Selling your house is noted as one of the most stressful times in our lives - but it doesn't have to be!  We take you through our 3 top tips for selling fast and effectively as well as getting that all elusive asking price.

Make it look neutral

When you are selling your house, too much personality can be off-putting for new potential buyers.  Sadly, they don't want to see your knick-knacks and personal items - they want to visualise themselves living in your property.  Make it easy for them - remove all cluttering items such as souvenirs and ornaments, and choose one or two effective, quality pieces which add a feature to the room.

Add Plants

Plants make us happy!  When you are selling your house, you want potential buyers to feel calm and comfortable in the space - plants help us do just that.  In addition, a lovely, colourful and elegant plant, such as an orchid, helps direct the line of sight away from other focus points.  This is particularly effective in a downstairs cloakroom where the main focus is a toilet!  Pop a pink orchid on a windowsill or shelf and draw the eyeline away from what you don't want to focus on.

Touch up the walls and edges

Walls with scuff marks and skirtings with cracks simply don't look appealing.  When you're selling your house you need it to look its best - and clean walls make it look less tired.  Get the paint brush and rollers out and give it a new lease of life with a quick lick of paint.  It doesn't need to be perfect, but it should be brighter and lighter.  Remember that the more neutral the colours and feel of the property, the more it's a blank canvas for those who are looking tom buy.

Put your pets away

Not everyone loves a furry friend, so, if you can, pop your beloved animals over to a friend or neighbour to look after (or take them with you) whilst the house show-round is taking place.  Remember that some people are allergic to animals, so do make sure that you give yourself the best opportunity when selling your house by vacuuming thoroughly and giving your carpets a clean to remove all animal hair.  Finally, some people really don't love the smell of animals (no matter how much we might love them), so do open the windows before a visit and refresh areas where your pet resides.   Want more help with selling your house?  Get in touch with our team here and get selling fast!

Seasoned Housemates will tell you that, occasionally, you will need to deal with some “difficult” housemates – and you might also have to know how to deal with landlords, estate agents or simply a family member getting unwantedly involved!  Knowing how to handle these people, however, can make all the difference. So, here are our top tips for negotiating with “difficult housemates” and other people during your tenancy journey – you might even say it’s useful for life in general!

Before we start:

The purpose of negotiation is defined as – “reaching a mutually beneficial agreement or to resolve a conflict.”    Right - On to how to resolve that conflict...!  

Understand the other party.

When you are negotiating with difficult housemates it’s important that you investigate.   Use Open Questions (Who, What, Why, How, When) rather than Closed Questions (those which only provide you with yes or no answers) to gain insightful information.  Make notes and review past correspondence so you come to the negotiation understanding their position, as well as your own.  Ensure a quality conversation can take place by choosing a neutral location, such as a coffee shop, to chat where neither party feels that the other has “one up on” them.

Discuss, Question and Listen well.

Active Listening is key when you are speaking with difficult housemates.  Remember not to interrupt their thoughts, unless you must. You might want to write notes on what they are saying, so that you can refer to it later.  If so, ensure that you also write down their “emotive” words and actions too.  Are they angry?  Are they sad?  Read their body language, their tone and what they say.  Remember, only 7% of the words we say are taken in.  38% of what we say is portrayed in our tone and, a staggering, 55% is in our body language!  Clarify your understanding by repeating what they have said back at them or by asking questions if necessary.  

Consider all potential outcomes before any negotiations.

If possible, try to take a step back and evaluate your findings from both sides of the argument.  “Power” in negotiation is about - “how easy is it for me / them to walk away?”.  Whoever can walk away from the offered solution/resolution/deal more easily, is the one with the power to secure the outcome in their favour.

Ensure you provide a “trading” proposition

- A “Give and take” option.  BUT, and here’s the kicker, you should “take” first and “give” second.  This is phrased like this: “If you ….. then I ….”  Let’s use the example of your housemate refusing to wash up their dinner plates because the bathroom is untidy.  You would phrase this: “If you wash up all the dinner plates you have left on the side by the end of the weekend, then I will make sure that we set up a bathroom cleaning rota from Monday so we can all make sure that it’s not messy anymore” This way you ensure that you get what you need (a clean kitchen), and they get a solution that works for them (a clean bathroom).  It’s mutually beneficial.

Agree / Close the deal.

Many people forget to close their conversations well when dealing with difficult housemates, they simply want to leave the situation! Instead, take a quick moment to clarify the agreement with a simple “yes or no question” ie “We’ve agreed xyz, are we all happy?”   Get the confirmation!  If necessary, and it’s a legal discussion such as with an estate agent or landlord, follow up in writing (summarising conversations, outlining solutions and agreements made.)  Contract any items if necessary, and make sure you keep that signed copy!   Dealing with difficult housemates doesn’t have to be difficult in itself.  It’s about the strategy you use - coming to the conversation with an open mind, the ability to listen, a want to reach a solution and a plan of action to follow.  

It's now past 1st June when the Tenancy Fee Ban came into place.  The Tenant Fees Act is designed to help reduce the up-front costs of tenancy for renters who renew or begin a new tenancy after June 1^st 2019.  In addition, this Act will also reduce ongoing charges that tenants face during their tenancies as well.  It’s a simple “no hidden charges” process. We break down what you need to know ahead of the changes and what you should look out for following the Tenancy Fee Ban.

What can landlords charge for?

Aside from rent there aren’t a huge number of additional charges they can make.  Here are the charges which are not restricted under the Tenancy Fee Ban:

1. They can charge a refundable tenancy deposit. This must only be up to 5 or 6 weeks’ rent depending on the total annual rental cost of the property.
2. Refundable holding deposit: This is for holding a property for reservation. This cannot be more than 1 weeks’ rent.
3. Changes to the tenancy charges but only when requested by you and no more than £50, plus reasonable costs incurred (but these must be justified).
4. They can charge for early termination of the tenancy but only when requested to end the tenancy you. This should not exceed the cost of the rent.  They should also be seeking to replace you to avoid you paying additional charges to the landlord if they can.
5. Payments for Utilities, TV Licence, Council Tax etc. when this is agreed in the tenancy agreement
6. Fees for late rent payments. This should be outlined in the tenancy agreement and must only be applied after 14 days or more delay.  This fee must also be calculated as interest of no more than 3% above the Bank of England’s base rate on the amount owed per day.
7. Replacement keys/security device. Must be reasonable costs and the landlord must provide evidence to show the costs incurred (ie. Receipts).

So, what can’t they charge for?

Put simply, nothing outside of the above list.  But, for some clarity, we have outlined below some areas which you should be particularly aware:

1. Viewings
2. Set Up Fees
3. Inventories
4. Check out fees
5. Professional Cleaning
6. Saturday Check Outs
7. Third Party Services including credit checks
8. Gardening, maintenance or chimney sweeping services
9. Guarantor administration fees

In addition, you should be aware that landlords cannot require a tenant to take insurance from a third party and they cannot require a tenant to use a particular third party for any service you/they may require.

What about tenancy agreements already in place before 1^st Jun 2019?

Landlords can continue with any charges outlines in the agreement if it was entered into before 1^st June 2019 up to 31^st May 2020.  After this stage, even if renewing a contract, the Tenancy Fee Ban applies also.

What if they make a mistake or charge me a fee? 

We know that occasionally landlords make mistakes, and, under the Tenancy Fee Ban, they do have a 28 day grace period during which, should they have charged a fee in error, they can return the payment immediately without incurring treatment under the Act.  You should let them know as soon as possible if the fee is prohibited under the act, We advise that you:

• Keep accurate records of all transactions and interactions between yourself and your landlord where fees or charges may apply. (ie. Receipts, agreements, bank statements, notes and correspondence.)
• Know where to go to find more information and, in the event of a breach of the Act, how to pursue receiving fees back from your landlord.  Take a look here

  If you are not sure about how the Tenancy Fee Ban applies to you - get in touch here