Spare Rooms to Earn Almost £23 Million during London Olympics

Households in London near the Olympic site could earn almost £23 million during the Olympics next year. This will be a green shoot for everyone looking to earn an extra few pennies during these tough times. Homeowners will see rental demand increase on spare rooms during the Olympics next year.

It is thought that up to 23,000 homeowners have a either a spare room in their current property or a room that they only use for storage. During the Olympics these rooms will be utilised as they have good rental value for anyone who is only looking for a short term let.

According to Government data, the rental value for these rooms during the Olympic Games could reach up to £1000 per week. This is more than some of the properties will make in a month in a normal calendar. This is very appealing for the landlords who intend on taking full advantage during a time when the rents have gone down compared to last year because of all the new flats that are being built.

It is thought that more than 10% of these homeowners only actually ever use their spare rooms once every 3 months. This is due to work commitments and family homes outside London. Therefore this is an ideal opportunity for them to earn an extra income especially as their current rooms or properties are not being used.

Ashley from http://www.removalmarket.co.uk who are a removal quotes comparison site and help provide free removal quotes to clients around the London area have said: “We plan to see a rise of almost 400% in the enquiries for Removals in and around London during this busy period”.

Anthony Chenery, from Big Yellow Self Storage, said: “We have definitely seen a significant rise in inquiries for short lets of smaller self storage rooms for next June, particularly in the stores closest to the key Olympics sites and with good transport links to London’s top attractions.”

Although it has been advised that anyone looking to let their room or property out during the Olympics should inform their mortgage company and check their insurances to make sure they are covered. The last thing as a homeowner that you would want is for a short term tenant to create problems in a property and end up doing more damage than good in the long run. It is therefore vital that all relevant insurances are put in place.

Hiring a removal company versus the DIY approach

Whether to use a removal company or hire a van and recruit friends and family to help is a question that stumps many people on the move. As with most decisions, the answer will not be the same for everyone. There are numerous factors to consider, such as time, money, and the complexity of the move.

A self-move may make a lot of sense if you’re moving a short distance  – across town, say. If you’re moving to the other end of the country or abroad, it’s often a different story. To ensure that you’re making the best decision, it’s worthwhile weighing up all the options.

Establish your priority first – is it time or money? Or perhaps a bit of both? Knowing what is the most important factor will help you arrive at a reasonable answer.

Other factors to then consider are:

1. How much stuff do you have?

For a general idea of how much room your belongings would take up when being transported, you could consider the following rough guide:

• 26-foot trailer for 4+ bedrooms
• 24-foot trailer for 3 or 4 bedrooms
• 17-foot trailer for 2 or 3 bedrooms
• 14-foot trailer for 1 or 2 bedrooms
• 10-foot trailer for 1 bedroom

2. How far are you moving?

Estimate the mileage involved, and source the costs of renting a van or truck. If travelling long distance, you may wish to hire a larger vehicle to do the entire move in one trip. If you are moving a shorter distance, you could use a smaller vehicle and make multiple trips, Calculate the approximate fuel costs, not forgetting fuel for the return of the vehicle.

One you have indicative costs for van hire and fuel for doing the move yourself, compare these with quotes from removals companies.

You should eventually end up with a cost comparison between hiring a moving company and moving yourself. If cost is your only consideration, you will probably have enough information at this point to make your decision. But if other factors, such as time, come into play for you, you can always weigh the various options in between – from hiring a company to pack, load and ship, unload and unpack your things, to employing a company just to load, ship and unload, or to do it all yourself.

Here are some final questions to ask yourself:

• How much time will it take to pack, load and drive to your new home?
• Do you have additional help and support – family, friends and neighbours who could lend a hand?
• Do you have fragile or special items that will require specialist handling? Or particularly heavy or awkward items? Can you move these yourself? If not, what will it cost to move them?
• Will you need to rent packing crates or buy packaging supplies?
• Are you confident that you could move your household goods safely?
• Are you aware of any potential hidden costs that could creep into your move, such as insurance?

For further information, see www.pickdropgo.co.uk

Removals survey highlights flaws in property transaction procedure

A new survey of staff working in the furniture removals industry has highlighted problems experienced by both removals firms and their clients.

The survey was carried out by Movingetc, and its results suggested that the main issues lie between exchange of contracts and the final completion of the move.

86% of those surveyed described cases where it had been uncertain until last minute as to what the moving date would be.

79% had experienced late handovers of keys to new properties, and 55% of those surveyed had known housing contracts to fall through at the last moment, disrupting the planning, logistics and staffing of their firm.

After estate and letting agents, conveyance solicitors, property surveyors and mortgage lenders, removal companies are the fifth supplier to be contacted by customers when moving home, and they are very often forgotten about until the last minute, when the house move is only a few days away.

“One client we currently have in storage has had three provisional moving dates booked with our company and had to cancel all of them at late notice,” said Stephen Terry, of Anglo French Euro Removals.

“The main problem is finding something else for the guys that were booked in to conduct the move. Also this client is elderly and getting more stressed by the day!”

Jane Finch, managing director of Movingetc, identifies some relocation problems as lying with the removals industry, but claims that the chaotic buying process causes many more problems.

“Customers should try and book their removal company at least two to three weeks in advance of their moving date,” she advises.

“This means requesting the same period of time between exchange and completion from your solicitor, and will give enough time for your movers to plan the logistics of your relocation.”

One remover based in Scotland agreed that a longer period of time was needed for removals companies to prepare.

“The majority of our moves are booked with less than two weeks’ notice, which results in more removals being undertaken without a survey, so no chance to check parking, volume or access”.

Movingetc is calling for changes within the property transaction procedure that would eliminate such problems and ensure a smoothing moving process for both the customer and the removals company.

Pickdropgo house removal packing tips

Packing up your belongings for a move/removalcan be an overwhelming and stressful experience. Here are a few tips that can help you through it. Some may sound frustratingly obvious, but when you’re in the thick of it, you’ll probably be more interested in speed than technique!

To get you started, here is a basic checklist of packing materials:

• Cardboard boxes (or packing crates)
• Marker pen
• Bubble wrap
• Newspaper/paper/tissue
• Packing tape
• Scissors
• Tape measure

Tip 1 Get the right tools for the job

There are boxes, and there are boxes! Go for the best-quality boxes that your budget will allow. Boxes made of corrugated cardboard are best. These are much stronger and more durable, and will offer much better protection during your move. Use strong, wide packing tape to secure your boxes; it works much better than sellotape!

Tip 2 Everything in its place

Extra-large boxes should be used for packing large and light items like bed linen and towels. Large boxes are ideal for general household items like kitchenware. Use plenty of bubble wrap or packing paper for sharp or odd-shaped items, and to prevent them from moving about in transit. Standard-sized and smaller boxes are best for compact, heavier items, for ease of handling. It may sound obvious, but, within each box place, heavier items should go on the bottom and lighter items on top! A small space on top can be filled with a towel or cushion if necessary. Be careful not to overfill cartons, as they cannot then be sealed properly or stacked. Under-filled cartons tend to crush when stacked.

Tip 3 Take care with breakables

Use plenty of bubble wrap for fragile items. Wrap items individually, and place them inside a box that has been lined with paper, newspaper or bubble wrap. Use clean paper or tissue for the first layer when wrapping an item, rather than newspaper, to prevent print marks. Acid-free tissue is a good option for delicate and polished surfaces such as silver. Plates should be packed vertically, as if in a dish rack, while glasses should be packed in an upright position. Use lots of bubble wrap or paper with these items. Pillows, blankets and sheets can be very useful for wrapping fragile items, and for protecting furniture from scratches and dents.

Tip 4 Dealing with books and files

Gather all your books together, and sort them by size. Group magazines, large books (for example, coffee-table books) and smaller books, like paperbacks, together. When packing them into boxes, place the big/heavy books at the bottom of a sturdy box, but don’t fill it up to the top. Depending on how heavy the box is, fill it to about a third or half full. Make sure that the books are even and level, so that you can pack things on top of them. Cover with layers of paper or newspaper, and fill the remainder of the box with items that weigh less, like clothes. As an alternative, consider archive boxes for books and complete files. These are strong and durable and have been specially designed (with handles and lids) for storing and moving these items.

Tip 5 Consider plastic crates

Plastic packing crates are a great, cost-effective option for packing up your household items. They are robust, easy to carry, and safe to stack and store. They are also an environmentally-friendly option, as they are reusable/returnable and remove the need for cardboard. Packing crates can be purchased from specialist suppliers, or rented by the week from online providers. The relevant number of crates may be ordered in advance, and then delivered direct to your home. At the end of the rental period, the empty crates are collected from your stated collection address. If your belongings are going into storage, crates can be secured with security seals.

Tip 6 Label, label, label!

Use a felt pen to label each carton clearly with its general contents and the room it is to be placed in at its destination. Put labels on the sides, rather than on the tops, of the boxes, sothey can be seen when the boxes are stacked. If a carton contains breakables, then mark it as ‘fragile’ or use ‘fragile’ tape. Draw on arrows for which way up the box should be stored.

www.pickdropgo.co.ukcartons come with house grids printed on both the top flaps, enabling the contents to be identified and directed quickly and easily.

And finally … it`s a really good idea to keep an inventory of the contents of each box. This comes in handy if a box goes missing and you need to make a claim.

Visit www.pickdropgo.co.uk for further information or go to www.pickdropgo.co.uk