Where is your favourite pub or restaurant?

A particular favourite is The Red Lion at Wainlodes just on the outskirts of Cheltenham. Great pub food and a fantastic riverside beer garden. Well worth a visit.

What do you love about the area?

I love the events that are on in Cheltenham. There is of course the famous Gold Cup but there are also lots of festivals throughout the year like the Literary Festival, Food & Drink, the Light Festival to name a few. Its great that so much is going on – there is something for everyone.

Where is the best place to relax in the area?

I love nothing more than grabbing a coffee and reading my book whilst watching the world go by. I particularly love O’Haras on St Georges Place. The best coffee in Cheltenham.

What do you think is the best view in the area?

Looking across the lake in Pittville Park towards the Pump Rooms. Doesn’t matter what time of the year it is, it’s beautiful.

How would you spend a ‘perfect day’ in the area?

Going for a walk with my dogs in the surrounding countryside followed by nice food with friends and family.

Where is your favourite pub or restaurant? The Crown in Minchinhampton, especially in the courtyard on a summers evening or The Bear in Rodborough by the log fires in the winter after a walk on Rodborough Common.

What do you love about the area? Exploring all the local artisan shops and cafes in the quaint villages.

Where is the best place to relax in the area? Taking in the views on Selsley Common and watching the paragliders.

What do you think is the best view in the area? At the top of the Painswick Beacon where you can see, on a clear day, as far as The Brecon Beacons and the Forest of Dean.

How would you spend a ‘perfect day’ in the area? Walking from my home, with the dog, through the Standish National Trust woods and ending up having lunch or dinner out.

There are many benefits to using a Property Management Company

A fundamental mistake landlords make is choosing not to use a reliable property management company. There is a common misconception that managing a property independently will save landlords money. In fact, it often turns out to be a false economy, as our team at Perry Bishop knows all too well!

Many landlords in the Cotswolds and the Vale of the White Horse come to us once they realise how challenging it can be to deal with all aspects of property management themselves and soon begin to recognise the benefits that using a property manager will bring.

A single contact point for Tenants

Rather than having to deal with your tenants yourself, your trusted property management company will be able to resolve any problems and issues arising on your behalf. Property management companies offer a 24-hour service, so they are available to help when you are unavailable. Handling tenant complaints when letting your property can be stressful, but management companies will handle matters without you needing to involve yourself directly.

Reduced Tenant turnover

Thanks to the practical, effective, and speedy services that your property management company will provide, the chances of high tenant turnover become much lower. If any changes occur on your side, such as a rent increase, your tenants are likely to be more prepared to cooperate when they know they’re in safe hands.

A lower chance of Legal problems

If you’re unlucky enough to experience a problem tenant, you can find legal issues mount up over time, costing you money and time. A property management company will be familiar with the most recent legislation and will be able to handle legal matters appropriately and efficiently on your behalf.

Timely Rent Collection

When you use the services of a property management company, you won’t need to worry about collecting your rent payments yourself. This can be a relief if you have difficult tenants. If they fail to make payment on time, a property management company will enforce the lease policies, taking appropriate steps to ensure that you’re fully covered.

Reduced maintenance costs

When you use a property management company, you will be able to take advantage of their maintenance provision team, who will keep your property in excellent working order. This is a far cheaper alternative to hiring external professionals every time something needs fixing. Also, the property management maintenance team will be familiar with your tenants and ensure all work is carried out professionally and correctly.

Why Use A Property Management Company In the Cotswolds and the Vale of the White Horse

As a landlord in the Cotswolds and the Vale of the White Horse, dealing with all your tenants’ issues with no professional assistance can be highly stressful and time-consuming. The ideal solution is to use a trusted local property management company like Perry Bishop. You’ll experience far less stress and will be sure to enjoy excellent value for money, with reduced tenant turnover and maximised rental revenue.

Get in touch with us today or download a copy of our Lettings Guide here.

Unfortunately, breakages are Inevitable in any rental property

If you’re a landlord, you’re probably already aware of the problems that can arise if you have a particularly accident-prone tenant. While breakages are inevitable from time to time in any rental property, there are some tenants who seem to break far more items than others.

A question we often get asked is “As a landlord, is it my responsibility to cover the costs of repairing breakages, or should the tenant take responsibility?” It’s a great question, and our expert team here at Perry Bishop is here to offer some insight into the situation.

When should the Tenant take responsibility for damages and breakages?

Although a landlord is usually responsible for covering the cost of certain repairs in their property, if the tenant themselves (or their guests or family members) cause the damage, the responsibility falls on them to pay for the repairs to be carried out, even in cases where the damage has been caused to a fixture, fitting or item that would usually be the responsibility of the landlord to cover.

For example, the landlord would usually cover the cost of repairing a broken door lock, however, if the lock broke because the tenant deliberately damaged it in an attempt to access the property after losing their key, the responsibility for paying for a new lock would fall to the tenant.

Should I cover the cost of repairs even if I’m not legally obliged to?

Although a tenant should take responsibility for the cost of repairing any damage that they’ve caused, there are some cases in which a landlord may choose to be more practical in their approach and to cover the cost even if they’re not obliged to.

You may wish to do this as a gesture of goodwill to thank the tenant for usually taking good care of the property, or the item may soon have needed to be replaced anyway due to it being old or in poor condition.

What should I do if there is a dispute?

In some cases, your tenant may not agree that they are responsible for the damage, and therefore, will not agree to the cost of repairing it. This can result in tension and some significant potential issues, especially if their tenancy is only partway through.

Fortunately, thanks to the requirement to use an approved tenancy deposit scheme you have some recourse. Any dispute is able to be raised with your chosen scheme’s resolution service without any additional charge. Nevertheless, it makes sense to be prepared to provide sufficient evidence to support your side of the dispute by ensuring that you draw up a detailed inventory at the start of the tenancy.

If you’re a landlord in the Cotswolds and the Vale of the White Horse looking for a reliable tenant or seeking a property management service that you can trust, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our expert team at Perry Bishop.

Thanks to our many years of experience in the local rental market, we’re your top choice for all your rental property management needs.

The government has proposed increasing minimum energy efficiency standards to an EPC band C on all tenancies by 2028 in England – with a cap of £10,000 to make the necessary improvements. Here’s a list of the financial support that you may be able to access for upgrades to your private rented properties.

1.  THE BOILER UPGRADE SCHEME (ENGLAND AND WALES)

This scheme provides one grant per property to help cover the cost and installation of low carbon heating systems such as heat pumps, at:

£5,000 for an air source heat pump
£5,000 for a biomass boiler
£6,000 for a ground source heat pump

Your property may be eligible if it has an installation capacity of up to 45kWth – which covers “most homes” – and a current EPC with no outstanding recommendations for loft or cavity wall insulation. You’ll also need to live in England or Wales and own the property to be eligible. The scheme will run until 2028.

You can read more about the criteria and the steps to access the funding on the government’s site.

2.  VAT RELIEF ON ENERGY SAVING MATERIALS (ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, AND WALES)

Until 31 March 2027, zero-rate VAT will apply to the installation of certain energy saving materials in residential properties. Your supplier should charge you the reduced rate.

The zero-rate can also apply to “ancillary supplies” involved in the installation. For example, VAT on the installation of an air source heat pump together with new radiators and pipework will all be charged at zero, as the radiators are necessary to
benefit from the heat pump.

You can find the full list of the eligible materials and works on the government’s site.

3.  A GREEN DEAL LOAN (ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, AND WALES)

This loan can be put towards a variety of improvements, such as insulation, heating, draught-proofing, double glazing, or renewable energy generation, such as solar panels or heat pumps.

• Green Deal loans are repaid through electricity bill payments.
• The repayments shouldn’t exceed the savings you made on your energy bill, but that doesn’t mean that your bill savings will match the loan repayments, as it doesn’t take into account increases in energy prices.
• The loan is also linked to your property so it would pass to the new owner if you were to sell up.
• Although the Green Deal Scheme was originally a government initiative, it switched to private backing in 2015.

You can find a list of government-approved suppliers on this government site.

4.  ENERGY COMPANY OBLIGATION GRANTS (ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, AND WALES)

If you have any qualifying tenants from low-income and vulnerable households, they may be able to access an Energy Company Obligation (ECO) grant to support energy efficiency improvements.

• If your property has an EPC F or G rating, the grants must go towards upping that rating to band D or above, and the funding for private rented properties will support “the least efficient homes in bands E-G only”.
• You can encourage eligible tenants to apply for the grant to help improve your property energy efficiency “for years to come by installing electric storage heaters or fulfilling insulation grants such as free cavity wall insulation or loft insulation grant,” according to UK Energy Support.
• The government has shared that the fourth edition of the ECO “will upgrade around 450,000 homes, most of them to EPC band C” over the next four years.

You can check eligibility for a grant on the UK Energy Support site.

5.  EMPTY PROPERTY GRANTS (REGIONAL FUNDING)

Local councils may also be able to offer you some financial support to make energy improvements to your properties.

The empty homes grant in Kingston, for example, can help cover up to £25,000 for thermal upgrades to windows, boiler work and insulation, on properties that have been empty for at least six months.

There may be certain restrictions through local schemes – such as not being able to sell the property within five years of receiving the grant and having to rent the
property through the council’s private leasing scheme for that five-year period – but, if you’re in the private rented sector for the long haul, looking into any similar local schemes could be an option.

Head to your local council’s site to see what schemes may be available.

6.  SMART EXPORT GUARANTEE (ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, AND WALES)

If your properties already have renewable energy, the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) pays customers for renewable electricity they’ve generated and put into the grid. This could be:

• Solar
• Wind
• Hydro
• Micro combined heat and power
• Anaerobic digestion

Some of these energy sources may also be covered by the zero-rate VAT mentioned in point 2 above, if you’re considering upgrading to renewable energy.

You’ll need to sign up to an SEG tariff with a big energy company, to ensure you’re not simply giving away your energy to the National Grid for free, and should shop around for the best tariff too.

Search “smart energy tariff” and energy suppliers to see what may be available for you.

7.  GREAT BRITISH INSULATION SCHEME

Formerly known as the “ECO+ Scheme”, the government’s £1 billion Great British Insulation Scheme is expected to run from spring 2023 to March 2026, to help homes across the country install new home insulation.

This support will be available to those that don’t already benefit from other government support to make home upgrades.
This is an extension of the existing Energy Company Obligation scheme, as outlined in point 4. Eighty percent of the funding will be available to households with EPC D ratings or below and in the lower council tax bands.

Head to the government’s site to read more about the plans

Article from Goodlord

Whether you’re selling your property or looking for a reliable tenant, kerb appeal couldn’t be more important. Ensuring a prospective buyer or tenant gets the right first impression of your property is key and growing plants will certainly help you to achieve this goal. Read below for our top ideas that will help you achieve this goal.

The average rates on mortgages have fallen for four months in a row, according to financial data provider Moneyfacts.. Read below the latest lenders to cut their rates.

• HSBC has cut its fixed rates for residential borrowers by up to 0.2% and for buy-to-let customers by up to 0.3% percentage points. It follows a rate cut for high loan to value (LTV) customers at the end of last week.

• Barclays reducing a selection of existing 2 and 5 year Fixed products by as much as 0.47%

• Leeds Building Society residential fixed rates reduced by up to 0.29%.

• Specialist buy-to-let lender Landbay has cut its two-year fixed rate range by up to 0.14%.

The wide-ranging reforms for the private sector go much further than many initially expected, with the government calling it “the biggest shake-up of the private rented sector in 30 years” .