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Easter Maintenance & Emergencies

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY:

  • In the event of a gas leak please call National Grid on 0800 111 999.
  • Should you have a total loss of power please contact UK Power Networks on 0800 028 0247.
  • Should your water supply be interrupted please call Thames Water on 0800 714 614.
  • If your property has had a break in contact the Police. They will record the crime number for insurance purposes.

If Findlay are the managing agents for your property and you have a genuine out of hours emergency, please contact our out of hours contractors on 07759 954 934.

Our office hours are Mon – Fri 09.30 – 17.30, Sat 09.30 -17.00

Please note only the below issues are classed as an emergency:

– Blocked or totally unusable WC if only one in property
– Breakdown of property security
– Heating system breakdown during cold weather
– No hot water supply
– Flooding or serious water penetration

If our out of hours contractors are contacted for any other issues that are not on the above list, they will not be able to assist you. If they attend and the issue is not classed as an emergency you will be liable for the cost of the call out.

If you have any questions or concerns at all, please get in touch via email.

Rates on hold until fourth quarter 2012 – Reuters poll

(Reuters) – The Bank of England will not raise interest rates from record lows of 0.5 percent until next October at the earliest but there is still only a one-in-three chance it will restart its asset purchase programme, a Reuters poll found on Wednesday 31st August.

More here

Net migration to UK up 21% – Housing shortage worsens

Net migration into the UK rose by 21 per cent last year to 239,000 on the back of a significant fall in people leaving the country and a net increase in migrants from eastern Europe, according to the Office for National Statistics.

This is compounded by the news that the housing shortage in England is set to worsen during the next three years as data reveal planning permission approvals have fallen to the lowest level since the start of 2009.

All of this will surely add up to increased pressure on the rental market in central London.

Property gold rush is in doubt – buying near London’s Olympic site is not failsafe

The FT ran an interesting story over the weekend advising investors to be cautious about investing in buy-to-let property near the London Olympic site, especially Stratford.

Findlay Property have been advising clients along these lines for several years – investors are much safer around east central London (postcodes EC1, E2, E8, E9, N1, N16) than around the Olympic site. East central London will get all the benefits of the Olympics and will weather any storm because of the central location.

FT – Olympic Gold Rush

Olympic Village

Olympic Village

Average rents in London top £1,000

New data shows the London rental market is in rude health as potential first-time buyers struggle to find a deposit to purchase property amid soaring rents and living costs.

London saw the greatest annual rent increases in England and Wales, hitting a new high of £1,009pcm, an annual increase of 7.1 per cent.

London rents rise

London rents rise

More here

‘UK rates likely to remain on hold for some time’ – FT

The Bank of England has signalled that interest rates will remain on hold for much longer than previously believed, as it forecast lower economic growth and inflation over the next two years.

In outlining the Bank’s new forecasts, governor Sir Mervyn King emphasised that they did not take account of worst-case scenarios from the eurozone debt crisis.

Sir Mervyn declined to commit to holding interest rates, currently set at 0.5 per cent, for a set period. On Tuesday, the US Federal Reserve indicated that short-term rates would remain at their current level for two years.

“The current market expectation of where Bank rate would be in 2012 is very close to where it is now,” he said. “So expectations have already got to that point without [our] having to make a specific commitment.”

Mervyn King. Click for full story from FT.com

Mervyn King. Click for full story from FT.com

SOURCE: FT.com

UK interest rates remain on hold at 0.5%

UK interest rates have been kept at a record low of 0.5% by the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC).

Economists had expected interest rates would remain unchanged due to the subdued economy. GDP figures for the second quarter showed growth of 0.2%.

A majority of economists polled by the BBC expect interest rates to remain unchanged until next year.

UK interest rates unlikely to rise until 2014, “at the earliest”

Interest rates will not rise until 2014 “at the earliest,” experts have suggested, after the Bank of England said it is unlikely to change its monetary policy stance soon.

The July minutes of the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) showed members voted seven to two to hold rates at 0.5%, with it saying that recent economic data makes it unlikely it will raise rates in the near term.

The news came a day after Woolwich launched its cheapest mortgage deals for 15 years, reducing rates on a third of its fixed and tracker mortgages.

Luxury 2 Bed Apartment in the heart of Fitzrovia

Situated on the fourth floor of an impressive period building (with lift) on Berners Street, Fitzrovia (just north of Soho), this stunning two bedroomed apartment boasts a huge loft style reception / kitchen area. Excellently located only minutes from Charlotte Street, Soho, Marylebone and Mayfair.

The property comprises two large bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen with full range of appliances and excellent storage.

Berners Street enjoys a prestigious location in Fitzrovia within easy reach of Soho, Charlotte Street and the West End.

Click here for more photos

Click here for more photos

UK interest rates kept at 0.5%

As expected, the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee left its benchmark rate at a record low of 0.5% for the 27th month in a row. It also left its £200bn quantitative easing programme unchanged.

It was the first meeting for new MPC member Ben Broadbent, a former Goldman Sachs economist, who replaced arch-hawk Andrew Sentance.

City economists have put back the likely date for the first increase to this autumn, but many think it won’t happen until next year. A November rate rise is seen as a 60% probability, while markets are not fully pricing in a rate rise until next April.

Source: Guardian