free or charge.

I own a small office block which I bought a few years ago. Is it now too late to claim these allowances?

No, it's very rarely too late. It is normally possible to claim missed allowances going back many years, often to when a property was originally acquired.

What are plant & machinery assets?

These are items which qualify for tax relief, and include such diverse items as sanitary ware, kitchen installations and heating installations.

Does claiming capital allowances reduce the value of my properties?

No, you have a right to claim capital allowances and, whether you claim them or not, they are not taken into account when property is valued for commercial or accounting purposes.

Will claiming capital allowances have an effect on my capital gains tax position, if I sell my property?

It is a common misunderstanding that claiming capital allowances somehow reduces your net purchase price, thereby increasing your capital gain tax liability. This is completely false. The tax legislation and HMRC guidelines make it clear that capital allowances will not increase a capital gain.

What is the annual investment allowance?

The AIA is available for most expenditure on plant or machinery, and the tax payer is free to allocate their AIA against plant machinery expenditure in anyway they choose. This is an area where White Knight Associates can help you and your accountant make the most appropriate allocation.

REMEMBER THAT CAPITAL ALLOWANCES ARE A RIGHT AND NOT A PRIVILEGE!

Source: PTC

For further information please contact White Knight Associates on 02033847230

Or check out our website www.wk-associates.com and request a call back from one of our consultants.

White Knight Associates Capital Allowances

Overview:

White Knight Associates work with Portal Tax Claims who are professional experts in the field of Capital Allowances and are widely recognised as one of the industry leaders. The company works extensively with some of the UK's largest IFA, Accountancy, Property and Legal networks to provide surveys and tax reports on commercial properties resulting in hundreds of millions of pounds being claimed.

If you own a commercial building, which includes HMOs, there is a 96% chance that you qualify for a substantial income tax or corporation tax refund.

A Capital Allowance claim is a retrospective or current claim based on the original purchase price and refurbishment costs of a building. It is not a contentious tax avoidance scheme or loophole but is based on established UK statutory law dating back to 1878. Applicants are not "guinea pigs" since thousands of cases have already been submitted and paid out.

White Knight Associates Key services:

We offer a risk free service and if we fail to identify at least £25,000 of claimable allowances you will owe us nothing and we will give you our report free of charge.

At PTC's expense we will ensure that you qualify for a claim, implement a professional survey of the building and develop an effective report in a format that HMRC find acceptable.

Should the report be challenged we will defend the claim at our own expense for the maximum required time of 6 years.

We provide a range fee structures to suit the differing needs of our clients  

Author: White Knight Associates

For more information please contact us on 02033847230 or visit our website

www.wk-associates.com

How to become a capital allowances agent for White Knight Associates today!

You may be an Accountant, an Independent Financial Adviser, a Property Agent, a Letting Agent – or anyone who can spot a great opportunity and is prepared to work at it to achieve results.

Whoever you are, if you are shrewd enough to see the potential in this market, we would like to talk to you. The sooner you get in touch, the sooner you can be earning commission.

We’ve all heard of Mr 10%, but how about Mr 96%?

Although at White Knight Associates we can’t offer that level of commission, we are reliably informed by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs’s external consultants that in 96% of all transactions that could attract capital allowances, no claim has yet been made. Let me put that in perspective…

If you visit your local industrial estate with 100 office buildings and factory and warehouse units, it is likely that 96 of them are owed a substantial tax refund by HMRC.

That’s an enormous market with everything to gain and absolutely nothing to lose. Do you think you could persuade them to accept a free NO REPORT – NO FEE survey? Then make a claim?

If yes we want to hear from you today.

Please see our website for further information www.wk-associates.com or speak to one of our angency managers to discuss on 02033847230

Author: White Knight Associates

White Knight Associates brings you the benefits of investing in solar panels

25/10/11

Switching from sole reliance on fossil fuels to green energy technologies such as solar panels and heat pumps could earn you up to £1,000 a year tax free, for 25 years guaranteed.

By installing new government- incentivised micro generation systems, UK home owners can now get paid with the feed in tariffs for the power they generate using PV solar panels, in addition to the savings made from energy bills.

Solar panels have become a more attractive proposition as energy suppliers continue to increase their charges domestically and commercially.

Ofgem are now warning us to expect at least a 20% electricity price hike by 2020, and also advised that future supplies were in jeopardy because of peak oil problems. Scottish Power has been the most recent energy company to begin this upward trend, announcing its intention to amplify the price of gas by 19% and electricity by 10%.

Author: White Knight Associates

For more information on solar panels please go to our contact us page at:

 www.wk-associates.com

White Knight Associates on Commercial property tax claims.

If you own a UK commercial property there is an estimated 96% chance that you qualify for tax relief.

White Knight Associates work on a No Report – No Fee Basis.

This is our process for the claim:

1. You can request a call back to discuss your claim

2. Capital Allowances are explained to you and we give an illustration of the tax benefits

3. You sign an agreement with us to start the claim process on your behalf.

4. White Knight Associates act as the introducer we hand you over to our claims department and they start the validation process to assess if a valid claim can be made on your property

5. PTC creates a report that is in a HMRC approved format.

Author: White Knight Associates

For more information please contact White Knight Associates

www.wk-associates.com

White Knight Associates speaks about capital allowances and why are they being over looked?

The answer is twofold. Capital allowances focus on a highly specialist area of the tax system and so it is no reflection on the professionalism or diligence of accountants that some allowances are not being claimed.

White Knight Associates reports: Capital allowances are costs that businesses incur that can be reclaimed against tax as defined by the Capital Allowances Act 2001. They cover a wide range of commercial property from hotels, retail, industrial and multi-let properties and there are surprisingly few exclusions, such as if the owner is a charity or pension fund, and just a handful of qualifying criteria stating that the owner must be a UK taxpayer, but this includes individual, LLPs, PLCs and Ltd companies.

Author: White Knight Associates

For more information please contact White Knight Associates.

www.wk-associates.com

Why is such an important opportunity being over looked? By White Knight Associates

One of the main messages regarding capital allowances is that this is neither a tax avoidance scheme nor a recent loophole that HMRC are unaware of and will regard with suspicion. The primary aim of the UK statutory law dating back to 1878 was to allow commercial property owners to improve their property and the provision of this benefit holds as true today as it did then. The law has been revised and refined over recent years and was simplified in a major way in 1971 to eliminate burdensome record-keeping and computational requirements; a further simplification in 1984 saw the elimination of initial and first year allowances, among others. Further revisions followed in 1990 and the current legislation we are working to is the Capital Allowance Act 2001.

Author Shaun Murphy PTC

White Knight Associates act as an introducing agent to PTC.

For more information please contact White Knight Associates www.wk-associates.com

White Knight Associates predicts lack of distressed property growth in 2012

White Knight Associates believe the  UK is unlikely to experience distressed commercial property growth next year, according to a property specialist.

It is unlikely the British commercial property will experience a price growth for sites ripe for commercial development in the coming months, says Kelvin Davidson, property economist at the economic research consultancy Capital Economics.

Mr Davidson has warned the price growth of UK commercial property has grinded to a halt, with prices likely to remain flat for at least the next 12 months.

He said: "There is quite a lot of money floating around and not much property for sale, so I would think that an increase in the number of properties to buy for whatever reason - whether it be foreclosure or whatever - would actually be quite welcome.

However WK Associates report that the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has indicated worldwide demand for distressed commercial property actually rose significantly in Q2 2011.

Following a survey conducted by the RICS it was revealed over 80 per cent of countries reported increased levels of interest from commercial property investment funds during Q2 2011.

WKA found Simon Rubinsohn, RICS chief economist, said: "It is interesting to see agents reporting a dramatic rise in investor appetite for distressed assets, quarter over quarter.

White Knight Associates believe to some extent, this may be seen as an encouraging development reflecting a measure of confidence in the outlook for the real estate sector despite the softer tone to the Market news.

Author: White Knight Associates

www.wk-associates.com