Student Lets - What to Look for
The academic year for most universities and colleges begins this week and it won’t just be Freshers’ Week that consumes students’ energies.
Most first year students will never have lived away from home before and the likelihood is that the majority will be resident in first year halls, however, many students will be living in properties owned by private landlords, properties that they viewed and chose a year ago, but many students will have forgotten what the property looked like, some may not have even been present, leaving the decision making up to their friends.
The first thing which you to establish before looking for a place to live for second and third year, is finding a solid group of friends that you will enjoy living with. You do not have to be best friends but at least get on with them well enough that you can commit to living with them for the next couple of years.
The Guild of Letting & Management is supporting Gas Safety Week 2023
The Guild of Letting & Management has pledged its support for Gas Safety Week (11 – 17 September 2023) and will be promoting the important of compliance to raise awareness about the importance of gas safety.
Gas Safety Week is here to remind the public how to keep themselves gas safe, and organisations across the nation are working together to raise awareness of the dangers of poorly maintained gas appliances, which can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions and carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.
This year, Gas Safety Week focuses on celebrating the breadth and diversity of gas engineers and the essential role they play in keeping the nation gas safe. As well as reminding the public, about gas safety and tips to ensure they stay safe, including not attempting DIY on gas appliances and being aware of the warning signs of unsafe appliances.
The Importance of Property Visits
Property inspections have become a topic of discussion for many lettings who manage properties. Since the pandemic, letting agents faced challenges with ensuring that the backlog created by the various lockdowns has been reduced. With the property inspection forming part of a managed service, landlords benefit from the interim property visits that take place and as such provide landlords with information about the condition of their properties.
It is important to note that the property visit is not purely a contractual agreement between the landlord and the letting agent. Section 11 (6) of the Landlord & Tenant Act 1985 states that a landlord :- ” may at reasonable times of the day and on giving 24 hours’ notice in writing to the occupier, enter the premises comprised in the lease for the purpose of viewing their condition and state of repair.”.
Trees and their Importance
Climate change, being environmentally friendly, thinking carefully about our carbon footprint is at the forefront of our minds, but for many years, across the continents, there have been concerns about the way in which trees are treated.
Trees act as a filter, trapping dust and absorbing pollutants from the air and each individual tree removes up to 1.7 kilos every year. They are also an excellent form of noise reduction and provide shade from solar radiation.
Research has shown that trees absorb carbon dioxide as they grow and the carbon that they store in their wood helps slow the rate of global warming. They reduce wind speeds and cool the air as they lose moisture and reflect heat upwards from their leaves. It’s estimated that trees can reduce the temperature in a city by up to 7°C.
Tree Preservation Orders were introduced so that local planning authorities could protect specific trees, groups of trees or woodlands.