Holiday-proof your flat

Heading home for the holidays or looking to spend time somewhere warmer? Here are some handy tips to ensure your flat and your belongings stay safe over Christmas and New Year.

• Don't turn off your boiler to prevent frozen and burst pipes. To save energy and keep your heating bills reasonable, simply set it to come on for an hour in the morning and the evening. This also helps to stop dampness developing.
• Take your valuables such as jewellery, laptops and cameras with you or store them in a safe.
• Fully lock your flat door on both mortice and yale locks.
• Ensure your windows are fully closed with any latches engaged. Where possible, also lock your windows.
• Tell your landlord if you are away for more than a few days, giving them a chance to keep an eye on the property.
• Consider putting one or more lights on a timer switch to make the flat appear inhabited over the holidays.
• Disconnect any electric plugs which won't be used.
• Empty the fridge of any food that will be mouldy by the time you return in 2013.

Following these tips will help you avoid nasty surprises and a stressful start to the New Year. Finally, don't forget to pack all the presents you bought for family and friends before pulling the door shut behind you!

 

Are you saving enough?

To many students, savings are something to be thought about later, after they finish university. And while financing your daily life through student loans, allowances and pay from part-time jobs seems hard enough, that later is now.

A new survey by HSBC suggests that millions of households in the UK have so little savings they could hardly survive until the weekend if they had to rely on them. On the other hand, information from Barclays Bank confirms that more than 50% of students hold a savings account of some sort.

Whether these are left over from students' childhood days when parents, grandparents and other family members topped them up on birthdays and at Christmas to create a little nest egg or the product of a conscious decision before going to university, most of these savings accounts aren't topped up enough.

The recommended 'salary cushion', according to HSBC, is the equivalent of three monthly salaries. However, the bank's study found that 19% of households have no savings at all and 12% have less than £250. Even for student households, these are scary figures.

So what should you do? Start saving, even if it's as little as £3 per week, the equivalent of a pint! Here's a handy guide to various savings products, but don't forget to check your own bank's options first. Being a customner already can help give you access to better deals and, you never know, you may just be able to work up to a little nest egg yourself.

The best energy deal for your flat? We can help!

Just in time for the colder months, a number of energy suppliers have announced price rises - a concern for many tenants, whether they are students or professionals. But does this mean that you should cancel your contract and look for a new supplier immediately?

Maybe not that quickly. Whilst there is a lot of advice available on choosing energy suppliers, consumer advocates Which? have found that only ten percent of the UK population are able to identify the cheapest deal when looking at energy suppliers' tariffs. Why do they struggle? Mostly because price plans are presented in a complicated style, making it hard to assess what is or isn't a good deal. Consequently, the number of people reading comparisons right increases to nearly nine out of ten as soon as price plans are presented in a simpler fashion.

What does it mean for your rented property in Edinburgh? First of all, take a look at how much energy you are using and what for and check whether you could use less or use energy more efficiently. Then take a look at your bills and shop around for the best deal. This may take a few hours, but will be well worth it when the bills arrive.

If you're looking to move, ask to see the property's Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). A reputable landlord will be happy to show and explain it. Check the state of doors and windows, too as this will give you an idea of whether there are especially drafty areas.

Last, but not least, review your energy contracts regularly.

Unwanted house guests?

What does it take to make a guest's visit turn sour for you?

Here are insurance company Sheila's Wheels' top ten:
1 Leaving mess lying around (38%);
2 Never tidying (33%);
3 Not offering to contribute to bills (29%);
4 Eating someone else's food from the fridge (28%);
5 Never saying thank you (28%);
6 Avoiding washing up (26%);
7 Hogging the television (26%);
8 Making loud noises (23%);
9 Everyone having to change their sleeping routine (22%);
10 Talking during films (22%).

Apparently, the worst culprits are adult children moving back in with their parents. What would you like to add to the list?

How to manage student finances

The new academic year has only just started, so there's never been a better time to ensure your fnances are sorted this year - check out moneywise's guide: http://bit.ly/OasWTz

How to survive uni in 2012

Edinburgh University Student Association have published an Undergraduate Survival Guide for 2012! You can read it here: http://bit.ly/S7plAI. Whilst it's currently only available online, a number of people have already requested a download version, so check back regularly for an update!

Sunny & dry weather? No, thanks

While we were all enjoying yesterday's sunshine, 'our' trees in Teaghlach Wood in Perthshire would have breathed a sigh of relief when today turned out to be a little cloudier.

Believe it or not, when the whole country was complaining about the never-ending rain over the past couple of weeks, our trees couldn't have been happier. Trees4Scotland's Angus Crabbie explains: "Trees really do love rain as it helps them grow, especially when they're young."

And while we were rejoicing about finally dusting off the barbecue again, forests are looking forward to the next rainy day to continue to develop.

There is a more serious side to this story as well: While trees need rain to grow, reforestation in general is one way to prevent landslides etc as the roots help avoid soil erosion - a natural contribution to our flood defences.

Cullen Property has teamed up with Trees4Scotland to offset the carbon footprint of our managed flats. To find out more or to get involved, please email us.

How many trees to buy?

Last week, we introduced our partnership with Trees4Scotland, aiming to neutralise the carbon footprint of all 320+ properties managed by us.

We've done our figures and here are some of them: initially, we'll be investing over £1,600 on behalf of three clients which will buy us 232 trees. Those trees will also offset the carbon footprint of our office and the company vehicles.

The properties are rated depending on their size: a 2 bed flat with kitchen, bathroom and living room would need 5 trees whereas a 5 bed flat with 2 bathrooms and a combined living kitchen would need 9 trees in total.

So far, so good! Over the next couple of weeks, the team will be hands-on at Teaghlach Wood, planting trees and we're delighted to be joined by a couple of clients based locally.

We can't wait to see with our own eyes what our contribution will mean to Trees4 Scotland's project and pictures will follow.

We're going green(er) with Trees4Scotland

We're joining Trees4Scotland with the ambitious goal to offset the carbon footprint of all of our managed flats.

We're well aware that every business does have an impact on the environment and needs to work on minimising it. Trees4Scotland seemed the perfect partner: their initiative to restore native Scottish woodlands is a perfect way for us to do our share.

For each property, Angus Crabbie of Trees4Scotland will help calculate the amount of trees we need to plant to offset its carbon footprint.

We will be starting with three clients initially, but all of our landlord clients will be invited to join us with their properties and go carbon neutral. Find out whether your flat is part of the initial stage of the project or get in touch if you want to contribute, too.

There are plenty of ways to minimise the environmental impact of properties and we have a number of handy tips ready for you to put into practice. Just email us for more information.

In our blog we'll follow the progress of the project, i.e. the growth of the trees quite literally and will keep you updated on how it all goes.

Let us know if you have any questions at all!

Is renting just a temporary solution?

For decades, if graduates were asked what they were looking to do in relation to their living arangements after leaving university, a  majority was looking to get their feet on the property ladder and buy as soon  as they could.

Now, with asking prices rising again and mortgages still hard to get for many young professionals, renting seems to become a longer-term solution. At the same time, landlords are looking to increase their portfolios and the UK rental market in general has had a strong start to 2012.

What does it mean for you? Whilst it may take a few more years to own your own home there will be a good selection of high quality rental properties available. With more landlords expanding their portfolios, too, tenants will have more choice and, naturally, the quality of rental properties will increase at the same tim, making renting a good longer-term option.

Second toilet anyone? 41% say 'yes'

During the week of the Diamond Jubilee, statistics wizards at Lloyds TSB have looked at what’s happened to the private rental market over the past sixty years. Whilst their findings are specifically for England, it’s a similar picture in Scotland showing that not only do 41% of households now have a second toilet – but also reminding us that renting a home was very popular in the 1950s. The number of home owners grew in the 1970s and 1980s, but now renting’s on the up once again. Surprisingly, though, there’s still 1% of properties that have no basic water supply!

Chelsea or Bayern?

Who's your favourite for Saturday night's Champions League Final? The teams have met once before, in the 2004/5 season when Chelsea beat Bayern on aggregate to reach the semifinals, only to be kicked out by Liverpool FC.
Email us with your prediction for a chance to win a crate of beer for your flat! Entries close at 20.45 on Saturday and the winner will be drawn from all correct predictions. Good luck!

Mad about football?

In our office, there are two distinct fractions this week - those who can't sit still with excitement about the footie weekend coming up and those who wish it was over already!

No matter what side of the fence you're on, our blog will have something for you this week. It's all things Scottish Cup Final today, but from tomorrow we're running a Champions League competition. Don't miss out...

Get ready for Edinburgh football fans celebrating or mourning the result of the Scottish Cup Final on Saturday afternoon! Whether you want to avoid the football-mad crowds after the match, fancy joining them or just enjoy a spot of people watching, you need to know where to look for them.

Both Hearts and Hibs have launched their victory march routes and you can be sure the pubs on either one will be buzzing. Both start or end at the respective stadiums, so Dalry, Gorgie and the Easter Road areas will be busy. the same will be the case for the city centre which both teams are planning to use.

Click here for Hibs' and here for Hearts' route and start planning your people-watching spot or get ready to avoid those parts of town!

Are you getting the best deal?

Check out your energy prices now as consumer watchdog uswitch.com is warning that many online package prices for gas & electricity are creeping up. With the summer approaching, utility bills tend to be lower, however, it's never too early to bag a bargain!

It's a long weekend for studying... or is it?

To all our student tenants who are preparing for exams - are you using the bank holiday weekend for extra revision time or do you have other plans?

Making tenancy a long(er)-term game

The Scottish government is today embarking on a review of the private lettings market with a view to creating a more long-term culture, both for tenancies and for property investors and landlords. Germany has been cited as an example. Over the next few weeks, property managers such as Cullen will be consulted and we look forward to contributing our views and sharing our experience to help the process.

Click here for more information and follow our blog for regular updates.

How do you eat yours?

Now's your chance to earn yourself a wee gift from the team at Cullen. Any tenants visitng the office, and 'Liking' us can enter our lucky dip. Like us here http://on.fb.me/GU57KD and Follow Us here http://bit.ly/GWjjUQ Good luck!!

Heriot Watt University Accommodation Fair

Today Cullen Property attended an Accommodation Fair hosted by the Accommodation Services at the University, and what a day!

It was superbly organised with a huge number of students attending with a number of different stalls to visit.

The stalls ranged from storage companies to letting agents, giving students various aspects of managing their next move.

A big thank you to the accommodation services for organising such a great day, we will look forward to next year's!

Cullen will be getting themselves organised for their Student Property 2012 Launch Event to take place this coming Wednesday.

Student Property 2012 Launch Event

Looking for a student flat for this upcoming Summer?

Come and join us for a coffee and have a look through all our student properties that we will be releasing on Wednesday 15th February from 4 - 8pm at Freemans (2-6 Spottiswoode Road).

We will also be handing out viewing agendas at the event for each property to help students secure their perfect home as soon as possible.

Please click here for directions to Freemans and we will see you there on the 15th February!

Student Property 2012

It is coming up to the time of year when students around Edinburgh will start searching for their new home for the next academic year.

We can help you if you happen to be one of those students as we have a number of 3, 4, 5, and 6 bedroom student flats in Edinburgh.  All of them being within close proximity of the Universities.

Our student property list will be available as of the 9th February so keep up to date via our Facebook and Twitter pages - remember to Like us too!

Accommodation Fairs

Cullen Property will also be taking part in the Accommodation Fairs held by Heriot Watt and Edinburgh University so please come along to see us at our stand to have a look at our student properties as well as arrange viewings for them.

Heriot Watt Accommodation Fair - 9th February 2012
Edinburgh Accommodation Fair - TBC we will let you know as soon as we do!