Reactive Blog #14 - Cold Weather Life Hacks

Cold Weather Life Hacks

As the weather keeps getting colder and colder, we need to do even more to try and stay warm, keep away from colds and stop things from freezing. This can come at a cost, with heated blankets and similar products being rather expensive. Here are some quick and easy life hacks on how to survive the cold!

Clearing a Driveway Full of Ice/Snow

Clearing a path or driveway full of snow or ice can be a long process, especially if it's only a thin layer, as it makes it a lot harder to shovel away properly. To fix this, you should use a large brush instead of a shovel and simply just brush it all away.

Non-Stick Spray on a Shovel

For thicker snow that can’t be brushed away, a great tip for clearing snow is adding non-stick spray onto the end of the shovel to stop the snow from sliding off and breaking apart when moving it. This will save you a lot of time and frustration when moving snow away on the cold mornings.

Utilising Excess Heat from the Oven After Cooking/Baking

Cold evenings are the worst. It can be hard to stay warm and relax without having half a dozen blankets on top of you. To save money on your heating bill, you can leave your oven slightly open after cooking/baking food to make use of the access heat. However, this is only suitable for electric ovens, as it may not be safe with gas.

Foam Pipe Insulator on the Bottom of the Door

Another way to keep warm on cold and windy nights is to prevent door draughts, trapping the heat inside your room. Instead of buying an expensive draught stopper, you can just slide a foam pipe insulator on the bottom of your doors. That will keep you warm for sure!

Winter colds – Vicks Vaporub in the Shower

The most annoying thing that comes along with cold weather is catching colds. It seems like they are neverending. You can prevent this by bringing some Vicks Vaporub in the shower with you, as it mixes with the hot air and clears your throat and nose. It is one of the most effective ways to use the product and it will keep them colds away for sure!

Reactive Blog #9 - Top Tips for Landlords: Part 2

Top Tips for Landlords: Part 2

Letting out property can be very stressful and confusing at times, especially when letting to students. Finding the right tenant for you can be a tricky and long process, so we have put together some top tips that will help you along the way.

Overpricing the Property

Vendors will often try and talk up the rental value of their property to gain more interest in their property, but landlords this is not a good idea. They can easily check the reality by talking to lettings agents and researching online. In a price sensitive market, having overly high rent will mean the property could remain empty while the outgoings continue.

Poor Presentation and Poor Furniture

Due to property being so expensive, all sorts of people rent these days. Some as a lifestyle choice, but others because they can’t afford to buy a property. Many people will be renting long-term. Tenants will want a property that feels like just like home, not something that doesn’t feel theirs, so if the property looks like a throwback to their student renting days, they will either treat it badly or leave and find a better one.

Get Tenant References

Landlords need to know if a potential tenant can and will pay the rent on time. That is why you need to get a tenant referencing from them. It’s important to check employer and bank reference. References should also help determine whether they will be a good tenant who will pay on time and treat the property well.

Have the Right Insurance

Standard home insurance is not designed for rental properties. Landlords will need to take out a specialist buy-to-let buildings and contents policy that includes public liability cover, incase a tenant makes a claim against them for an accident they might have had in the property. You can also choose to take out rent guarantee insurance to cover unpaid rent if the tenant is still in the property. You will need to ensure that the letting agent is registered with the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) so that both the landlord and tenant’s money is protected.

If you are still having troubles you can ask one of us at Reactive for help at: http://www.reactiveinsurance.co.uk/about/#contactus

Reactive Blog #8 - Top Tips for University Living

Top Tips for University Living

Moving into your first shared house at university can be very daunting as there are so many things you need to learn to do very quickly that you have never done before. Such as paying bills, signing important contracts and engaging with landlords. Here are some top tips for you to make sure you have done everything properly before moving in.

Check over the Important Things

When you find a house that you like you should ask the letting agents for a full list of fees before you agree to the property. It is important to remember that letting agents cannot charge you to register with them or to show you around properties. If they ask you for money for this, it is best to report them to your university.

You should also ask to see a copy of the energy performance certificate. This way you can find out how energy efficient the property is.

If possible it is best to speak to the current tenants. They will tell you if the property suffers from damp and whether the landlord or letting agent is easy to get hold of when there is an issue.

It is best to have your tenancy agreement checked over by the student union, or even your Citizens Advice Bureau if possible. If there's anything you're not happy with that they find in the contract, you can go back to the landlord or letting agent and suggest changes.

Make Sure Your Deposit Is Protected

It is very important that you make sure your deposit is protected. This way you can get your deposit back safely. When agreeing to a property your landlord must do two things with your deposit. They have to protect it within a deposit protection scheme within 30 days of receiving them from you, and they must give information about which scheme they're protected with to you.

Know What Type of Contract You're On 

Students renting private shared accommodation can either have separate or joint tenancy agreements. If you have a joint tenancy, where everyone signs the same tenancy agreement. All tenants have responsibility for the rent, so if one person does something wrong or drops out. All tenants may have to pay their share. It can be difficult for one person to move out when it’s a fixed-term joint tenancy agreement, so know what contract you have signed before you decided to drop out of university if you don’t like it. You could be left paying rent when you don’t even live there.

Make an Inventory When You Move In

So you’re at the point where you have signed for your first shared house. Now you need to make an inventory list of what is in the house and what is wrong with everything (down to every scratch on anything). To do this, make sure you look thoroughly at the property when you move in and note it all down. You will need to give this to your landlord or agency. This means that if they try and charge you for anything that wasn’t you, you will have proof that it was already there.

Know How to Contact Your Landlord

Your landlord is responsible for most repairs in the house and some repairs need to be fixed within a certain amount of days legally. If they refuse to fix them then you can get advice from an organisation like Shelter or from your student union (who should be very helpful).

You need to make sure that you know how to contact your landlord and that you've asked them how all appliances work. That way you can talk to them about any repairs before they get worse.

Reactive Blog #7 - Tips For Buying a New Home

Tips For Buying a New Home

Buying a new or even a first home can be very exciting, but also daunting. There are so many things you need to worry about and look into to make sure there is nothing wrong with your potential future house. So we have put together some top things to check when looking for a new house.

What Way Is the House Facing?

Buying a new or even a first home can be very exciting, but also daunting. There are so many things you need to worry about and look into to make sure there is nothing wrong with your potential future house. So we have put together some top things to check when looking for a new house.

What Way Is the House Facing?

The way that the house faces might not seem like a big deal, but in the summer you will really notice the difference. Most people really want a house that will be filled with warmth and light from the sun in the summer, which is a quality only really attainable if you purchase a south-facing house.

Check the Loft

The loft (if there is one) is a very important part of the house, even if you aren’t looking to convert it into a room. So make sure to check it out and see what the storage space like and the condition it’s in. Is it insulated properly? Is it caving in due to damp? Make sure you aren’t looking at a massive problem that could affect you financially and logistically in the future.

How’s the Roof?

How does the roof look? Does it look like its caving in? An old, unstable roof could end up costing you a lot. This is an important thing to check as roof problems are some of the most common.

Check the Plumbing 

We recommend taking a moment to have a look at the water pressure by turning on the taps to see if the taps are insulated or not. It is best to ask how old the boiler is and if it likely needs replacing in the future. It is also best to check where the hot water tank is situated and to be aware that if it’s in the roof, it may be old and will soon need upgrading soon.

What Can You Smell?

Can you smell any funny smells? like gas, sewage, or anything else unpleasant? In old properties there can be problems with the sewage systems, it can sometimes become blocked by tree roots or rocks. Luckily, many sewage companies can feed cameras underground to see what exactly is going on, but this type of impending issue is always best avoided.

What’s the Area Like?

It is best to look around the land the house is built on as well as to look around properly inside. Some things to look at is to see if it is set on a hill, or if the area prone to flooding. It might sound like a lot to take in, but it’s important to pay attention to the surroundings of the home you’re going to buy.