Upcycle, recycle and buy second-hand for a beautiful home interior

Forget ‘out with the old and in with the new’; Britain is now a nation of self-confessed ‘upcyclers’.

While the art of turning trash into treasure has been a rising interior design trend for many years, the lockdown restrictions of 2020 have accelerated the number of people upcycling, recycling and buying second-hand furniture. 

With little else to do than clear out our homes of junk and get creative with DIY, it’s no surprise really. Research commissioned by mobile network GiffGaff found two-thirds of us happily fixed-up and revitalised old furniture and homeware items this year, citing saving money, avoiding waste and being creative as the three top reasons. 

Even the big guns are jumping on the bandwagon. Furniture giant Ikea has launched a buy back scheme in its stores, much like the part-exchange deals we are offered on our used cars. Customers will be offered a voucher equivalent of up to 50% of the unwanted item’s original purchase price, with the traded goods resold in a second-hand ‘as is’ area of the store, or recycled. 

Since 89% of adults say they would happily buy used items, we predict Ikea may experience a surge in sales of their infamous meatballs too!

Those of us with environmentally conscientious motives for renovating our home interiors are also the reason that the sustainable living trend is set to boom in 2021. The term ‘sustainable furniture’ received a 430% rise in search volume this year, suggesting that upcycling, recycling and buying second-hand is here to stay. 

The guide to decide

Making the choice to upcycle, recycle or throw away can be a tough one and usually stems from the desire to declutter. But while 46% of Brits want to clear away to create space, a quarter struggle to get rid of unused items for nostalgic reasons. 

The good news is that you can ‘do the right thing’ whatever your objective. 

  • If you’re finding it difficult to throw something away in the hope that you’ll use it again one day, think about new items on your wish list and see if anything old can be repurposed. Whether it’s faded jeans or rusty cheese graters, there are a myriad of fascinating uses for everyday items, from cushion covers to utensil holders. 
  • Instead of kitting out your bedroom with new chests and bedside cabinets, research ways you can transform existing items into your desired theme. Start by browsing the internet and social media channels for inspirational influences. Sometimes a lick of paint and new handles is all it needs to fall back in love with your furniture.
  • If you can’t find a use for something, that’s not to say someone else won’t, and vice versa – one man’s trash is another man’s treasure! So instead of taking it to your local tip for landfill, drop it off at your local charity shop or list it on one of the many online selling platforms like Gumtree, eBay or Facebook Marketplace. And buy/acquire second-hand from these places too. 

This approach will not only save you money, develop your inner creative skills and perhaps even make you money, it will also reduce waste and lessen the impact on the environment. If you discover your home is bursting at the seams with revamped items, contact us about finding you a bigger property to move to.

Common tenant maintenance problems & repair costs

Being a landlord can be hugely rewarding but it’s a job that doesn’t come without hard work and commitment, as well as significant time and financial investment. 

Aside from the upfront costs involved in buying a property, refurbishments and getting tenants moved in, recent research by LV found that UK landlords spend an average of £2,600 per year on repairs and maintenance. 

This figure does not include the time it takes to manage the numerous tenant gripes and requests, which can range from minor lightbulb replacement issues (a tenant’s responsibility) to major leaks. 

Here, we explore some of the most common tenant maintenance and repair requests, and reveal the potential costs of rectifying the issues.

Leaks

One of the most common maintenance issues faced by landlords, leaks can also be one of the most expensive problems to solve. 

While a leaking tap or pipe can be easy and cheap to repair or replace, larger leaks caused by burst pipes or a sagging roof can set you back hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds – especially when the cost of labour is factored in. 

It’s therefore important to respond to leak complaints as soon as possible to avoid the problem worsening and then possibly causing further damage to a tenant’s personal belongings. 

Damp and mould

More than 5 million tenants have experienced damp and condensation issues in their rental properties, which can lead to severe cases of mould if not dealt with. 

While tenants have a responsibility to sufficiently heat and ventilate properties, landlords are legally required to ensure a rental property is fit for human habitation. 

There are a number of things landlords can do to minimise the risk of damp occurring, such as installing extractor fans in bathrooms, sufficiently insulating the property and ensuring windows and doors are sealed. 

If mould occurs, it can cost around £50 per room to have it removed, which does not include fixing the issue that caused the moisture in the first place.  

Broken boilers

As the cold weather sets in, heating and boiler problems rise. Every tenant has the right to live in a home where there is sufficient heating and hot water, so a landlord must act fast to repair broken boilers – 24 hours in fact. 

According to consumer group, Which?, the average cost of repairing a boiler can be £182 each time. Replacing a boiler is much more expensive at a median average of £2,595, including installation. 

It may be worth investing in boiler insurance to provide regular servicing and cover in the event of a breakdown.

Pest control

Pest infestation has been on the rise in recent years thanks to warmer weather in Britain. Last year, the heatwave sparked a bedbug infestation and in 2020, lockdown created the perfect environment for rodents. 

However it’s also the internal environment that can cause pest infestation and therefore, tenants have a duty to maintain their property to a high level of cleanliness to avoid such issues. 

Should the infestation be found to be as a result of disrepair or through no fault of the tenant, it will be down to the landlord to sort the issue (provided the tenant has reported it). 

The cost varies depending on the type of pest infestation and severity, but ranges from £40 per treatment per room to over £200. 

Other common issues

There are many other reasons a tenant may contact you regarding a maintenance or repair issue, including broken fence panels, blocked drains and faulty white goods. As a responsible landlord, it is your duty to be responsive and rectify the problem in an appropriate time frame – if the issue is not found to be the fault of the tenant. And if the tenant is at fault, be reasonable where appropriate – the cost of finding a new tenant often outweighs the cost of repair, so choose your battles wisely. 

If the idea of handling multiple tenant enquiries and managing numerous repairs on a monthly basis makes you anxious, consider using the services of a letting agent. According to research by Endsleigh Insurance, 41% of landlords find working with agents less stressful than managing properties on their own. What’s more, the survey claims you could save over £150 per month and six hours of your own time by engaging a professional property management business.

6 trends for 2021: the year of the pandemic property

It’s quite usual for a deluge of forecasts to flood in about now, speculating what interior trends and design details will become hot property in the next year, and the current predictions are heavily influenced by our new lockdown lifestyles.

Not since World War II has an event shaped how we live our lives. Now with 2020 drawing to a close and Covid-19 looking to shape at least the early part of 2021, many of us are in a new mindset when it comes to our homes. Design platform Houzz has been charting user searches as an indicator of what’s now important among tenants and home owners. Here’s what we’ll be seeing much more of next year. 

  1. White kitchens: The sleek, clean appeal of white kitchens is leading the charge, with a significant rise in ‘white kitchen’ searches noted this year, when compared to 2019. Whether it’s the clinical colour, the hygienic finish of a handleless gloss design or the ability to make any space feel brighter, the pure tones of white will be a 2021 hallmark.
  2. Flexible spaces: not everyone is blessed with enough space to keep a spare bedroom and create a separate home office or gym area, so it’s no surprise design experts are creating adaptable spaces. One of the top trends is for hideaway beds that fold up flush to a wall when not in use but can easily be pulled down when you have guests. This idea keeps the floor space free for either a desk or a set of dumbbells but does not lose the room’s true purpose.
  3. Desks, but not as we know them: work from home is here to stay, pandemic or not, but not everyone wants a constant reminder of the daily grind. Work stations set behind doors, in cupboards or even built into a run of kitchen units is set to be big news. Even humble Wickes is retailing new styles of integrated kitchen offices, where you’ll never be far from your kettle.
  4. Colourful bathrooms: time to look away if you ripped out that avocado suite! The bathroom will become the place to have some design fun in 2021, with pink, navy and gold bathrooms all much searched for on Houzz. Pastel sanitaryware, coloured grouting and patterned tiles will be style winners as we move into a new year.
  5. Outdoor entertaining: flip flopping between different tier restrictions and lockdown rules has taught us that the ability to entertain outside is very important, whatever the weather or occasion. According to Houzz, we’ve been looking up ‘summerhouses’, ‘firepits’, ‘hot tubs’, ‘pizza ovens’ and ‘outdoor kitchens, as well as showing intent to grow our own with a rise in ‘vegetable garden’ searches. 
  6. No-touch tech: experts believe we’ll shift even more towards voice or app controlled appliances moving forwards, with a myriad of possibilities thanks to Google Homes and Alexa. Already making the crossover from public to private spaces are sensor-controlled taps and lighting – everyday examples that can be operated by motion alone.

If you’re looking for a new home that’s ready-made with some of the above, or you’d like to know if any of these features will add value before you sell, contact us for advice.

Paint perfect: How to choose the right white

Whether you’re neutralising before going on the market or putting your own stamp on a property you’ve just moved in to, Nothing is ever black and white, especially when it comes to choosing the right shade of white for your home painting project.

A whiter shade of pale

If you thought deciding between 50 shades of grey was hard enough, try picking one of 150 shades of white. That’s how many just one manufacturer, Benjamin Moore, supplies. So, when you think of all the paint brands available, you could be faced with choosing between thousands of different options. 

The right shade of white for your home will depend on multiple factors, including where it will be used and why, the size of a room and its contents. To avoid mistakes, it’s important to understand the nuances of white paint and how various elements can affect perception. 

Consider the undertones 

There is a huge variety of shades of white, which all provide a different result. You could be aiming for whiter than white or not so dazzling, in which case, you’ll need to err towards either cool or warm undertones, respectively.

Cool-inflected whites contain undertones of blue, purple, green or grey, while warm-coloured whites come with red, yellow, pink and orange undertones. How do you know whether brilliant white, off-white, creamy-white or greyish white is best? Read on…

Assess natural light

The look and feel that white paint will create will largely depend on the amount of natural light in a space. If a room is south-facing with lots of natural light, then a cool white can balance the glare. In a small and dark space, or room that gets little natural daylight, you may want to compensate for the coolness with a warm white. 

To complicate matters, east and west facing rooms appear either darker or lighter at different times of day, so think about when you use these spaces most when selecting the shade of white paint. 

The final level of complexity where light is concerned is artificial light. While you should select an undertone to contrast the natural light, you should choose a hue that complements artificial light. Warm undertones with warm bulbs and vice versa. 

Evaluate space and contents

Take a look around the room you are about to paint and note the colours of the furniture, fabrics and floors. The key here is to never blend warm and cool whites or the vibe in the room will feel mismatched.

If it’s a modern space with cool elements, such as stainless-steel kitchen appliances and grey tiling, go with a cool white. Cosier rooms with patterned rugs, colourful curtains and vintage furniture are best suited to warmer white. 

Also think practically when it comes to the paint finish. If your home is childless and pet-free, a stylish matte, chalky or eggshell finish will work well. Opt for a gloss or emulsion finish if you’ll need to wipe away sticky finger marks and muddy paw prints. 

Test, test and test again

There are several stages of testing required to ensure you choose the perfect white for your paint project:-

  1. Firstly, trust your eye and ignore any creative names – they often mean nothing! In store, compare alternative whites to a pure brilliant white and pick your favourite few based on your perception. 
  2. Digital and printed colour charts rarely offer a 100% accurate representation of the paint, so it’s vital to buy tester pots. Paint the various colours onto large pieces of white card and place them in various areas of the room before whittling down your list (don’t forget to note the name of each shade next to the swatch). 
  3. When you have just two or three favourites, paint large areas of the actual walls you’re decorating, as the paint will react to what’s underneath – plaster, lining paper etc. Ensure you leave the paint to dry completely before casting any votes, and make your decision once you have seen the paint during the day and at night. 

If you follow these steps to choosing your white paint, it’ll be all ‘white’ on the night (or day)!

5 tips to make your 15-minute viewing count

Viewing a property is drastically different now when compared to the start of 2020, but while most of us are aware about keeping spaces ventilated, wearing PPE and sellers having to vacate the property, there is a less publicised aspect that is impacting property tours – a time limit.

The Housing Secretary used the start of national lockdown 2.0 in October 2020 to repeat the current guidance that viewings can only last for 15 minutes. While it seems such a brief amount of time to evaluate the suitability of probably a person’s most expensive purchase, research in the carefree, pre-Covid year of 2014 found house hunters only spent an average 25 minutes and 30 seconds viewing a house before deciding to buy it.

Realistically, today’s viewers have 10 minutes less to investigate bedrooms, nose in cupboards and admire the décor. Still, with the clock ticking and quite possibly no chance for a second viewing (the property industry is being asked to limit the number of times a property is visited), it is best to turn up focused and with a firm agenda in mind. 

We’ve produced these top 5 viewing tips to help you get the most out of every minute:-

  1. Study the form before you arrive: spend time looking over the photographs and floorplan before you go on any viewing – you’ll have a better idea of what rooms and corners need investigating in more detail.
  2. Take a copy of the floorplan and tick off rooms/features as you go: even if you’re not viewing a palace, it’s easy to get caught up in the moment and miss details or even entire rooms. Use a floorplan like a map and you’ll be sure to see everything.
  3. Don’t waste time asking questions: if the estate agent accompanies you, don’t be tempted to stand around asking lots of questions that could be answered afterwards outside the property, by email or over the phone.
  4. Keep an eye on the time: you don’t want to spend 12 minutes admiring the kitchen and leave precious little time to look elsewhere. If you’re a daydreamer (or just like military-style precision), set a ‘phone timer to go off every 2 minutes as this will prompt you to move on.
  5. Make a permanent record of the viewing: take your own photos and videos, so you can hone in on what really matters and remotely revisit the property as many times as you like. This suggestion needs a little advance planning, as it’s essential to ask the estate agent/the property owner for permission ahead of the viewing.

If you’ve seen a property you’d like to view – or would like advice on progressing your moving plans during lockdown – get in touch today.

6 common winter mistakes when selling your home

The winter months have traditionally been slower for property sales compared to other seasons but with Covid-19 restrictions putting the breaks on activity earlier in the year, the market shows no signs of slowing. 

Rightmove reports a 66% increase in the number of active buyers, 70% more property sales agreed and a faster completion time compared to a year ago. So, how do you ensure your property gets noticed as the leaves continue to fall and the dark nights set in? 

It’s about setting the right tone and luring people in – despite freezing temperatures – from the minute your property hits the internet until the moment a viewing is over. Here’s how to avoid 6 common mistakes, along with some alternative ideas to help sell your home in the winter months. 

 

  • Don’t neglect outside areas: If you want buyers to even entertain the idea of viewing your property, it needs to be picture perfect from the outside first. Sweep away fallen leaves and other debris, clear cobwebs, wipe winter grime from windows and ensure there is a safe, clear and well-lit path to your property. If your garden normally blooms in the summer but looks a little bleak in the winter, consider adding some winter-flowering plants and shrubs to distract from bare branches. 
  • Resist packing away your garden furniture: Instead of putting any garden furniture away in storage boxes for the season, winterise it instead. Complement seating areas with some blankets, outside lighting and a heater or fire pit to demonstrate how the garden can still be enjoyed, despite the colder weather. 
  • Exercise restraint when getting your Christmas decorations out: Deck the halls by all means by your timing will be crucial. Resist putting up anything reindeer related until after the agent has taken their photographs, as festive decorations will pinpoint when your property first went on the market – especially if you’re not sold by Christmas. Small seasonal touches are an alternative to tinsel, and are less overwhelming with viewings in mind. A winter-themed wreath on the front door, garlands made from foliage and dried fruit, and poinsettias plants all add style without the full-on Santa.
  • Don’t be stingy with heat, light and tactile fabrics: Create a feeling of cosiness and warmth by highlighting feel-good features, such as fireplaces, log burners and ambient lighting. Position throws over chair backs, fluffy robes in the bathroom and toasty slippers at the foot of the bed. Candles and fairy lights, although cliched, still create a welcoming ambience and set the central heating to 20℃ to ensure maximum viewing comfort. 
  • Sell with small touches: It’s bad enough having to venture out in the wind and rain to view a home, so make sure your home is prepared to give a warm welcome. Have an umbrella stand at the ready for sodden brollies, a door mat to wipe dirty feet and a coat stand for wet outerwear. Subtle seasonal scents can help set the tone and disguise cooking or pet smells, as long as they aren’t overbearing. Notes of pine, fig, cinnamon and mulled wine work well in winter.
  • Be clear as to what’s possible: Home offices, indoor gyms, larders and dining rooms are high on property wish lists but ensure the purpose of the space is obvious by using the appropriate furniture and accessories. Show potential buyers photographs of your garden and interior taken in the summer, and have any plans you’ve had drawn up to extend, remodel or refit to hand – especially if you’ve already gained planning permission.

 

If you would like more information about how to prepare your home for photographs and viewings in the winter, contact us today.

Home staging: the way to supercharge your sale or let

We are all familiar with the idea that properties should be clean and tidy before they go on the market but have you given much thought to how the furniture and accessories you choose – and even how they are arranged – can contribute to a successful sale or let?

Every year The Home Staging Association publishes a report on how successful its members’ efforts have been at helping homes that have come to market, and it’s just released its findings for 2020. Every single respondent said that home staging had been a helpful marketing tool when listing a property. In fact, 71% said home staging increased the number of viewings booked, while 51% said a staged property sold twice as fast as a non-staged one.

Another endorsement was the statistic that showed 75% of those surveyed found home staging increased the value of offers, when compared to similar properties. The increase noted was as much as 10% when a property was staged.

The practice of staging a property sounds rather grand but it isn’t an activity that should be exclusively reserved for vacant properties or mega mansions. Experts agree that all homes could do with a degree of staging – whether it’s moving, storing or replacing furniture; changing accessories or redecorating with a certain buyer or tenant in mind. 

When should I stage my home?

There are two schools of thought as to when a seller or landlord should stage their property. The Home Staging Association found 71% of respondents said an available property should be staged from the outset of the marketing, while 16% commented that home staging should be introduced if a property is stuck on the market with a lack of interest. Home staging is always advised if the property is coming to market vacant, as many people find it hard to envisage a lifestyle when faced with empty spaces.

Getting started with home staging

You can, of course, hire a professional to come in and stage your property. They will have access to a bank of furniture and accessories that can transform your home, while knowing how to appeal to people using the latest trends. If you prefer the DIY approach, there are furniture rental companies with ‘packs’ designed especially for home staging, as well as a number of stores that offer cost-effective items to purchase – think Ikea, Dunelm, B&M and Home Sense.

Here are some ideas you might like to try:

Use furniture to draw attention to the property’s best features: position armchairs or sofas so they’re facing a fireplace, instead of staring directly at a TV screen, and apply the same principle if there’s a room with an attractive view. If you have a spacious hallway or landing, think about adding a small desk or sideboard to show off the proportions.

Stage bedrooms as bedrooms: always put a bed in a first floor spare room and make sure it’s the largest size that will comfortably fit, as double bedrooms tend to carry a premium. Pay attention to bed linen and accessories – crease free covers, a throw and some scatter cushions are small additions that make a big impact.

Don’t fall into the ‘dumping ground’ trap: small or redundant rooms can often let a property down, especially if they don’t have a defined purpose or are used to sort laundry. In today’s market, home offices, larders and dressing rooms are highly sought after, so if you have a room that’s become a dumping ground – no matter how small – stage it so interested parties can see its potential – you can search Instagram and Pinterest for inspiration.

The devil is in the detail: home staging is about selling a lifestyle and no one wants to buy a house that feels crumpled or chaotic. Calm can be restored with a few small changes.

  1. Reduce belongings on display and banish clutter: pay particular attention to kitchens, bathrooms and hallways – less is definitely more.
  2. Neutralise by whitewashing anything that is overpowering: whether that’s a bold paint choice or flowery wallpaper – and remove wall decals for a blank canvass. See point 3 for how to carefully reintroduce interest.
  3. Add back colour with accessories: cushions, candles, rugs and throws can be cheap and taken with you when you move. Stick to a limited, complementary colour palette for a professional feel.
  4. Be neat: this can be as subtle as a stack of folded towels in the bathroom, labelled jars in a larder or a bookshelf organised by the spine’s colour or book height.

We can advise you on who is active in your local property market and you can use this information to stage your property to appeal to those most likely to make an offer. Get in touch for ideas and advice.

The rise of purpose-built work from home developments

Co-working and co-living spaces are not new but in the last few years, there’s been somewhat of a marriage between the two – a blended model that is now at the forefront of residential development, thanks to Covid-19 and its impact on working from home trends. 

Some are calling it community living, where you have a private living space but gain access to amenities that you share with your neighbours. It’s a concept that has actually been around for almost a century in the UK, although most of us will only be aware of the more recent examples in the form of student halls of residence and retirement complexes. 

More recently, developers and property investment firms have taken inspiration from their European counterparts and started to build multi-purpose developments in the UK – places that you could argue are completely self-contained. 

They aren’t small Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) or blocks of studio flats with shared bathrooms and kitchens. They are modern complexes with co-working spaces increasingly at their heart. And it’s what UK professionals want as research by Lloyds Bank confirmed that a dedicated work space at home is an important factor when considering a move. 

What can you currently expect? 

The 21st century has seen an explosion in the development of co-living complexes and most have been targeted at renters. 

Cynics see them as developers cashing in on maximising the income of properties, cramming in as many small residential units as possible and dressing up the communal spaces as complementary add-ons. Others consider it a solution to the shortage of housing supply and unaffordable rents. 

Whatever side of the fence you sit on, it cannot be denied that for many, this type of living is an increasingly sought-after lifestyle choice – one that is only set to rise as working from home becomes the norm and fears of social isolation worsen. 

Most prominent in large cities, these purpose-built developments often have on-site laundry facilities, communal outdoor space, gyms, shops, bars and restaurants. Some organisations, such as The Collective, specifically target young professionals, digital nomads and the gig economy by providing small residential units in vast apartment blocks. These tend to feature an impressive array of not just communal and work spaces but a calendar of social and professional events. 

It’s a trend that Build-to-Rent developers recognise too. Compared to last year, the number of build-to-rent homes under construction or planned across the UK has risen 22% and we’re set to see an increased leaning towards work from home facilities included in these schemes.

In line with the Code for Sustainable Homes and more recently, the amended London Housing Design Guide, private dwellings of the future will likely have more space earmarked for working within the private dwelling, as well as accessible communal areas. These spaces could feature everything from desks, monitors, printers, copiers and a high-speed internet connection to bookable meeting rooms, work from home pods and conference suites – either included in the cost of the rent or service charge, or available for an additional fee.

Future development plans to plug the gap

To date, most purpose-built developments have catered towards tenants and/or specific groups of people. However, more developments are starting to pop up that feature a mix of property types for a range of budgets – to buy as well as to rent. Marmalade Lane in Cambridge is just one example and positions itself as a co-housing community.

Looking to the future, it’s clear that the cost-effectiveness, collaborative structure and community aspect of this multifunctional style of living will certainly appeal to many, especially as people spend more time in their homes and local areas. 

Whether the hybrid model is here to stay will depend on the creativeness of developers, quality of services and affordability of the property. If you’re looking to move to accommodate more home working, contact us and we can connect you with suitable properties.

Stats, facts & record breaking figures this autumn

House prices and the property market in general have always been favourite talking points, and today’s unusual microclimate has created a whirlwind of new facts and statistics to discuss.

Property portal Rightmove has gone as far as saying we are in ‘extraordinary’ property times, with three new records being set during September 2020. The first record-breaking figure is the new average value of a property coming to market in the UK. This now stands at £323,530 – nudging even higher than seen in August, thanks to an increase of 1.1% in September. 

Despite the pandemic now impacting our lives for more than eight months, houses are coming to market at almost £17,000 more than they were in September 2019, thanks to the highest annual house price growth seen for four years. In addition, there’s also a new record when it comes to sales agreed. With shifting priorities, the desire to relocate and a stamp duty holiday, it comes as no surprise that there have been 2% more sales agreed so far this year, when compared to the same period in 2019. In fact, agents are reporting a record number of sales – 70% higher in September when looking at year-on-year figures.

Another new record has been set when it comes to the speed of property sales. Rightmove’s findings reveal 12 days have been shaved off the average time to sell a property now, when compared with 2019. Properties are going under offer in a new, quicker timeframe of 50 days.

The impact of our current property microclimate has also been measured by Halifax. Its analysis of data from its latest House Price Index looks a little deeper into the types of property that have seen the biggest rise in value. Taking the top spot, and perhaps reflecting our desire for more space, is the detached property – a type that has risen in value by more than 5% since March 2020. 

Detached houses in the North West and Yorkshire & Humberside have seen the greatest value rises (above 6%), with the smallest increases seen in the South East and Greater London, where detached homes have risen in value in the region of 2%. In comparison, terraces and semi-detached properties have seen 4% of value added, and a typical flat had risen by 2.5% over the same period.

While records are not being set or broken at the same considerable rate, the UK’s rental market continues to perform strongly. The latest HomeLet Rental Index showed rents were up 0.2% in the last month to lift the UK’s average rent to £987 per calendar month. This figure is up 4% when compared to June 2020. Of the 12 regions monitored by HomeLet, 10 posted rent increases between September 2019 and September 2020, with 7 of the 12 also showing month-on-month rental value rises between August and September this year. 

If you would like to know your home’s current value or how much rent it could achieve if you let it out, please contact us for a bespoke valuation and marketing advice.