Zoopla has launched a fun new feature - Zoopla Purple Plaques - an initiative that recognises properties across the country where a famous person lived in the past.

A survey of estate agents has revealed that celebrity association can significantly increase the desirability of a house. Three in four (75%) agents polled agree celebrity association will help sell a property and almost three in five (58%) agree celebrity association can help add value to a property – over half of agents by as much as 5%.

Click here to claim a Purple Plaque for your house.

Prime Minister David Cameron lived here from 1995-2006.

Racing Driver Lewis Hamilton lived here from 1997-2001.

Movie stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are reportedly renting a 6-bedroom house in Richmond upon Thames. The pair is staying in the UK while Mr. Pitt is filming his new movie ‘World War Z‘ in Surrey.

The landlord bought the property seven years ago for just under £4 million (now worth about £10 million) and is said to be renting it out for £30,000 pcm.

The house is full of old ship timbers and boasts secret cupboards and panels throughout the house. Despite its sense of history, the residence has been completely renovated. It has ultra-modern bathrooms, a gym and a sauna. The house also has a large heated indoor swimming pool with its own changing rooms and a large barn-style annexe which has two bedrooms and a kitchenette.

Source: Daily Mail

Rumour has it that London Mayor Boris Johnson has moved out of his family home and is now renting a flat on the same street (in Islington N1) just 100 yards away. While the newspapers have come up with several reasons for why he has decided to move, we’ve got our own version. He obviously truly cares about the town’s rental market problems and what better way to see a different angle than coming out of your comfortable owner-occupier zone and putting yourself in tenant’s shoes!

Keep an eye on the Mayor’s Facebook page to be the first to hear about what he has come up with: http://www.facebook.com/borisjohnson

Actor Johnny Depp is looking for a house to rent for his family in North London, reports Homes & Property. The property should be a large and secure home in either St. John’s Wood, Highgate or Hampstead. The budget is £25,000 per week.

N-Dubz rapper Dino Contostavlos aka Dappy has reportedly caused over £5,000 of damage to the penthouse flat he was renting in Canary Wharf.

A string of late-night parties saw furniture and doors ruined, graffiti on walls, work surfaces damaged and plasterwork holed. Light fittings were cracked, a toilet blocked and abandoned food left to rot, stinking out the kitchen, reports the Sun. The pad that cost £2,000 a month to rent has had to be professionally cleaned twice afterwards.

Read more: Posh flat chappie’s not happy at Dappie

We are proud to announce that Mr. Stephen Fry has chosen to start renting a home in London.

This man is one of the few actors that I am very fond of, mainly thanks to the silly adventures of Jeeves & Wooster, which I was convinced no other teen watched with such excitement:)

Mr. Fry had been previously living in West Hampstead. He is now renting a home in Central London according to The Daily Mail.

Calum Best, the son of Northern Ireland football legend George Best, has rented a studio apartment opposite Chelsea football ground which is just off Fulham Road in SW6 postcode.

“It’s a light and airy flat and Calum is very happy there,” says his landlady, advertising guru and property developer Stephanie Whitaker. The flat is said to be costing £310 per week (£1343 per month).

Source: Homes & Property
Photo: MTV

Singing sensation Susan Boyle has reportedly moved into a converted convent flat in London. Britain’s Got Talent star and her cat Pebbles will be staying in the £2million pad for 5 weeks.

Read more from The Sun.

American film director Woody Allen is looking for a London pad to rent, reports Times Online.

The film-maker wants a house with 3 or 4 bedrooms, and it must have a swimming pool. “He is flexible on area and doesn’t have a specific budget,” says my source. Allen, 73, is in the capital working on his next film, as yet untitled, but set to star Nicole Kidman, Anthony Hopkins, Freida Pinto and Antonio Banderas.

Woody must really like it here, as he just filmed at least a couple of movies in London not so long ago – Match Point came out in 2005, and Scoop in 2006.

Homes & Property reports that Hollywood actors Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal are renting a £4,000 a week 3-bedroom Victorian terrace house off Westbourne Grove in Notting Hill W2.

The last we heard Ms. Witherspoon was renting for £7,000 per week in the same area.

Cosy private terrace (c) Bective Leslie Marsh

The property is actually for sale as well, for some £2,75 million. The ad can be seen at Primelocation.com. The lucky agent dealing with the house is Bective Leslie Marsh.

Telegraph reveals the location and details of the home Miss Hilton was renting in Hampstead N6. Apparently the house was also used to film the British version of her new TV-series Paris Hilton’s My New BFF. Fans rejoice – the 8-bedroom recently refurbished house on Hampstead Lane is now available to rent for £4250 per week!

The house, refurbished by developer Harrison Varma, was chosen because it “felt modern and aspirational”, says producer Jake Attwell. “The light and airy spaces gave ample room for camera crews to work around contestants. The heated pool added to the luxury lifestyle we were creating, and a gated property meant security and privacy.” It has had an even starrier neighbour: Pierce Brosnan lived next door while playing James Bond.

Estate agent Savills describe the house as an impressive ambassadorial residence. Newly refurbished 8 double-bedroom (5 en-suite) house over three floors with large private garden, swimming pool, tennis court and off street parking.

The photos of the interior above are from a Savills ad, which you can see here.

Read also:
Famous London Tenants: Paris Hilton RoR
What Can You Rent For £7500 Per Week In Hampstead? RoR

Singer/goddess Leona Lewis has decided to buy the apartment she was renting in Hackney (East London), as her landlord had to sell, according to Virgin Media.

Excellent news for Hackney Borough!

While we have no idea which part of the council she resides, one of my favourite areas in Hackney is London Fields E8 (see photo above). There’s the park, Lido pools, Broadway Market, rows of Victorian terraced homes… and very reasonable prices!

Via: theRatandMouse
Image: Leona Lewis official website

She is reportedly paying £7500 per week for a home in Hampstead.

Hampstead, the area in the North West of London (NW3, London Borough of Camden), is well known for its intellectual, artistic, and literary associations and for the large 3,2m2 park Hampstead Heath. According to a survey, the area is said to have more millionaires within its boundaries than any other area of Britain. Stephen Fry (one of my favourite actors) and Elizabeth Taylor were born in Hampstead.

But what can one rent for £7500 per week in this posh part of London?

We did a quick search in the few UK property portals, and I must say there are very little choice in that price range.

The most expensive house costs £12 000 per week, while the top apartment rents for £8000 per week. Everything else is already a couple of thousand pounds cheaper.

Our search returned just one 5-bedroom duplex apartment in a high security gated development that is in the same price range – £8000 per week. See the ad HERE. This furnished flat has views to Hampstead Heath, benefits from a private leisure complex, numerous terraces and patio areas with secure underground parking.

So that is one example of what you can rent for £7500 per week in Hampstead, London NW3.

It could very well be that Miss Hilton is renting a place that does not come to the “open market” at all. It could be a house or an apartment that was for sale, but was rented out due to the difficult state of the property market. But these are just my speculations.

If you are eager to rent in Hampstead – here are a few links to letting agents with offices in the area:

Behr & Butchoff 5 Holly Hill, London NW3 6QN
Benham & Reeves 51 Heath Street, London NW3 6UG
Foxtons 47 Heath Street, London NW3 6UA
Savills 7 Perrins Court, Heath Street, London NW3 1QS
Hamptons International 21 Heath Street, NW3 1YB

The famous Heiress and businesswoman Miss Paris Hilton is said to be renting a home in Hampstead (NW3?) for £7500 per week.

Source: Splash News

Nicole Scherzinger of Pussycat Dolls and Lewis Hamilton are reportedly looking for a house to rent in London.

So what are their requirements?

- At least 5 bedrooms
- A steamy outdoor hot-tub that seats at least 6
- A romantic roof terrace
- An indoor pool
- State-of-the-art gym

Tough but not impossible!

The girls will make great tenants, no doubt about it.

Source: Daily Mirror

Prince and Princess Michael of Kent will soon be paying rent for their 5 10-bedroom apartment in Kensington Palace.

The rent is £120,000 a year (about £2,308 per week), and is payable from year 2010. Until then the Queen is covering the costs. The royal couple has been using the Kensington W8 apartment since 1978.

Via: BBC

Homes & Property reports that Hollywood actor Josh Hartnett (Pearl Harbour; currently making his West End debut in Rain Man) has changed his mind about renting a 2-bedroom apartment close to Shaftesbury Avenue’s Apollo Theatre. His budget was £1,000 to £1,200 a week, and he viewed several Covent Garden properties with Winkworth, who has been selling and letting properties in London for over 25 years.

Actress Gemma Arterton (Tess of The D’Ubervilles, the new Bond girl!) has settled in a 2-bedroom rental apartment in Highgate N6, reports Homes & Property.

Note that one of the reasons she moved out of her previous home in West Kensington was because it smelled of damp. The problem is oh so common in London.

Photo: Gemma-Arterton.info

PS We are most grateful for FindaProperty.com blog Winging It linking to our blog!

And landlord Lord Cardigan thought he had seen everything!

Rumor has it that Pete Doherty’s gig was promised to be held at the barn of the his rented home, the 18th century origin Sturmy House in Durley, after he was banned from performing at Moonfest.

The news must have been shocking to the landlord, who took action right away by writing to the local police:

“Should Doherty’s manager ever plan to carry out this threat, please be advised in advance that there are absolutely no circumstances in which the owners of that house where Doherty lives would ever sanction such a thing,” wrote Lord Cardigan on behalf of the Savernake Estate trustees, who are the owners of the property.

Keep an eye on that barn!

Photo: Miguel Da Silva

Back in January we noticed that England football manager Fabio Capello was looking for a rental in London. Homes & Property now says he has happily settled in £4,500-a-week, two-bedroom Victorian flat in Cadogan Square, Knightsbridge, SW1.

If you want to be half as hip as Mr. Capello, you’ll consider renting one of these:

1. 3-bed flat£4000pw by Cluttons
2. 1-bed flat £1000pw by Chesterton
3. 2-bed flat £1000pw by W.A. Ellis
4. 2-bed flat £1250pw by W.A. Ellis
5. 2-bed flat £900pw by W.A. Ellis
6. 3-bed flat £3450pw by Knight Frank
7. 3-bed flat £4000pw by W.A. Ellis
8. 2-bed flat £5000pw by M2 Property
9. 5-bed flat £5500pw by Bective Leslie Marsh
10. 3-bed Maisonette £2850pw by W.A. Ellis

You might also want to look at this video of the 5-bed apartment for sale at Cadogan Square.