Shoreditch

Among the most fashionable places to live in London is Shoreditch – part of the borough of Hackney. Home to well-known names such as T4′s Miquita Oliver, Peaches Geldof and Tracey Emin, the area is known for its thriving arts scene, which was reinvigorated in the 1990s by artists like Damien Hirst.

Since its regeneration, the settlement has grown in popularity among those working for dotcom companies, many of which base themselves around the Old Street roundabout. To cater for the up and coming talent working at these firms, you’ll find numerous modern apartment blocks in converted industrial buildings finished to a high standard with contemporary decor.

Both Old Street and Curtain Road are renowned as the area’s nightlife capital, with plenty of bars and clubs along here.

Stoke Newington

Also in Hackney is Stoke Newington – a diverse district not far from Charing Cross and often likened to a village due to its intimate atmosphere and charming architecture.

There are numerous Grade II-listed buildings to be found here, along with a generous amount of open space in the form of pretty parks.

Home to a lively music scene, the area was popularised by Brit-pop band Blur in the 1990s and is now associated with the likes of Paloma Faith, DJ Dextrous and Marc Bolan.

Despite its status as a city district, the area holds a bustling weekly farmers’ market in a school playground and has some affordable high-quality accommodation if you’re considering renting here.

New Cross

If you’re looking for somewhere young and trendy, you can’t really go wrong if you decide to set up home in New Cross. Part of the borough of Lewisham, the area is home to Goldsmiths, University of London and is associated with a number of modern bands as well as the old Brit-pop and indie rock movements of the 1990s.

Popular nightclub the Venue has previously held gigs by well-known bands like Radiohead, Oasis, Pulp and Ocean Colour Scene and has been noted as the birthplace of New Rave, spawning groups like the Klaxons.

If this sounds like your kind of scene, you can browse the market to find the ideal apartment, many of which are situated in converted period properties. There are plenty of house-share options too if you’re planning to attend the university, as well as ultra-modern studio flats to choose from.

Peckham Rye
A little ward of Southwark, Peckham Rye is characterised by its green open spaces. Consisting of little more than several main roads and off-shooting streets, the settlement is bordered by larger places like Nunhead and Bellenden and is the ideal base if you enjoy being away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre.

The area is well-known for its art scene and there are plenty of galleries to be discovered. There’s also a thriving rice, spice, fruit and vegetable market here.

A diverse and friendly community resides in Peckham Rye and if you’d like to join them you’ll find well-finished flats and even penthouse apartments to choose from.

Dalston

The Hackney district of Dalston is contemporary and lively, famous for its Ridley Road street market and bohemian shopping street Broadway Market, where you can find all sorts of boutiques, cafes and pubs.

Having increased in popularity following the construction of a railway station that forms part of the East London Line, the area is thought to be the basis of a number of spots in the television show Eastenders, with Fasset Square supposedly the inspiration for Albert Square.

Dalston is full of airy apartments and new blocks crop up quite regularly as a result of the area’s fashionable status so you’d have no trouble finding the ideal flat here.

Hampstead

Part of the borough of Camden, Hampstead is renowned for its intellectual, artistic and musical associations and is home to traditional pubs and interesting museums. The chic spot is the location of choice for millionaires, artists, writers and actors, who have contributed to its bohemian ambience over the years.

If you decide to rent here, you could find yourself brushing shoulders with the likes of Sting, Ozzy Osborne and Marianne Faithfull as you head back to your sophisticated apartment or make your way to the ancient woodland of Hampstead Heath to spend some time among the greenery.

These are just some of London’s coolest locations, why not take a look at urbanpad.co.uk to discover the rest for yourself?

Increase your insurance deductible

Providing yourself with a greater home insurance deductible can keep your own month-to-month expenses significantly lower. The main disadvantage to this is just that you’ll have to spend a bit more out-of-pocket in the event that some thing were actually to occur to your house. Usually you will not spot the greater insurance deductible however because rarely ever is there actually a sizable catastrophe. Another related option is to remove from your policy protection for anything that you consider to be highly unlikely given your location.

Consider Government Insurance

Dependant upon where you live, there might be the choice of going with government insurers. You’ll find these by searching for any governments firms in the area and speaking to them about special savings you can obtain. These companies are typically found in regions with quite high risk houses. They are known for frequently offering the lowest premiums on the market. But nevertheless, always get private quotations to ensure that you are indeed getting the most beneficial price.

Pay off Your Mortgage

Few people are aware of this fact but insurance companies frequently give lower rates to those who own their own homes outright. There are two reasons for this. The first is that those who have paid off their mortgage are likely to be in a healthy position financially and therefore will never have to be chased over premium payments. The second reason is that insurance companies generally believe that those who own their house outright are more likely to take care of it than they would if it was still technically the property of their mortgage provider.

So, what is the relationship between your credit rating and your home insurance? The answer is simple. If you have poor credit rating, you are most likely required to pay higher premiums. The rationale behind this scenario is that having poor credit rating directly reflects that you are extremely incapable of managing your debts appropriately. The home owner insurance agencies in the UK will hypothesized that you always delay or missed out on paying for your credit cards or if you are on a loan payment be it housing or car, you tend to default on it.

Now consider this: there are two individuals whose homes have the same market value. They also earn identical monthly incomes and are single men. However, one of them has better credit rating than the other. Assuming that they both plans to subscribe the same home insurance package, the one with lousier credit rating will have to pay higher premium. The insurance underwriters charges him more as they highly doubted the capability of the one with lower credit rating to pay for the premium on time and on the right amount.

Poor credit rating may also indicate the attitude of an individual. The insurance companies will also tend to conclude that a person with low credit rating will likely to make more insurance claims against the insurer. Therefore, in their opinion, charging higher premium is a precautionary step to compensate for more frequent claims in future.

On the other hand, you are more than welcomed to strike a deal with the insurance provider if you rated highly by Experian, Equifax or Transunion. This is because they have immense confidence in your debt management skills. They also generally feel that you are a steady and responsible type of a person.

The entire region of Limehouse has Commercial road and the Thames as its surrounding. It is stationed amidst Canary Wharf and Wapping. Professionals staying at the equidistance between city and Canary wharf can benefit from Limehouse, as it is the connecting source for these places. One can find innumerable apartments as well as flats with immaculate finishing, which can enchant anyone. These flats have marvelous balconies, parking and superb views of the surrounding area. If you are one of those individuals looking out for property in this area, then it is certain that you may get a plethora of options easily accessible, as there is availability of DLR, which is a great mode for linking different locations.

In recent times, this place has amassed huge publicity. Limehouse is no more a secret and people are visiting here in large numbers. This place has many additional facilities, which makes it a great place to stay. Some of them are railway stations, restaurants, museums, parks, schools, resorts, shopping malls and laboratories. If you are willing to buy a flat at this destination, then you need to book in advance, as the property prices at this place are soaring at rapid pace. You need to consult real estate agents and they will assist you with the purchase of the flat of your wish. These agents are easily accessible, as most of them have offices at key locations and most importantly they have websites, wherein you can contact them at the comforts of your house. Make sure you can contact an experienced property dealer because a novice may not have considerable amount of information in this field, so there is possibility that he may give you wrong information.

• limited additions to rental stock in both the new homes and secondhand markets,
• demand for rental stock being maintained as employment levels in central London are maintained and possibly enhanced,
• barriers to securing mortgage finance keeping occupiers in the rental sector for longer than was historically the case.

As a result we consider that there is potential for rents to increase by a further 8-10% by the end of 2011. Under this scenario, rents will have risen by 29% over two and half years from mid-2009, based on fundamentals which are unlikely to be radically altered in the medium-term. Renting is now more expensive than buying when comparing monthly interest-only mortgage payments at a notional 5% interest rate for a two-bedroom flat, compared to monthly rent.

Ultimately the health of the Midtown, City and Docklands limehouse rental market is dependent on economic factors and their impact on employment levels in central London. There is broad agreement that the UK economy recovered more rapidly than expected from the recession, posting four consecutive quarters of growth in GDP to third quarter 2010. The IMF forecast 1.7% growth in GDP for the UK in 2010, increasing to 2% in 2011. The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for September 2010 showed three key London indices move into positive territory for output of goods and services, new orders and employment. Increased activity the latter part of 2010 provides the basis for marginal growth in employment in 2011.

Looking further ahead, the rental market is also likely to be boosted on a temporary basis by the Olympics. In our view from mid-2011 onwards there is likely to be a premium attached torental property with good access to the Olympic Park. Both owners and tenants will look to take advantage of a huge temporary boost to demand in the lead-up to and during the Games from support staff, temporary workers, the world’s media and, of course, the spectators. Those who can sub-let or offer short-term lettings to meet these needs can expect to secure a welcome one-off windfall of premium rent.Hurford Salvi Carr is actively working with our clients to achieve premium rentals for the Olympic period.

There has been a seasonal surge in demand for rental properties in September coupled with a lack of stock which has been feature of the central London lettings market for much of 2010.

The result of this busy period is an Autumn market with acutely low stock levels. In October, the firm’s Clerkenwell office has agreed 40% of tenancies by offering interested parties the opportunity to offer their one time best and final offers confidentially by a set date and time.

LSL Property Services plc, Estate Agency Managing Director, David Newnes said that the rents are still in demand with the increased property prices made in the previous year. Twelve months ago, the improvement in the prices caused a departure of the accidental landowners from the market, which resulted in the increase in the supply of rental property. Even though the property prices have decreased, landowners are enjoying the benefits of the constrained supply and the increasing profits have reinstated an improved balance to the dynamics of the property investment.

He added that they don’t expect rent rates to drop any time soon. With the increase in the prices more than the MPC’s target, the interest rates could only go one way to the north. When the prices increase then several landowners has to pay more monthly mortgage repayments and many of tem have to increase their property rents in order to cover the difference.

Tenant mortgages were in their good shape in at least two years, with rearages decreasing to only 9.2 percent of all rent across the United Kingdom. This was a drop from 11.2 percent at the end of the year, and it is the lowest level since the LSL Property Services plc started compiling the figures in the year 2008. In the month of July 212 million pounds of rent was not paid- a significant fall from its peak of 361 pounds in August, 2008.

Liam Bailey, Head of Residential Research and Partner at Knight Frank, said that Anecdotal data suggests that the election has had the impact of lowering purchase interest in the property market. It clearly says that the decrease in the demand of the property purchases was due to the election campaign.

However, the report found that the there was increase in the demand for the property from the foreign buyers, which kept the market not affecting. Due to the decrease in the value of the pound, now foreign property buyers have increased their market share again with the number of countries investing in the property in the Prime London is growing as Pakistani, German and Indian property buyers are also found to be showing more interest at the present situation.

Liam Bailey said that in the recent weeks, this particular property demand has been seen from the Greek property buyers as the present Euro area crisis focusing on Greece made greater levels of interest from the Greek buyers searching for a safe and secure purchase. He then added over the last three years Greeks have averaged about three percent of the prime central capital two million pounds plus purchases however in the six to the end of the March, their property share of the prime central capital market has increased to six percent, even though it still stays far behind that of the 15 percent accounted for by Russians and 13 percent for by Italians.