Homes& Property Wednesday 7 April 2010 How to show off with antiques London’s secret antiques shops and a great country house sale Pages 8 and 12 A TALENT FOR A MEWS How a family with four children fits into a Kensington mews house Page 16 SPOTLIGHT ON PUTNEY: HOMESANDPROPERTY.CO.UK P24 JEFFERSON SMITH/© CONDE NAST PUBLICATIONS LONDONERS LOVE TO RENT P6 ON YOUR WAY TO WEMBLEY: NEW HOMES P9 TAX-FREE ST LUCIA P10 STARS OF THE GARDEN P20 4 WEDNESDAY 7 APRIL 2010 EVENING STANDARD Homes & Property News GRAND DESIGNS LIVE homesandproperty.co.uk BUY OF THE WEEK BE ARTY IN CHISWICK A PRIME spot next to the Thames within a “secret” walled garden, in the St Peter’s Square conservation area of Chiswick, is home to this Victorian artist’s studio. Inside brushes up nicely, showcasing polished parquet floors, double-height vaulted and sky-lit ceilings, and there’s extra light from a set of large windows in the 29ft reception room/ studio space. The kitchen and bathroom are newly fitted, while the striking, galleried sleeping area has ample storage. Property: one-bedroom house. Agent: Faron Sutaria Price: £650,000 freehold. Visit: www.homesandproperty. co.uk/sales/637797. 20,000 TICKETS TO GIVE AWAY Terms and conditions: see www. standard.co.uk/offers for full details. Maximum of two tickets per person. Tickets can only be claimed online and cannot be claimed by any other method. Print-at-home tickets only. Valid for entry on any one day from 1 May to 7 May. Tickets will be allocated on a firstcome first-served basis. Tickets cannot be exchanged for cash and are not transferable. MONEY: NEWS Visit our website: TAXES HIT OWNERS homesandproperty.co.uk OF HOLIDAY LETS INSPIRING DESIGN AND GREAT PRICES Last year more people chose to holiday in the UK. Southwold in Suffolk is popular with Londoners REX GRAND Designs Live (1 May to 9 May) is the UK’s top event for design and inspiration for your home. It is based on the hugely successful Channel 4 TV series presented by design guru Kevin McCloud (pictured). Evening Standard readers have the chance to claim a free pair of tickets for the show, valid for any one day, from 1 May to 7 May. For more information on the show, visit granddesignslive.com. To claim your free tickets, visit www.standard.co.uk/offers before 14 April 2010. The cost of UK holiday cottages and coastal homes will increase, says Ruth Bloomfield G ENEROUS tax breaks for owners of furnished holiday accommodation in the UK are being scrapped from today. Experts say that , inevit ably, owners will have to raise their rents to cover losses on their country cottages and seaside flats this summer. Since 1984, owners of holiday homes that are let out for at least 70 days a year Homes&Property Editor: Janice Morley Visit www.homesandproperty. co.uk for details of our usual promotion rules. When you respond to promotions, offers or competitions, the Evening Standard and its sister companies may contact you with relevant offers and services that may be of interest. Please give your mobile number and/or email address if you would like to receive such offers by text or email. Advertisement manager: Louise McGaffigan Editorial: 020 7938 7245 Advertising: 020 7938 7247 Homes & Property, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, Kensington, London W8 5TT have been able to claim extra tax benefits not available to buy-to-let landlords. The tax concessions included protection against capital gains tax and the option to offset losses against personal income. For those who run holiday lettings for their primary income the changes will be dramatic, says Nicola Westbrooke of accountant KPMG. Many owners were able to avoid paying any tax at all on the income they received or the value of their property when it was sold. From now, a more modest tax regime applies. As with buy-to-let landlords, owners can deduct certain “allowable” expenses from rental income. These expenses include agent fees, council tax, utility bills and interest on mortgage For those who run holiday lettings for their primary income, the changes will have a dramatic effect payments. A 10 per cent “wear and tear” allowance is also deductible. The demand for UK self-catering holiday rentals boomed last year as people gave up on frustrating airport security, difficult air travel and the extra expense of going abroad during the credit crunch. Ross Elder of Holidaylettings.co.uk says his company saw an 88 per cent increase in demand for UK holiday homes. He is backing a Tourism Alliance campaign to restore tax breaks for owners who earn their living from holiday lettings. These would not apply to occasional landlords or investors. SHOW homes are unveiling their latest designs as new properties are launched across the capital and beyond. Culture vultures will love Richard Rogers’ NEO Bankside, while the Freeman family (pictured) found what they wanted at The Academy, on the leafy slopes of Shooters Hill. See our definitive guide and plan where to visit this weekend at homesand property.co.uk/smartmoves. TWENTY PER CENT OFF HABITAT OUTDOOR FURNITURE AT OUR NEW ONLINE SHOP GET your garden ready for summer and save 20 per cent on selected outdoor furniture and accessories bought online at Habitat. Visit our new and improved shop for this offer and more gorgeous homeware from your favourite stores, including John Lewis, Heal’s and Lombok. See homes andproperty. co.uk/shop. Property of the week THIS swish flat in Belsize Park, NW3, is on the ground floor of a white-stucco house. £1.1 million buys two double bedrooms and two bathrooms, plus original features and a private balcony. The flat is close to Belsize Village and Primrose Hill and only a few minutes’ walk from Swiss Cottage and Finchley Road Tubes. See homes andproperty.co.uk/sales/438886. 5 EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 7 APRIL 2010 News Homes & Property homesandproperty.co.uk SWAP OF THE WEEK HEADLEY, SURREY STOKE ST GREGORY, SOMERSET Rural, yet close to the Surrey commuting hot spot of Epsom, is this listed cottage with large gardens. Clotted cream-coloured walls, beams and an open fireplace housing a wood-burning stove exude country charm in the drawing/dining room. A study, fourth bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and large conservatory on to the garden are also downstairs. Three further bedrooms — one en-suite — are upstairs. London Victoria is an hour away by train. Priced £625,000 through John D Wood. Visit: www. homesandproperty.co.uk/sales/856103. IT’S OFF to Stoke St Gregory in Somerset for Windmill Green Farm, with more than an acre of grounds, a large hay barn and several other outbuildings to play with, all for £600,000. Along with four bedrooms, kitchen/breakfast room, utility, bathroom and sitting room comes a dining room with beams and an inglenook. Trains reach Paddington in one hour and 45 minutes. Available through Palmer Snell. Visit www.homesand property.co.uk/sales/677667. Faye Greenslade Homes gossip Compton Miller PAUL MERTON’S GOT NEWS FOR YOU — HE’S SELLING UP Paul Merton Richard Shepherd Kate Middleton $5 " $ &*4 2$ 1 &)$&)/5 "3*/!"/ BARRY BATCHELOR O NIGHTCLUB owner Louis Buckworth is selling his converted photographic studio in Battersea for £1.25 million through Douglas & Gordon, after the break-up of his 18-month marriage to Chloe, the socialite daughter of Chelsea property tycoon Charles Delevigne. The four-bedroom house features 25ft ceilings, an open-plan living area, two roof terraces and a 12-person steam room. “It’s been a great place to live and entertain in,” says the rakish, Australian barrister’s son who has since dated actress and model Shirley Leigh-Wood Oakes, granddaughter of Richard Greene, TV’s original Robin Hood. “I’m now looking for a twobedroom flat, costing about £800,000, in South Kensington or Knightsbridge near my club.” In 2002 he co-founded the Firehouse club-restaurant, a favourite haunt of Prince Harry and Princess Beatrice. He now plans to open a new restaurant on the Fulham Road site of Sixties trattoria San Frediano. MARK CHAPMAN dramatic sea views.” Merton was previously married to two other brilliant comediennes, Caroline Quentin and the late Sarah Parkinson. JOHN ROBERTSON Louis and Shirley ALAN DAVIDSON HAVE I Got News For You panellist Paul Merton is selling his clifftop Arts & Crafts house near Hastings for £925,000 through local agent Freeman Forman. The thatched, three-bedroom home has all the boys’ toys, including home cinema, games room, conservatory and revolving summerhouse. The move follows the Parsons Green-born Tube driver’s son’s third marriage to comedienne Suki Webster last autumn. “With a new wife in tow Paul probably wanted a change,” says a neighbour. “It’s a beautiful house up a long drive, with O AFTER 34 years of running his Langan’s Brasserie restaurant empire, Richard Shepherd has sold his five-bedroom Victorian house in Ealing for £1.5 million and “bought the place where I eventually want to retire”. His new pad is a modern villa near Cassis in the South of France. “I was determined to be within striking distance of an airport, autoroute, golf course, ski slope and Nice,” says the award-winning Weston-super-Mare-born superchef. “The locals call this area the ‘secret St Tropez’! I’m not going to end my days on the Costa del Ealing!” Shepherd and his wife, Christine, retain their Westminster flat near his restaurant, Shepherd’s. O IF YOU fancy a brush with royalty, the Duchy of Cornwall still has a few weeks spare at Restormel Manor, a mini stately home near Lostwithiel in Cornwall. It became famous last Christmas when Michael and Carole Middleton, parents of Prince William’s squeeze, Kate, rented a wing there. The same four-bedroom property costs £1,500 to £2,900 a week. “The manor house has just been refurbished and has all mod cons,” explains the duchy. “It makes a wonderful retreat as it overlooks the beautiful Fowey Valley.”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omes & Property New trends DOING THE CONTINENTAL homesandproperty.co.uk Young Londoners love to rent. It offers the chance to live centrally for less and the freedom of a flexible lifestyle, discovers David Spittles L £500 a week: two-bedroom, 15th-floor flat in Berkeley Tower, Canary Wharf, E14. Through Foxtons (020 7133 7777) £380 a week: two-bedroom flat in Dove Road East, N1. Call Grainger Residential Management on 0845 262 6222 ONDONERS are adopting the European property habit of renting instead of buying a home. In continental cities such as Paris, Berlin, Brussels and Amsterdam, up to 60 per cent of households rent privately — far higher than in London, where the figure is less than 15 per cent. However, private renting in the capital — which was popular right up to the Sixties, before the home-ownership boom of recent decades — is becoming a new lifestyle choice. A whole raft of recent surveys and reports shows that home ownership has lost some of its sparkle; the attitude of many people to ownership has simply changed, and not because they have been priced out of the owneroccupation market. Almost 50 per cent of private renters are aged below 34, and about 55 per cent of the total 3.1 million renters — a million more than 10 years ago — are either singles or childless couples, according to government figures. A growing number have no wish to buy a property, and say they never will. Families and middleaged downsizers are getting in on the rental act, too (see below). HOW THE FIGURES ADD UP Renting allows people more choice and enables them to be more flexible. Apart from lifestyle, there can be compelling financial reasons for renting. Buyers incur much higher costs when moving: stamp duty, legal and survey fees typically come to about £50,000 when buying a £500,000 property. And often, the amount borrowers pay in mortgage interest (not the capital repayments) is more than the rent for an equivalent property. Renters can also take advantage of price dips to enter the market and buy a bargain. The huge number of better-quality homes available to rent in London leads renters to say they can find homes that are bigger and in a more desirable or glamorous neighbourhood than they could ever afford if they were to buy the same house. “About 200,000 households have been added to the London rental market over the past decade,” says Adam Challis of property consultant CB Richard Ellis. “The stigma of renting is fading for the younger generation of professionals. Many more people are realising the benefits of flexible housing arrangements.” Renting should be a middle-class aspiration, according to Jonathan Shaw, Minister for the South-East. Giving evidence to a parliamentary housing inquiry last month, he said: “Renting is perfectly desirable and meets needs and aspirations. It should be seen more as something that people across the socio-economic spectrum do.” The Government and the property industry are trying to hatch a new “business model” for private rented housing. Backed by institutions such as big insurance companies, it is likely to take the form of a mid-market “hotel chain”, with branded, well-managed, affordable accommodation in prime central locations. Home ownership is deeply rooted in British culture, and for many owners property has proved a handsome investment when looked at over many years. Often renting is dismissed as “dead money”, but studies show that on average it is cheaper than buying over a 25-year period — £11,342 less, according to a report published last week. Demographic changes — more single households, economic migrants, divorcees and students — are boosting rental demand. Moreover, people are getting married and starting families much later in life, so the average first-time buyer age is creeping up, from 27 in the Eighties to 36 now. Forty-eight per cent of all private rented homes in the UK are in “suburban locations”. Remarkably, only eight per cent are in city centres. £6,750 a week: Blade Mews, a new four-bedroom detached house in Putney. For more information, call Hamptons on 020 8780 0077 BE PART OF THE ACTION Rental properties are available at every level of the market in London, from cheap studios to luxury houses, from about £120 to £12,000 a week. Niche companies are sprouting up to serve this burgeoning business. Residential Land has assembled a portfolio of 1,200 homes in central postcodes. Private developers are embracing rentals, too, letting flats instead of selling them because they provide a steady stream of income. Aristocratic estate landlords such as Cadogan, Grosvenor and Howard de Walden, all past masters at property investment, now routinely offer rentals (rather than granting long leases), as do charitable trusts. Walcot Estate, an oasis of Georgian and Victorian properties within the parliamentary division bell in Kennington, benignly gives grants to local community groups from the rents it receives, helping to improve the neighbourhood in which renters live. Three- and four-bedroom houses are available for rent at £550 a week through Cluttons (call 020 7407 3669). Winkworth, which has an extensive network of branches across London and in the suburbs, has found a considerable variation in rents. £190 to £295 a week: So Bow in E3 is a development of 144 apartments built by Telford Homes. For rental enquiries, call agent Cityzen on 020 7790 1818 7 EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 7 APRIL 2010 New trends Homes & Property homesandproperty.co.uk WHERE TO LOOK AND WHAT TO PAY In general, rents are lower in south London, outer north London and parts of east London. While the cost of a onebedroom flat in Notting Hill ranges between £1,200 and £2,600 a month, in Crystal Palace it is considerably less, at £625 to £820. Three-bedroom houses in Islington range from £2,000 to £4,500 a month. In Kensington & Chelsea, the price range is £3,600 to £8,500 a month. For more information, visit www.winkworth.co.uk. Figures by FindaProperty.com show that the average London rent for a flat is £1,487 a month, and for a house it is £2,264. You can find out the cost of renting in any area of London by using a new interactive website set up by Mayor Boris Johnson. Simply key in the street or postcode and you get area averages for the size of accommodation you want. This “rents map” reveals that South Kensington is the most expensive place in London to rent (typically, £1,150 a week: you can even rent a river view if you live in a flat at Tea Tree Wharf, Shad Thames, SE1. Call Cluttons on 020 7407 3669 £625 a week). However, the current average rent for a shared house in the capital is only £92 a week. Visit www. london.gov.uk/rents for more information. Such is the competition for rental properties that central London lettings agent WA Ellis reports “bidding wars”, with tenants paying 20 per cent or more over the asking rent. Gumtree.com, a rental website, says there has been a 36 per cent “spike”, or increase, in the number of flat and house shares in London over the past year. Owners renting out rooms to get extra income during the recession may have boosted supply. But there is no doubt that the London r e n t a l s e c t o r i s u n d e r go i n g a sea change. FOR US IT’S ALL ABOUT LIFESTYLE A MONTH ago, Jennie Whittaker and her partner, Michael Haines, both in their thirties, moved to a onebedroom garden flat, part of a grand period town house, in Cranley Gardens, South Kensington, which costs them £1,600 a month. They had been previously renting together in London for eight years, mostly in the Fulham area. “To buy the same property would cost at least £600,000, which we could never afford, but we have no desire to buy in the foreseeable future anyway,” says Jenny, an operations director for a Fleet Streetbased media firm. Michael is a commercial property surveyor. “For us, living anywhere other than in central London would be a compromise. We love it here. It’s safe and so close to everything — the museums, restaurants and the Royal Parks. “Some people say renting is money down the drain but we don’t feel we’re squandering cash or missing out. We’re still managing to save and have thought about investments, even in property, as a buy-to-let. Maybe eventually we will get on the property ladder, but we have no intention of chasing the market. For us it’s about lifestyle. “Longer term, the ideal situation for us would be to a have weekend cottage in Hampshire that we could escape to, while continuing to rent in London.” £1,600 a month: Jennie Whittaker’s onebedroom flat in Cranley Gardens, Kensington, below, would cost more than £600,000 8 WEDNESDAY 7 APRIL 2010 EVENING STANDARD Homes & Property Vintage homes homesandproperty.co.uk As spring’s bric-a-brac stalls open, a new TV show launches tonight offering tips on where to buy — and how to handle — antiques, reports Anthea Masey L ONGER spring and summer days give lovers of antiques their chance to rummage, from openair bric-a-brac fairs and c ar-boot sales to the backyards of junk shops. And it’s the season for auction houses, too. Tonight, a timely BBC2 series launches with interior designer Kathryn Rayward and antiques expert Mark Hill, called Cracking Antiques. Handled well, antiques add style and character to homes old and new. We asked Kathryn and Mark for tips on where to hunt down the best buys and how to display your newly acquired treasures. Their show, which airs at 8.30pm, aims to take the mystique out of the subject of buying second-hand and vintage. The pair have a sixth sense for tracking down the beautiful and the unusual, and for spotting the next trend in hot collectibles. ANTIQUE VALUE Kathryn’s great talent is for taking unloved pieces of furniture and transforming them into one-off modern pieces using vintage fabrics and traditional craft techniques. Mark, meanwhile, learned his skills at top auction houses Bonhams and Sotheby’s and is now the 20th-century design and collectibles specialist for Miller’s, the antiques price guide. He also provides expert advice on BBC’s long-running Antiques Road Show. Kathryn wants antiques taken off their pedestal. “They are great value for money. A piece of second-hand furniture will often be better-made than most laminated fibre-board flatpack furniture from a chain store,” she says. “I love picking up things cheaply and breathing new life into them. It’s good to get a deal in these creditcrunch times and create something really special.” Mark likes mixing old and new. He says: “A lot of people inherit furniture from their relatives which they think is dreary and dowdy but it is only a matter of displaying it better. A beautiful antique cupboard set apart against a white wall will look very different from when it was crowded around with other heavy furniture. “I love homes with personality; my home is my nest and when I go home at night I want to be surrounded by things that make me happy.” So where do you start looking if you are after those special pieces for your home? And if you enjoy those areas of London with a historic and vintage look, where do you choose to live? TWO HOT SPOTS The two top spots for antiques are south-east London and Islington, In search of the old: Cracking Antiques presenters, interior designer Kathryn Rayward and antiques expert Mark Hill, who show how antiques can be cheap and stylish WHEN OLD IS GOLD HOMES WITH THAT VINTAGE APPEAL £389,995: three-bedroom house in Bowes Park, Wood Green, N22. Call Brien Firmin on 020 8889 9944 £1.875 million: four-bedroom house in Cambridge Road, SW11. Call John D Wood (020 7228 0174) £1.275 million: three-bedroom early Victorian house in Canonbury Grove, Islington. Call Savills (020 7226 1313) ‘Second-hand furniture’s often better-made than modern. And it’s good to get a deal in the credit crunch’ where there are concentrations of secret and hidden-away auction rooms, shops and warehouses, although our experts also recommend other favourites in Marylebone, Spitalfields, Battersea and Alexandra Palace. In south-east London, one of Mark’s secret finds is Crystal Palace Antiques in Jasper Road, where, in a crumbling warehouse stretching over four floors, there is everything from Georgian cabinets to Victorian chests of drawers and mid-20th century modern furniture. Look out in particular for Designs of Modernity, which sells Eames, Jacobsen et al at reasonable prices. Not far away, in Knights Hill in West Norwood, auction house Rosebery’s is a south London institution. Its monthly general sales are worth a rummage for good-value ceramics, glass, pictures, rugs and furniture. Every third monthly auction is more specialist. The next general auction is being held today and tomorrow. The next specialist sale takes place on 8 to 10 June. Moving into nearby Dulwich, the regular mid-20th century design fairs Midcentury.modern, held in the Sixties concrete-and-glass, Christison-designed refectory at Dulwich College, are worth making a date in your diary for — the next one is on Sunday 16 November. Spread over two floors, this is a great place to find a concentration of dealers specialising in this period plus a number of young British designers. Islington in north London is bursting with rich antique pickings. The TV team’s favourites include Past Caring in Essex Road, which is run by a number of dealers who scour car-boot sales and junk shops for retro and vintage glass, ceramics and furniture, with prices starting from a few pounds. The shop is so low-key that there is no phone number or website. Odyssey in Camden Passage offers a similar mix but with slightly higher prices. Opposite Past Caring, also in Essex Road, the Criterion auction room with its weekly Monday evening sales has become a magnet for north London treasurehunters. User-friendly and informal, viewings take place every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday before the sale. Together with its Wandsworth branch, Criterion sells more than 1,200 lots a week of furniture, art, silver, jewellery, porcelain and decorative items. WHERE ELSE TO BUY Outside these two key areas, Kathyrn and Mark single out Alfies Antique Market in Church Street, Marylebone. This long-established market in a converted Thirties department store has nearly 70 dealers under one roof. Mark says look out for Robinson Antiques, which sells some of the 20th-century ceramics, glass and metalware featured in the programme. Also worth seeking out are the huge antiques fairs held at Alexandra Palace, with more than 600 dealers, that take place four times a year (the next is on 25 April) and the more exclusive Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fairs, held three times a year in Battersea Park — the next is between 20 and 25 April — with around 140 dealers. One of Kathryn’s top tips is Elemental in the Old Spitalfields Market. This shop sells unusual lighting and furniture, which is described as “antique, recycled, re-used, sometimes re-imagined and green”. WHERE TO BROWSE O Crystal Palace Antiques: Imperial House, Jasper Road, Crystal Palace, SE19 (020 8480 7042; www.crystal palaceantiques.com). Also, Designs of Modernity, at Crystal Palace Antiques and Modern, as above (www. designsofmodernity.com). O Rosebery’s: 74-76 Knights Hill, West Norwood, SE27 (020 8761 2522; www.roseberys.co.uk). O Midcentury.Modern Fairs: Dulwich College, Dulwich Common, SE21 (www.modernshows.com). O Past Caring: 76 Essex Road, Islington, N1. O Criterion Auctions: 53 Essex Road, Islington, N1 (020 7359 5707) and 4147 Chatfield Road, Wandsworth, SW11 (020 7228 5563), or visit www. criterionauctions.co.uk. O Alfies Antique Market: 13-25 Church Street, Marylebone, NW8 (020 7723 6066; www.alfies antiques.com). O Alexandra Palace Antiques and Collectors’ Fair: Alexandra Palace, Alexandra Palace Way, Wood Green, N22 (01263 888111; www.nelsonfairs. co.uk). O Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fair: The Marquee, Battersea Park, Battersea, SW11 (020 7624 5173; www. decorativefair.com). O Elemental: Old Spitalfields Market, 67 Brushfield Street, E1 (020 7247 7588; www.elemental.uk.com). For more home and shopping ideas, visit:homesandproperty.co.uk 9 EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 7 APRIL 2010 Affordable Homes & Property homesandproperty.co.uk ON YOUR WAY TO WEMBLEY First-time buyers and football fans can find the dream ticket at Wembley where new homes overlook the iconic stadium. By Tom Lewis C HELSEA are set to play Aston Villa in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday. Fans arriving via the area’s two Tube stations will not fail to notice the hundreds of new apartments that have been built as part of Brent council’s regeneration plans. The giant Wembley City development is well under way on 85 acres of land surrounding the splendid new stadium, while Wembley Central is a mixed-use scheme in the old town centre. Only half a mile divides them — yet they are quite different in character. Wembley City is a stand-alone, brand-new commercial hub, one of London’s biggest and costliest regeneration projects. It is the size of Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden combined, and has attracted £2.5 billion investment. If the construction timetable goes to plan, within 10 years Wembley City will be a 3.7 million sq ft “town”, with up to 4,200 new homes, offices, hotels, retail and leisure outlets. Brent wants it to become the focus of the borough, and plans to relocate to a new town hall and municipal base on the site. By contrast, Wembley Central is right in the middle of a busy retail parade which is stuck in a time warp. St Modwen, the developer, specialises in such sites. It buys tired-looking, Sixties shopping centres in “secondary” locations and pockets an income from the retailers while working up planning proposals for wholesale redevelopment. Elephant & Castle shopping centre is another of its projects. At Wembley, it has taken seven years for St Modwen to get to the stage where it can sell completed apartments. The development sits alongside and above the train station of the same name, a complicated engineering project as it also had to accommodate six levels of underground parking. Centrepiece of the scheme is a 13-storey tower with 117 apartments, priced from £199,995. Call 0844 371 1301. It is one of the tallest buildings in the area so the upper flats have good views. Interiors are smart and aboveaverage quality. Elisabetta Barone is a university lecturer at King’s College. Originally from Italy, she has spent most of her professional life in London, renting mainly in Docklands. Last year, she decided to buy and searched for an From £169,995: Quadrant Court flats at Wembley City have views over landscaped courtyards — and the famous arch affordable, up-and-coming area. Quick Tube links to central London were another priority. Impressed by the scale of Wembley City, she bought a new one-bedroom flat. “I saw what happened to prices at Canary Wharf in the Nineties and I think the same could happen here at Wembley, especially as it’s worldrenowned and is an official Olympics venue,” she said. Served by the Bakerloo, Jubilee, Metropolitan and Piccadilly Tube lines, Wembley is one of the capital’s best-connected places and also a fairly cheap location, a combination that seems to have been overlooked by a lot of young, first-time buyers Quintain, developer of Wembley City, talks of bringing West End-style glitz and glamour to the area, with fashion boutiques, bars, nightclubs and “destination restaurants” alongside the well-established concert and entertainment venues, of which there are seven in total. Quadrant Court, the second phase of homes, has been launched — 234 studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments, with prices starting at £169,995, lower than when the first phase was launched two years ago. Call 0845 201 1205. Homes overlook landscaped courtyards and all have From £199,995: finished apartments are now available at Wembley Central, over the train station. Call 0844 371 1301 City-dweller: Elisabetta Barone owns a Wembley City apartment for its good transport links and affordability Above-average looks: Wembley Central flats have smart interiors either a balcony or terrace, underfloor heating and built-in wardrobes. By this summer, about 800 residents will be in situ and benefiting from “extras” unavailable at other housing schemes. Quintain has invested heavily in infrastructure and is not only the developer, but also the management company, concierge and broadband supplier. It owns the roads, provides parking and on-site security, and has set up an underground waste recycling scheme. Residents place rubbish in colour-coded chutes which open twice a day and transfer the contents direct to a community waste station. Quintain expects to make a profit from all these individual services, but says residents will benefit from lower service charges because of economies of scale. Already they can buy season tickets for car parking and furniture packs for the flats. Designated “affordable” housing is part of the mix. Family Mosaic housing association is selling flats on a shared-ownership basis. Buying 25 per cent of a one-bedroom flat costs from £47,000. Normally, rent is paid at 2.75 per cent of the unpurchased equity, but Family Mosaic is offering a six-month rent waiver, a saving of £2,500. Call 020 7089 1315. 10 WEDNESDAY 7 APRIL 2010 EVENING STANDARD Homes & Property Homes abroad homesandproperty.co.uk A NATURAL BEAUTY For more property overseas, visit: homesand property.co.uk ST LUCIA IS A BUYERS’ PARADISE Left and below: Andrew and Catrin Waugh, from Dulwich, bought at The Landings, St Lucia, and enjoy breaks there with sons Matthew, Owen, Daniel and Jonathan and pals New tax breaks mean St Lucia is now a good-value alternative to its fashionable sister Barbados, reports Cathy Hawker D £363,280: twobedroom flat, below right, near Rodney Bay. Call Sotheby’s on 020 7993 6156 £445,850: fourbedroom house, below, with separate onebedroom flat, through www.doubloon realestate.com ESPITE a winding and sometimes bumpy j o u r n e y f ro m t h e international airport on St Lucia’s southern tip up to Rodney Bay on the north-west coast, the 90-minute drive is a good introduction to the volcanic Caribbean island. The road skirts the rainforest near the mighty twin Pitons, revealing glimpses of blue sea as it twists up steep hills and passes through villages where smartly dressed schoolchildren walk home. But the attractions of St Lucia don’t end with its visual beauty. There is no VAT, no inheritance or capital gains tax, and the island is in the process of changing its law, so that buyers investing more than £230,500 can gain residency status. Rodney Bay is the main destination for St Lucia’s 350,000 annual visitors who arrive by cruise ships or air. There are bars and restaurants, hotels, beaches and facilities from golf courses to shopping malls. “For privacy and perfect natural beauty the south-west coast is best. But most British buyers choose the north,” says Chris Owen of Sotheby’s St Lucia. “They like the convenience of being close to Rodney Bay in a safe, wellpoliced area with a range of property and prices.” A new eight-screen multiplex, the area’s latest attraction, is already wildly popular with residents. A three-bedroom town house in a small gated community in Rodney Bay starts from £250,870, or £434,840 if you add a sea view. Detached villas start from £501,740 at Rodney Heights or £2.3 million for a bespoke property at exclusive Mount du Cap overlooking Martinique. Prices are up to half of those on Barbados with little current demand for isolated or off-plan properties. It’s well-built homes on secure resorts that are selling, says Owen, as buyers look less for pure investment and more for a lifestyle choice. THE LANDINGS One of the most popular north-coast resorts is The Landings, where sales director Ollie Gobat says he sold 20 homes last year to a mix of Caribbean, Canadian and European buyers. “St Lucia has had a tough two years but overall has fared better than expected,” says Gobat. “No hotels closed and while work on major projects like Raffles and Le Paradis stalled, tourism minister Allen Chastenet has increased international flights to the island from the UK, US and Germany.” The Landings has completed 122 of 230 spacious, one- to three-bedroom apartments in four-storey buildings beside a marina and a peaceful, westfacing beach. In total, 135 flats on the 19-acre estate are sold with prices from £367,945 to £2.3 million. The waterfront setting has views to Pigeon Point, a hilly peninsula where the French and British fought many of their battles as they swapped control of St Lucia 14 times up to 1814. The distant buzz of waterskiers and a flotilla of small sailing boats moored nearby provide gentle distractions. This is an idyllic Caribbean scene — but with 24-hour security, a concierge service and on-site facilities including bars and two restaurants, tennis courts, several small pools and an impressive gym. The Landings operates as a five-star hotel managed by RockResorts with pooled rental returns and occupancy rates of 40 per cent in its first year of operation. Most owners are British — though many of the rentals come from Americans — and include Radio 1 DJ Trevor Nelson, who owns a top-floor, two-bedroom beachfront apartment. “The beach at The Landings is on reclaimed land, making our apartments the only freehold beachfront properties for sale in St Lucia,” says Gobat. “We also have the only private marina on the island and yet are minutes from St Lucia Golf Club and several high-end restaurants.” Tourist numbers to St Lucia fell by nearly six per cent last year with an 11 per cent drop in UK arrivals but the tourism minister reports a strong start this year. “Visitor figures increased by 13 per cent in January against the same month last year,” says Chastenet. “The figures show three consecutive months of double-digit growth.” UK tourists might also be deterred by last November’s 94 per cent hike in Air Passenger Duty (APD) for flights from London to the Caribbean. A family of four now pays £300 in tax, more than for flights to Hawaii or Alaska. “We have had discussions with Gordon Brown about the unfair APD and we hope that instead of being in the top category we can be moved into the same band as flights to the US,” says Chastenet. CONTACTS AND FACT FILE O The Landings (0845 217 7851; www.thelandingsstlucia.com) O Sotheby’s St Lucia (020 7993 6156; www.stluciasothebysrealty.com) O Buyers require an Alien Landholding Licence, arranged through a lawyer. O Buying costs an average five per cent including stamp duty of two per cent. O Service charges range from £335 to £670 a month at The Landings. O BA flies five times a week from London to St Lucia and Virgin flies three times a week. ‘IT’S ABOUT LOCATION’ ‘British buyers like the north coast — it’s safe, well policed and with a wide range of property and prices’ From £367,945: at The Landings, below, 122 spacious flats are finished. Call 0845 217 7851 A FTER several holidays sailing in the Grenadines, Andrew Waugh promised himself a boat by the time he turned 50. “It was a boat or an Aston Martin,” says Waugh. “And I can fit all of my family in a boat.” That boat is now moored at The Landings in St Lucia where he and his wife Catrin, both 50 and from Dulwich, bought a three-bedroom apartment two years ago. “St Lucia’s location is ideal,” says Waugh, a barrister. “You can sail north to Martinique or south to St Vincent and the Grenadines. There are direct flights from London, the people are lovely, property is half the price of Barbados and the weather is perfect year-round.” The couple’s four sons, aged 13 to 21, play golf locally and enjoy going out in Rodney Bay. “We go to Friday night jump up in Gros Islet which is basically a weekly street party,” says Waugh. “You hear mixed reports on the island’s security but they police Rodney Bay well and we feel safe.” 12 WEDNESDAY 7 APRIL 2010 EVENING STANDARD Homes & Property Shopping homesandproperty.co.uk Design news PLEASE, TAKE A MACSEAT LOVE A LOT HANHAM COURT ANTIQUES dealers Isabel and Julian Bannerman hope to raise about £400,000 from an auction of 300 lots from Hanham Court, their medieval abbey home between Bath and Bristol. The money will go towards maintaining the house and garden. Lots include a terracotta bust once owned by Vita Sackville-West, and garden statuary. The sale is at 10am next Wednesday at Christie’s South Kensington, 85, Old Brompton Road, with viewing from Saturday. See the catalogue at www. christies.com/calendar Katie Law MAC&MAC INTERIORS LIGHT UP DESIGNER DELIGHTS Husband and wife team Emma and Owen Mackrell are in the process of opening a huge warehouse in Farnham selling pieces of European designer furniture like these Magis Trattoria chairs, below, which have a polycarbonate seat on a natural solid beech frame. The couple originally started their business as an online-only concern, but are only now turning their attention to running a retail operation. The chairs cost £205 each and come in a choice of five colours. All prices include delivery. See www. macandmacinteriors.com. ▼ LOLLIPOP SHOPPE The online and Brighton-based homeware and furniture business has finally opened its retail doors in London, in Old Spitalfields Market, where customers will find a huge selection of designer pieces, including De La Warr Pavilion chairs by Established & Sons (£587), special edition blue Wishbone chairs by Carl Hansen (£510), Muuto’s wood lamps (£144) and Verner Panton’s wire table lamps (£800), above. Find the Lollipop Shoppe at 10 Lamb Street, Old Spitalfields Market, E1 (020 7655 4540; www. thelollipopshoppe.co.uk) SCANDINAVIAN COOL ▲ BOOK OF THE WEEK Simply Scandinavian edited by Sara Norrman Since the bleached-out, driftwood look from Scandinavia is one that never fails to please us, and can be so easily replicated under our own grey skies, a new book of Nordic interiors has to be inspiring. The look, with simple white shelving for books, white-painted floorboards and a minimum of clutter, is inexpensive and easy to achieve with the help of a paintbrush and some pots of white and grey paint. Simply Scandinavian will be available for £17.99, including postage and packaging (rrp £19.99) by telephoning Macmillan Distribution on 01256 302 699 and quoting the reference GLR 3JI. FREE CHILD WORKSHOPS CAA Enrol your child, from eight to teenage, on one of the CAA’s free workshops. This includes a viewing of its exhibition, The Honey Bee and the Hive. The exhibition brings together metal, glass, textiles and ceramics with a busy bee theme, including Michael Brennand-Wood’s Flight Path, (right). The workshops run until the end of the month and the exhibition closes on 1 May at the CAA, 2 Percy Street, W1; (020 7586 0110; www.caa.org.uk). To book, Call Clare or Harriet on 020 7436 2344 or email [email protected]. COOK UP A WIN SLIMLINE STORM GO HEATING WORTH £1,568 ONLINE FOR KITCHENWARE SUMMERILL AND BISHOP Until now customers have had to visit the Notting Hill-based shop of June Summerill and Bernadette Bishop to buy a slice of their sundrenched lifestyle and kitchenwares. But now we can buy it online too. It’s all here — from the famous Black Forest brushes amd Lebanese trays to the French vintage table linens and Laguiole knives. Tempting new products include olivewood boards (£45) and salad servers (£29.50); a galvanised soft grey metal candelabrum (£85) left, and a folding shiny red canvas shopping trolley (£110). Visit www.summerill andbishop.com. FINALLY the design, energy efficiency and flexibility failings of electric home heating may well become a thing of the past. Intelli Heat has just launched NEEDO, a super energy-efficient electric heating system with an exciting range of ultra-slim designer radiators. Quick and easy to install, wirelessly controlled, and without the need for any plumbing, NEEDO is the perfect central heating solution. Intelli Heat (www.intelligentheat. co.uk) has teamed up with Homes & Property to give away two T line NEEDO radiators (1,000w and 1,250w) with a MyNEEDO control/ programming centre, together worth £1,568, to one lucky reader. TO ENTER: Text HP NEEDO followed by your email address to 65400 (eg HP NEEDO suesmith@ email.com). Or call 0901 292 5002 and leave your details. Or visit www. homesandproperty.co.uk/offers. Competition closes at 23:59pm on 30 April. Texts cost £1 plus your standard network charge. Calls cost £1 from a BT landline. Other networks and mobiles may vary. If you call or text after the closing date your entry will not count but you may still be charged. Usual competition rules apply — visit www. standard.co.uk. 13 EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 7 APRIL 2010 Reader promotions homesandproperty.co.uk Bargain news GREAT DEALS ON STUNNING KITCHENS If you are looking for a new kitchen with a real wow factor, then get down to Lifestyle Interiors by ASQ for a great deal, with prices of some ex-display kitchens slashed from £20,000 to £11,000. Visit www.lifestylebyasq.co.uk or call 020 8671 5454. SHEDDING SOME LIGHT The fabulous Arco floor lamp, with its “small footprint” marble base, was a must-have interior accessory for contemporary apartments of the Sixties. This replica of the original by Achille Castiglioni, is from Iconic Lights and is a great deal at only £200. Visit www.iconiclights.co.uk or call 0161 837 3288. O The companies listed here are wholly independent of the Evening Standard. While care is taken to establish that they are bona fide, we recommend you carry out your own checks prior to entering into an agreement. To give us your feedback on any of the companies mentioned here, email [email protected] with “Bargain News” in the subject line. For more bargains visit www.homes andbargains.co.uk and find more offers at www. homesandproperty.co.uk/offers. Alison Cork IDEA OF THE WEEK THE prestigious Oxford Landscape Company is offering a 10 per cent discount on all Colourfence materials this spring. The firm won a gold medal at Blenheim Flower Show, and featured at both Chelsea and Hampton Court Flower Shows. Totally weatherproof and with advanced high-tensile steel properties, Colourfence has a Zincalume paint finish that is designed not to chip, rust or flake and comes with a 25-year guarantee, making Colourfence my choice for practical replacements of treated softwood timber fences. So whether it’s fencing you want or PUT YOUR FEET UP… FOR FREE DISCOUNT OF THE WEEK O To claim: visit www.fantastic furniture.co.uk or call 0870 0671 970 before the end of this month GOLD MEDAL FENCING a total new look for your garden, call the Oxford Landscape team for a spring makeover. Visit www. theoxfordlandscapecompany.co.uk to claim this offer; alternatively call 0845 539 2253 quoting ESAPR10. Offer closes 6 May. O Contact details: visit theoxford landscapecompany.co.uk, or call 0845 539 2253 LOVED by celebrities, Fantastic Furniture’s high-quality reproductions of classics such as Florence Knoll and Charles Eames are an affordable way to be in fashion. This Barcelona chair, made of polished steel with hand-stitched leather from individual pieces of hide, is just £395. And you get a matching footstool absolutely free. To claim this offer simply visit www. fantasticfurniture.co.uk. Alternatively call 0870 0671 970. Free UK mainland delivery on orders of £1,000 or more. Offer ends 30 April, or while stocks last. SNOOZE IN THE SUN LOOK OF THE WEEK O To order: visit www. kingshall furniture.co.uk, or call 01296 339925 USUALLY £699, Homes & Property readers can buy this rattan Toledo outdoor set from Kingshall for only £499. The Toledo outdoor daybed is a great example of value for money, consisting of one curved sofa and a large footstool as well as all the cushions. The set is UV-resistant and waterproof — perfect for the dodgy UK climate. Woven around an aluminium frame, the set is both durable and lightweight so it can be moved around with minimum fuss and effort. 16 WEDNESDAY 7 APRIL 2010 EVENING STANDARD Homes & Property My home homesandpr ADD ROOM TO A MEWS The home’s warm, walnut-lined entrance hall is lit by skylight IT’S LITTLE BUT LARGE How does a family with four children fit into a small Kensington mews house? Designer Jonathan Tuckey found some very clever answers, says Dinah Hall M Two bedrooms, this one with an en suite, are built into the roof of the compact, three-storey house in a Kensington side street caution: may cause drowsiness For reader offers, please visit: www.sofa.com/eve Call FREE on 0800 988 6696 or visit our London showroom EWS houses haven’t always been fashionable. It wasn’t until the Sixties, when actors and photographers gave them a bohemian charm, that they threw off their stigma. Originally built to house the horses and grooms of the houses they served, but generally accommodating other servants and children, too, they were described in 1861 as “hell holes… heaped with rubbish… with unendurable stench”. With four children, the owners of this Kensington mews house might have seemed in danger of recreating the overcrowded conditions of the 19th century. But that is reckoning without the skill of their architectural designer, Jonathan Tuckey, who has converted what was a warren of small rooms cowering under floral wallpapers and mock Georgian features into a deceptively spacious home, with just the right balance of enclosure and open plan. The fairly stern brick façade gives nothing away – but this is far more in keeping with the original spirit of mews housing than the inappropriately cottagey sash windows that were there before. Tuckey explains that he wanted to return it to the “live/work, rough aesthetic of mews”, to make it appear more in keeping with its original purpose. There is also a practical sense to the façade: mews were designed without pavements, making their relationship with the street much more immediate, so invariably people who add windows then keep the blinds down. To Tuckey, it made more sense to blank the house off at low level, bringing in light from above, and give the family privacy on the ground floor. Unlike a house that exposes itself instantly, leaving no sense of discovery, this one quietly unfolds itself. You enter into a walnut-lined, double-height entrance hall; a slightly ajar door gives a glimpse into the ground-floor family room but the light from above, together It made more sense to blank the house off at low level and bring in light from above Photographs by: Jefferson Smith Words and pictures © Condé Nast Publications For more amazing homes, visit: homesand property.co.uk The redesigned home has just the right ba with the instinctive sense of direction that comes from clever planning, lead you upstairs to the main living space. Because the house is comparatively small, the clients wanted to keep things as open as possible, but there is still a sense of separation between sitting, kitchen and dining areas, which Tuckey has emphasised by his ceiling treatment. It is painted a dark grey, with white over the dining area, and has clear demarcations. Originally, the house had a central staircase, which was a waste of precious space; in fact, it was Tuckey’s idea that the stairs connecting the three floors should be moved to the edges of the house that won him the job, recalls the client. Three hidden flights of stairs lead to and from the first-floor living space. The first, from the ground-floor hall, is white brick; the other two are hidden behind the kitchen wall — one, leading up to the bedroom floor, is lined with walnut, and the other, leading down to the family room, is in poured resin with a side dish of screaming-yellow walls. (The client doesn’t remember sanctioning this colour but gives Tuckey the benefit of the doubt when he assures her she did.) “You can slip in and out of a room without really being noticed if the staircase is at the side of the room,” Tuckey explains. It is, he says, a model that was used in Palladian houses, but which he thinks rather suits the dynamics of a modern family with teenagers. 17 EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 7 APRIL 2010 My home Homes & Property roperty.co.uk alance of enclosure and open-plan living, and the divisions are marked by a dark grey ceiling treatment While mews rooms are small, these have a feeling of space This variety in materials and palette is played out in the rest of the house, giving each floor a distinct character. The clients wanted their home to be modern but not blandly minimalist, and they felt the way to express this was through the materials they used. So the white bricks that extend up the walls and out on to the rear terrace, while nodding to the mews aesthetic, are a more interesting, textured alternative to the predictable expanse of limestone floor. Unusually for an architect, Tuckey credits council planners with part of the house’s success. Philosophically, he suggests that the delay in planning permission was a benefit because it allowed him to see how the family functioned in their environment, with the design evolving to accommodate this. Because the family live mostly in the country, and the children are away at school and university, it was sensible to devote minimum space to sleeping and more to living. The four children happily bunk together in one of the bedrooms — a surprisingly neat solution. But it was also important to have enough different areas to allow a variety of simultaneous activities — for example, the television room downstairs can be closed off so that sound doesn’t travel through the house. Planning restrictions, Tuckey suggests, also added to the design. Originally, mews houses were built with no windows at all at the back so that the The fairly stern brick façade gives little away but returns to the “live/work, rough aesthetic” of the mews cat couldn’t look at the king. For aesthetic reasons, today’s planners will not allow the huge expanses of glazing that are de rigueur in most other modern conversions. So Tuckey came up with a design that looks as if it could have been there for ever, with perfectly proportioned openings on to the terrace. This terrace overshadows the one below where the owner, who is a garden designer, has cleverly created a pool — puddle-like in depth but which, with the black slate underneath, looks bottomless. Next to it there is an exquisitely contained garden, planted to give variety all year round. All very much more fragrant than it would have been just over 100 years ago when horses as well as humans were in residence. Jonathan Tuckey Design: 020 8960 1909; www.jonathantuckey.com The full version of this article can be seen in the May issue of House & Garden, on sale from tomorrow White bricks are modern without being blandly minimalist 20 WEDNESDAY 7 APRIL 2010 EVENING STANDARD Homes & Property Outdoors homesandproperty.co.uk Plants are the stars of every great garden. Our top designers reveal their sure-fire favourites Give your garden a professional edge by using the plants the experts choose for their great looks and reliability DON’T MISS Keep up with Pattie Barron’s latest gardening news on her blog. Visit homesandproperty.co.uk/blogs Pattie Barron Gardening problems? email our RHS expert at: gardenproblems @standard.co.uk GAP PHOTOS/FRIEDRICH STRAUSS L PLANT SMART create a frothy, lime-green background through May and June.” Claire Mee, like every London garden designer, puts evergreen Trachelospermum jasminoides at the top of her climbers list. “Clients don’t want plants that drop leaves or look messy, and this keeps its shape. The flowers are white, pretty and smell of jasmine. I’ve used it as ground cover, pinning it along the ground.” She frequently plants the felty-leaved shrub Brachyglottis Sunshine. “It’s a useful evergrey with a soft, light appearance that needs clipping to keep in shape. I use olive trees a lot, too, GAP PHOTOS/ZARA NAPIER ‘Lavender ticks every box: it’s fragrant, tough, beautiful in bloom, easy to look after and looks good all year’ Many designers favour the elegant multi-stemmed Himalayan birch SEE IT BUY IT SEE IT: LONDON’S ALTERNATIVE CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW If you can’t make Chelsea this year but would like to see some fabulous gardens in the same week, book a ticket on a river cruise and marvel at seven floating barges, moored next to Tower Bridge, for the ultimate in container planting. You will also visit the Inner Temple Garden at the Embankment, float upstream while you lunch on board, then view several small, jewel-like gardens along the esplanade at Chiswick because they have silky leaves that bring light into the garden.” Lilies are not the only summer bulbs. “I put Gladiolus murielae in every garden I do,” says Philip Nixon. “They have a wonderful scent, are moderately tall and look beautiful planted en masse, drifting through grasses. Plant the bulbs early or start them in a greenhouse. They may not survive a damp winter but they are cheap to buy.” Hydrangea arborescens Annabelle is a favourite of several garden designers, including Sara Jane Rothwell. “It’s the most gorgeous hydrangea, yet it is undemanding. The lime-white blooms are blowsy, beautiful and at their best in shade.” She also loves penstemons, notably Garnet, White Bedder and the pearly mauve-pink Sour Grapes. “I use them constantly because they’re semi-evergreen and they repeat-flower if you deadhead them from summer to early autumn.” H Hellebore hybridus are invaluable because they flower early in the year Be one of the first to grow the new fully hardy gerbera, Everlast Carmine comprises three plug plants of orange-scented, pale mauve Prince of Orange; spicy-scented Royal Oak, or Sweet Mimosa, with sugar-pink flowers, for £6.99, or buy all nine plants for £14.97, saving £6. The online shop is also offering hardy versions of gerbera. Buy three plants of Everlast Pink, Everlast White or Everlast Carmine for £18.99, or buy all nine for £46.97, saving £10. Get 15 per cent off everything at the shop, including the two offers, by visiting www.rhsplants.co.uk, or calling 0844 557 2622, and using code 300410. Offer ends on 4 May. Mall. The River Thames Tour, part of a number of tours organised by Gardens Etc in association with the National Gardens Scheme, is on 25 May and costs £100, but Homes & Property readers can take £10 off the price by visiting www.gardentoursetc.co.uk and entering code NGSETC2505. Tower Bridge’s flowering barges are part of a river cruise garden tour BUY IT: THE TWO SUMMER PLANT ESSENTIALS The bedding plant no London gardener should be without is the pelargonium. Try a different kind, one that has fragrant foliage, too. The scented-leaved pelargonium collection offered by the RHS online plant shop Designer James Aldridge plants two exotics repeatedly, both of which he claims are hardy in town gardens. “Aloe striatula looks fantastic through the year, either in a container or in the ground, where it looks especially good among grasses. Astelia chathamica Silver Spear has sword-like leaves but doesn’t have the harshness of a phormium. It’s tolerant, but the silver foliage is best in semi-shade.” The principal of the English Gardening School, Rosemary Alexander, loves irises. “In a sunny spot, irises provide a great vertical, spiky shape. Lavenderblue Jane Phillips has the best leaves and flower height, and flowers from late spring for quite a while. “For shade, Hellebore hybridus are unbeatable in providing flowers early in the year and are so easy, provided you cut back the leaves in early December.” London’s gardens need plants with good structure and scale, not fleeting flowers, says designer Declan Buckley. “Agapanthus africanus fits the bill because the foliage stays evergreen, it has good, strappy leaves and fantastic big blue flowers.” E HAS traded box, which can get blight, for safer bet Euonymus japonicus Microphyllus, which has a similar leaf and can be clipped like box. “And if you leave it, it makes a nice little dome all on its own.” Pleached trees make great living screens and Buckley favours two. “You can now buy pleached holly as well as Magnifolia grandiflora, which is investment dressing but worth every penny.” Richard Reynolds, London’s chief guerrilla gardener, depends on plants that thrive on neglect. His secret weapon: “Lavender! It ticks every box: it’s fragrant, tough, beautiful in bloom, easy to look after and looks good all year round.” GAP PHOTOS/SHARON PEARSON ONDON gardeners can learn from garden designers who need to use plants that look great, are easy to maintain and have a long season. What do the pros plant over and over in London gardens? For limited spaces, they choose small trees with big impact. Designer Charlotte Rowe loves multistemmed Himalayan birch, Betula utilis var jacquemontii. “With its silvery-white trunk and diaphanous upper reaches, it looks great in both summer and winter, and is perfect for small spaces, including roof terraces.” Multi-stemmed Amelanchier lamarckii is another favourite of hers. “It provides early blossom, has a great form in winter and is tough as old boots.” Fillers such as ground cover geraniums are indispensable. “Good old Alchemilla mollis is wonderful,” says Rowe. “It mixes well with lavender, santolina and many other plants to 24 WEDNESDAY 7 APRIL 2010 EVENING STANDARD Homes & Property Property search homesandproperty.co.uk The blossom is out along the tree-lined avenues of Putney, where good transport and excellent schools provide the perfect mix for families, says Anthea Masey SPOTLIGHT ON PUTNEY £625,000: in Putney Hill, Putney, SW15, a split-level, two double-bedroom flat on the ground floor of a Victorian villa. Through Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward (020 8780 0033) Visit homesandproperty.co.uk/sales/428290 S ITTING happily and prosperously between the Thames and the wild open spaces of Putney Heath, Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park, Putney is a charmed part of southwest London. At the top of the hill there was once a telegraph station that transmitted messages from Portsmouth to the Admiralty in London during the Napoleonic wars. At the Telegraph pub in Putney, and also at the cricket ground, you could almost be in the heart of the country. A walk along the riverbank passes through pretty parks; a new riverside piazza; the starting point for the annual Oxford and Cambridge boat race, and a quiet corner where the water laps FIND MORE HOMES AT homesandproperty.co.uk/ putney £1.2 million: at Putney Wharf, a three-bedroom, two bathroom apartment with stunning views and a private balcony. Through agents SW15 (020 8788 5330). Visit homesandproperty.co.uk/sales/350440. £399,950: in Keswick Road, moments from East Putney Tube, a two-bedroom flat with off-street parking and communal gardens. Through agents Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward (020 8780 0033). Visit homesandproperty.co.uk/sales/666691. £699,950: in Carlton Drive, central Putney, this immaculate, two-bedroom penthouse has a 996-year lease. Through Chesterton Humberts (020 8246 5959). Visit homesandproperty.co.uk/sales/548773 ESTATE AGENTS who would like to be on our site should call 020 8973 2904 or 020 8973 2913 Tales of the riverbank: Putney’s position on the Thames is enviable LIVING THE A riverside setting, and large houses where couples can put down roots — once settled here, people tend to stay over the towpath towards a ramshackle row of boathouses. It is hard to believe that this wealthy suburb was once the centre of the radical Putney Debates. These historic hearings were held in 1647 in St Mary’s, the church close to Putney Bridge, between the radical levellers and generals from Cromwell’s New Model Army, an event now celebrated with a permanent exhibition in the church. Today, Putney is a Tory stronghold and its MP, Justine Greening, the shadow minister for London, is a rising star with a strong local following. James French at estate agents Douglas & Gordon, who grew up in Putney, says the area attracts families who want the best of both worlds. “Putney is the nearest thing to country living without moving out of London, and it has a good choice of great schools.” LOWDOWN ON PUTNEY Below: The wellto-do, suburban character of roads within Putney’s dozen conservation areas is highly valued and jealously guarded The area attracts: Couples seeking large houses where they and their children can put down long-term roots. Staying power: Once settled in Putney, families tend to stay. Best postcodes: Putney is in SW15. Best streets: There are 12 conservation areas. For those drawn to the riverside setting, the two best roads are Deodar Road and Ruvigny Gardens on either side of Putney Bridge. Almost uniquely in London, some of the houses in Deodar Road run down directly to the Thames. For those who like the rural aspect of Putney, the best road is Lower Common South where there are large, detached Victorian houses dating from the 1880s. Houses here sell for around £2 million and the most expensive went for £4.4 million — one of the highest prices ever for a house in Putney. Even more rural is Putney Heath, at the top of Putney Hill, from where you can walk for miles through the woods and the open spaces of the heath itself and the connecting Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park. This area is dominated by three mansion blocks: Manor Fields, Wildcroft Manor and Highlands Heath. In Bowling Green Close there are a number of Thirties Modern Movement houses. Moonside, designed by Thomas Wallis, the architect of the Hoover building on the Great West Road, is currently for sale through Hamptons (020 8780 0077) for £2.25 million. The most expensive house on the market now in Putney is in Bristol Gardens, a crescent of large, detached houses. Savills (020 8780 9900) is selling this seven-bedroom house for £4.95 million. West Putney and, more specifically, the Above: Ruvigny Gardens offers family homes next to the river at Putney Bridge 25 EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 7 APRIL 2010 Property search Homes & Property homesandproperty.co.uk The “medallion” family houses of Gwendolen Avenue are among the most expensive in the area, starting at £2.5 million In the Telegraph’s garden, you could almost be enjoying a country pub homesandproperty.co.uk AGENTS DIRECTORY: homesandproperty.co.uk/ agents-putney Wandsworth Park is a quiet retreat moments from Putney High Street CHARMED LIFE SALES AND RENTING Average sales prices in SW15 One-bedroom flat: £241,772 Two-bedroom flat: £349,435 Two-bedroom house: £420,674 Three-bedroom house: £508,053 Four-bedroom house: £843,765 (source: Hometrack) Average lettings prices in SW15 One-bedroom flat : £1,000 to £1,300pm Two-bedroom flat : £1,250 to £2,000pm Three-bedroom house: £1,700 to £3,000pm Four-bedroom house: £3,000 to £4,000pm Five-plus bedroom houses: £4,000 to £8,000pm Top and above right: The Putney Exchange shopping centre offers top brands area south of Richmond Road, is more popular than East Putney — the area between Putney Hill and West Hill. West Putney has a mixture of large, late-Victorian and Edwardian houses. This is a good place to find large family houses and converted flats. The most expensive houses are the “medallion houses” in Gwendolen Avenue, where prices start at £2.5 million and have gone as high as £4.4 million, a price equalled only by Lower Common South. Up-and-coming areas: The Rusholme Road conservation area takes in a section of West Hill and a number of surrounding streets of mainly Edwardian detached and semi-detached houses. While expensive, prices are still cheaper than in West Putney. The Dover Court Estate, east of Roehampton Lane, a former LCC cottage estate, is cheaper than anywhere else in Putney. Expect to pay £350,000 for a three-bedroom house. What’s new: Putney Square is a large development of 210, studio, one-, twoand three-bedroom flats and penthouses on the site of the old South Thames College on Putney Hill by Barratt (020 8326 7171), for completion in autumn next year. Housing association A2Dominion (0800 783 2159) will be selling the 54 affordable flats. Schools: Four of the best state primaries are in West Putney. They are: Hotham, St Mary’s CofE, Our Lady of Victories RC and All Saints CofE. A fifth — Brandlehow — is in East Putney. Lion To buy a home in Putney, visit: House, Putney Park, Prospect House and Hurlingham are the local prep schools. The best state secondary is Ashcroft Technology College, judged “outstanding” by Ofsted. The private Putney High for girls, nearby St Paul’s boys’ school in Barnes, St Paul’s girls’ school in Hammersmith and King’s College in Wimbledon are all highly academic and get excellent results. Shops and restaurants: Putney High Street and the Putney Exchange shopping centre offer top high street names including Waitrose and Sainsbury’s. Independent shops abound on Putney Bridge Road in West Putney. Alfresco eating at Carluccio’s or the Boathouse pub overlooking the river in the piazza at Putney Wharf is a tucked-away pleasure on a sunny evening. Pubs include the Duke’s Head close to the start of the boat race; the Half Moon a famous music venue; and the Telegraph, hidden away in the heart of Putney Heath. Enoteca Turi in the high street is Putney’s favourite Italian restaurant. MasterChef judge Gregg Wallace recently opened his first restaurant, Wallace & Co, on Upper Richmond Road, to mixed reviews. Transport: Putney Bridge, Fulham, and Putney East Tube stations are in Zone 2 and are on the Wimbledon branch of the District line; Putney station has trains to Clapham Junction (six minutes) and Waterloo (17 minutes). Putney itself is on the A3 connecting it to Guildford and Portsmouth. An annual travelcard covering Zones 1 and 2 costs £1,032. Council: Putney is in Wandsworth and the Band D council tax for 2010/11 is £682. homesandproperty.co.uk Alfresco eating in the piazza at Putney Wharf is a tucked away pleasure on a sunny evening DON’T MISS Spotlight on Kilburn next week and on Richmond on 21 April Photographs by: Barry Phillips O Allan Fuller Estate Agents 020 8788 8822 O Andrews Estate Agents 020 8780 2233 O Brinkley’s Estate Agents 020 8785 3652 O Chartwell Residential 020 8780 6790 O Desouza Residential 020 8870 4161 O Dexters Sales: 020 8789 9999. Lettings: 020 8789 9090 O Douglas and Gordon East Putney: sales 020 8788 3000; lettings 020 8788 3333. West Putney: sales 020 8785 6666; lettings: 020 8788 3333 O Foxtons 020 8355 1000 O Savills 020 8780 9900 O Hamptons Sales: 020 8780 0077. Lettings: 020 8780 0900 O James Anderson Estate Agents 020 8788 6611 and 020 8785 4400 O Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward Sales: 020 8780 0033 and 020 8785 2122. Lettings 020 8785 3433 O Lauristons 020 8780 8780 O Marcus Kemp Estates 020 7384 1909 O One London Property 0845 118 4566 O Oscar Knight 020 8823 0741 O Purpleproperty.com 020 8871 2424 O Rawlings & Co 020 7384 9544 O Riverhomes.co.uk 020 7407 8000 O Sebastian Estates 020 7610 9902 O Seymour Green 020 8870 0111 O Sullivan Thomas Sales: 020 7731 3333. Lettings: 020 7751 8898 O SW15 020 8788 5330 O The Real World Rental Company 020 7736 1600 O Tomlinson Property 020 7384 0686 O Townends 020 8785 4244 ¯ŏìơ ¯ŝÝ ŏìƹƹŃŝĭơ ŧ ¯ÝǙìƛƹŃơì Ľìƛì ͯŏŏ ǥdžǥ ƪš ƽô ƪdž Ĩƪ #ơƹ¯ƹì ĭìŝƹơ 9¯ƛ¯ĭì ÍÍŧŗƄÚ ¸ x¯ƛōŃŝĭ AŧnjơìÂŧ¯ƹơ xƛŧŽìƛƹǜ njÍƹŃŧŝơ "1- "/ ", - Ë££xäää°ää " " iÜÞ ,ivÕÀLà i` Ó i`À ÕÃi >Ì vÀ Ã>i° ÕÃÌ Li -ii° äÓä nxÈ£ xÈxn #6/0: 5*3# -/%' 5;,; )6 # /) +))6"#3 ++(0 /3 6) 3/3 +)+) 5 # +)+) +/+6"#0 + %#(+) +63#8/& ) )08+/3# /+:+) +6)%' +6)37%8 0330 ' /%)"/ ' ) 0330 %7/0 963+/0 +/3""0 /6030 6'% /%73 %(%3 +(-)%0 +3#/0 /#+' )3 +600 0#+' )3 '30 0%)3%' )703()30 7'+-()3 ) +((/%' /+-/3%0 +/ ) 63%+) 3'+"6 ;5; 11;4 !!;, )3/' +)+) 5,$54 +00+- 3/3 #'0 +)+) 4 5 . ;5; 1; 4;. 63%+)0$/.+.6& +63# +)+) 1 (/8'' #6/# 3/3 (/8'' +)+) . ;5; 11;4 !!;,. 63%+)0$/.+.6& 888.$/.+.6& Îä ÃiV` ëÀÌ Ì ÌÀ> ÃÌ>Ì° xä ÕÌiÃ Ì ` Û> ÀÞ`° À Ài vÀ>Ì #¯ơƹ 8ŏ¯ƹ ¸ Aŧnjơì Ľ¯ƛì ÜÜÜ°ÃÌ>ÀLÀÕ} °iÌÉÃÌ>ÀLÀÕ} äÇÇx{ Ó{ÎÈn >Àià -7£Î *ÀviÃÃ> «iÀÃ Ì Ã >Ài Li>ÕÌvÕ 6VÌÀ> VÌÌ>}i ÜÌ £ Ì iÀ° "Ü >À}i `ÕLi À° ÃÞ Û} À] ÜÌ «>Ì `ÀÃ Ì }>À`i° À} Ì] >ÀÞ ÌV i «i «> Ì `} >Ài> ÜÌ `ÀÃ Ì VÕÀÌ Þ>À` }>À`i° /À>Ã Ì 7>ÌiÀ iÛiÀÞ £x à à x à Ü>° 7`iÀvÕ ÃiiVÌ v à «Ã >` ÀiÃÌ>ÕÀ>Ìð ËÈxä«V VÕ`} Là ³ }Þ ½Ã «° /i\ äÇÇ££ nÈääÓ£ 8ŏ¯ƹơ ŧ Xìƹ - ", .ÍÁjjÍ ÄÍÖ~ ¤ Mja wÖÁ ?¬?ÁÍ ¬ÁÍ ja MW± ÌÏyå¬Ý± -jw F j¬ Áj¶± å¤ÔÏoÔ¤¤|Ï a?ß å¤ÔÏoȤyÔo ?wÍjÁ È]Ïå¬ F Ýjjjaı -/ 17 -ÓÓ å= j?ÖÍwÖ jÝß ÁjwÖÁMÄja Ô MjaÁ w?Í^ ?Ü??Mj ja ?Íjß ± ? 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' 1-1 ()-- 11 !! ! !! !! !! !!! -(!# (%3 '$-# ŧnjŝƹƛǜ Aŧŗìơ 4/4 *$4 . !! !$ ! !%# "$ #! $ " !! ! ! # !! / ),)4 ! # ! 1,1 * * 222')-(!# (%3'%" Ɨŏ¯ŝÝơ Ńƹǜ njơŃŝìơơ 8ŧƛ ¯ŏìƳ¡¯ŝƹìÝ -(!# (%3 !),#1! 4/4 **$ .. 7 ,1 -1,' 1,1 3 2 %,$'5%% 4/4 *$ 4+4+ *7/ 1 )!' 1,1 * 222')-(!# (%3'%" ", - - 7 , 7£ -Õ«iÀ V>Ì £xÞÀà Ã>i ÜiÀ ÃiVÕÀi i>Ãi] vÕÞ vÌÌi`] VÀiÀ à « ««ÀÌÕÌÞ Ì Ì Li ÃÃi` Ë£x°x\ äÇn{äΣÇxx À i> >}À>ÌJ Ì>°V ŧ ¯ÝǙìƛƹŃơì Ľìƛì ƹĽŃơ ơŽƛŃŝĭ ͯŏŏ ǥdžǥ ƪš ƽô ƪdž Ĩƪ 29 EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 7 APRIL 2010 Letting on Homes & Property homesandproperty.co.uk THE NOT-VERY-HANDY HANDYMAN THE £450pw: a one-bedroom house in Huntsworth Mews, Marylebone, available through Foxtons. For more pictures and details, visit homesand property.co.uk/ lettings/613077 ACCIDENTAL LANDLORD A NEW tenant complained that the curtains in her bedroom were so thin that she was being woken too early in the morning so, ignoring my husband’s sarcastic comments about profits going down drains, I spent £15 on a blackout blind which, I told him smugly, was money well spent if it kept the tenant happy. Only now I need someone to put it up. I daren’t ask my husband who seems to have downed tools. And as I’m not handy with a drill I Google “Londonhandyman”. Up pop at least a dozen firms specialising in odd jobs. They all charge a £20 call-out fee and £20 per half hour, which means I’ll have to pay at least £40 plus VAT. I start to regret my generosity. I pick the first handyman outfit on the list, which promises to send me a “multiskilled and very experienced handyman”. When he arrives I discover he is also monosyllabic and Victoria Whitlock pays a high price to keep her tenant happy very grumpy, but he gets quickly to work, which is good as the clock is ticking. The clock hasn’t ticked for very long when the handyman shuffles out of the bedroom with a broken bedside lamp in his hands. He has accidentally smashed the base with his spirit level. “I’ll knock it off the bill,” he grumbles in an Eeyore sort of way. He finishes the job in less than 30 minutes but when I inspect the blind it’s sagging across the top and when I unroll the fabric, which is smeared in grubby fingerprints, it’s so wonky that it scrapes the wall at one side and leaves a one-inch gap at the other. Clearly putting up blinds is not one of this handyman’s many skills. He goes back to work and the clock starts ticking again. Two of the other tenants are home and they take the opportunity to tell me that they’re moving out. I’m surprised, they only signed a new lease a few weeks ago, and disappointed because although these Aussie girls can’t change a light bulb, have difficulty operating the central heating (what’s a thermostat?) and blew up the microwave, they’re very nice. “It’s not the flat,” they assure me. Then what is it? They glance uncomfortably at one another then one of them blurts out: “It’s the new girls, they’re Mormons!” I’m taken aback. I’ve never knowingly met a Mormon before (though I did once propose to Donny Osmond by post) and I don’t know anything about the religion so I ask why this is a problem. “Oh it’s okay them being Mormons,” one of the girls says defensively, “but they have rules, like no boyfriends, which they want us to follow, which is just, well, bloody annoying.” Yes, I can see it might be. The Aussie girls have found a couple of friends to take over their lease and as they are determined to move out there’s nothing I can do about it. I pay the handyman £131 (trying not to cry) and go home to find out more about Mormonism. When I read on the BBC website that there are only 190,000 Mormons in the whole of the UK, I feel privileged to have not one but two living in my flat. It sounds like an easy-going, live-andlet-live form of Christianity, but when I get to a bit about no sex before marriage (including petting or necking), no alcohol, no smoking and no soft drinks containing caffeine, I realise how this might cramp the style of two hard-drinking, chainsmoking Aussies. I just hope their friends who are moving into the flat are teetotal and celibate. Victoria Whitlock is a mother of two who lets three properties in south London. 30 WEDNESDAY 7 APRIL 2010 EVENING STANDARD Homes & Property Inside story homesandproperty.co.uk MONDAY THURSDAY Driving into Salisbury this morning, I notice that the daffodils are blossoming. Is spring finally here? Given the shortage of good houses, I’m hoping the sunny weather will encourage a few people to move. My first appointment is at a delightful manor house. On walking into an impressive panelled bedroom, the owner tells me that it is known as Monck’s Room, after George Monck, later the 1st Duke of Albemarle, who helped return Charles II to the throne. As the owner admits: “Gordon Brown owes all his problems to this house!” My afternoon is spent at a beautiful late-Georgian house we sold to the current owners 12 years ago. Since then they have given the house an exquisite overhaul, restoring the original charm but giving it a modern feel. The stable block has been turned into a state-ofthe-art recording studio, with a collection of vintage guitars used on some of the top albums of the past 10 years. I have an appointment to visit clients who have been in touch with me for seven years, but the house never quite manages to come to the market. I was supposed to visit them last week but they cancelled, and sounded strangely frazzled. The reason for the delay is two newly adopted young rescue dogs — a doberman and a foxhound — which chewed through the inlet pipe of a fridge freezer and managed to flood the boot room. Undeterred, the redecoration is now finished. It is a lovely period house with stables and six acres surrounded by excellent riding country. After Easter is a good time to bring it to market. The indoor swimming pool is now gone. TUESDAY The morning is dominated by intense negotiation over the sale of a remarkable Queen Anne house with views and river frontage. We have a good offer but there are still keen buyers who are desperate to visit the house. We agree a sale at the guide price. Later, we get an acceptable offer on a very handsome house with a large garden and its own lake. Usually in the run-up to a general election, the property market slows down but there seems to be little evidence of it today. FRIDAY DIARY OF AN ESTATE AGENT Our agent discovers an economist with a pet parrot, two dogs with their own indoor swimming pool and a collection of vintage guitars I spend the afternoon at a delightful farmhouse with superb period barns from the early 16th century. There are also formal gardens, stables and paddocks, and the house sits in an extremely tranquil and popular position. We are confident that it will attract a premium buyer. The day’s activity leaves me with the feeling that the majority of our clients have discounted the election and Budget, and just want to get on with their lives. WEDNESDAY We are advising a shrewd economist on the potential sale of his house, and it is fascinating to hear his take on the country’s financial position. Our serious chat about the global money markets is given a bizarre twist by the beautiful parrot that’s perched on his shoulder. I take on a new instruction for a superb thatched house in a very popular village near Longleat. The majority of houses there are still owned by the estate so the rare freehold sales always create a stir; the last house I sold in the village went for 16 per cent over the guide price, so the bar is set high. Saturday and Sunday certainly won’t be quiet as a charming but dilapidated house in a breathtaking position is attracting huge interest. I explain to numerous buyers that even a basic overhaul will cost about £200,000. However, if anyone is brave enough to spend half a million on it they will end up with a stunning house with panormic views for 30 miles. Driving home on Friday, I notice the first blossom in the hedgerow. I must ring the owners of Cherry Tree Cottage — it’s the perfect time to sell. Andrew Grice is an agent at Strutt & Parker’s Salisbury office (01722 328741) For more estate agents’ diaries, visit: homesandproperty.co.uk 1-/ x¯ *"-/ à > vÀÃÌ Ìi LÕÞiÀà ii` Ì Ûi iÀit ½YY~s¸ Ãa½aV 3Oa°¸a (8V Äa ,q ³ , 7 " 7] " " -1,,9½- "-/ -, 6-° / Àii >` vÕÀ Li`À ÕÃiÃ] ÃiÌ L>V > i>vÞ V>Ì° *iÀviVÌ vÀ Ì i VÕÌiÀ] ÜÌ -Ìii} ÌÀ> ÃÌ>Ì ÕÃÌ > £Î ÕÌi Ü> >Ü>Þ] >` iÝViiÌ >VViÃÃ Ì Ì i ΰ *1-] 7½ / 9"1, x¯ *"-/ -/, /9 / 6/9tI Î E { Li`À ÕÃià vÀ ËÎÎä]äää° Ã >Û>>Li] v> Ó Li`À >«>ÀÌiÌ ÜÌ i ÃÕÌi >Ì ËÓ{]x "«i / ÕÀà £ä> x« e >\ änää nnÎ n£{ä e <yùèl Äa è³ ´³Êʳ e ÜÜÜ°v>ÀÛiÜ°V°Õ «ÕÌiÀ }iiÀ>Ìi` >}i° I-ÕLiVÌ Ì ÌiÀà >` V`Ìà ÃiiVÌi` ið *ÀVià VÀÀiVÌ >Ì Ìi v «ÕLV>Ì° 31 EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 7 APRIL 2010 Ask the expert Homes & Property homesandproperty.co.uk I’M ALL FOR RICHER BUT HE’S FAR POORER Fiona McNulty WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM? IF YOU have a question for Fiona McNulty, email legalsolutions@ standard.co.uk, or write to: Legal Solutions, Homes & Property, Evening Standard, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5EE. OUR LAWYER ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS Q MY BOYFRIEND and I are about to buy a property together for £245,000. I have the deposit, which I have saved myself. My boyfriend has just come out of a relationship, and so has no money. We have been offered a joint mortgage. I have never owned a property before but he has, so I don’t think we can benefit from the new stamp duty holiday. What should we do? We regret that questions cannot be answered individually but we will try to feature them here. Fiona is a partner in the property team at Thring Townsend Lee & Pembertons Solicitors (www.ttuk.com). A IF YOU buy the property in your name only, instead of jointly, you will be able to take advantage of the Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) holiday announced in the Budget because you have never owned a property before, and the one you are buying is not more than £250,000 — as long as you buy it before 25 March 2012. However, you may be obtaining a joint mortgage with your boyfriend because your income is not enough to support a mortgage in your name alone. If you need your boyfriend’s income to be taken into account, the property will have to be bought in your joint names, and so you will not be able to benefit from the SDLT holiday as your boyfriend has had a previous interest in a property. As you are paying the deposit, take legal advice on whether you should hold the property as tenants in common in unequal shares, in order to protect the investment you have made in the property. Q I HAVE inherited a pretty valuable property which is in a bad state of repair. I have been told that if I spend a substantial amount of money, refurbishing it to a high standard, I will be able to rent it out for about £1,500 a week. However, I am also told I will not be able to use the usual type of assured shorthold tenancy agreement that my letting agents normally prepare for me. Why is that ? A TO BE an assured shorthold tenancy at the moment under the Housing Act 1988, the rent must be between £1,000 and £25,000 a year in Greater London. Clearly, you would not now be able to use such an agreement as the annual rental would be £78,000. However, from 1 October this year, the law is changing and tenancies with rents between £25,001 and £100,000 will then fall within the provision of the 1988 Act. If it takes a few months to carry out the work, by the time you are ready to let the property in the autumn you will be able to use an assured shorthold tenancy agreement, provided it is after 1 October. This means that you will be able to take advantage of the accelerated possession proceedings reserved for assured shorthold tenancies, which reduce the time and cost of seeking an order for possession by avoiding the necessity for a court hearing. But do remember that you will need to register any deposit with an approved tenancy deposit scheme. 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