Landlords, are you ready for the changes that this year will bring in Rickmansworth?

Although it may only feel like yesterday since you were packing away the last signs of Christmas, the months of the New Year are starting to run away.  And whilst you may have already set plans in motion for your rental properties at Trend & Thomas we want to ensure you have everything in place for what this year will bring.  When it comes to the private rental market, we have come to expect changes to legislation and regulations,  so we expect you’re already on top of where you need to be.  But just to be on the safe side, our team want to ensure that you’re ready for the changes that this year will bring in Rickmansworth.

Be one spark ahead

What is it they say? “To be forewarned is to be forearmed.” If you have works planned in any of your properties it may be worth bearing in mind that this year may see new electrical safety regulations implemented.  The government are seeking to bring electrical safety in line with the established regulations for gas safety.  If passed, the new laws will mean that from 1 July any new private residential tenancies will be required to have a qualified electrician sign off on all electrical wiring and fixed electrical installations.  This will also extend to any existing tenancies from 1 April next year.  We know that many of our landlords have already implemented this practice in order to provide an exceptional service to their tenants.  Whether the government pass this regulation or not, it may be worth thinking about being one spark ahead.

No more relief

If you’re an experienced landlord, the changes to the tax relief rules for landlords will be something you are very familiar with.  If you’re a new or accidental landlord, your understanding may not be as clear.  Since April 2017 there has been a phased reduction in the tax relief you are able to claim as a landlord, and this will continue until April.  As of the tax year 2020/21 you will no longer be able to claim any tax relief on your mortgage interest payments; instead, you will receive a tax credit of 20% on interest payments.  This has had a significant impact and we welcome your discussions on how we can work with you, our landlords, on a range of strategies to help mitigate the effects that this change has and will continue to bring.

Another relief that will have an effect on your Capital Gains Tax when you come to sell your property is Private Residence Relief.  Currently, you can claim Private Residence Relief for when you personally lived in the property before deciding to let it out, plus an additional 18 months.  Again, as of the new tax year in April, there will be a reduction in this relief allowing you to claim for just 9 months after you moved out of the property, as well as for the time it was your main residence.  As a result, you are losing 9 months of Private Residence Relief.

We know several of our landlords have decided to reduce or sell their portfolios as a result of these changes, but before you make a decision in haste, come and chat to our lettings team to discover what options are open to you.

Achieving the minimum standard

Have you undertaken an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) on your properties in the last few years?  If this has been overlooked due to long-standing tenancies then you need to jump into action as soon as possible.  As a landlord, you have been required to achieve a minimum EPC rating of E on new tenancies and renewals since April 2018, and as of April this year this will extend to all existing tenancies.  This means that, regardless of if your property is due to have new tenants or not, to legally continue to rent your property it must have an EPC rating of an E or above.  We can have an Energy Performance Certificate carried out for you, please just give us a call.

If you are planning works on any of your properties in the next year or so it may be worth bearing in mind the widespread expectation that this minimum energy efficiency standard will increase to a D rating for 2025, and a C by 2030.  Therefore, it could be worth making changes while works are already being undertaken, rather than having to build in more void periods in the future to make the necessary changes to your properties.

Don’t be left behind

We are continuously helping our landlords to ensure that they and their properties remain compliant, no matter what the industry throws at us.  It can as times feel like you’re on your own as a landlord, but at Trend & Thomas we can assure you our team work tirelessly researching best practice and innovative strategies to see the continuing success of your portfolios.  Give our lettings team a call on 01923 713 680 and we can help you end 2020 on a high.

4 Signs you’re breaking up with your Home!

No one likes a break up, but circumstances change and life can throw up some unexpected situations that make us rethink our future.  The passion you once felt for the home that has brought you such joy over the years has started to dwindle and now you’re seeing niggles and frustrations around every turn.  What are the signs you’re breaking up with your home?

1. Bored now

Some people thrive off change, they like to always be experiencing new things, which includes moving home.  Having taken the time to transform the property into the initial vision you had, you are now a little restless.  Yes, this house is stunning and fulfils your needs as you had wished it would, but while many would see this as a time to relax and enjoy the fruit of your labours, you’ve got itchy feet.  You need a new challenge, a new property to inspire your creativity, and you say to your home – it’s not you, it’s me!

2. Don’t fix, move

As we go through life our needs change. Whether you start a family or find yourself with an empty nest, what meets your needs today may not tomorrow.  These needs could be driven by a belief that there’s a better property out there. Instead of fixing the issues with your current home, the idea that the grass might be actually greener is way more attractive.

When you start to believe that a house isn’t working for you, it’s easy to ignore the positives that your home brings to your life, and focus your energy on those annoyances that have started to irritate you about where you live.  It could be the size of a room, or you might be starting to see some wear and tear that needs dealing with; the location could be a bug bear, or the area may have changed from when you purchased.

Before you rush into a major decision, at Trend & Thomas we just want to remind you of the costs involved in moving home.   We want you to make the right decision for you, one you won’t regret further down the line.  So before you and your home separate for good, try and rekindle your romance and remember why you fell in love with it in the first place.

3. Fulfilled a need

Not everyone who moves is seeking a forever home, some see it as a stepping stone to where they want to ultimately get to.  You may have moved to an area and now need to relocate for work or family.  Whatever the reason, your current property has fulfilled a need and now it’s time to move on.

Often in this case there can be a lack of emotional attachment to the property, making it easier to stage for viewings, but harder to get yourself motivated to do so.   We want you to achieve the best price for your property and to do this you need to put the work in to get your home in the best shape.  Now it’s fulfilled your need, get it ready to help you onto the next step of the ladder.

4. No longer fits

Size is a big issue for many people when they start thinking about moving home.  It could be that you feel the walls closing in around you as your family grows and your belongings no longer seem to fit.  Or the opposite could be true; you may feel like you’re rattling inside an empty cage with rooms you no longer use.  When your home no longer fits your life there tends to be only one solution, and that’s to move.

But before you rush into searching for your next home, start to really think about the space you do need from your next property.  People can often make rushed decisions when they feel unhappy and cramped, and their desire for a certain type or size space can override that for a home that’s futureproof.  Emotions are powerful tools that can sometimes affect our rational thinking, which is why we’d encourage you to come and chat to our sales team.  We can show you a range of properties in the area that we believe will give you what you need today, but will also work for those many years to come.

Breakups are hard to do

Yes, breaking up is never easy, even when it’s exactly what you want.  Moving home can be one of the most stressful things you do in life, which is why we want to make sure you’re moving for the right reasons.  And when you’re ready we know there are plenty more fish in the sea for you to make your own.

For more advice on moving home, come and chat to a member of our sales team on 01923 773 616.

Trend & Thomas asks, Is OnTheMarket.com InTheMarket?

You may have heard the rumble of activity amidst the online property portals open to Estate Agents recently and we wanted to give you our summary of the situation and how it will affect our clients and marketing plans.

Last Monday saw the arrival of a new online portal called OntheMarket.com

This portal does a very similar job to the existing market leaders Rightmove and Zoopla with one very large difference – this portal is owned and operated by a consortium of Estate Agents. Emerging quite simply because Agents were tired of the duopoly of the big players causing mounting fees and very little in return. The fees were increasing, functionality was not improving and Agents felt duped that they were losing control of their marketing choices.

For this reason the concept behind OntheMarket.com was excellent. An advertising and marketing choice created by Agents, for Agents with hugely reduced fees in comparison to the existing portals & potentially providing much needed competition to the market with the hope it would reduce the stronghold of Rightmove and Zoopla.

All admirable goals and we support the concept wholeheartedly. Trend & Thomas not being shy of a little competition to the market…with 6 Estate Agents in the High Street it’s not a game for the faint-hearted! However, in order to shake things up, OnTheMarket.com had one very serious condition – in order to join, benefit from hugely reduced fees and gain shares in the burgeoning company – you had to drop one of the other main portals – Rightmove or Zoopla.

The arrival of OnTheMarket.com has been a long term process and we have been watching the development of the portal over the past 12 months along with the reactions of Rightmove and Zoopla, other Agents, the press and most importantly, the public.

OnTheMarket.com launched last Monday and we have watched the week with interest.

Our findings after week one:

• Not enough budget to provide TV Advertising to match the competition
• Not enough budget to ensure market leading functionality
• Not enough diversity of properties listed to make it the go to portal for buyers, tenants.

So after a year of research and debate Trend & Thomas would like to announce our 2015 advertising and marketing decision – we will be staying with Rightmove & Zoopla.

Despite the great shake up OnTheMarket.com can give the industry and the attractive reduction in fees, we have come to the decision that the best interests of our clients are foremost and the giants of Rightmove and Zoopla have much bigger budgets, better current functionality, more exposure to the public and more back end support to fix issues and develop future technology.

While we herald the success of OnTheMarket.com we don’t feel it will currently give our clients & their properties the best advertising and marketing exposure. For the time being it will actually reduce the number of people being exposed to their property. From our research in this first week of OnTheMarket.com there is over 80% more online activity via Rightmove alone in our local area, than there is via OnTheMarket.com

We will continue to monitor developments and report any updates and news to you, but for now we are staying with the market leaders for the sole benefit of our clients.

OnTheMarket is not currently InOurMarket – but you can help us with our research by answering our poll:

Moving your Furry Friends without Fuss!

Dogs are packed!

Looking to move home soon and worried about how your furry family members are going to manage?  We’ve a few pets of our own amidst the team at Trend & Thomas and a few clients facing this predicament soon so we thought we’d put together some helpful tips & suggestions.

Battersea Dogs’ & Cats’ Home carried out a survey of over 1,100 pet owners & nearly half admitted that their biggest concern about moving house was how their pets would react – that’s more than double the number of people who were worried about forgetting their new keys!

Although we do everything we can to minimise any moving stress it is well known moving house can be tough and this extends to your pets too.  Try our suggestions for keeping your pooches & purry ones chilled:

PRE – MOVE

• Create a little ritual or routine for your pets in the days or even weeks before Moving Day that you can continue after the move.  Playing, brushing, walks at regular times pre and post move will make them more at ease with the change.
• Don’t wash your pets bedding, blankets or toys before the move – let them absorb as much of the pet comforting smells as possible for making the new place smell the same.
• Your pet will undoubtedly pick up on the sense that things are changing and they may worry they are not included.  Reassurance & attention is important pre-move.
• If your pet is comfortable at a family or friend’s place letting them stay there while the move is taking place could reduce anxiety.  Kennels or catteries for a few days are an option you might want to consider too.

Moving Day

• Clear one of your rooms early & use this to keep your pet in for the entire moving day.  Put in all their toys and bedding along with food and water.  Lock the windows & doors and put a huge sign on the door so no one let’s them escape.  Cats are particularly good at realising something is up and decamping to a hiding spot only they know about.  Not what you need when the new owners/tenants are walking up the front steps!
• Don’t feed your pet for three hours before leaving the house (but provide plenty of water) – minimises unpleasant travel accidents!
• Plan the travelling in advance.  Travel crates can be hired from Vets and if it’s a long trip, plan  stops for dogs to stretch their legs, relieve themselves and have a drink.  Cat’s too if it’s a terribly long trip.
• Vets may offer sedation for Dogs if you are really concerned – Cats don’t do well on sedation but chat to the professionals if you are overly concerned.
• Once at your new home – get your pets settled in a quiet secured room quickly.  Have their bedding, toys, food and water installed before they arrive and give them some time to settle in and sniff around.
• Small regular meals for the first week will give you more contact with your pet.
• Don’t leave them alone for too long on the first few days.  They will need reassurance and comfort and get that routine kicking in asap.   Same time for feeding, play session if they are up to it, brushing, petting etc.
• Territory is big for Dogs & particularly Cats.  They may urinate to mark their territory – try not to be too hard on them initially as frustrating as it is. Make sure you’ve packed one of the biological pet scent neutralisers!  Keep familiar smelling items nearby and provide chews for Dogs so they don’t start on the furniture!
• You can help cats by gently rubbing a soft cotton cloth around your cats face to pick up their personal scent from their glands and rub this over furniture at the cat’s height in the new home. Repeating this daily can help to build up the scent making them feel more secure. Don’t worry – human noses can’t smell it!

Getting outside again

• Dogs will need to be taken outside from Day 1 but preferably on their lead and definitely only ever supervised.  Take them for a short walk locally and return them to their food bowls and bed with lots of attention and reassurance.  Ensure your new garden is securely enclosed early in your moving process.
• Cats should be kept indoors at the new place for at least two weeks according to the Blue Cross.  Letting them bond with their new home and learn new scents and geography.  When it’s time to let them outside again, the Blue Cross suggests withholding food for 12 hours so the cat doesn’t stray far and is watching for signs of feeding.  It’s useful to have taught your cat a feeding signal – tapping their bowl or rattling the food bag work a treat!
• Take the cat out for a short period, let them explore a little then call them indoors for feeding, repeat this each day with longer periods and further exploration until they seem at ease with the new surroundings.
• Worth investing in one of the ID collars (that snaps open under stress) with name address and contact number – in case they do get lost.
• If your pets are micro-chipped, ensure the Company that holds your data has been informed of your new address.
• If you have moved near to your old home pets can return to old haunts particularly cats. Ensure no one at your old address encourages them & ask new owners & old neighbours to make sure they do not feed your pets!
• Commercial preparations are worth a shot, Felliway, anxiety drops etc – but check with your Vet.
• And remember to register with a new local Vet if you are new to the area.

Vets near Rickmansworth, Chorleywood, Croxley Green & Watford

Chess Vet www.chessveterinary.co.uk

Medivet Croxley Green www.medivet.co.uk

Park Veterinary Centre www.parkveterinary.co.uk

Moving home is an exciting process for humans but it takes us a while to master the new locks, find light switches in the dark and remember the loo is on the left in the middle of the night! Pets have similar issues and just need a little time to settle in and feel at home again – but like you, they will!

Home Sweet Home at last!

Why is an Estate Agent like a Wedding?

 

I recently read that 28% of young people now turn down their parents’ money for a wedding and use it for a deposit on their first home instead. Smart I thought and it made me aware of two realities:

1) Owning your own home takes diligent saving and tough but savvy decisions.

2) Buying a home is right up there with a wedding in our priorities.

While number 1 is a harsh reality it is not a huge leap on from our parents and grandparents day…a house is expensive and if you want one you generally have to work hard.

But number 2 got me thinking. If that dreamed of first home is as important to most people as a wedding then this is also why it is so important to instruct a trustworthy, honest, effective and exceptional agent to help you with that purchase much like you choose a special venue, glorious outfit, delicious meal and the best beverages you can afford! Would you arrange your entire wedding online without seeing the dress or suit, meeting the Vicar or Registrar, tasting the food, visiting the staff at the venue?  I don’t think so.

Whether you decide to spend £500 on your wedding in a pretty tent in a nearby field or you book the Grove and have fireworks at 11pm – not many would leave it all to an internet database search and zero ‘person to person’ contact.  So don’t make the same mistake when buying or selling a home.

I should know, we organised our wedding for 90 guests in 3 weeks! Dress, Suit, Venue, Registrar, String quartet, food, booze, DJ, marquee…It wasn’t shotgun honest!  But it was pretty intense and in no way could I have left that to an online service despite the obvious time pressures. People need to be met, your needs discussed, your plans understood and your best interests put first.

That is why we know an Estate Agency cannot operate as an online business and why we believe in our personally devised business model for Trend & Thomas.

We know we need a base and in our case a prominent Town Centre shop/office, we need to be available to meet with you at convenient times for you – early until late and often 7 days a week for us, we need to visit & understand the home you are selling or the home you wish to buy and we need to ensure the behind the scenes processes and procedures are carried out in the most effective and advantageous way for you.

Impossible to achieve if we’ve not met you and you are simply a series of data on a website. A bit like the Registrar mistaking your ex for your fiancé because she or he has never actually met you both, Joy Division’s ‘Love will Tear us Apart’ being played during your first dance because the DJ on a whim thought it would be funny, or the photographer capturing tipsy Aunt Gloria’s dress stuck in her knickers for his Twitter followers because he doesn’t really care about you as people.

Selling or Buying a new home are as important as your Wedding Day so don’t leave it to an online search, use a recognised full service Estate Agent like Trend & Thomas to ensure you get the most from the experience financially, emotionally, much like a marriage made in heaven!

We can’t help you with a wedding sorry but if you are considering buying or selling a home soon, which part of the process worries you the most? Please let us know so we can make sure we cover that in our services too.

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