hello neighbour

Like estate agents, letting agents don’t always have the best reputation, although of course many are fine. But they are also very expensive.

If moving in or out, read up on creating pet-safe gardens. And avoid facing indoor foliage to gardens, to help stop birds flying into windows.

Hello Neighbour aims to make property letting faster, simple and more affordable. Landlord fees are fixed to save over half the normal fees, and is based in London, with over 2000 landlords on board and thousands of good reviews. Their tech knowledge lets everything be done online, from booking viewings, making offers, paying rent, logging repair/maintenance requests etc.

If you join the tenant or landlord club, you get more goodies (like furniture deals, insurance discounts, gas and boiler safety certificates etc). A typical landlord can save almost £5000 by renting through them, which doubles for renewal contracts, as they don’t charge tenancy renewal fees. Everything is online as cleared fixed fees.

A Non-profit Letting Agent

Homes for Good is a good example of a non-profit letting agent, to compare against the others. This is based in Scotland, but is inspiring.

Not only is this agency honest and fair, but it has an-house team of plumbers and other helpers. Plus tenancy support officers. So it will ensure your property is maintained, and make sure that you have all you need to afford to rent it, making use of financial help available. Here are two examples of tenants who have used their services:

One young woman was a single mother struggling with both depression and her finances. Home for Good took over the property when she was in arrears, thinking she would be evicted. But instead they put her on a repayment plan and got her houseing benefit safeguarded. They helped her decorate the home, and she is now studying at college, to get a good part-time job later in the year.

A young couple wanted to buy a home, after living in one of Home for Good’s flat for a few years. Instead of ‘losing the rental income’, they supported the couple on helping their dreams, and have now got new tenants, recommended by the couple they helped.

My Landlord Cares is a similar company. Founded in Yorkshire by a woman who was sick of heraing about ‘awful nightmare landlords), it promises fair pricing, honesty and help. It even helps to find trustworthy tradespeople for repairs.

This agency keeps prices low, by not subscribing to Rightmove or other expensive online portals. Instead, it works with local councils to find affordable homes for local people.

A Safer Stress-Free Move for Pets

Yorkshire terrier Whistlefish

James Bartholomew

  • Search for several weeks before moving. If dogs don’t come to the office, you’ll want somewhere near to home, if you don’t hire dog walkers.
  • A pet CV (with references from friends, vets and previous landlord) helps (also introduce pets to prospective landlords). Lets with Pets has good info (and pet insurance) along with a Good Practice Book for landlords.
  • PetsLets (London) educates landlords and estate agents, to inspire them to allow pets. DogLaw has useful info.
  • For a stress-free pet move, have friends/relatives look after them until you’ve moved in, and be sure to have familiar scents (pet beds, clothes) nearby. Not socks (they are choking hazards). 
  • Driving with Dogs lists walks near motorway exits, in case you get stuck in a traffic jam. Read rules and tips for train travel with pets

Affordable Home Ideas (housing associations)

Dedham Essex Geraldine Burles

Geraldine Burles

If you’re on a low income, housing associations may be a better bet to find an affordable home, over private landlords. You can apply direct or find suitable homes through your local council. You can also apply to more than one housing association at the same time.

Due to the present climate, it’s likely you’ll go on a long waiting list. If you find somewhere suitable, then you usually will start on a 12-month tenancy. After that you can progress to an assured tenancy (so can stay there for life) or a fixed-term tenancy of at least 5 years.

You can then at a later date swap homes with others or even buy your home. You also are able to get your home repaired, by whoever owns it. You can move with notice, and if you don’t keep the property in good order, the housing association can evict you.

Housing associations must ensure the home is of good repair, warm and equipped with needed facilities. You can also apply through your council for council housing and sheltered housing (these have wardens and alarms, for older, disabled or vulnerable people).

Homefinder UK is the main place to look for affordable housing association properties nationwide. You can request homes outside your area, but must be registered with a council or housing association, in order to apply.

Peabody is England’s oldest non-profit housing association. If you find a property (London or home counties), you can also request a repair online. This site has a useful page for anyone on safety considerations, so you know what to check, to ensure your home is safe. This covers:

  • Fire safety and cladding
  • Damp, mould and condensation
  • Gas and electric safety
  • Asbestos
  • Water safety 

Places for People lets you search for affordable homes in England and Scotland. We entered ‘Sutton’ (in Essex) within 50 miles and it brought up one property in Bedfordshire. A small flat near shops with a communal launderette, for £575 per month.

Affordable Home Ideas (guardian properties)

Chelsea Geraldine Burles

Geraldine Burles

This is one of a series of posts, on alternative ideas to find affordable accommodation. Not everything is suitable for everyone. But there are some good solutions, that often are not covered by mainstream media.

Property guardianship is one idea. There are a few companies around (we list the main ones below) that work a bit like letting agents. So you’ll need a full-time income, references and (usually) no children or pets, so it’s not suitable for everyone.

But if this suits your lifestyle, it could be a really good idea, to help you find somewhere affordable to live, and also save up to buy a place, rather than spending all your earnings on rent.

Property guardians basicaly pay a much reduced rent, in return for living in vacant properties. Often these are furnished, but basically they are mostly empty properties like office buildings or properties that have not been sold for a while.

Although no-one would berate someone for squatting in buildings if they are homeless, it’s much better to find official help for homelessness, as squatting can have issues for property owners.

Some of these properties are also nice studios or self-contained flats and houses. Others are former schools, police stations or even stately homes! Usually you rent alone, but for larger properties, sometimes you will be buddying up with others.

Benefits of Property Guardians for Landlords

As mentioned above, having empty properties usually you can run into difficulties. Local people are not happy, as they can descend into eyesores.

And having someone live in them keeps them safe, and having the heating on and running water means you’re less likely to get issues with damp and frozen pipes.

Crime is a problem with empty properties, so having someone live in, is also good. And illegal squatting can cost a fortune to property owners.

One guardian company recently took over a property, after the owner had to pay £20,000 in costs, after the squatters left. This was a combined cost of rubbish removal, repairs, changing the doors and locks, and legal fees.

Notice periods and laws can differ for property guardians over tenants, so always ask and read the contracts.

Did you know there are over 600,000 empty properties in the UK? Most have no-one living in them, yet we have around 250,000 homeless people, and many more in unaffordable accommodation.

Many properties lie empty as ‘second homes’ for rich Londoners. They often buy holiday homes in the southwest and leave them empty for most of the year. This prices local people out of the market, who then can’t afford to buy in their home towns.

Where to Find Property Guardian Properties

An Example Guardian Property

We looked up one website and found this nice guardian property, just to give you an example. It’s located in Esher (Surrey) for around £750 a month. When we searched on RightMove, the cheapest 1-bedroom properties were coming up at well over £1000.

This is an old walled property with a small patio garden and an outdoor office (or storage shed). Just off the walkable high street with shops and pubs, it’s just one mile from the train station, to reach London in an hour.

A Super Idea to Find Affordable Accommodation

friendship mindful of dreams

Mindful of Dreams

Homeshare UK is the website to visit, that matches people looking for affordable accommodation, and older people who have a spare room, and could do with a little help around the house (or perhaps walking dogs, cooking, shopping or gardening etc).

The benefits for the householder are immense. It lets older people stay in their own homes for longer, and also helps to reduce bills. They get a bit of help and company, and it reduces the pressure on caring relatives.

There are always references involved for safety, and a trial period. The property has to be in good repair, and the match is put together by a professional co-ordinator. 

Note this is not for personal care. The tenants are not involved in washing, dressing or changing people etc. That is for care agencies to oversee.

The ‘tasks’ are agreed and usually amount to around 10 hours a week. This could even include simple things like watching TV together, to provide companionship.

There is no rent. Instead, both parties pay a low fee to HomeShare, with the homesharer sometimes paying a contribution to household bills. Usual matches are from 9 months to 5 years. An average fee is £160 for the homesharer and £140 a month for the householder.

Couples of both parties can apply, and there is usually a one-month notice period. Although of course Homeshare UK can oversee any issues, which requires anyone to cancel a contract early.

Example Homesharing Stories

One 95-year old partially sighted woman gets care and companionship from her 27-year old homesharer.

A widow who was feeling lonely and depressed, welcomed a young homesharer (and her friendly dog) into her home to live.

Another widow was struggling to look after her dog, due to a balance condition. A Spanish mother and daughter came to stay (the daughter was studying to a vet nurse) and during the lockdown pandemic, they gave both her front and back gardens a makeover!

What to Do with England’s Empty Properties?

you spot property

Did you know that there are around 600,000 empty properties in the UK? This is around three times more than the official homelessness figure. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that something is seriously wrong.

Squatting is not really the answer, as it doesn’t give stable homes to people that live there, and often costs tens of thousands of pounds in repairs to property owners, who often then hand them over to property guardian companies, that rent them out cheaply to tenants, rather than leave them empty.

You Spot Property rewards you for spotting empty properties. If it meets their criteria, you get a £20 voucher. And if they sell it, you receive 1% of the property price (capped at £10k). If you see a derelict eyesore, just take a photo and send it to them with the address. For each property sold, the company donates £500 to a local charity too.

My sister mentioned this website to me. I have now received 2 vouchers for M & S. And continue to walk around with my eyes wide open. Anything that looks a bit scruffy is being reported. Who knows, I might even do this full-time. Top idea! Mrs Charles

Action on Empty Homes says the nearer figure is 1 million, if you include holiday homes. It works to retrofit empty homes so they provide affordable accommodation to those that need homes, rather than bulldoze green spaces, to build new ones. You can report empty homes to them.

Councils are Now Taxing Empty Homes

The Derbyshire market town of Bolsover is one of the first to bring in an ’empty home tax’, to discourage people from buying second homes that sit empty most of the year. Owners will have to pay far more than the single council rate if homes are not occupied for over a year. This law won’t apply say to the Armed Forces, who may have to leave homes empty, while abroad.

There are enough empty homes in the wealthy county of Surrey, to house all its homeless people five times over. 

Affordable Home Ideas: Prefab Homes

red door Lucy Pittaway

Lucy Pittaway

Prefab homes have been around for decades, and today are being touted as one of the many solutions to offer affordable homes for the 250,000 or so homeless people in England. Prefab houses are simply ones that are built in factories, then sent as a ‘kit’ to the site to erect them. They tend to be cheap and sustainable to build, easy to furnish, and cheap to run.

The main issue is councils and governments allowing them to be built (obviously there is opposition by some big building companies). And finding derelict (not green belt) land to build them on. This is a lack of vision, not a lack of money. Communal areas should have pet-safe gardens to avoid toxic plants, trees and mulch.

Modern prefab homes are designed to have lots of light due to large windows. So to avoid light pollution for birds and wildlife, turn off lights when not in use, close blinds and use task lights.

Also avoid facing indoor foliage to face gardens, to help prevent birds flying into windows.

BOKLOK Homes from Sweden

The most well-known prefab home company is BOKLOK, which were created by Swedish furniture giant IKEA. These are quite beautiful, and most of us would likely enjoy living in such homes. These are bright, clean and light and although small, beautifully designed so each spare inch of space is used. They either have gardens, or blocks of flats have communal green space.

BOKLOK homes are designed to be very energy-efficient and have beautiful kitchens with built-in appliances as standard. This is not only better than dingy bedsits with dodgy gas ovens. But it has a knock-on effect. If you have a nice home and a nice kitchen with good appliances and worktops, you’re likely to spend less on food as you can buy fresh food to cook yourself, which also benefits long-term health for all who live there.

The homes also have good insulation to keep homes warm and cool (insulation also protects against outside noise). They also feature water-saving taps, showers and toilets. They are fitted out with high-spec lights and fittings, and carry a warranty of 10 years. People who live there even enjoy the services of a free ‘handyperson’ service.

Unfortunately if you search online for ‘prefab homes’, you get uber-expensive Grand Design style home built kits. We need companies producing small affordable versions for the masses, as a way to solve our homelessness problems.

Other Affordable Prehab Home Kits

Italy’s MADI homes can be be built in 3 months, and are even earthquake-proof, so good to house homeless people abroad after natural disasters).

In the UK, SoloHaus homeless pods are light and airy modular homes that are quick to build and easy to transport, and can be adjusted in size or added together, to accommodate homeless families. They are delivered fully-furnished with fitted kitchens, low-energy white goods and cabling for broadband and TV.

Similar Posts