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Homes & Property

Buy of the week: high church
This former masonic chapel in Chiswick has been converted into a three-bedroom home (£1.175 million) with a 30-foot open-plan, double-height reception room. The kitchen is a black glossy affair, there’s a study, a cinema room and a decked roof terrace.
Swap of the week: Blackboys, East Sussex
Honeys Green farmhouse is a Grade II-listed pile that sits in a couple of acres and offers versatile living with an annexe and outdoor heated pool. Inside has character galore among four bedrooms and an attic room with pretty views.
Life-changer: South Petherton, Somerset
Willowbrook is a five-bedroom beauty (£1.15 million) with a 52-foot reception room and garages that could become a holiday apartment. Make a B&B business there and your guests could use the indoor pool and gym complex or roam your two-acre garden.
Spotlight on Tunbridge Wells
It may have temporarily lost its iron-rich spring but Tunbridge Wells has buckets of charm to make up for it.
Buy of the week: high church
This former masonic chapel in Chiswick has been converted into a three-bedroom home (£1.175 million) with a 30-foot open-plan, double-height reception room. The kitchen is a black glossy affair, there’s a study, a cinema room and a decked roof terrace.
Swap of the week: Blackboys, East Sussex
Honeys Green farmhouse is a Grade II-listed pile that sits in a couple of acres and offers versatile living with an annexe and outdoor heated pool. Inside has character galore among four bedrooms and an attic room with pretty views.
Life-changer: South Petherton, Somerset
Willowbrook is a five-bedroom beauty (£1.15 million) with a 52-foot reception room and garages that could become a holiday apartment. Make a B&B business there and your guests could use the indoor pool and gym complex or roam your two-acre garden.

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Rentals archive

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The accidental landlord

Our accidental landlord doesn't know where to look when she ends up meeting a tenant who is happy to chat in just his boxer shorts.

Published May 2012

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Not even the best tenants come with a guarantee

The accidental landlord discovers that things can go badly wrong no matter how thoroughly you vet your renters.

Published May 2012

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Faulty tap is a hot issue

Our accidental landlord is wet behind the ears when it comes to DIY – and finds that sometimes there’s no substitute for common sense.

Published May 2012

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We're taking a journey into space

A new breed of renter/commuter is getting extra room for less money.

Published May 2012

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Making a mess of your house is child's play for tenants

Our accidental landlord has learned from bitter experience to keep anything breakable a suitably safe distance away from her renters.

Published May 2012

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Well, they say cannabis makes you paranoid…

Our accidental landlord is spooked by a chance remark and the responsibility of keeping an eye on new neighbours.

Published April 2012

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Get well informed before you rent – ignorance is only bliss to a bad landlord

Our accidental landlord warns tenants never to hand over a deposit or any rent until they are starting to move in.

Published April 2012

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Rent your spare room with Airbnb

Hollywood actor Ashton Kutcher is a keen fan of Airbnb - an online room-renting scheme that is sweeping London.

Published April 2012

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Do your research and be ready to move fast

Our accidental landlord offers advice to would-be tenants entering the tough rental market for the first time.

Published April 2012

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As London becomes a city of renters, flats for the 'Facebook generation' arrive

Thousands of new homes for rent are being built in London aimed at young people who have made a lifestyle choice to be tenants.

Published April 2012

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I’ll do all the paperwork after I’ve arranged the sock drawer

Our accidental landlord pledges to make a clean start for the new tax year by sorting out all the receipts hiding under her desk – unless she can find another chore.

Published April 2012

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List of shame is no joke for poor tenants

Our accidental landlord decides a website designed to protect landlords could end up being unfair on decent renters.

Published March 2012

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Getting a good night’s sleep makes for a happier tenant

When it comes to buying bedroom furniture our accidental landlord finds that spending a bit more on a mattress can pay dividends.

Published March 2012

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How to find the right rental property

Sky-rocketing prices, homes snapped up within hours and rampant gazumping - this is the London rental market in 2012. We ask the industry experts how renters should go about finding a suitable property at the right price.

Published March 2012

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Students are an acquired taste… but it’s your call

Our accidental landlord learns why having undergraduates for tenants is not something every landlord finds palatable.

Published March 2012

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Don’t let car parking get you in a spot

When the parking gets difficult, our accidental landlord devises a cunning plan to fool the local traffic warden.

Published February 2012

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A solution for damp – try not breathing

Our accidental landlord learns that granny wasn’t crazy for ‘airing’ her rooms – as a steamed-up tenant soon proves.

Published February 2012

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Olympic rentals let-down

In some London boroughs it will be illegal to let your home during the Games. And even 'approved' landlords face making slim profits.

Published February 2012

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Olympic gold is not as easy as you think

Our accidental landlord opts for a house swap to Reykjavik in August to avoid the hassle of de-cluttering and renting for the Olympics.

Published January 2012

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Buy-to-let: ready to take the big step?

Homes & Property asks landlords for their advice to savers looking to purchase a buy-to-let property.

Published January 2012

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The pitfalls of getting friendly with tenants

Our accidental landlord tries to be nice but ends up in a near miss with Porsche and has a brush with a security guard.

Published January 2012

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The accidental landlord

Should my house ever catch fire, the first thing I’d try to rescue (after the children, of course) would be my Little Black Book of Contacts because without it, I’m doomed. As a landlord it’s my most useful tool. To be honest, it’s my only tool.

Published January 2012

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Buy-to-let: best areas

If you are ready to invest long-term in a buy-to-let property, make sure you find the most profitable area.

Published December 2011

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Where should you buy to let?

Weigh up the odds when buying to let. Decide whether you are going for capital growth or rental yield. Homes & Property explain why you can't have both.

Published August 2011

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A very modern breed of tenant

Population changes and financial pressures have created a new generation of renters looking for stylish homes that fit their busy lifestyles.

Published June 2011

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'Brand' new rental homes hold the key to city living

Britain is becoming a nation of renters, and the capital is ahead of the game with branded new apartments for sophisticated Londoners.

Published June 2011

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Olympics gold rush: let your home

As tickets for 2012 go on sale, a homeowner in East Dulwich wonders if letting her property to games visitors could win her a tidy profit.

Published March 2011

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Two can play at the renting game

Let out your home and rent somewhere cheaper to cover the interest rate hikes, school fees or a move to the country.

Published February 2011

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Go for Olympic gold

Homeowners who let their property for the 2012 Games can expect more than double normal returns for good nearby property

Published November 2010

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Londoners love to rent

Private renting in the capital — which was popular before the home-ownership boom of recent decades — is becoming a new lifestyle choice.

Published April 2010

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Pets can be a landlord's best friend

Many pet-owners run into problems when trying to rent a property, but landlords could be missing a trick.

Published August 2009

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New-look rentals

Glamorous new flats have arrived for renters at Pentonville Road.

Published April 2009

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Student lettings remain strong

Overseas students are a growing force in the capital’s lettings market.

Published April 2009

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Forging ahead in the Docklands

Tenants are taking advantage of the oversupply of brand new homes on offer and cheaper rents.

Published April 2009

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Renters call the shots

Landlords once vetted tenants but now the boot is on the other foot as tenants ensure landlords can afford their mortgages.

Published April 2009

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Winners in the downturn

Renters are firmly in the driving seat, able to cherrypick from a wide selection of properties and negotiate deals with landlords.

Published January 2009

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Take a tax break with a holiday home

More and more holiday-home owners in the UK are deciding to rent out their property for extra income and juicy tax breaks.

Published January 2009

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Safe deposit

Tenancy deposit protection is being beefed up to ensure renters do not lose out.

Published January 2009

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The key to chic rentals

Renting has swung back into fashion, and you can now get twice the style for half the price.

Published January 2009

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Top tips for renting

Be aware and avoid any pitfalls.

Published December 2008

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It’s cheaper to rent in central London

The perfect way to enjoy London for some serious bargain hunting in the sales is to find yourself a lovely flat to rent short term, and settle in to being a Londoner for a few days of freedom at a great price.

Published December 2008

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