Monthly Archives: October 2015

Avoid the hassle of unpaid rent

Unpaid rent is one of the biggest challenges that a landlord can face. Ultimately, the main purpose of owning a buy to let property is to make money from your tenants’ rent payments, so if they are unable or unwilling to pay you can be left without an important source of income. This can happen for many reasons, from a tenant losing their job unexpectedly to unscrupulous tenants absconding without paying their rent. Whatever the reason, this is something you definitely want to avoid. Continue reading

Taking steps to reduce homelessness in Barnet

Earlier this month, there was a detailed discussion by Barnet Council’s Housing Committee on the topic of providing sufficient affordable housing in the borough over the next decade, reducing homelessness, and ensuring that tenants have access to high quality homes. The aim was to work out practical strategies to address these issues and to clarify their main housing priorities for the next few years. Continue reading

London’s financial revolution

London has replaced New York as the financial capital of the world, resulting in a boom in jobs and attracting more people to the city. This has in turn caused a stir in the property market, particularly in the Docklands, Canary Wharf and surrounding areas. Prices are growing in these areas because demand for corporate and residential properties is high. Investors are seeing this growth and reacting to it, searching for new development sites and opportunities. Continue reading

Block management services for HMOs in Wandsworth

One of the proactive ways in which the London housing shortage is being addressed is through the increase in HMOs (homes with multiple occupants). Many of the buildings in the capital are of a size and structure that allow for more than one family or separate individuals to take up rented occupancy in them. Whilst in certain cases licensing and permission is required, there is unilateral support for this across the authorities of the London Boroughs due to the fact that it helps to relieve shortage of available housing. One of the highest levels of HMOs to be found in London is in the district of Wandsworth, a region which we serve. Continue reading

A major new development for London

London and New York are the two frontrunners for the title of the world’s leading prime property market. Throughout history they have swapped positions frequently and both enjoyed periods of boom and bust. In 2009 Hong Kong entered the equation and was the most favoured market, but the two traditional leading markets quickly fought to close the gap. By 2014 London had regained the position, outperforming all other major markets in the world. Continue reading

UK mortgage lending reaches new levels

The latest figures show that gross mortgage lending in the UK reached £20 billion in September this year, which is a 2% increase from the previous month and a 12% year on year rise. The report from the Council of Mortgage Lenders shows September to be the fourth consecutive month in which the market has seen a sharp improvement in year on year lending. Continue reading

Avoiding the dangers of dishonest representation

The rental market is, at the moment, very much working in favour of those who own properties in London that they wish to let. The potential yields are remarkable, with rental income from London properties showing significant increases on an annual growth measurement. This successful market has inevitably attracted less scrupulous operators. Being caught out, compromised or disappointed by such agencies can be avoided by using our trusted professional services for property management in Sutton and the rest of the capital. Continue reading

Gaining success through guaranteed rent

All landlords are faced with the challenge of gaining consistent rental income while also keeping their property well maintained and managed. This is particularly important in London, where the pressures and costs of doing so are far higher than in other parts of the country. If you allow one of these factors to slip because of concentrating on the other, you may cause either long or short term damage, undermining the overall value of the property and leaving you exposed to a loss on your investment. Our services are designed to ensure that you do not find yourself in this position. We can pay you a guaranteed sum every month while also overseeing every aspect of management. Continue reading

The security of council leasing

As we have mentioned in previous blogs, there’s a significant shortage of housing in London at the moment. Many of the solutions put forward to address this issue are not ideal. These include London borough councils buying properties, or attempting to relocate people far away from the areas they want and need to be in. Whilst there is some merit in these two concepts, they are ultimately expensive and only serve to move the problem somewhere else rather than resolving it. Continue reading