Finding a property with outside space in central London can sometimes seem quite a feat (especially if property finding isn’t your raison d’etre, as it is for us London buyer’s agents here at Manse & Garret Property Search!)

With summer approaching the number of buyers eager for outside space increases; competition is fierce and flats with good roof terraces are very quick to go under offer, often sold to keen buyers enticed by the idea of entertaining friends and family on a warm summer evening surrounded by the bright lights of London.

Speaking as a London Buyer’s Agent, I am particularly referring to roof terraces, rather than the humble patio garden, as they are quite the in thing in property and quite understandably so. Patio gardens, often on the lower ground floor, overlooked by neighbours and more often than not lacking in natural light find it hard to live up to The Roof Terrace which is much more likely to provide breath-taking views of London, great entertaining space, and an excellent opportunity to sunbathe, if that’s your thing.

Flats with patio gardens are usually on the lower ground and ground floors; less popular with buyers, especially the security conscious, and so tend to be 10-20% cheaper than a flat on the same road, but higher up. A flat on an upper floor with a good roof terrace, however, is likely to be worth about 10-20% more than a flat on the same road without outside space and will sell much more quickly, and if you are a property investor, it is worth noting that a property with a roof terrace is much more likely to be rented out more quickly and produce a better yield.

If you’d like to find a property with a roof terrace to rival Vista at the Trafalgar and Kensington Roof Gardens then give the best London Buyer’s Agents, Manse & Garret Property Search a call today.

Technorati Tags: London Buyer's Agents, London Flats, London property, London property finders, London search agents, outside space, summer

Tags: London Buyer's Agents, London Flats, London property, London property finders, London search agents, outside space, summer

Musings of the Mayfair London Property Finders

A tenant has successully complained about  her Lettings Agents for failing to ensure the Landlord of her flat was registered under an appropriate Tenancy deposit scheme, before handing over her deposit.  This meant that the Tenant has had to pursue the Landlord, so far unsuccessfully, to return her deposit

The agents, Global Realty who have 2 offices in London have been ordered to pay the Tenant’s deposit plus £200 for aggravation by the Property Ombudsman, Christopher Hamer.

Whilst the Ombudsman agreed with the agents that the Landlords actions were not the fault of the agents,  in failing to properly protect the deposit, the agents had disadvantaged the Tenants and led to a situation which could have been avoidable.

In our capacity as residential property finders dealing with both sales and lettings, our contracts include a requirement for Lettings Agents to lodge the deposit with an appropriate scheme and prove they have done so, regardless of the rental value.  At present only rents under £25,000 per year are covered however we insist that Agents acting for our Clients lodge all deposits with such schemes.

After all, no-matter if you’ve paid £6,000 in deposit or £60,000 – all Tenants want their deposits back don’t they?!  

For more information contact the best London Property Finders here

or look online here.

Technorati Tags: London property finders, Mayfair Lettings Agents, Mayfair Property Finders, Property Ombudsman, Tenacy Deposit Scheme

Tags: London property finders, Mayfair Lettings Agents, Mayfair Property Finders, Property Ombudsman, Tenacy Deposit Scheme

Musings of the Mayfair London Property Finders

With the plethora of Winter auctions upon us with another company releasing their catalogue day by day, we were expecting to have seen more larger ticket  houses on the auction market by now, but what there is is few and far between.

Barnard Marcus have a terraced family house in Hurlingham Road just north of Putney Bridge next week and it may be of interest to some.   Houses in that road generally go for £1.1 – £1.2m but the guide on this one is £900K however it needs to be totally refurbished, so there isn’t much room for manoeuvre or profit if it makes it’s guide.

Other than that there is nothing whatsoever in the November auctions for more affluent owner occupiers or developers wanting a bigger ticket project. 

It is however investor and first-time buyer city, with many lots not quite reaching their reserve prices in the room but being snapped up afterwards.  Everything from little flats in St Leonards for £38K to Hampstead period wonders for £500K and in need of work are going and there has been a good supply of stock between £200,000 and £350,000.

In our view as Property Finders, it seems that the big ticket properties are again being offered privately rather than suffering the ignominy of being offered to the world at auction.  Rather like the market as a whole really.  And while some parts of London and the South East are still in the doldrums, other parts are flourishing – and it’s all due to lack of stock.

Technorati Tags: London Property Auctions, London property finders, property auctions

Tags: London Property Auctions, London property finders, property auctions