Property maintenance company One Call Home Assist has warned people across the country to take extra care of their properties as the winter conditions come to an end – if they want to avoid paying for expensive repairs when Spring arrives.

The firm has highlighted some easy steps for homeowners to consider during the coming month or so to ensure their properties are suitably protected for the forthcoming thaw.

Among the top tips to consider are:

· Keep your house warm by leaving your central heating on at a constant temperature – to avoid freezing pipes and structural damage caused by the cold weather

· Check the insulation on your pipes, boilers and roofs – and install new lagging if necessary

· Have your heating system fully serviced to prevent fire or smoke damage

· Clear blockages from gutters and outside pipes – so they will not overflow or be damaged during the winter thaw

· Protect your garden taps from freezing by wrapping them with plastic sheeting

· As residential fires increase during the winter, make sure you test your fire and smoke alarms thoroughly

· Make sure you know how to shut off your water supply and that you know where your pipes are located. If your pipes freeze, the quicker you can shut off the water or direct your plumber to the problem, the better chance you have to preventing them from bursting.

John Dickson, national sales director at One Call Home Assist, said: “Although the big freeze has been in effect for the past month, it is never too late to start thinking about ways to protect your home against the winter weather and the forthcoming thaw.

“Even small things like making sure your house is warm, clearing your gutters and testing your smoke alarms can make a big difference when it comes to protecting your property – and your bank balance – in the future.

“It’s also worthwhile looking at bigger jobs such as re-insulating your attic or checking the lagging on your pipes and boilers. Getting an expert in to do the work now will be far cheaper than suffering a disaster further down the line.

“Remember that any improvements that you make now will help protect your home from the winter weather and thaw conditions for many years to come.”

One Call Home Assist is an Edinburgh-based firm that provides maintenance contracts designed to help homeowners and landlords save thousands of pounds in repair bills.

The company’s unique maintenance deals were set up for landlords and residential property owners in Edinburgh and the Lothians who did not want the hassle of maintaining their properties themselves – and designed as a low-cost alternative to the costly boiler repair contracts offered by British Gas and Homeserve.

Contracts cover all emergency repair work to electrical, plumbing and heating systems, as well as general maintenance issues and all PAT and gas safety testing.

Think about your home, and answer these questions:

1.  What do you want it to be?    If you want your home to be a tranquil oasis in a busy world, are your colors soothing or do they shout?   If you want a fun place for friends to gather, do you have plenty of seating?

2.  What are your main hobbies and activities?   What do you need for these activities?  For instance, if you have a collection that you work on often, get storage containers for it that can be easily opened or put away.  If it’s a lot of trouble to get at your collection, you either won’t spend the time on it, or else might be tempted to leave it out and risk losing or breaking certain pieces.

3.  Who will be using the space?   How many people will be living there?  What ages?  It’s important for every person to have a space that’s their own.  Whether it’s a special chair, couch, desk or a section of a room, everyone needs ‘their space’.   If you’re planning to do video aerobics, you’ll need room to move around in front of the TV!

4.  What about your things?   It’s easy to become very messy if things don’t have a place.     A small filing cabinet is a must for many people – it’s a great place to store all the papers that you don’t know what to do with!

5.  How much do you really need?  Too much furniture makes a room seem crowded.  The bare essentials are a couch and chair, a table and chairs for eating, a bed and place for your clothes.   After that, think hard about what you need or don’t need.  Will you really use that computer desk – or would you rather sit on the couch with a laptop?

6.  Think about the traffic flow.   You want to be able to walk anywhere in the room without bumping into furniture.   Try drawing furniture placement on paper as a first step.

7.  Pick a focal point – your Greystone Properties home has unique features.  What do you want to see when your first walk in the room?   If you have nice windows with great lighting, are you emphasizing it?   Everyone feels brighter in sunshine.

8.  Think about order and organization.  Do you bring home work every day, or mail, or sports equipment?    Where will you put it?   A large bowl or box near the front door is a great place to drop mail until you go through it later.

Take advantage of free expert advice.  Every store and every product line employs professional designers to put furniture and accessories together.   If you’re unsure of your decorating skills, pick a design you like.   Study how they did it either by looking through a catalogue or going to a store.   It’s all there assembled and displayed for you.   If you like the look, simply do what they’ve done!

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The contemporary new homes at Horizons, set over 11 storeys, provide home buyers the opportunity to live in a riverside apartment with impressive views over the city of Ipswich and the surrounding countryside.

Each home has its own balcony or terrace to enjoy private outdoor space, as well as an ensuite bathroom to the master bedroom and an extra bathroom. The ample living area is connected to a separate fitted Symphony Kitchen with an integrated stainless steel oven, gas hob and extractor hood, integrated washer/dryer and integrated fridge/freezer.

The properties, which are available in a range of sizes from 417 sq ft, also come with television, telephone and satellite outlets in the living area, as well as door entry phone systems. There is also private allocated parking.

Horizons is located along the banks of the River Gipping, which feeds the tidal River Orwell, in the heart of Ipswich. Connecting the development with the town centre is the newly built Sir Bobby Robson Bridge. The town centre is a thriving area where modern life meets historical charm; the new shopping centres and the quaint cobbled streets together provide an excellent array of High Street shops, cafés, restaurants and bars.

The development is ideally located 500 metres from Ipswich train station from where there are regular services to Colchester in less than 20 minutes, Chelmsford in less than 40 minutes and London Liverpool Street in just over one hour.

Prices for the remaining two-bedroom apartments at Horizons start from as little as £119,995.

For further information on Voyage in Ipswich please contact the marketing suite, open seven days a week from 10 am to 5pm, on 01473 254807 or visit www.fairview.co.uk.

Or text Ipswich to 67007

Because of this, many first-time-buyers no longer qualify for standard mortgage products even if they are in full-time, steady employment. Lenders have therefore been forced to invent specialised mortgages that are designed to help people take their first step onto the property ladder.

First-time-buyer mortgages are not a product of their own, but rather comprise a small set of products that are aimed at the first home buyer market. They include shared ownership, guarantor, no-deposit, key worker, and standard mortgage products that are only available to people who do not yet have their own home.

Shared ownership mortgages are fast becoming the most popular vehicle for first-time-buyer to buy their first property with. Shared ownership products allow people to purchase part of a property and rent out the other part, which is owned by the seller – usually a property developer. Over time, the buyer will purchase the remainder of the property from the developer one portion at a time.

A no-deposit mortgage is another product available to some first-time-buyers that is usually targeted towards individuals who have a steady income but who do not have enough savings to pay for a deposit. This type of first-time-buyer mortgage products is normally issued with 100% loan-to-value ratios.

Exactly which first-time-buyer mortgages are suitable for you will depend on the circumstances under which you are buying the property as well as your personal financial situation.

A careful assessment of your personal circumstances may be required by an independent mortgage adviser in order to ensure that you select the right product for your situation.

It should also be noted that the property market is always changing and with affordability continuing to decline lenders are constantly assessing the needs of first-time-buyers.

Because the first-time-buyer market is so important to lenders, they are constantly working hard to ensure they bring new and innovative mortgages to the market which can help them get a foot on the property ladder.

When you find a place to stay that’s conveniently located, with an affordable rent, and with an agreeable landlord, you can say you’ve got a good deal. When you look up flats to rent in Sheffield, UK, you’ll find various properties for rent with the features you need. As you look for a good apartment to let in Sheffield, remember that you need a good landlord or letting agency so you can enjoy your tenancy. Below are tips on what to look for in a reliable landlord and property agent.

What Tenants Need

As a tenant, you want to be reassured that your landlord or Sheffield property agent will see to it your problems during your tenancy are met. If you’re going to be a responsible tenant, when you look for a flat to let in Sheffield, then you should expect your landlord to inquire about you and your capability to pay the rent and other bills. For example, a landlord may ask you for references and may want to verify your employment status and credit history. When it comes to managing his property, a good landlord will make sure his property complies with local and national laws and regulations. He should also willingly display his current gas safety certificate. The landlord should adhere to the “tenancy deposit scheme” that protects tenants’ security deposits if there are disputes that arise at the end of a tenancy.

Apartment to Let in Sheffield – What Other Traits Does a Good Landlord Have?

Is your prospective landlord willing to sign an “assured shorthold tenancy” agreement? If so that’s good news. This is a document that specifies the rights and responsibilities of both the landlord and tenant. Should you ask your landlord or letting agent a question, you should get a direct and clear answer.

If there are any problems or maintenance issues with the property to let in Sheffield, the landlord or letting agent should handle it promptly and resolve it to the tenant’s satisfaction. Finally, a good landlord is proactive. When a tenant moves in, he will have seen to it the property is in good shape, that building systems such as electrical and plumbing are working properly. If a flat to rent in Sheffield isn’t in proper repair when you move in, chances are the landlord isn’t going to be quick to resolve these or other problems.

Even the finest UK apartment to let in Sheffield can quickly become a disaster unless the landlord is attentive and responsive.

Sheffield is a great UK location with plenty of excellent and highly-rated restaurants. So when you’re in the city looking for an Apartment to let in Sheffield, don’t neglect to explore a few of the many remarkable dining establishments. The Letting Company is ready to help you find just the right place to live in Sheffield.

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TVH will be holding an open weekend on Saturday 30^th January and Sunday 31^st January between 10am and 5pm where people can visit the apartments and register their interest with the TVH New Build Sales team.

Located within easy walking distance from the bustling town centre of Wandsworth, each of these new build apartments has all the convenient amenities that residents need close by. Southside shopping centre is just across the road with excellent shopping including Gap, H & M, Next and HMV. It also has a Virgin Active health club and a Cineworld multiplex cinema as well as a Waitrose and a Sainsbury’s supermarket.  The green space and leisure facilities of King George’s Park are just a short walk away across the River Wandle and Wandsworth Common is within easy reach.

Niki Turner, Assistant Director (Sales and Marketing) at TVH, comments, “Ketley House is in an ideal location for residents. They will have an exciting mix of shops, cafés, bars, and restaurants right on their doorstep in Wandsworth and Putney, at the same time as being just around the corner from Wandsworth’s Town underground station and overground train stations.”

Residents will be able to move into the properties without paying extra for the essentials. Each home has a fitted Alno kitchen with stainless steel fan, oven, hob and hood, an integrated full-height fridge/freezer and a washer/dryer. Properties also come complete with flooring – carpets to living areas and laminate flooring in kitchens and bathrooms – along with double glazed windows and a door entry telephone system. Selected properties have ensuite bathrooms. Ketley House has lifts to all floors and roof terraces for residents to relax on.

Some of the homes will have allocated parking and a car club offers hassle-free car use with free membership for the first year. For those with bicycles there are cycle stores on site. Wandsworth Town train station, which has regular services to Waterloo in approximately 15 minutes and to Guildford in less than an hour, is nearby.  Excellent local bus routes offer easy access to the centre of London.

The properties at Ketley House range in size from approximately 495 sq ft to approximately 667 sq ft.

Prices at Ketley House start from £57,500 for a minimum 25% share

For more information on Ketley House or other HomeBuy schemes, please contact the Thames Valley Housing HomeBuy team on Tel: 0844 470 4645 or email sales@tvha.co.uk or visit www.homebuy4u.co.uk

Laura, a trainee accountant working in Wallingford, explains, “We knew we wouldn’t be able to buy on the open market because we wouldn’t be able to get enough deposit together so we registered on the Homebuy4u website (www.homebuy4u.co.uk).

“Not long after, we were invited to the open day at the show apartment which was very useful. There were lots of people from Thames Valley there to answer all the questions we had. The show apartment was very nice and well decorated in simple neutral colours, the layout of the property was also very good.

“Since we are both from Wantage and work nearby, Jordan is a carpenter in Wantage, we wanted to stay in the area. By registering with Thames Valley Housing we are now able to get on the property ladder without asking for help from our parents.”

Laura and Jordan were offered the opportunity to buy a two-bedroom, two-storey duplex apartment in the first release at the new development St Mary’s in Wantage. Not only does this individual property have its own front door, but on the ground floor Laura and Jordan will have a large reception room, separate kitchen and a downstairs WC. Upstairs the couple will have a master-bedroom with an ensuite bathroom, a second bedroom and a second bathroom.

When re-visiting their new home Jordan proposed to Laura and the young couple are now looking at a 2012 date for their wedding day.

St Mary’s is a development of one, two and three-bedroom apartments as well as two, three and four-bedroom houses available through the New Build HomeBuy scheme. New Build HomeBuy is a government-led part-buy, part-rent initiative, aimed at helping first time buyers, and those looking for help to buy their own home, get on the property ladder affordably. To apply to the scheme, purchasers need to have an annual household income of between £18,000 and £60,000, and can register with their local HomeBuy Agent.

The first phase of the development has now completely sold out, but phase two is due for release in Spring 2010 and Thames Valley Housing are already taking enquiries. The second phase will include three and four-bedroom houses as well as one to three-bedroom spacious refurbished apartments. Prices to be confirmed.

Built by Berkeley Homes, each property at St Mary’s will be finished to an exceptional standard with floor coverings throughout and fitted kitchens including fridge / freezer and washer / dryer, oven, hob and extractor hood, and contemporary fitted bathrooms. Each property has allocated parking and all new build apartments will have gas central heating, with houses heated by air source heat pumps.

The show apartment is now open from Wednesdays to Saturdays from 10am to 5pm where a representative of the HomeBuy team will be present to explain how shared ownership works, and how it can help first-time buyers get on to the property ladder in Wantage.

For more information on St Mary’s or other New Build HomeBuy developments contact the Thames Valley Housing New Build marketing team on Tel: 0844 470 4645 or email sales@tvha.co.uk or visit www.homebuy4u.co.uk or www.tvha-stmarys.co.uk

First Time Buyers - REAL

For Ringo Tan, 30, and his wife Liang, buying one of the REAL homes at the Sydney Road development in Sutton was the perfect way to get on the property ladder.

Ringo, a civil engineer, and Liang, an account manager, both prefer contemporary properties and so were ideally looking to buy a newbuild property or one recently refurbished. When they came across Sydney Road they were very impressed by the modern design and high quality finish of the homes.

Ringo comments, “We had been looking to buy a property since March when we found Sydney Road in the summer. The layout struck me as being very modern, in fact it was a step up from any other newbuilds we had seen. What’s more, the overall quality and finishes of the build are very high. We bought a penthouse apartment which has lovely high ceilings and gives the property a great feel.

We are really looking forwards to exploring our new life in Sutton and getting to know our new neighbours”.

Sydney Road is a small development of 19 new homes on Sydney Road in Sutton, built by REAL, the regeneration arm of the Rydon Group, and is committed to assisting first-time buyers get on the property ladder with its REAL Start scheme.

Properties purchased by first-time buyers through REAL Start will be funded by two loans – the first provided by a mortgage lender and the second, which is interest free to a maximum of 15%, by REAL.

Purchasers will own 100% of the property from the start but will only need to borrow 85% from the mortgage lender. Interest is not payable on REAL’s loan, but it must be paid back in full within 10 years or if the property is sold, whichever happens first. 

Ringo and Liang, who were previously living in Croydon, bought the two-bedroom property for £230,000, assisted by REAL who paid legal fees.

The modern studio, one and two-bedroom homes at Sydney Road are adjacent to West Sutton railway station.  Sutton town centre, with a wide range of shops, restaurants and pubs, is just a ten minutes walk away.  

Sydney Road is over 50% sold out including all studio apartments. Prices for the remaining properties start from £173,000; however if the property is bought through the REAL Start scheme the amount a buyer needs to raise a mortgage against is just £147,050.

Cooking a Meal - First Home

For more information, please visit the

show home at Sydney Road between 10am to 5pm from Thursday to Monday or alternatively, contact REAL on Tel: 0800 1 300 625 or visit: www.realwebsite.co.uk

Landlords have seen the time to let (TTL) in Scotland – a key market indicator – come down significantly throughout 2009 which is set to spark a rise in rents.

The latest Citylets quarterly report, which covers the 4^th quarter (Q4) October to December 2009, shows the average TTL was 37 days which is an encouraging improvement on Q1 48 days, Q2 45 days, and Q3 42 days.

The average monthly rental in Scotland is £630 which represents a small year-on-year decrease of 2.5%. This slight annual decline is less than the figure reported in the previous quarterly analysis (-3.5%) and in line with Citylets Q3 prediction that the market slide had bottomed out.

Dan Cookson, Citylets Market Analyst, said: “This shortening of average TTLs in recent months is indicative of a better balance between supply and demand in the rental market which if maintained is likely to lead to upward pressure on rental values in subsequent quarters in 2010.

“That is a boost to landlords and property investors.  Indeed, linked to the cheaper cost of mortgages and property, it could act as a trigger to spark life back into Scotland’s Buy to Let market.”

www.citylets.co.uk was launched in 1999 and is Scotland’s most successful lettings portal. Its quarterly report is the country’s only detailed and independent barometer of the rental market, based on over 50,000 annual lettings from more than 300 agents. It is now a respected tool among investors, landlords and letting agencies.

Thomas Ashdown, the entrepreneur behind Citylets Network which includes major partner brands such as s1homes and Primelocation, said the trend will be good news for landlords and letting agents who have been dealing with an unpredictable market for the past two years.

He said: “The continued tightening of TTL figures into the last quarter of 2009 suggesting a market recovery is fully consistent with the recorded volume of leads we have been delivering clients.

“In 2009 only Q4 outperformed the corresponding quarter of the previous year in terms of volumes of leads delivered, indicating that the gentle recovery which began last summer is still in play.

“I would be confident that this will be reflected in rental values in coming quarters this year, regaining some of the recent losses.

“If a landlord or their agent is using Citylets as part of their marketing mix then that’s a major box ticked – we have a combined annual audience of millions of Scottish property seekers.”

According to the Q4 report, affordability issues for first time buyers caused by the increased deposit requirements is one reason the demand for 1 and 2 bed rental properties has continued into the fourth quarter of the year from the traditionally strong Q3.

This demand has not yet been reflected in major changes to monthly rental values: Edinburgh has remained almost constant with an increase Q3 to Q4 from £729 to £734 and Glasgow a slight drop from £584 to £571 though Aberdeen’s mix adjusted monthly rental has increased more significantly from £830 to £857 between Q3 and Q4

Properties in all three cities also took less time to let in Q4 2009 compared with earlier quarters of 2009. 

Table Time to Let (TTL) Days in 2009:

2009                           Q1                   Q2                   Q3                   Q4

Glasgow                       47                    46                    40                    35

Edinbugh                     43                    41                    41                    34

Aberdeen                    43                    38                    34                    35

TTL has come down dramatically in certain segments of the market. Edinburgh for example saw 1 bed properties take a week less to rent in Q4 than in Q3 (35 days to 28 days).  The same reduction in TTL was seen across all Edinburgh rental property (41 days to 34 days). Significant improvements in TTL were also seen in Glasgow which saw 1 bed properties taking 8 less days to let (40 days to 32 days) and 2 bed TTL drop 4 days (39 days to 35 days).