Is your flat kept safe?

These dark days see the number of burglaries across Britain increase by up to 25% each year*, sparking a need for tenants to make their properties safe this Christmas. Don't get caught out and take a look at our tips below to stay safe: 

1. Locking up properly

It may sound obvious, but leaving without fully locking doors makes burglars’ work easier. To be safe, use both Yale and mortice locks whenever possible.

2. Safeguarding your valuables

If you’re planning to be away from home for any length of time, consider taking valuables such as jewellery, laptops and cameras with you. If that’s not practical, storing them in a safe deposit box may be an option. There are plenty of facilities locally that offer both large and small storage space.

3. Securing your windows

Closing all of the property’s windows and engaging any latches makes it harder for burglars to enter your home. Where possible, also lock your windows for added safety.

4. Switching the lights on

Putting one or two lamps on a timer switch helps make the flat appear inhabited whilst you’re away. Choose times when you would normally be home, such as afternoons and evenings to programme the timers.

5. Bringing your property in from the cold

Consider storing bicycles which you normally keep in a communal stair inside your flat, especially if they won’t be used during colder weather. If that’s not an option, check your home insurance policy to ensure they are covered for theft.

6. Telling someone you trust

Ask your landlord, a neighbour or a friend to keep an eye on the property whilst you’re away. If you know them well enough, it’s worth leaving a key (without your address listed on it) with them for emergencies.

7. Not telling everyone

Who can see your social media profile? An announcement that you are off on holiday may be just what the burglars have been waiting for, so unless you are sure that your page cannot be seen by the general public, keep your absence quiet. 

What do you really learn at uni?

Disney has asked students what they really learn when leaving home and starting uni - turns out housing and cooking are among your priorities.

House or flat hunting came 9th out of 50 and making spaghetti bolognese came 23rd, while making scrambled eggs and using the cooker and grill are also on the list.

Judging by the interest in our first ever student cookery demo last month, food is certainly one of your top priorities. We hope this Top 50 makes you chuckle - keep an eye on our blog, Facebook and Twitter for upcoming events.

What makes a good landlord?

We'd like to hear your thoughts on what makes a good or a bad landlord. To get you thinking, here's some inspiration from a recent survey.

Easy communications have come top of a list of what makes a great landlord, followed by dealing with any issues quickly. 

The survey by Upad also found that landlords scored high by giving tenants plenty of notice before entering a property, consulting on suitable times for repairs being carried out and generally keeping in touch throughout the tenancy. 

Tenant dislikes included landlords moaning about the cost of repairs, so-called accidental landlords being too precious about their previous homes, excessive admin fees and cheap furniture.

Learn to cook from the professionals with Mamma's Pizza and Cullen Property

Fancy learning how to make quick, tasty meals at home? There are still a few spaces left on our student cookery demonstration at Mamma's Pizza on 22 October. 

Find out how to make a quick pizza, tasty fajitas and a lovely lasagna - as well as a chocolate cheesecake. 

The event starts at 4pm sharp, and Cullen Property student tenants can attend for free. Tickets for others are £10 per person and each guest will receive a goody bag containing a £10 voucher towards a meal at Mamma's, recipe cards and more. 

For more info, click here or email us directly to book your space.

Can't cook, won't cook? Calling all student tenants...

We've teamed up with the professionals as Mamma's Pizza to show our student tenants how to make tasty meals at home.

Find out more and join us on 22 October!

Getting your flat ready for the winter

The nights are starting to draw in a little and after a rather spectacularly sunny weekend, we've had the first few autumnal days. Are you thinking of turning on the heating? We certainly are.

Now is the time to check your energy tariff and make sure it's the best it can be for you and the property you're in. Which? have a wealth of advice on saving energy and some really great practical tips. Did you know this one, for example: defrosting freezer food in the fridge acts like an ice pack, allowing the fridge to spend less energy on keeping food cool.

If you find that you should be switching energy suppliers, there is plenty of advice available online, too. The National Union for Students offers student-specific guidance.

Checking a property's energy efficiency rating

However, being clever about saving energy starts even before you move into a flat: check the energy efficiency rating of the property - it should be part of the actual advert. Modern, double-glazed windows help save energy, too. And if you have traditional, single-glazed sash & case windows, purchase some draft excluders to ensure any heat is staying in.

Whilst you don't want to be losing energy to drafty windows and doors, you do have to ensure that your property is not only heated but also vented to stop condensation building on walls and ceilings. Sounds complicated? Feel free to get in touch with our team if you'd like more detailed advice. We're here to help!

Staying safe in your home

It's Gas Safety Week this week. A great opportunity to remind you, our tenants, of our maintenance services and what to do if something isn't right in your flat.

As a matter of course, all gas appliances in any property let through ourselves are checked annually. It's simply one of the things we have to do as lettings agents to stay on the right side of the law. However, checking something annually doesn't prevent it from breaking in between checks.

After all, you wouldn't be overly surprised if your car needed to be fixed in between MOTs. So, what should you do as a tenant?

As a Cullen Property tenant, your appliances are checked regularly. Should you smell gas or think an appliance is faulty, please contact our team who are happy to make arrangements for a 'Gas Safe' registered engineer to come to the property. There are also direct contact details for emergencies on our website.

If you are unsure about your home's safety, check with your landlord. Don't feel awkward - it's your safety that's at stake here. Any responsible landlord will be able to provide a copy of the gas safety certificate, if they haven't done so already and will be happy to explain emergency and maintenance procedures further.

Getting sorted for student life

Just a few days to go until the academic year kicks off in Edinburgh and with your suitcases nearly packed (are they?) to be moved into halls of residence or your student pad, we've prepared a few tips to help you get your student life off to a good start. 

1. Take advantage of Freshers' events

More than just a week of never-ending parties, this is the perfect time to get accustomed to where things are around your university and to meet new friends. You'll also find that there are freebies available at many Freshers' Week events. Take advantage of these and don't overlook all the bits of information you can get, too.

2. Protect your property

If you've just moved all of your favourite belongings into your new home, now's the time to insure them properly. You're no longer living at home, which means you will need your own contents insurance. Your landlord needs to protect their belongings, but you do need to look after your own. And don't forget to protect property that you use outside of your home, such as bicycles, laptops, tablets and mobile phones.

3. Look after yourself

Living away from your parents for the first time can be a little daunting and everyday chores such as food shopping seem pretty boring, but try to stay away from pot noodles eaten seven days a week. Get to know your local supermarkets - many have shelves offering cut-price items with an approaching use-by date. Find out when these shelves are stocked and shop to prepare healthier meals.

4. Make a budget 

With plenty of things to spend your money on on top of your rent, bills and books, ensuring your money lasts all month is crucial. Prepare a lit of your fixed outgoings which will let you see what spending money you have and start shopping around for deals or check out used items which often mean huge savings. 

5. Get some advice

Most universities have a student union, making access to advice easy. There are also plenty of good tips available online and one list we liked is this one detailing 30 mistakes every fresher will make. Enjoy the read - it made us chuckle!

Freshers' Trade Fair is here - come see us on Monday!

It's that time of the year again, when thousands of new students come to Edinburgh to start their academic lives during Freshers' Week. To make the transition into student life a little easier, Edinburgh Uni Students Association (EUSA) are holding a trade fair at Potterrow on Monday, from 11am until 4pm.

We'll be there to answer any questions you may have about finding the perfect student pad. In halls this year? Chat to us anyway to find out what you need to know about renting privately when it's time to move in with friends in year two.

Edinburgh has some fantastic student properties, right where you want them and there is a great choice of properties available. Saying that, the best of those get snapped up pretty quickly.

There are a few pitfalls to avoid, too, and we'll tell you more about them on Monday - and in our next blog post.

Keep your eyes peeled!

Freshers' Week 2013....

Not long to go now until thousands of 'freshers' descend onto Edinburgh's universities. In our blog we'll tell you more about what to expect during the first week and how to spot the perfect student pad...

How long would you save for a deposit?

No, we don't mean the deposit you put down for a rented flat, but the all-important deposit for your own home, the one that gets you on the property ladder.

According to a survey conducted by the Halifax (published by propertyDRUM), the average deposit paid by first time buyers is now just under £27,000. For most graduates, that is thousands of ££ over and above their entry level salaries for the first few jobs they secure after university and will take years to save up for.

So, how many years would you consider saving up for a deposit? Bearing in mind, this may mean moving back in with your family after a period of living with friends or on your own?

Translated into years, it would take single savers over 30 years to save up enough to afford a London property, whilst elsewhere 14 years are enough. Does this mean we're becoming dedicated savers once again? Ahhh, no.

Most people aren't prepared to save for more than three years and simply settle for long-term renting. Now, before you argue that the Halifax is being negative, similar findings are being reported by the Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association (IMLA).

What about you? How many years would you consider saving up for a deposit? We look forward to hearing your thoughts.

What makes a student pad perfect?

A student accommodation website has asked students what's important to them when looking for the perfect pad.

The findings were published by Property Reporter today and most of them make a lot of sense. Before sharing some of the results with you, we'd like to ask what you most value in your perfect student flat?

Email us here.

As promised here are some of the survey results:

• properties need to be close to the respective university
• students living in private flats reported a better standard of accommodation
• respondents valued well-kept and maintained properties
• availability of wifi was more important than furnishings etc.

Do you agree? We look forward to hearing from you.

Are you getting your deposit back?

Glasgow's media has been buzzing today with stories about landlords withholding deposits from former tenants.

A number of reasons are being quoted, one being that the landlord no longer has the cash to return to the tenants. Others quote being given spurious reasons for deductions from their deposit such as exaggerated repair costs. The Citizens Advice Bureau has been called upon to help distressed tenants.

What the problems appear to show is a - desperate, in some cases - need for an independent body to help landlords and tenants deal with each other more fairly. And while rules have existed for years to protect tenants' deposits, there has always been a lack of enforcement of these rules.

In general, good landlords have always played by the rules and so-called 'rogue' landlords found ways to get around them. Hopefully, the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS) will make the latter easier to spot.

TDS will help in several ways: it's up to the landlord to prove to his or her tenants that the deposit has been placed within 30 working days of the lease commencing. If the landlord fails to do that, tenants can take them to court with a good chance of being awarded three times the deposit value.

TDS regulations can also be extremely helpful at the end of a lease when there is a dispute about how much of the deposit is returned to the tenant.

How can you protect yourself? Look at more than the property. Even if you really like  the flat, ask yourself whether your landlord appears to have proper procedures in place: have you been offered a detailed check-in and check-out together with your landlord or their agent? Was there an inventory available, listing all items in the flat? Is it easy to reach your landlord? And do they have the correct paperwork available to show to you, such as their landlord registration, energy performance certificates or gas safety certificates?

If you answered 'no' to any of these questions, you may be dealing with a 'rogue' landlord. If you're currently renting from Cullen Property and have any questions about your lease, please contact us directly.

Only a handful left - have you got your perfect student pad?

A few weeks ago, we told you our student properties were flying off the shelves. Well, that trend continued and with scheduled student viewings now finished, less than a handful of properties remain available.

Are they the ones no one wanted? Far from it! In some cases, tenants' circumstances change and they decide to move out after all, despite initially planning to stay another year.

On the other hand, a property may have just had the finishing (refurbishment) touches put to it and be new to the market. Just as we find and buy properties for our landlord clients throughout the year, new student pads become available more or less all the time.

So, if you haven't found your home for next year yet, this 4 bedroom in Marchmont may well fit the bill and we're about to add another property close by, so get in touch by email or call us on 0131 221 1818 if you'd like to see inside.

Going, going, gone! student flats fly off the shelves

We've had a busy few weeks here at the Cullen Property office since launching our first lot of Edinburgh student pads at the Heriott-Watt accommodation fair in February. The team has been out showing flats since then, and they became even busier earlier this month, following the launch of our second lot of student properties at the EUSA accommodation fair.

Both fairs were very well attended, and with most students entering their second year of university having to leave accommodation halls, demand is high. In fact, within five days of launching the second half of student flats, 50% have been rented for the new academic year - well ahead of our target.

Some of the highest quality properties in the most desirable areas saw dozens of students queue to view the flats in question and we received up to five applications for the same flat. We let them on a first come, first served basis.

Don't worry if you haven't found your perfect pad yet - there are plenty more flats still available and a list of our scheduled viewings is here. Once these have ended, just call or email us to arrange a viewing of any flats still available. We're more than happy to help you find your home for the next year at uni.

Find the perfect student pad and the perfect housemate

Student property season is well under way and our first viewings have been busy affairs. 

With more flats launching on 5 March, now's the time to find out how to avoid some of the most common mistakes when hiring a property and finding the perfect pad - as well as some tongue-in-cheek advice on vetting your prospective house mates.  

• So how many of you are there? Decide on the number of friends you're planning to move in with before viewing a flat. If there are five bedrooms, five of you need to sign on the dotted line, so you will all need to be present and available when you go to finalise the paperwork for the flat.
• How much for gas & electricity? Any advert should show an energy efficiency rating which gives you a good idea of the gas & electricity costs the flat will incur, A being the most and H the least efficient. Landlords who aren't upfront about this kind of information are likely to have something to hide - always bad news.
• Fees, anyone? So-called 'agency fees' or 'referencing fees' are now illegal and landlords still trying to charge them are quite simply bad news.
• Checking in and checking out? You should be given a thorough check-in and check-out where you  go through the property's inventory together with your lettings agent. It's the easiest way to highlight any faults that relate to previous tenants and ensure you receive your full deposit back when you move out.
• Where will your deposit be kept? As of 2012, landlords must place deposits with one of three government-approved tenancy deposit schemes. The landlord has to comply to this rule within 30 working days of the start of your tenancy and send a certificate to confirm it's been done. If your landlord doesn't comply, you can sue for three times the deposit!
• Read the small print! Make sure all of you read the full tenancy agreement before you sign it. You'll be bound to it for the next twelve months and it's important to know your and the landlord's rights.

Now, if this sounds like a lot of hard work, check out Endsleigh Insurance's tips on finding the right house mate for some light relief. And for a look at our student property viewings, click here. 

Only two days ... until our student properties launch!

Only two days to go until we're launching our student properties for the academic year 2013. And only one day more before we'll be meeting some of our (prospective) student tenants at Heriot-Watt University's student accommodation fair.

Do you know who you're going to live with next year? Now's the time to make up your mind. We've put together a few tips to help you find the perfect flat - and to avoid some of the most common pitfalls as well:

• Who are you going to live with? Sounds obvious, doesn't it? Decide on the number of friends you're planning to move in with before you go to view a flat. If there are five bedrooms, five of you need to sign on the dotted line, so you will all need to be present and available when you go to finalise the paperwork for the flat.
• Does the advert show an energy efficiency rating? This is a letter between A and H which must be listed in the advert. It gives you a good idea of the gas & electricity costs the flat will incur, A being the most and H the least energy efficient. Landlords who aren't upfront about this kind of information are likely to have something to hide - always bad news.
• Is there any mention of 'agency fees' or 'referencing fees'? If yes, don't even look at the flat. These fees are now illegal and landlords still trying to charge them are quite simply bad news.
• Will you be given a full check-in and check-out? The answer should be yes! You should have the opportunity to go through the property's itinerary together with your lettings agent both at the start of the lease and at the end. It's the easiest way to highlight any faults that relate to previous tenants and ensure you receive your full deposit back when you move out.
• Where will your deposit be kept? As of 2012, landlords must place deposits with one of three government-approved tenancy deposit schemes. The landlord has to comply to this rule within 30 working days of the start of your tenancy and send a certificate to confirm it's been done. If your landlord doesn't comply, you can sue for three times the deposit!

Apart from these tips listed above, go with your gut feel. If the property feels wrong when you view it or anything seems dodgy about the landlord, simply don't sign the lease. 

Student accommodation 2013

Thinking about moving for the next academic year? Now's the time to start planning for your new home.

All of our student properties will launch next week, in time for Heriot-Watt University's student accommodation fair on 14 February. Throughout next week, we will tell you more about what to look for in your new home and how to avoid some of the most common pitfalls.

If you'd rather talk to us in person, that's no problem either. Simply visit our stand at next week's Heriot-Watt fair or join us on 5 March for Edinburgh University's accommodation fair.

In the meantime, keep an eye on our website and blog to avoid missing out on some of Edinburgh's prime student accommodation.

How to keep warm without breaking the bank

Have you been shivering at home, trying to keep the heating off, instead putting on another jumper and adding a second duvet?

For some great, practical advice on how to keep the house warm without running up huge heating bills, check out the USwitch website. There is some great advice for all kinds of heating systems.

And don't forget, if you think there is a problem with your heating, our maintenance team is only ever a phone call away on 0131 221 1818.