Visiting times Inspections play an important part in any landlord's calendar. When it comes to protecting your property investment this is a key component. At Simple Estate Agents we arrange 2 property visits per property and in some cases with issues three. This helps...
Weighing up the pros and cons of buying versus renting? It's now cheaper to buy in 49 of Britain's 50 biggest cities, according to Zoopla research. What's the latest? Homeowners are an average £1,600 a year better off than their renting counterparts in ...
Good news for commuters as Mayor commits to increasing and improving train services across the two boroughs The Mayor of London has pledged to increase services to stations across Ealing and Hillingdon from next year ahead of the arrival of the...
The building is part of the £250million regeneration of the EMI factory in Hayes A build to rent development at the Old Vinyl Factory regeneration site in Hayes has won a prestigious housing award. The Be:here Hayes development of 133 rented homes...
It has been branded the "Lidl of the Future" Lidl has opened its new Hayes store, built on the site of the former Hayes Swimming Pool. Work to build the "Lidl of the Future" store in Botwell Lane had been delayed after travellers moved in and the...
Those who are applying to buy a home should be able to use their rental payment history as a way to prove to lenders that they are reliable when it comes to repayments, it has been claimed. Many younger people who are buying their first home will rent for a while before...
As you will be aware, the Government brought out a number of policy announcements last week affecting the Private Rented Sector (PRS). Change is now inevitable and we support any change to further professionalise the industry and create clear water in the public perception...
The focus on house price growth is continuing to shift away from London, Hometrack's latest UK Cities Index shows. And now, a newcomer is promising the best annual returns. What’s the latest? Edinburgh has become the fasting growing city in the UK for house...
First-time buyers who underestimate the financial burden of stepping on to the property ladder face a deposit deficit of 31%, reports Aldermore. First-time buyers are underestimating the cost of buying a home by more than £15,000. The typical person buying their first...
The Bank of England has raised interest rates for the first time in 10 years. Here’s how it will impact the various types of mortgage. The Bank of England raised the base rate this month to 0.5% , up from its previous 0.25% . Of the nine members of the Bank&...
I get asked this question a lot when I go out to see landlords on rental appraisal, whether it's a new property or one that comes empty. Most landlords say to me they prefer to put down a cheap carpet, but I disagree. The problem with carpet is it is more likely to get...
A new study released today has revealed that prospective homesellers will need to have their property on the market by Tuesday 17th October in order to sell or move home before Christmas. Data from estate agent comparison website EstateAgent4Me provides a new insight into the...
A promise to 'fix the broken housing market' has prompted the Government to extend the Help to Buy scheme, to help more people get on to the property ladder. The Government is set to pump an extra £10bn into its Help to Buy scheme as Prime Minister Theresa May has pledged...
With British Summer Time about to end and Christmas looming, many potential buyers might think about putting off a mortgage application until the spring. However, mortgage experts Choice Finance advise that, for those looking to buy, now could be the best time based on low...
A public consultation is being held on the future of policing in Hillingdon The fate of police stations in Hillingdon will be subject to a public consultation. The Mayor's Office for Police and Crime (MOPAC) will be holding a session to discuss the future police stations in...
Is the property party over for London? Nationwide’s latest house price index now puts the capital as the worst-performing region in the UK. House prices in London have fallen for the first time in eight years as growth across the rest of the UK continued to slow...
Recently I have notice a lot of clients who have bought houses through myself and have gone on straight away to add another bedroom by doing a loft conversation. This is a great way of increasing bedroom space by up to 40% and a great way of getting another shower room into your...
Simple Estate Agents will be attending this years Brunel Freshers Fayre. With our commitment to expand our offering to our Student Landlords around the Brunel University, we will be attending to speak to students and help give guidance on what to look for in a second year...
According to research carried out by property management platform No Agent, over a quarter of landlords across the UK are surprisingly unaware of the proposed lettings fee ban that could entirely shift their income models, and potentially increase costs to tenants. Announced in...
Complex buy-to-let lending changes, due to come into force shortly, could result in a 'surge' of rental stock going back on the market for sale, says Portico. New buy-to-let mortgage rules could force rents higher and lead to a fall in the number of homes available to...
Housing market sympathies are often reserved for first-time buyers. But making the second rung of the property ladder can be tougher still, according to Lloyds Bank. Almost a quarter ( 23% ) of first-time homeowners looking to take the next rung of the property ladder&...
Want to save more than £400 a year? Then switch to a better mortgage deal when your fixed rate comes to an end, urges national charity Citizens Advice. Homeowners are losing more than £400 a year by loyally sticking with their mortgage lender once their initial deal...
Ealing Council hope The Green in Southall town centre will be developed into more than 500 new homes. The search is under way to find a developer to transform five acres of space in Southall into 500 homes. The Green, a five acre site, currently comprises of a car park, light...
The Nestles Factory closed back in 2014 and the site was bought by SEGRO, who have teamed up with Bharrat Homes to submite planning application to covert the site to - 1381 homes including a proportion at officially affordable prices - 4 Modern units for light industry/storage/...
Under the government's new proposals, designed to end the exploitation of would-be buyers, 'ground rent' payments on new build homes could be banned completely. Other measures, which are now subject to an 8-week consultation, include changing the rules on Help to Buy equity...
Landlords in England and Wales are being urged to bring their E and F rated properties up to standard, or run the risk of having them banned from renting, when new legislation is introduced in April 2018. With just nine months to go, landlords need to ensure their properties are...
As announced in the Queens Speech the government is drive a head with th banning of all Tenants Fee's. This means that once the ban is introduced no agent or landlord can charge any admin, reference, renewal or inventory fees. The only thing that can be charged is the...
Over half the value of buy to let lending in the second quarter of this year was provided to limited companies rather than ‘classic’ buy to let individual investors says a leading broker. Based on lending transactions brokered by Mortgages for Business, limited...
So, where to begin? So much has been said and written about the General Election campaign and subsequent result that you might think that everything had changed. Clearly, when you have the same party in power (albeit propped up by the DUP), the same Prime Minister, and most of...
Looking to buy your first home? You'll need an average deposit of £33,000 – and more than three times that in London, warns Halifax in its latest report. What’s the latest? The average price paid by a first-time house buyer has broken through the &...
Nothing makes us more motivated to make changes to our home than the small wonders of spring. With nature coming to life and the evenings lingering on, now is the perfect time to think about brightening up your home with subtle updates to make sure it’s summer-ready. Emma...
Is the continued slowdown in house price growth 'a blip' or due to uncertainty over this month's General Election, asks the Nationwide Building Society. What’s the latest? House prices fell for the third month in a row during May, marking the worst quarter for...
The first trains of London's £15billion Crossrail scheme between Liverpool Street and Shenfield have been delayed. The first services on the Elizabeth Line were due in May but are now expected to begin this month after TfL said they needed to carry out additional testing...
Hayes and Harlington incumbent John McDonnell was re-elected in 2015 with his highest majority to date, scoring 15,700 votes more than Conservative candidate Pearl Lewis. The Labour MP, who is also Shadow Chancellor in Jeremy Corbyn's cabinet, will be looking to defend the seat...
Rental market outside the capital plateaus while London sees a 'large drop' in the supply of properties to rent, reports the Association of Residential Letting Agents. What’s the latest? Tenants are – as predicted – bearing the brunt of recent tax...
New research from Lloyds Bank has found that homes within easy reach of a local supermarket are, on average, £21,512 higher than in nearby areas. Properties in areas with a Waitrose, Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury’s or Iceland are most likely to command a higher house...
Having tenants in a property is always better than it being empty. However, if you find that they aren't renewing their tenancy agreement and you are constantly having to advertise the property, this can work out as being more expensive in the long-run. There are more costs...
The latest report from the National Landlords Association has revealed that single property landlords are finally waking up to the fact they could be pushed in to a higher tax bracket following the introduction of new taxation rules for buy to let. The statement comes as recent...
The Government announced, in 2010, its plans to replace six means-tested benefits with a single benefit namely for those of working age: Universal Credit (UC). Today, 4 years on from the start of the roll-out across England, the new scheme is still riddled with operational...
New analysis of April house prices in England and Wales has revealed that, for the second month in succession, there was a rise of just 0.1%. According to the data from YourMove, prices have increased just 0.5% in the last quarter, however annual price increases remain steady...
The latest analysis by ILC-UK and the Building Societies Association has found that UK pensioners will see their mortgage debt soar to £39.9bn by 2030 - a rise of over £19bn. According to the report, current economic trends such as house price inflation, tighter...
Property management specialist, Lee Baron, is advising residential landlords to check the energy efficiency of their property portfolios and take simple measures to boost the efficiency of any poorly performing property, before they become illegal to let. From the 1st April 2018...
The viaduct will allow several extra trains per hour to travel to and from Heathrow on the Crossrail network The City of London Corporation has handed the Department for Transport £200m towards Crossrail following the completion of four infrastructure milestones. The City...
Generous parents helping their cash-strapped offspring are predicted to provide deposits for nearly 300,000 mortgages, according to a joint study. What’s the latest? The so-called 'Bank of Mum and Dad' is set to advance £6.5bn this year to help their children buy a...
Brits are feeling the pinch, but Nationwide is optimistic that by the end of the year, house prices will be 2% higher What’s the latest? House prices fell for the second month in a row in April, with 0.4% shaved off property values. The drop, which followed a 0...
Good news for tenants as slowdown in the capital sees rents on new tenancies fall by 1.2%, data from HomeLet reveals. What’s the latest? The cost of renting a home in London has fallen for the first time in eight years. The average rent charged on a new tenancy...
The Dower House in Harlington High Street has been derelict for many years and was badly damaged by a fire six years ago The Member of Parliament for Harlington John McDonnell has called for a historic building to be refurbished after it was damaged by a fire started...
The number of people turning to their grandparents for help has soared four-fold during the past 5 years, says Santander. One in 10 first-time buyers are relying on cash from grandparents in order to get on to the property ladder. The number of people buying their...
The Chancellor may have ‘sat on his hands’ when it came to property in his 2017 Spring Budget. But that doesn’t mean you have to. It’s safe to say that Chancellor, Philip Hammond’s Spring Budget is unlikely to go down in the history...