In today's fast-paced world, where modernity often takes precedence, there's a growing appreciation for the historical charm and architectural beauty of British period properties.
As winter arrives, property guardians face dropping temperatures and increasing energy bills. Keep your space warm without overspending with these 10 tips:
Living as a Blue Door Property Guardian in the UK offers a unique opportunity to occupy and care for vacant properties while enjoying cost-effective living arrangements. While the primary focus of guardianship is security and maintenance, it doesn't mean sacrificing style and comfort. In fact, with a bit of creativity and resourcefulness, property guardians can turn their abodes into stylish and welcoming homes. In this article, we'll explore home decor and offer valuable decorating tips tailored to the property guardianship lifestyle.
Blue Door offers a unique opportunity for individuals and organisations to contribute to their communities in a meaningful way. By repurposing unused properties, this can create affordable housing options, improve the quality of life in local neighbourhoods and help to revitalise struggling communities. Whether as a guardian or a property owner, there are many ways to get involved and make a positive impact in your community.
According to the Office of National Statistics (ONS), rent should be no more than 30% of your income. But what is the reality, and what does that mean for different regions and salaries?
Here’s the breakdown.
Affordability is obviously a slippery term to define. Some people need rent to be low because they have more expensive lifestyles (or children to raise). Others don’t mind spending more on rent, since they prefer to spend their evenings at home cooking, rather than buying expensive meals out.
It’s all relative, but very loosely, 30% of your income being spent on rent allows for 20% to be spent on bills, student loan repayments/other essential living costs and 50% on lifestyle and saving.
For someone on a 20k salary (£1439 a month – after tax), affordable rent at 30% would be £431.70 per month, with £287.8 per month on bills/living costs and £719.50 for living. Sounds reasonable right?
Well, yes. However, in reality, the UK housing market doesn't allow for such a reasonable distribution, and certain areas make finding flats to rent at £431.70 a month impossible.
In fact, in order to afford a 1-bed in London, someone on an entry-level £20k salary would need to spend 70% of their (post-tax) earnings on rent, plus significantly more in bills and council tax.
Of course, 20k earners rarely go for this, and instead opt to flatshare in order to save money. Even flatsharing, however, it is rare for someone to find a room in London for less than £600, making their monthly rent £170 over the “affordable” budget margin.
It’s clear that due to the state of the UK housing market, a new solution is needed when it comes to renting. Higher salaries will always be the number one option, but in the interim, seeking out low-cost, alternative rental solutions are also important for those on lower salaries in big cities.
One option is Property Guardianship, a fairly new concept, which allows individuals to temporarily inhabit vacant residential or commercial properties at lower than average rent. These properties are vulnerable to vandalism or squatters if left empty for too long, so landlords and property managers open them up to Property Guardians to legally inhabit the property and provide 24/7 security – simply by living there!
It’s a great solution because it allows people on lower incomes (or simply those that want to save on rent) to live in characterful properties in desirable locations, at a fraction of normal market rental costs.
If you want to find out more about becoming a Guardian, check out our website, where we include lengthy information guides and FAQs for potential Guardians.
Curious to find out more about becoming a Guardian? Or got a vacant property you’d like protected? Contact us today via our web-form, or call 02078594213 for advice on how Blue Door Property Guardians can help you.
Vacant residential and commercial buildings are vulnerable to a host of threats that not only damage your asset but can cost a lot to rectify. If you’re thinking of leaving your building unoccupied for an extended period, our list of the Top Ten Threats to Vacant Properties will give you an idea of what to expect, so you can take preventative action.
If you’ve ever dipped your toe in the rental property market, you’ll know there are always a range of factors at play, some of which are beyond your control. The economy could boom or bust. Changes to transport routes could dramatically impact demand in your area. And who knows, a global epidemic could hit! But there are lots of factors that you can control, and these become especially crucial if you’re struggling to find a tenant for your residential property. Every day that your property sits unoccupied costs you money, and this mounting pressure can cause some landlords to make rash decisions like accepting unsuitable tenants or selling when it is unwise to.
