As a company we are in full support of the NAEA Propertymark (National Association of Estate Agents) in their campaign to extend the holiday on property tax.
The importance of the property industry as a whole was clearly acknowledged by the government in authorising the reopening of the property sector ahead of others.
The property market dramatically impacts on many sectors including lenders, removal companies, storage providers, plumbers, decorators, landscapers, builders, architects, surveyors, interior designers, and furniture retailers, to name but a few. The NAEA Propertymark have stated, that since the introduction of the cut to Stamp Duty/Land Transaction Tax/Land and Buildings Transaction Tax, the housing market has shown substantially increased activity and this will have been reflected in a boost to income and the economy.
To further encourage and reinforce the importance of the property market, the government instigated the campaign to #keepthecountrymoving, which we have been actively involved with. We focused our marketing on the benefits of moving to the country and to the South in particular, with its excellent commuting links combined with glorious rural life. For the enthusiasm to move to be dampened by the government would undo so much of what has been achieved under such difficult circumstances.
Therefore, we will continue in our support of the NAEA Propertymark and are hopeful that there will be some encouraging announcements early in the New Year.
Kate Porter, Head of Sales
Three exciting and different rental opportunities available through The Country House Company and ready to move into before Christmas.
New to the rental market is a large elegant Grange in The South Downs National Park. It is situated in glorious private gardens and grounds near Selborne, and offers light, spacious and flexible accommodation. There are seven bedrooms with the option of three further double bedrooms, a large farmhouse style kitchen/breakfast room with Aga and conservatory, and four receptions rooms. The large well stocked gardens include a walled vegetable garden and extensive outbuildings.
In an equally lovely location is a beautifully extended and modernised 17th Century five bedroom farm house. This large family home offers spacious, light accommodation and modern comfort throughout, with a wealth of character features. The rooms are well proportioned and the high ceilings give a sense of space and elegance. Externally, the property benefits from ample driveway parking and a large garden with terraced area, shed and extensive lawns.
Alternatively, we have a two bedroom charming cottage in East Tisted. It has lovely, bright accommodation and original beams, a newly refurbished kitchen/breakfast room and has been re-painted and re-carpeted throughout. It has a garden to the front and rear and a single garage with further parking available on the roadside.
For full details on any of these properties and others, please call Gemma Bailey or Louise Bailey on 02392 632275 or see www.countryhousecompany.co.uk
Landlords and tenants it is worth noting further regulations covering tenancies during national restrictions.
On 17 November 2020, the Public Health (Coronavirus) (Protection from Eviction and Taking Control of Goods) (England) Regulations 2020 came into force in England.
The rules prevent the enforcement of evictions against tenants, other than in the most serious circumstances during the second national local down period and over Christmas. This means that no eviction notices are to be served until 11 January at the earliest and, given the 14-day notice period required, no evictions are expected to be enforced until 25 January 2021.
The most serious circumstances include:
- illegal occupation
- false statement
- anti-social behaviour
- where a property is unoccupied following the death of a tenant
- extreme rent arrears
Importantly, following the UK Government’s announcement on 5 November 2020 where it was stated they would look to introduce an exemption for extreme pre-COVID rent arrears, the Regulations now confirm that landlords will be able to seek possession of their property and see bailiffs and High Court Enforcement Officers enforcing warrants and completing evictions.
However, this will only apply to tenants who have accrued the equivalent of nine months’ rent arrears, with arrears accrued since 23 March (the start of England’s first lockdown) discounted.
For further details call Kate Morton, Head of Lettings on 02392 632275 or see www.arla.co.uk or www.gov.uk
‘Essentially so you know that your property is safety compliant, being checked regularly and that there is a point of contact for the tenant and landlord.’
In the past 5 years there have been over 150 new regulations affecting landlords and in some cases breaches of these regulations carry a criminal record or prison sentence. These regulations change quickly, and particularly during the current crisis.
If your property is Fully Managed your property manager will be updating you and ensuring that all safety checks are complete including electrical, gas, legionella and smoke and carbon monoxide testing.
Money is saved if systems and appliances are regularly serviced. If a property is Fully Managed then we would ensure that boilers and Agas are serviced, chimneys swept, oil tanks filled, septic tanks emptied, alarms serviced, plus more.
A Fully Managed property will be inspected at regular intervals. You will know that the tenant is looking after the property and complying with the terms of the tenancy agreement. As a tenant you will be reassured that we are here to help you
The landlord and tenant will be able to contact us at any time to report a fault with the property and repairs will be carried out quickly and efficiently by trusted and qualified contractors.
At The Country House Company we have a specialist team, all professionally trained and experienced in property management and we have a dedicated out of hours Management phone enabling landlords or tenant to contact a member of the management team at any time.
Most importantly we manage the expectations of the landlord and the tenant. The landlord knows exactly what to expect and rely on and the tenant has a tenant charter clearly outlining their responsibilities and relationship with us.
Located in the heart of the popular South Downs village of Hawkley, this stunning cottage has been sympathetically extended and refurbished to create a stylish and attractive home. The property has been finished to emphasis its unique character features while modern touches have been incorporated. The result is an attractive home with contemporary living space and all the character of a property of its period, including exposed timbers, brickwork and inglenook fireplaces.
The ground floor accommodation includes a contemporary kitchen/breakfast room opening to a spacious living area with central inglenook fireplace.
There is a glass linked family room which could equally be ideal as a home/office space, a cosy sitting room with exposed timbers and fireplace and a cloakroom.
A staircase leads to the landing with modern glass floor showcasing the room below. The master bedroom is at the rear of the cottage and has triple aspect windows and an en suite with shower. A family bathroom and three further bedrooms, each benefitting from overhead beams and brick feature walls, and one with further en suite, completes the first floor accommodation.
Externally, to the front there is a small garden area and driveway for multiple cars and to the rear is a good size garden with spacious patio area, raised beds, and a wide lawn sweeping towards open countryside and lovely views.
Hawkley is a rural village with a quintessential village green, popular bistro pub, church and village hall. Petersfield, less than 8 miles away, provides a good range of shops including Waitrose and the larger centres of Chichester, Winchester and Guildford all offer more extensive shopping and leisure facilities.
With easy access to the A3, connecting to the M25 and the rest of the motorway network, this property is, though rural, well placed for commuting. The closest mainline services run from Petersfield to London Waterloo with a regular service taking just under an hour.
The area is well served for sporting and leisure facilities which include horse racing at Goodwood and Fontwell, polo at Cowdray Park, golf at Hindhead, Liphook and Petersfield and sailing off the South Coast at Chichester. The surrounding countryside is networked by footpaths and bridle paths providing excellent opportunities for walking (including the Hangers Way and the South Downs Way) and riding. There are also many renowned schools in the area including Bedales School, Ditcham Park and Churcher’s College.
For full details see www.countryhousecompany.co.uk or call kate Morton, Head of Lettings or Kate Porter, Head of Sales on 02392 632275.
We were delighted that the cover story on The Sunday Telegraph focused on moving to the country and included Rogate in West Sussex as a village that ticked all the boxes for a successful transition from city life to country life.
Covid-19 has changed how locations are chosen. Traditionally a desirable village for city relocators was the classic image of pub, village shop, parish church and period properties beautifully positioned around the village green. Over the past six months the tick list has been expanded by a new generation of rural relocators with a more complex set of requirements. Fast broadband is at the top of their list as they settle into working from home and the office. Access to commuting networks is still essential – they still want to be able to access the cities and don’t want to feel too cut off. Being more aware of climate change and air pollution, many relocators want amenities nearby and cycle routes rather than numerous cars. With that in mind they ideally would rather walk or cycle with young children to the village school than drive.
Most relocators are still looking for the classic English village; the pub, church, village shop and community spirit is vital but so too is the knowledge that supermarkets will deliver and zoom calls never falter.
The Sunday Times suggested Rogate, West Sussex as a tick box village with The A3 easily accessible, a main line station at nearby Petersfield and stunning views over the South Downs.
The average house price in Rogate was listed at £694,996 and we have 1 Sandilands Cottage for sale at Guide price £600,000. This stunning four bedroom character cottage has been extensively upgraded by the current owners and has stylish spacious accommodation and a lovely mature garden.
So, you really can move to the countryside and have everything, particularly through The Country House Company!
Marishelle Butler
1 Sandilands Cottage is a stylish 4 bedroom property in Rogate which has been extensively refurbished by the current owners.
This pretty home has benefitted from a complete upgrade including a new roof, re rendering in lime, new fascia’s and guttering, aluminium double glazed windows, a wooden front door, re plastering, new kitchen, underfloor heating in the dining room and cloakroom plus recently replaced boiler.
Further internal and external works have been undertaken by the owners resulting in very stylish and beautifully presented accommodation.
On the ground floor is a superb open plan kitchen/dining room with patio door to the garden and a bright and spacious family/garden room, also with access to the garden. This family room opens to a cosy sitting room with log burning stove. There is a cloakroom with a separate utility which is accessed externally.
On the first floor are three elegant double bedrooms, a single bedroom and bathroom.
To the front of the house is a gravelled area for parking and the main garden is to the rear of the house. There is an attractive decked sun terrace, with patio, leading to lawn bordered by pretty perennial borders and raised beds. There is a further decked area with greenhouse and shed beyond.
In addition, there is a pretty timber clad outbuilding with tiled roof which is the utility.
The cottage is in Rogate, a thriving village between Petersfield and Midhurst in the heart of The South Downs National Park. The village has a store, mobile post office, primary school, and many clubs and societies.
Petersfield and its comprehensive range of facilities including Waitrose and a mainline station with train services to London Waterloo in around an hour, is within 6 miles. There is an excellent range of schools in the region including Bedales/Dunhurst, Churcher’s College, Ditcham Park, Highfield/Brookham, Bohunt and TPS.
The A272 at Rogate connects to the A3 which provides good regional transport links to London and the South Coast or the larger regional centres of Winchester and Guildford. There are a good number of footpaths and bridleways in the surrounding area including The South Downs Way and The Sussex Border Path.
For full details please contact Kate Porter 02392 632275 or see www.countryhousecompany.co.uk
New measures have been put in place for the protection of renters during national restrictions.
In summary these are….
• Evictions will not be enforced whilst national restrictions are in place
• Evictions will not be enforced by bailiffs until 11 January 2021 at the earliest, except for the most egregious cases such as anti-social behaviour
• Six month notice periods still in place until at least the end of March 2021, except for most serious cases
Measures, including the pause on evictions starting in December, mean evictions will not be enforced until the 11 January 2021 at the earliest, supporting individuals and families who have found themselves in financial difficulty through no fault of their own.
The only exceptions to this will be the most egregious cases, including where tenants have demonstrated anti-social behaviour or are the perpetrator of domestic abuse in social housing, and the landlord rightly would like to re-let their property to another tenant.
This builds on protections announced earlier this year, including 6 month notice periods meaning renters now served notice?can stay in their homes until May 2021, with?time?to find alternative support or accommodation.
Courts will remain open through the new national restrictions. Court rules and procedures introduced in September will ensure protections for both tenants and landlords. These include the strict prioritisation of cases, such as those involving anti-social behaviour and other crimes.
Whilst national restrictions apply, the only circumstances where protections do not apply are illegal occupation, fraud, anti-social behaviour, eviction of domestic abuse perpetrators in social housing; where a property is unoccupied following the death of a tenant. There is also the intention to introduce an exemption for extreme pre-Covid rent arrears.
For further details see https://bit.ly/3pMOGZm
As we go into this second lockdown it is very clear that the mindset has changed. For many the knowledge of what staying at home and not having our normal freedom feels like is definitely harder this time around.
So how can we all help each other?
The stats show that out of 22 million gym visits across the country since we reopened only 78 members reported having Covid symptoms (UK Active). This is an important number to note as it indicates that staying physically active and strong is key to fighting this virus.
Our studio has gone back online so we can continue to deliver our classes safely. Our teachers are some of the very best and teach with passion, knowledge and safety.
We offer Pilates, Yoga (Flow and Yin), Barre and Boxing plus a monthly Facebook Live membership where there will be 3 new classes every week which you can follow live or watch at a time to suit you and repeat it as many times as you wish.
If you have to yet to try Rebalance Pilates & Fitness simple drop us an email and get your first online class for free.
All our classes are booked via our online StudioBookings site (download the app if using your mobile)
https://StudioBookingsonline.com/rebalancepilatesfitness/classes.html
Lets get through this together!