British Gas raised the price of gas by 35% and electricity by 9%.

Just last week EDF Energy raised the price of gas by 22% and electricity by 17%.

Other providers will shortly follow.

Can you handle it?

London Residential, the new estate agency in Camden, is claiming to be the greenest in town. The staff has 4 electric scooters but they are actually urged to walk to the viewings. Agents carry a measuring device that shows how far they walk (step counter?), and there are bonuses for the agent who walks the furthest, reports Camden Gazette.

How about this!

Some might laugh that it’s probably impossible to get them to do viewings after a while, and I guess that’s a possibility. But let’s hope they will stay enthusiastic about this, and that clients will really appreciate it. London has enough population for embracing niche businesses that might be a bit ahead of the time.

I don’t think the bonus thing will work, as walking shouldn’t be something they should concentrate on or obsess too much about. I can just imagine how they have this one crazy agent who does extra walking after work, and gets the bonus every time:) Good for the publicity though.

Good luck!

Click HERE to see what they have for rent.

A few notes on London residential rental market from Knight Frank’s latest report:

1. Demand is expected to grow as much as 30% on a year on year basis.

2. For the first time in over 15 years, people are not so convinced by the statement that “rent is just dead money”. When house prices are falling rental payments seem more sensible than mortgage payments.

3. Forced landlords. With the volume of house sales at least 50% lower now than a year ago, there are a lot of people looking to move house who cannot sell at a price acceptable to them. Many of these people are letting their houses.

4. The property that does not sell and comes on the rental market instead, means that the quality of the rentals is improving.

5. Many developers are becoming landlords as they cannot sell the property for the desired price.

6. Rents, which grew rapidly in 2007 (up nearly 16% in central London), will probably rise again this year, but growth will be limited by wage inflation (4% to -5%).

7. The market is very sensitive to changes to corporate employment. Widespread job cuts or even recruitment freezes could adversely affect rental values.

By the end of the year every police force area in UK will produce interactive crime maps (screenshot above), which will allow the public to:

• See where and when crime has happened, down to street level for some crimes;
• Make comparisons with other areas; and
• learn how crime is being tackled by their local neighbourhood policing team.

UK has been compiling crime statistics since 1805. Boy, if only they had those maps back in 1888, when Jack The Ripper was strolling the streets of London Borough of Tower Hamlets…

Well, this will hopefully become one of the essential tools for tenants who are new to London, and are choosing an area to stay at. I wonder how the officials plan to make it efficient if some figures will be censored because of the privacy laws?

The crime statistics by London Boroughs are available HERE. You can also insert the full postcode to get more specific data and even compare it to the last year’s figures.

London is a big city but with specific requirements the selection of rental accommodation really isn’t that great…

Actress Sienna Miller has to decide whether to move to a house (£7000 per week) just 5 doors from a former flame Jude Law or not. Specifics HERE.

It’s 5 doors. 5 houses! And they are both adults.

But if ever you are in trouble with your ex as a neighbour, visit Neighbours From Hell In Britain.

(c) Chancellors offer a close to perfect studio at W8.

So what are the most common problems you are likely to bump into when looking for a studio flat to rent in Central London?

1. It’s Too small for the money it costs. Too often you can barely move around. If good studios didn’t go like hot bread I’d suggest asking the landlord for a plan and size (in square meters), which is usually too much to ask to be put in the ad…

2. Bed too close to the hob & kitchen. I do understand that it’s very convenient to cook with your toes while your hands are busy holding a great book, but still. Great example HERE. Shouldn’t this be prohibited?

3. Shared bathroom. Imagine that - you want a studio to get some solitude, and then you have to share a bathroom? Sharing a flat is a much cheaper option!

4. Basement or Lower Ground Floor. Those flats very often get very little light, and are cold or damp. You might think it’s OK but in the long term these conditions are very hazardous to your health.

Of course, the more you pay, the less problems you have…

If you are a foreigner, a total newbie in London, going through dozens of rental ads a day, you need all the advice you can get. Especially if you are looking for a studio, as then you are probably doing it all by yourself. Here’s our small collection of words and terms commonly used in London studio flat listings:

SINGLE STUDIO = for a single person
DOUBLE STUDIO = reasonable size, suitable for a couple

EN-SUITE BATHROOM Bathroom in the unit, you don’t have to share with anyone.
KITCHENETTE Usually consists of a small refrigerator, a microwave oven, a hotplate, and a sink (Wikipedia).
LOWER GROUND FLOOR Look out- this might mean basement floor. See that there is enough light, and that it is not too damp inside.
PERIOD CONVERSION Historic building turned reconstructed
POWER SHOWER A shower using a pump to boost the flow of water to give a powerful shower spray (diydata.com).
SEMI OPEN-PLAN KITCHEN Not entirely open, not entirely separate.
SELF-CONTAINED Flat has all its own facilities, so that a person living there does not have to share rooms such as a kitchen or bathroom with other people (Collins English Dictionary).
MEZZANINE SLEEPING AREA Sleeping area on the intermediate floor in the room.

If you’ve bumped into something in studio ads that you don’t understand, do let us know in the comments section.

See also RoR rentals GLOSSARY.

We sent an E-mail to Easyroommate.com asking about how their last night’s Flat Night Fever event (speed-dating for a flat mate) went, and got a fast reply.

Apparently it was a great success - the number of attendees had yet again grown, and 113 people had gathered to the Sound club on Leicester Square last night. The event opened with 3 plays with actors imitating a few horror house-sharing scenarios. Nadine Wild Palmer and Theodora Van Der Beek of acting duo, The Scribble Collective, showed the audience in a spoof performance how to deal with slow rent payers, horny housemates, and even co-habitants who think there’s nothing wrong with vomiting on the carpet.

No wonder it is gaining popularity - sounds like a really great way to find a suitable flatmate to us. Talk about saving time!

The next event will take place on Tuesday 5th of August, in Sound club, 1 Leicester Square, London WC2H 7NA. Entrance is free, just register on their website.

Some good has come out of Association of Residential Letting Agents ARLA joining forces with NAEA, ICBA & NAVA to form National Federation of Property Professionals NFOPP - a new website.

It was about time they renewed it, as the old design left many first visitors thinking the site might be abandoned. Usability was actually not that bad in the old version, in my opinion.

But let’s see what’s changed, with our comments:

New Logo - Quite typical with the house images but definitely better than the last one drawn in paintbrush.
New Design - Like the colours a lot - much easier for the eye.
Information Fact Sheets - Like that. The information used be all over the place.
News & Events - Better to sort. Wish there was an RSS but that’s probably in the making already;)
Professional Development - Now this is a much better title, which used to be called Training.
Agent Search - Conveniently on the left bar menu all the time. You can either choose by London area/borough or by entering agent’s name.

Screenshot of the old version in 2007 (via Web Archieve).

In conclusion, we’d like to say that we, as tenants, love the new website. ARLA has a really good business card in it’s hand now, and hopefully this will encourage letting agents to develop further professionally.

Go explore the new ARLA website!

More and more landlords are renting out their homes in order to avoid selling in today’s slow property market. Moving into a cheaper property allows owners to keep their beloved home that they can no longer afford to live in.

Glad to see some good coming out of this credit crunch - some people are making life-changing decisions they would have postponed forever. Ms Sutton (image above, from Telegraph), for example, decided to use the opportunity, and move to the country. Her West London home rents out for £800 per week. The new home she is renting, a farm in Norfolk, costs only £219 per week.

I’ll move out there just as soon as I’m done with serving my time in the city!

Would like to hear their opinions on what is most difficult about being a landlord and a tenant, as they get to see both sides at the same time.

Read today’s Telegraph.

We hear that the UK’s first speed-dating/flatmating events’ roots are in year 2004. The original SPEED FLATMATING was organised by Spareroom.co.uk.

It must be one successful way to find a flatmate, considering it has been around for 4 years already!

The entrance to their event costs £5, which includes a free drink. Plus some advantages in advertising on their website and even a success guarantee.

See all the upcoming EVENTS by Spareroom.co.uk and take a look at the PHOTO GALLERY of the past parties.

Speed Flatmating homepage.

Many thanks to Rupert for the hint!

Easyroommate.com makes finding roommates fun - listen to this:

FLAT NIGHT FEVER is a speed-dating type of event held once a month, where people who want to share accommodation, meet. The events take place at SOUND club on Leicester Square. And the entry is free, believe it or not. Check out the event calendar HERE.

See the photo GALLERY of the past events if you’re still hesitating. Also, Telegraph just wrote an article on it.

Flat Night Fever homepage.

(c) commercialappeal.com

Renting out a spare room in your house or flat is gaining popularity in London. It’s the key to survival for many middle-class people, says Telegraph.

Better watch that Hichcock’s movie The Lodger (1926) before taking in any strangers!

Address: Park Street,  W1K, City of Westminster
Rent: £20 000 per week (£86 667 per month)
Agent: Hamptons

Hamptons describes: Gothic Revival residence and mews created in designed by a professional interior designer. Close to Hyde Park, the Dorchester hotel and some of the most exclusive shops in London, the house offers unrivalled glamour and sophistication.

• 7 Bedrooms
• 6 Bathrooms
• 4 Receptions
• Own Parking
• Unfurnished
• Long let - more than six months

RoR comments: The pricetag is breathtaking but if you want to be able to ask Queen Elizabeth for a five o’clock tea…this seems like an excellent choise. If I am not mistaken - there is a pool in the apartment, looking like this:

See the ad HERE.
Photos from Hamptons.co.uk

Image from Times Online.