The ‘Bayswater Revival’ and Queensway Regeneration Projects

London's Bayswater area is experiencing a dynamic transformation, positioning itself as one of the city’s most promising residential and commercial districts. Central to this revitalization is the £3 billion Queensway Regeneration project, infusing the area with new developments, retail, eateries and facilities, enhancing its appeal to both investors and residents alike.

Queensway: The Heart of Transformation

Queensway, long known for its eclectic mix of shops and eateries, is undergoing a significant makeover. At the forefront of this transformation is the redevelopment of the historic Whiteley’s department store.

One of London’s pioneering department stores, supplying ‘everything from a pin to an elephant’ attracted a Royalty Warrant and celebrity clientele. The Grade II listed building, allegedly earmarked by Hitler as the site of his London headquarters were Nazi Germany to successfully invade, even sported a roof-top golf course.

Now, The Whiteley London has been reimagined as a luxurious mixed-use development, featuring London’s first Six Senses Hotel and spa, 139 residences and 19 new shops.

Designed by award-winning architects Foster + Partners and like their Battersea Power Station project upriver in Nine Elms, high-end brands will anchor this new retail hub, bringing a fresh, upscale vibe to the area.

One cannot shop and spa without sustenance and The Park by Jeremy King (The Ivy, Le Caprice) is leading the introduction of more exciting dining destinations, whilst a new flagship store for premium neighbourhood delicatessen, Melrose and Morgan will also feature supper clubs, masterclasses and product launches.

Residential Developments: A New Era of Luxury Living

This Bayswater renaissance is attracting significant attention from developers, resulting in a wave of luxury residential projects. Park Modern adds to the portfolio of high-end living with its contemporary design and exceptional amenities, and other developments like Leinster House by Wendover Partners are playing a key role in elevating the neighbourhood to its formerly lofty heights.

Additionally, Bourne Capital’s retail, residential and leisure projects on the southern end of Queensway will provide a link into the new entrance gate into Kensington Gardens at Hyde Park.

Bayswater’s Bright Future

As Queensway’s transformation continues, Bayswater is poised to become a prime destination for those seeking both investment opportunities and a vibrant lifestyle. The area's proximity to Hyde Park, along with the significant improvements to local infrastructure and amenities, positions it as an ideal location for luxury real estate.

The area’s ongoing regeneration is highlighted the untapped potential available for those looking to secure a prestigious London address. Bayswater is now offering not only the allure of a historically rich area but also the benefits of modern luxury.

Back to School, Back to Basics – Part 2

In Part 1 of Back to School, Back to Basics we covered the pre-tenancy certifications and legalities of rental properties. Now in Part 2, we’re moving forward in the process and once a tenant has been secured.

Other Things to Consider…

• Apart from a robust tenancy agreement applicable to the type of rental you have agreed and an inventory check-in report, copies of the EPC, EICR and GSC will need to be issued to any tenant before the tenant move in along with the government’s How to Rent Guide. If not, this may affect your ability to apply for an eviction order if necessary in future.

• Landlords are also required to protect a tenant’s security deposit in a government-approved scheme, such as the DPS and also check your tenant’s right to rent in the UK. Documents need to be checked in-person or online via the government’s verification service.

• If you would like the reassurance of a rent guarantee or legal protection cover policy in case your tenants don’t pay rent or need to be evicted, your tenant will need to have passed referencing with a third party referencing company.

•  If you’re normally resident overseas or the property is owned by an overseas company, you should always confirm your tax requirements with HMRC. They have specific guidelines for non-resident landlords.

Finally, international student tenants travelling to the UK for their course often have to rent properties on the basis of photos and video viewings without having actually stepped foot in the front door – or you having met them in-person. It can be worthwhile to have a video chat to assess their suitability for your property and also make sure that the tenancy agreement reflects that the property has been taken ‘sight unseen’ to avoid being let down at the last minute.

If you would prefer to use the services of a qualified and experienced agency, book a quick call with us to discuss your rental property. We’d be delighted to help.

Back to School, Back to Basics – Part 1

It’s September and that has meant back to school for not only millions of children across the UK, but all the ‘big kids’ too - the students who are back at university to take up their places on undergrad and postgraduate courses.

It’s the first year of a true ‘back to normal’ end-of-summer/start of the school year cycle since Covid and demand has been soaring. We’ve even let a few properties in the final stages of renovation such that they’ll be occupied from Day 1!

With so many new move-ins happening, it’s a great time to go back over the basics and ask: What exactly do you need to do in order to let your property?

Pre-Rental Certifications & Legalities Required On Move-In

It’s a given that you’ll have made sure your rental property is fit for habitation and is maintained in good condition, but do you have the correction certifications in place?

To let a rental property, you need to make sure you have at least valid energy performance, electrical installation and gas safety certifications in place:

• Energy Performance Certificate (EPC): These have been around for 15+ years since Home Information Packs and the regulations in 2007. You need one to market your property! Certificates remain valid for 10 years and the minimum rating is currently E. Many have been done and many have since expired! In any case, you can check for your EPC on the government’s register.

• Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR): Valid for 5 years, these have been a legal requirement since April last year and are needed before a tenant moves into a rental property. Watch out, the initial inspection may uncover electrical faults that require further investigation or remedial works. Read more details here.

• Gas Safety Certification (GSC): Still in force and the longest standing certificate requirement – nearly 25 years for good reason. Conducted annually by a Gas Safe registered engineer (formerly CORGI), GSCs or CP12s are also a legal requirement if there is one or more gas appliance in the property.

You’ll also need to ensure smoke alarms & carbon monoxide detectors are in place and working and can read our recent post for more information on the recent changes to regulations.

If the rental property is a flat in a purpose-built building, there are additional fire safety regulations to consider and the most up-to-date information is always available on www.gov.uk.

You may also want to get a test for Legionnaires Disease and whilst PAT testing appliances isn’t legally required for private rentals, if a tenant is placed by a local housing association scheme, they may request this and both are good practice. 

Finally, always make sure to check if your rental property falls inside of a mandatory licensing area. These vary between boroughs in London, with differing costs and application processes.

Coming up next week - Back to Basics Part 2 with some other things to consider for tenants moving in… and if you would like to discuss any aspect of preparing your property for rental, book a quick call with us.

Go Digital with Virtual Staging

In another recent article, we discussed the importance of visual imagery in the marketing of your rental or sales property and in particular, dressing & styling packages for rental properties.

In recent years however, another alternative has become a cost-effective way to show your property to best advantage… virtual staging.  

Particularly helpful where a property is completely empty, virtual dressing is a game-changer to make marketing photos more visually arresting, particularly for lower value sales and rental properties where the cost of ‘real’ (i.e. physical) dressing and staging might be prohibitive.

Having furniture in the rooms of your property gives potential viewers a better sense of the size of the rooms and how their furniture will fit in the space. It also provides far more visual interest and that all important #HomeInspiration than an empty white box. A virtual staging company works with your existing high-resolution images to digitally place furniture in the space and with an endless array of options at your disposal for a fraction of the cost of renting or buying physical dressing items and furniture - as well as none of the carbon footprint. Best of all, it’s quick! Images can usually be turned around within 24 hours.

Images can also be altered to adjust light levels, add a cheery blue sky to brighten often overcast British exterior shots and remove unslightly items like road signs photos or waste bins. Costs typically range between £20-30 + VAT per image for full ‘furniture dressing’ with the removal of items depending on the complexity of the background.

We’re astounded by the results that virtual staging can produce. Can you tell that the furniture in these images has been added digitally?

Things You Don't Know About Your Estate Agent: Part 1

The agent who lets your rental property will never speak to your tenant again 

At Maplewood, we’re all about transparency so we’ve decided to lift the lid and show you the inside workings at your typical high street estate agent. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be revealing things you probably didn’t know about your agent. Intrigued? Read on…

If your property is managed by a large or mid-size, multi-branch high street agent, you might be surprised to learn just how far apart are the functions of letting your property and managing your property (and managing your tenant). Consider the number of people involved in the lettings process:

1.     Manager / Valuer / Director: The person who initially comes to meet you at your property and provide a valuation. They’re experienced senior staff whose time is most valuable in convincing you of their company’s ability to let your property and get you to sign on the dotted line.

2.     Office Administrator: Having signed terms, the office administrator back in the office is tasked with creating the marketing materials – the descriptions and brochures seen online. They very rarely will actually step foot in your property, but hopefully they know the area.   

3.     Negotiators: Often on very low base salaries (£15k/year in London is not uncommon), negotiators compete with each other to let your property; their commission depends on it. They can be known to ‘encourage’ multi-year offers regardless of your preferences as break clauses eat into their commission.   

4.     Tenancy Co-ordinator: Once you’ve selected a tenant, the negotiator hands over the tenant’s details to a tenancy co-ordinator (and hopefully with the right information). With luck, this person can complete the referencing and move-in process for you and your new tenant.

5.     Property Manager: After move-in, if a tenant has any issues, they don’t follow up with any of the people they have connected with thus far. A separate property management team looks after any maintenance issues and tenant aftercare.

This chain, when well-oiled, can work very well however it does rely on potentially FIVE different people being excellent at their jobs – and assuming you speak to the same person within each of those roles every time. As with anything, communication is key and when considering the letting of your property, don’t be afraid to ask detailed questions on who takes care of what steps of the process.

Contact us for more information about the process behind the scenes.