The real sale started today!
Edit: Half the 7,5 mil people in London must be on Oxford Street today – read this.
Here are a few links to London furniture and accessories stores that have reduced prices:
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| Harrods | John Lewis |
The Conran Shop |
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| House of Fraser |
Debenhams | The White Company |
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| Westfield | Selfridges | The Liberty |
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| Muji | IKEA | OKA |
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| Tesco | Laura Ashley |
Marks & Spencer |
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| Zara Home |
Argos |
We would like to wish all our readers around the globe a very Merry Christmas!
Special greetings go out to all London tenants, landlords, letting agents, the people from property portals, and those who bring us the fresh letting news!
Please click HERE to see our this year’s greeting card.
The Negotiator reveals that Douglas & Gordon, the estate agency that celebrates it’s 50th birthday this year, advertises in 18 property portals total (including Rightmove, Propertyfinder.com, Globrix, PropertyIndex.com, PropertyLive.co.uk and Mouseprice.com)!
Douglas and Gordon’s managing director Ivor Dickinson looks a lot like that man posing at the newest portal PropertyLive.co.uk, don’t you think?! What a pleasant surprise – we thought they were using stock photos!
Photo on the right: Ivor Dickinson’s photo in The Negotiator, on the left: a figure from PropertyLive.co.uk
Winkworth estate agents say they have seen a 30% increase in rentals activity from 2007. At the same time sales transactions decreased 50%.
Photo: Debenhams, Oxford Street
Community Legal Advice has recently posted 3 videos on YouTube that contain some good advice for the private renters. The videos are in sign language, dubbed, in English.
- What if I can’t afford the deposit?
- Can my landlord throw me out?
- What if I have difficulty paying my rent?
- When can my landlord come into my home?
- My home is damp and my things have been damaged. What can I do?
- What if my landlord won’t give my deposit back?
- How can I leave my shared house or flat?
- My neighbours are so noisy I can’t sleep. What can I do?
Community Legal Advice
Shelter
There’s a big Christmas sale over at Jacob Fox!
The banner says the rents have come down up to £100 per week but I just saw one apartment’s price cut by £125! Not bad!
Click here to see the list of more than 400 rentals in the majority of East London and parts of South East London. Their offices are in Canary Wharf E14 and Wapping E1W.
More discounts from estate agents!
Hudsons offers rent free period from the time a tenant moves in up to and including 31.12.2008 for selected properties. Not too many days left but even if it’s just a day – you’ll feel good about a bit of saving during this expensive month (unless you’re making the gifts yourself this year=wise choice).
Hudsons has rentals in Fitzrovia, Bloomsbury, Soho, Covent Garden and Marylebone. Click here to jump to their website.
Enjoy the good times while they last because according to Knight Frank‘s latest forecast 2009 will not be as generous to the renters.
According to Knight Frank, the rents rose across London by 16,9% in 2007, this year the expected decrease is -2,3%. In 2009 the rents will start going up again, with the predicted growth of 3%.
DOUGLAS & GORDON Kensington Office
Address: 22 Gloucester Road, London SW7 4RB
Click here to see D&G properties for rent in Kensington
What’s for rent?
Kensington features a good range of property to rent, mostly in period properties. In general, rental prices range from £400 per week for a one bedroom flat up to £5000 per week for good sized houses.
Why do people want to rent accommodation in Kensington?
Emily Nicholl (Associate Director, lettings) says “They like the fact that it’s quiet and residential, with good restaurants and quiet garden squares. Most of our tenants work in the city and so they appreciate the excellent transport links from Gloucester Road Tube station.”
(c) tfl.gov.uk
(c) W.A. Ellis
“It is still generally being reported that properties are not letting, are falling in value and that there are no new tenants coming into the market. This is absolutely not true. We are a team of 18 here at W. A. Ellis in Knightsbridge and we are all working at full capacity and have as many enquiries as we had this time last year,” says Lucy Morton, Managing Partner in charge of Lettings at W.A. Ellis.
We have never used their services before but know that they usually have very good quality photos of their properties, making the search so enjoyable. That’s definitely one of the reasons they are so busy – good presentation sells!
They are also one of the few agencies in London who have photos of their employees on their site. I feel it makes the company more trustworthy. See the people at W.A. Ellis.
W.A. Ellis covers all prime central London and you are welcome to check out their rental offers here.
MyDeposits.co.uk advises tenants to be careful, should they decide to throw a party in their rented property during this holiday season. They say that cleaning costs are one of the most common reasons for landlords withholding all or part of a deposit at the end of a tenancy, accounting for 38 per cent of all deposit disputes!
Tenants should protect easily damaged fixtures and fittings from overzealous party guests and the first rule is – shoes off at the front door!
Tenants can avoid expensive cigarette burns in the carpets by asking guests to smoke outside. Moving precious objects into a room which is shut off from the party will protect them from the dangers of vigorous dancing.
David Salusbury, Chairman, mydeposits.co.uk, commenting on the hidden hazards of festive parties, said:
“Christmas and New Year gatherings pose a number of hazards which could cause tenants to lose their deposits. A hangover may only last a day but tenants could find themselves paying for a festive party months after the fun has ended.
“Tenants who prepare by taking simple steps to protect the properties they rent will avoid costly accidents and ensure that the festive period passes without incident.”
It’s no secret that the management of a rental property in London is often too difficult for many landlords and professional managers to handle. We understand that it is not easy to find a decent plumber or builder whom you can trust, and count on. But in too many cases it seems that managing a rental is such a daunting task, so stressful, that it induces procrastination.
I recently had an acquaintance wait for a professional manager to fix problems in the newly rented apartment for – 6 weeks. The deal was that everything would be done very shortly. After dozens of calls and a few letters, when no-one showed up for over a month, she finally went to the manager’s office, and basically said she’s not leaving until someone gives her an exact date and time when the plumber comes. The next day the plumber came and the problem was fixed. But the management company still ended up paying for delaying with the works. The tenant asked for a compensation, and as a reputable company, they agreed to pay for the inconvenience.
One of the worst problems the managers have, is that they fail to communicate with the tenant. The manager could have at least talked to the tenant, let her know what is going on, how much longer it is going to take. Maybe the tenant could have organized a plumber herself but how could she if she’s not sure she’s going to get a refund?
Here is some advice on what you can do to speed up the process of getting things fixed in your new rental:
Do not sign the agreement before the problems are fixed.
Never if there is no heating, no water or if the conditions are hazardous to your health.
Before you sign the agreement:
Check everything in the rental before signing the agreement.
Try to imagine a day in your life, and act it out doing all those things you normally would do during a day.
Take as much time as you need to do the check-up.
Tell the agent or landlord before meeting for the final viewing that you will need time (depending on the size of the place) to check that everything is the way it is supposed to be.
The final checking should be done after the previous tenant has moved out.
Otherwise you will most likely be more reserved to look everywhere, and could end up missing something important.
Look at the EPC
Check the rating and see what is advised in order to get the place in better condition. Ask what the landlord is willing to do, then put it down in writing.
If there are no major problems in the rental, and you do sign the agreement:
Always make sure to have in writing everything that needs to be fixed or done, along with the approximate dates by which the landlord promises to fix each problem.
Take action if the problems have not been fixed when promised, don’t just wait around hoping.
Best bet is to remind the landlord by sending him the list by E-mail or mail. If noone reacts, go to their office.
If you think you can fix some things yourself – tell the landlord.
Write down how much is the refund for that.
Want to read how bad it can really be? Here’s a link to a thread in LandlordZone forum: New flat’s ceiling collapsed and neighbours are noisy.
Photo: West London
David Adams, head of residential property at Humberts estate agents in London, says the new army of reluctant landlords is making it very difficult for established ones.
‘You have properties that have been refurbished for sale – real high-spec properties – now coming up for rent,’ he says. ‘These often make traditional rental properties, with their B&Q kitchens, somewhat tired by comparison and therefore more difficult to let.’
Read more from: Estate agents fear collapse in rents as ‘reluctant landlords’ flood the market The Guardian
By the way, if you haven’t heard – Chesterton and Humberts will merge into a new national and international firm called Chesterton Humberts. Read more here.
Hamptons has decided to offer renters a Christmas discount for the month of December!
Sign a tenancy agreement with them before 31st Dec and you will get 50% off the first month’s rent.
Not all properties apply but all those that do have a confirmation in the ad.
I have moved to London and found renting very cheap, with so much supply in some areas that landlords are open to bartering. The rent on a three-bed house is about £1,200 a month, close to the mortgage we could afford (we have a large deposit). Should we rent for a while, with prices on the slide, or buy in case they turn up?
House Doctor at The Independent answers that renting is a much better option these days, although it is true that the best bargains are said to be had in the next 3-6 months.
The strongest argument against buying is that you will risk losing some of your deposit if prices fall further; add legal and estate-agent fees and stamp duty, and “you’re more committed than if you rented”.
