Amidst all the publicity surrounding Theresa May’s speech at the Conservative Party Conference it was heartening to hear good news for the industry. The Communities Secretary, Sajid Javid MP used his speech at the conference to announce plans to introduce mandatory regulation for letting agents in England.
These measures follow 20 years of ARLA Propertymark campaigning for mandatory regulation and will, according to ARLA Propertymark, be the single greatest step forward in a generation for consumer protection within the private rented sector. Regulation offers to do more to clean up the image of the industry than the hundreds of smaller laws and pieces of legislation passed over the last two decades.
Here at The Country House Company we are active members of ARLA Propertymark and very supportive of the campaign for mandatory regulation. We consider it essential for the protection of landlords, tenants and those professional letting agents who take pride in providing a regulated service.
David Cox, Chief Executive, ARLA Propertymark commented that “We have seen regulation take different forms in different parts of the UK. It is essential that regulation reflects the commitment to higher standards embodied by the thousands of letting agents who have chosen voluntary regulation through membership of a professional body and in doing so have demonstrated the value of higher standards.”
A positive to focus on from the Conservative Party Conference!
Marishelle Butler
The Country House Company has been appointed to sell this detached 4 bedroom house with delightful southerly views over fields towards rolling countryside. Almost all of the accommodation is orientated due south and comprises 2 reception rooms, master bedroom suite with bathroom, 3 further bedrooms, bathroom and a substantial detached double garage. The gardens are beautifully maintained and landscaped. The guide price is £795,000.
Whilst now requiring updating for modern day living, this is certainly an opportunity to open a new chapter as a comfortable, functional and peacefully positioned family house with lots of direct daylight streaming into the house. The well proportioned, light sitting room has access directly into the garden and beside it is the dining room which could cater for numerous guests should entertaining be important. A kitchen/breakfast room is exactly this and again faces south.
On the first floor, a generous master bedroom and bathroom suite is complemented by 3 further bedrooms and a family bathroom… all accessible from a large landing. The views from the master bedroom, in particular, are lovely towards Winchester Hill and the South Downs.
The delightful gardens are primarily lawn and include well stocked beds, shrubs and on the boundaries, mature hedgerow. There is an arbour over a paved terrace and there is also a pond. A detached, double garage provides substantial covered parking or storage and in front of this is gravel parking for at least 3 vehicles, all behind iron gates.
For a viewing please call Patrick on 02392 632275 or email patrick@countryhousecompany.co.uk
Newly renovated this impressive and immaculately presented, three double bedroom, townhouse is situated in an elevated position in the heart of historic Winchester and provides well designed and spacious accommodation arranged over two floors.
The property is reached through an archway and communal courtyard beyond, with a fountain centre piece, and is one of five exclusive properties each built to a high specification.
An elegant entrance hall opens to a stylish, Searle & Taylor handmade, open plan kitchen with lower level eating area and patio doors into the garden. The generous living room with wood burning stove and stunning stone surround has two windows facing the communal courtyard as well as two sets of French doors opening to the rear garden. There is also a utility room with WC on the ground floor.
The first floor landing leads to three good size double bedrooms, each with double glazed sash windows, character, oiled, engineered oak flooring, underfloor heating with individual room thermostats and attic storage. Each has en suite bathrooms by Porcelanosa.
Externally, the property has an L shaped, low maintenance garden which is mainly laid to lawn and has a patio and shed. The two off road parking spaces are laid in Chinese granite setts and have the facility to charge electric cars and wash your car.
With the cinema on the doorstep and mainline station just a 0.4 mile walk plus easy access to a wealth of shops, restaurants and recreational facilities the property is in an ideal location.
Call Kate Morton, Head of Lettings at The Country House Company on 02392 632275 to arrange a viewing or discuss the property further.
The Country House Company has been appointed to sell this versatile family house in a lovely verdant and private setting within easy reach of commuting links to London at Liss or the A3. The main house comprises of 3 reception rooms, 5 bedrooms and 4 bath/shower rooms and the attached annex a sitting room, conservatory, kitchen, 2 bedrooms and a bathroom. A substantial detached double garage building provides secure, covered parking, games room, workshop, home office, laundry and store. There are 2 acres of lovely gardens and grounds that surround the house.
The guide price is £1,495,000.
Situated on a well wooded country lane, the house is approached from a long, meandering gravel drive flanked by mature trees and shrubs affording privacy. A reception hall, with a sight line through to the garden, leads to the principle rooms most of which have oak floors. The well proportioned, light sitting room features a wood burner and has direct access into the garden. A family/dining room is across the hall and then further on, the kitchen/breakfast room enjoys aspects over the gardens too. A study/studio leads on to the annex which has a sitting room through which one reaches the conservatory, kitchen and bathroom and then upstairs, 2 bedrooms.
On the first floor, a generous master bedroom and bathroom suite is complemented by 4 further large bedrooms and 3 further bath/shower rooms. The annex first floor is not currently accessible from the main house at first floor level but could easily become so.
The delightful gardens are primarily lawn and include well stocked beds, shrubs and on the boundaries, substantial, mature trees. No other buildings are visible from the gardens. There is a further kitchen garden area beyond a hedge towards the northern boundary.
For a viewing please call Patrick on 02392 632275 or email patrick@countryhousecompany.co.uk
The publicity surrounding the proposed ban on tenant fees has generally put letting agents and landlords in a negative light and unfairly so. As is often the case the actions of a few rogue, unlawful agents and landlords speak louder than years of professional service provided by the lettings industry. A blanket ban on tenant fees is not a viable option and various details need to be clarified. Meanwhile if the government really wants to be seen to support tenants, landlords and the letting industry they should reinforce the importance of using a qualified, professional experienced letting agent who is long established and a member of a recognised governing body.
There was an interesting piece in The Times on Saturday about the property market dynamics where the opening lines allude to train fare increases affecting the migration route out of London to commuter areas, and that there had been an increase in people moving into the capital. On closer examination and reading the rest of the article, it is further commented that it would hard to conclude that the reduction in commuter towns guide prices was down to this in ANY context. More expensive property prices in London easily outweigh a few hundred pounds additional rail fares from commuting areas….tens of thousands of pounds difference to buy back into London. Indeed the gap between property prices in London and the country, whilst closing, are more compelling than ever, as evidenced in the article where, in 2017 so far, it is claimed that 51,000 have moved from London into the commuter belt and only 10,000 have done the reverse! London IS coming to the country and many are approaching us early on because they discover our brand name which clearly indicates our area of specialisation.
Patrick Glynn-Jones
When I asked a colleague this morning whether she felt the rise in on line estate agencies is a threat to independent, professional companies such ourselves she simply replied that “I put my trust in human nature”. She qualified this by saying that whilst technology has a huge and increasing role in most business sectors it cannot, at the moment in lettings and property sales, replace the security and reassurance of meeting a professional individual. To be able to speak to somebody face to face who knows the property, the market, the legislation and the process is still important to most of our clients and applicants.
We are told that sophisticated robots are just a few years away from being part of our society and online agents are certainly here to stay, but for the foreseeable future we are confident that the professional, individual service we provide will be the preferred choice.
Marishelle Gibson
Fun and uplifting, Honk! is an ideal musical to be performed by the cast of The Petersfield Youth Theatre and a terrific event for The Country House Company to sponsor and support.
The Country House Company is very proud of its long standing association with the Petersfield Youth Theatre and has been main production sponsor for the past 6 years. The Petersfield Youth Theatre was founded in 1990 and is a registered charity working to advance education in music and theatrical arts amongst children and young people aged from 5 to 23 years. The young people involved in PYT are given the confidence and support to be the best that they can be through projects, workshops and productions full of fun and excitement.
There are currently over 250 members many of whom will be performing in Honk! This entertaining musical based on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Ugly Duckling, has won multiple awards including the 2000 Olivier Award for Best Musical.
“imagine the colour and wit of Disney’s Jungle Book, mixed with the vivacity of ‘40’s Hollywood musicals, exuberantly staged, and you still only have some idea of how stonkingly brilliant this treat is…..” (Review of National Theatre Prduction)
Honk! opens at The Festival Hall, Petersfield on Tuesday 19th September and is running until Sunday 24th September with matinee performances on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Tickets available through One Tree Books from Friday 25th August or on line via www.ticketsource.co.uk
For full details on all performance times and on Petersfield Youth Theatre please see www.petersfieldyouththeatre.org.uk
Has the long awaited migration from London to the country started to happen in earnest? Research recently published in the Times claims that 330,000 people, both buyers and renters, moved out of the city last year , a rise of 14% on the number that left in 2012. Maybe that compelling price differential between London and the country is beginning to narrow? To Londoners, we say ‘buy now’ whilst the differential is wide! This should give sellers confidence that we may well have a strong, event free Autumn after the distractions of the election in the height of the typically prime summer season market. Do call us for an ‘on the ground’ assessment of the local market and your chances of a sale by the year end. Patrick on 02392 632275