You’ll see plenty of ghosts and ghouls trick-or-treating tonight, but here are three frightening scenarios that haunt landlords all year round. Being a landlord can sometimes be unpredictable – but the experience is much less scary if you have a good letting agent on your side. Read on to find out why. Late night emergency Picture this: It’s past midnight, a full moon is in the sky, and...
Will your next home improvement project end in success or a desperate call to the DIY SOS team? Here are six tips to avoid bungling the job. Repairing and refurbing your own home can be immensely satisfying – and save you lots of money. But not every DIY task finishes well. One in eight ends in a mishap, while half of all DIYers confess to calling in a professional to rectify a mistake.* From...
A third of all property sales collapse before completion. How can you ensure yours isn’t one of them? Read on to find out. Selling a property isn’t a sprint; it can be a marathon. It takes time to market a home, find the best buyer, agree on a price and then deal with the legal paperwork. So, it’s all the more frustrating when a deal collapses – especially if you’re within touching...
Don’t let fraudsters swindle you out of your hard-earned money. Read on to discover what the ‘fake landlord’ scam is and how to protect yourself. The fake landlord ruse has been around for years, but current market conditions mean that some renters are particularly vulnerable to this con right now. Here’s how it works A fraudster posts a property for rent online, complete with photos...
With winter around the corner, there’s still time to make changes at home to minimise your energy usage and save on your bills. There’s no getting around it: we’ll all be paying more for our energy this winter. But by making a few simple changes at home, you can trim back your energy usage. While much of the energy-saving advice that has been dished out so far relates to behavioural change –...
To prevent your property deal from progressing at a snail’s pace – or falling through altogether – you’ll need a good solicitor. Here’s how to find one. Once you’ve agreed a deal to sell or buy a property, the next step is to instruct a solicitor to handle all the relevant searches, paperwork and enquiries. It can be tempting to go with the cheapest Solicitor you can find or the...
There’s a lot to think about when you are a landlord. You’ve got the ever-changing rules around rental property to consider. Then there’s ensuring your property is well maintained and your tenants are happy. Add to that the cost of living crisis, pressures on the economy and political instability, and you could be forgiven for thinking, ‘what’s the point?’. But before you sell up,...
Once you’ve read these five facts, you won’t feel quite so guilty about indulging in chocolate again. A two-minute read. Humans have enjoyed the delights of chocolate for thousands of years, starting with the Mayans, who drank it as a hot liquid (and even used it in wedding and baptism ceremonies). Fast forward to today, and chocolate is a 120 billion pound global industry. The Germans are the...
The last two years have been hectic for the London property market. But now, the market is slowing down, and homes are not selling as fast as they once were. It’s also becoming harder to sell a home for a premium price. Add to that the cost-of-living crisis and other global events hitting us in our collective pockets. The good news is it’s still possible to achieve an excellent price for...
This two-minute read looks at some simple steps landlords and tenants can take to reduce the risk of condensation causing mould, damp and disputes. What causes condensation? When moist air is cooled by contact with cold surfaces such as walls, windows or mirrors, the moisture condenses into water droplets, AKA: condensation. This can often cause unsightly mould and, in extreme cases, be unhealthy....