Monthly Archives: December 2015

Directly commissioning new homes

Prime Minister David Cameron announced recently that the UK Government will be stepping in to directly commission new homes to be built on public land. The plan is to build up to 13,000 new homes with around 40% of them designated as starter homes specifically aimed at first time buyers. It is hoped that the strategy will help to encourage more people to purchase their own home. Continue reading

Management for landlords with multiple tenants

For many years, the traditional dream was for people to grow up, buy their first home and start a family. This tradition has changed dramatically in the last few years and research shows that today’s major milestones and expectations are extremely different to those experienced by the last few generations, largely due to the effects of social and financial changes. Continue reading

The leading name for guaranteed rent services

The level of demand for residential property is increasing nationwide. Despite many concerted efforts to ensure there is an adequate supply to match the demand, in certain areas of the country this is simply impossible to achieve. London is the area which currently has the highest level of disparity between supply and demand. This situation means London property investors have the potential to gain outstanding long term returns on their investments, particularly through guaranteed rent. Continue reading

Rental prices in the City of Westminster will rise in 2016

Prime property rental prices in London are predicted to rise throughout January which will kickstart a recovery of top end rents in 2016. The pace of top tier rents slowed down somewhat throughout 2015, and significantly weaker activity created a slightly difficult climate for rental growth. However, a report released from Marsh & Pearsons forecasts a resurgence which will see rents rise by 5% over the next 12 months, a considerable uplift from the 1.9% increase last year. Continue reading

Deciding between lettings and sales

As we rapidly approach the end of 2015 and the beginning of a brand new year, there is a general consensus that property prices will continue to rise across London, increasing by an average of 5% over the course of the year. While this is slightly below an expected national average of just under 6%, it remains a significant level of return. The main driving factor for the projected increase is the demand for property in London far exceeding the current supply levels. Continue reading

Make us your ideal tenant

For any investor, the ideal scenario is to make a substantial level of returns from a minimal use of time and resources, but it is a situation that few are able to reach. As a professional lettings agent in Kensington and Chelsea, we can take you as close as possible to achieving this goal with our guaranteed rent service. Continue reading

A record fine for failure to obtain planning permission

London is one of the property development capitals of the world, but developers need to be careful when designing projects if they want the work to go ahead without a hitch. It is vital to ensure they obtain relevant permission before any construction begins so that they are certain the designs and plans are appropriate and acceptable. Once this is obtained the builders must stick to the plans; deviations and late changes to the design could result in problems. Continue reading

The changing face of London’s residential market

The residential property market in London could be set for major changes over the next two years. The revision of stamp duty and the announcement of new taxes on buy to let properties and second homes could lead foreign investors to sell the homes they have purchased in new developments taking place across the capital. Many of these will have been reserved when the projects were announced but new changes will see the costs rise, particularly for those homes that won’t be finished before April. The end result could be an influx of new properties arriving on the market over the next two years. Continue reading

Gaining high returns from lower investments

The ideal situation for any investor is for the lowest investment possible to ensure a significant return, but these perfect conditions are not easy to find. Opportunities to make a high return from a low investment are very rare indeed, so when one presents itself, it must be given serious consideration. The London Borough of Newham offers the perfect example of this scenario. Continue reading

Merton records the best 2015 property performance

For two weeks of every year, the most well known area of the London Borough of Merton gains a great deal of attention from around the world. The Wimbledon championship is arguably the most loved tennis tournament, and many who would not normally watch the sport make sure they tune in to see the spectacle. While we all love watching the tournament, we focus on this area of London every week of the year with our extensive property services. Continue reading