UK voted the worst place in Europe to live - we don't think so!

The Scotsman today published an article on the UK being voted the worst country to live in Europe.  Well we can think of 10 reasons why the UK if the best place to live in:

1.  The history - the UK has an ancient and interesting history with all the battles between Scotland and England, with the castles to prove it!

2.  The countryside - from the Highlands to the rolling English countryside, there is nothing like the Autumn when all the leaves start to change colour to show the contrast between the red and auburns against the green grass.

3.  The architecture - there is an abundance of beautiful architecture in the UK from the historic buildings in Edinburgh to the thatched cottages in England.

4.  The weather - there are some advantages to our four seasons!  For skiers and snowboarders the ski slopes in Scotland are a winter haven and for sun worshipers, the beaches in Cornwall could give the French Riviera a run for it's money.

5.  The Universities - the UK boasts a number of the world's best Universities.

6.  The Royal Family - the Royals are a fascinating family and you can not help but be intrigued with their traditions and way of life.

7.  The NHS - often the topic of criticism, however we are incredibly lucky to have the NHS where anyone can walk into any hospital in the UK and receive free healthcare.

8.  Sport - you can do just about anything in the UK from surfing in Devon to hillwalking in the Highlands, as well as Scotland being the home of golf (St. Andrew's), as well as being having the oldest golf course (Musselburgh) in the world.

9.   The food - we are spoilt with an array delicacies from haggis to jellied eels!

10.  Places of interest - the UK has an abundance of interesting places to visit, here are just a couple of suggestions; Stonehenge, Loch Ness, the Lakes, the Dungeons of London and Edinburgh, the Palaces (Buckingham and Holyrood), the Uffington White Horse, Wallace Monument, the numerous castles dotted around the UK.

Another reason for luck - we are a country of inventors from the telephone to penicillin. 

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/uk/Pricey-gloomy-and-busy-UK.6844468.jp

The Hardships of Renting a Property

Whilst the majority of the press has been focused on how first time buyers are struggling in the recession with very few mortgages being available, little has been said about the first time renter.

They can face as many hurdles and barriers to getting a home as someone looking to buy.  Yes the amount of money varies; however for anyone that has just left school or university to find a job in any city in the UK, will find that whether it be an additional £500 or £5000 to pay upfront before getting the keys to a home, will be just as difficult.

As a renter, you need to have enough money to pay the deposit and first month's rent upfront, and for those that are looking for employment tend to have to pay more as an additional security for the landlord.

The other issue facing renters these days is securing a property in the first place.  There has always been a great amount of competition in the rental market so getting to view a property in the first place can be a difficult task

Obviously the good news about renting is should anything go wrong in the property such as a boiler breakdown, it is down to the landlord to make sure it is repaired in a reasonable time-frame and they pay for it.

Also there are not the constraints of buying a property and for some the moving from property to property on a 6 monthly basis is all the fun!

 

Helping Tenants Save Money

While there are now hundreds of websites that offer fantastic deals to help you save money on a number of different activities; we at Cullen have tried and tested some of them and wanted to share the best of them.

www.livingsocial.com/edinburgh 
www.itison.com/edinburgh
www.todaysgreatdeal.com
www.groupon.co.uk

The above sites tend to offer an array of different activities such weekends away to track days in supercars, where as the below site is more dedicated to eating out:

www.5pm.co.uk 

Freshers Week

Well it has come to the time of year when students all over Edinburgh are preparing themselves for a week of fun and games with Freshers Week.

Edinburgh Napier University are already half way through theirs, however if you are going to be joining Edinburgh University or Heriot Watt University their Freshers Week starts this Saturday:

http://eusalive.co.uk/freshers/
http://www.hwunion.com/content.asp?group=6
There are plenty of things to do with some fantastic excursions.

It is also the perfect time to get information on any society or group that you wish to join as the Universities have a great range of activities from netball to film societies.

Keep Your Property Secure

It is very important to make sure that you keep your property and belongings secure, and we have some tips for doing just that.

Lock your door with all available locks - this may seem obvious, however many people just leave their property with just the yale locked.  The majority of our properties have a yale and mortice lock on the flat door, and it is the the mortice lock which is a much safer lock as it is harder to break into a property with this lock on.  Using all available locks should be done both when you are out of the property and at night time.

Close all windows - again this is something that should be done while you are out of the property and at night time.

Keep all expensive gadgets etc out of plain view - especially if you are in a ground floor property as these could easily be seen by passers by.

Put lamps on a timer - as the nights are drawing in at this time of year you may want to put lamps on a timer to give the impression that someone is in the property.  This would be a good idea to do if you are going to be leaving the property over a weekend or longer.

Make sure you have the right type of insurance for your contents in place in case the worst does happen.