All Sunday Times readers will be aware that the property market in Brighton is not stagnant and forecasters, pundits and Property Search Agents like us are confident that it will remain in demand. The reason for this lies much deeper than the beach, vibrant night life and proximity to London. Brighton has some wonderful property: traditional Victorian and Edwardian terraces, bold examples of modern architecture and quaint mews as well as niche areas near the town centre which are affordable, have a real sense of community and offer charming small family homes. But as any good property search agent will tell you, it is much more than that. Modern lifestyle demands great flexibility and many people are reluctant to invest in property in times of shifting employment.

No longer are loans there for the asking and if employment ceases then having to service a mortgage is yet another hurdle to ‘getting on with life’. One solution is to have the flexibility to own a pad that can also be an investment. This is even more attractive if there are facilities to hand to entertain clients, to relax, have a refreshing spa treatment, or a swim and have within reach full hotel services. If business takes you abroad, or to a different part of the country, your investment will be secure as it will be an attractive short or long-term rental property offering the very amenities that attracted you, to prospective tenants. Brighton is a conference centre, a holiday destination, boasts two universities and has a thriving media industry. Add to this the annual Brighton Festival in May, now second only to the world renowned Edinburgh Festival, and it is easy to see why its attractions offer something for everyone.

What are you doing this weekend? Why not come down to Brighton and sample the festival, the sea breezes and round it off with a meal in one of the unique eating houses in the Lanes – yes two very different Lanes, Dukes Lanes of Edwardian times or the North Lanes representing Brighton’s modern lifestyle. Take a bus tour and see for yourself the variety and splendour of Brighton and its property! And of course if we’ve tempted you to find your perfect family home, rental investment or pied a terre, contact the best Property Search Agents in Brighton, Manse and Garret Property Search on 0845 459 1703.

Technorati Tags: Brighton Buyers Agents, Brighton house prices, Brighton Property Agents, Brighton Property Finder, Brighton Property Search Agents, Brighton Relocation Agents, Sussex Propert Finders, Sussex Property Aquistion Agents, Sussex Property Finders

Tags: Brighton Buyers Agents, Brighton house prices, Brighton Property Agents, Brighton Property Finder, Brighton Property Search Agents, Brighton Relocation Agents, Sussex Propert Finders, Sussex Property Aquistion Agents, Sussex Property Finders

Musings of a Brighton Property Finder

The Times carried an article today about an accountant with 3 buy-to-let properties in Shoreham which he rented out through Scarlet Property Services.  Sadly for Scarlet and the accountant, the letting Agency ceased trading, taking deposits and rent with it.  Scarlet Property Services wasn’t registered with Arla, so the landlord has no claim against the agent, apart from a contractual claim under contract law, which would presumably leave him little in the way of change after he had paid a lawyer to represent him for the £3,000 owed.

The accountant also feels he has to repay the deposit to the tenants, as although the tenancy was registered under the Tenancy Deposit Scheme, the contract was between the tenants and the landlord, so the tenants have a claim against the Landlord.  Although the deposit is protected by the TDS, it is the landlord who has to pay if the Letting Agent can’t which seems a bit unfair, since due to government regulation, Landlords are now prevented from holding deposits!

As a company, most of our rental Clients are in London and at weekly rents which render the terms of the Housing Act 1988, obsolete.  Deposits we deal with in London typically start at £20,000 and the London office always insist that the tenancy is registered with the TDS and is subject to the terms of the Housing Act anyway and alert the tenant to the risks if the agent is not ARLA registered.  We also do a great deal of owner direct deals in London, in which case the deposit is either held in our Client account or in the Client Account of a reputable lawyer.

In Brighton however, few rentals are of values which render the Housing Act redundant, and although the market is still buoyant the example of Scarlet Property Services exemplifies the intensification of competition in the rental sector since rental income has become the main revenue stream for estate agents nationwide.  And as for the know-it-alls proclaiming that landlords shouldn’t use non-ARLA registered agents – it wasn’t long ago that one of the biggest London Agents, Foxtons, wasn’t registered and their future has looked increasingly precarious until very recently.

Ability to find a good tenant used to be the key criteria for finding a Letting Agency.  Buy-to-letters buying through this Brighton Property Finders Agency, will be strongly advised to check the ARLA thing too!

www.landlordzone.co.uk

Technorati Tags: ARLA, Brighton Property Finder, Buy-to-let, Tenant's deposits, the TDS, What happens when letting agents go bust

Tags: ARLA, Brighton Property Finder, Buy-to-let, Tenant's deposits, the TDS, What happens when letting agents go bust

Rantings, sorry ’musings’ of a Brighton Property Finder

For us Property Finders, the need to accomodate nanny or granny is often a factor in the property equation so I am horrified to read on the Times-on-Line today, that the government appears to be considering yet another tax by stealth, council tax on extensions occupied by members of the family.  To add insult to injury, planning permission is usually granted with the condition that the extensions cannot be sold off as separate dwellings if they are accessible independently, so when the nanny or granny flat becomes obsolete, often it can’t even be sold, but you’ll still have to pay a second council tax on it. 

For my London colleagues and our Clients ‘in town’ it’s not a common problem since the nanny flat can often be reincorporated into the main house and if the uber-percious garage becomes the granny flat, it can be reinstated or sold at considerable profit if it is in London.  However for us ‘country-dwellers’ selling separately is rarely possible without a considerable battle with the planners.  You can sometimes reinstate - but it would be a bit galling to do so and the car won’t appreciate the marble floor tiles and underfloor heating the way nanny/granny did.

But I digress.

Dignity and respect derive from being able to provide for oneself, all qualities the Prime Minister declares as national aspirations.  There is a shortage of affordable housing for young and old, frequent reports of failing services in care homes for all ages and yet the Government once again has failed to exhibit any joined up thinking!  Empty coffers in the Treasury seek easy sources of revenue even when they deny the very qualities of dignity, respect and self sufficiency so valued by Gordon Brown!   This is not a rant of a Brighton Property Finder but a plea to the Prime Minister to enable we, citizens, to retain our self respect in line with the national aspirations he declares are the keystone of his government.

Technorati Tags: Brighton Property Finder, Granny flat tax, Nanny-flat tax, Tax on annexes

Tags: Brighton Property Finder, Granny flat tax, Nanny-flat tax, Tax on annexes