An article in the Sunday Times yesterday highlighted The Meon Valley as a perfect location to live in. The article stated that ‘With chalk streams, rolling open countryside, thatched cottages, country pubs, ancient churches, lavender farms, vineyards and wineries, not to mention Hambledon, ‘the cradle of cricket’, this is vintage English countryside.’
We are well aware of the delights and practicalities of living in this area but it is clearly recognised as such by a much wider audience. Towards the end of 2020 we were still letting and selling houses within days of them coming to the market and in a world where the future still appears to be uncertain one thing is constant, the demand for properties in the South.
Before the Covid pandemic dominated our lives, there was already a growing trend for a more rural lifestyle. Advances in technology had made communications and working from home easy. The constant improvements to road, rail and air networks had made commuting to the cities easier when necessary. Plus, there had been for some time growing publicity on the importance of fresh air, exercise, home work life balance and a healthy lifestyle.
The South offers the perfect destination with its stunning countryside, expansive coast line and proximity to London and mainland Europe and as our lives have become influenced by the pandemic so all the reasons to move to a rural location have been reinforced.
The exodus from the cities is likely to continue into 2021 and with popular media promoting the area, now could be the perfect time to ensure the asset that your property represents, either as a sales or rental opportunity, is fully achieved.
To discuss this potential, contact either Kate Porter, Head of sales or Kate Morton, Head of Lettings on 02392 632275
For sale through The Country House Company; an elegant 5 bedroom village house which has been extensively refurbished by the current owners to a high specification providing stunning and versatile accommodation arranged over four floors.
A contemporary open plan kitchen/dining/family room, with part vaulted ceiling and two sets of glazed patio doors to the garden, is ideal for entertaining. It is a spacious, light room with high specification fixtures and fittings throughout, including bespoke fitted kitchen with crafted wooden units, under floor heating, marble flooring and electric Aga.
Also on the ground floor is the sitting room with wooden flooring and log burning stove and a large study area which could serve as a formal dining room if preferred. Steps descend from the kitchen to the playroom and to the cellar and rise to a bathroom, separate cloakroom and on to the additional floors.
On the first floor is the principal bedroom with elegant en suite bathroom, including free standing bath and double shower There are two further double bedrooms on this floor with two attic bedrooms and a cloakroom and loft on the second floor.
Accessed externally is the self-contained studio, which benefits from open plan living space, kitchenette and shower room. In addition, it has a separate phone line making it ideal as a home/office, annexe, or potentially air B&B or holiday let (subject to any planning permissions required).
The garden is a lovely feature of the property and is extremely private with lawn bordered by mature shrub beds/borders, raised vegetable beds and attractive sun terraces.
Detached and positioned at the end of the garden is the double garage with parking to the front and electric doors. There is an electric car charging point and additional store to the rear.
The property is ideally positioned in the center of East Meon which offers a thriving community with two public houses, a local store, school, church and active village hall.
For full details please contact Kate Porter, Head of Sales, on 023 633026 or see www.countryhousecompany.co.uk
ARLA PropertyMark, our governing body, has confirmed and clarified the government’s most recent announcement that estate and lettings agents and removal firms can continue to work during the current lockdown in England.
Property viewings are still allowed to take place as long as the COVID-19 safety guidance is followed. The Country House Company has been following the safety guidance since the initial lockdown in March 2020 and has procedures in place to ensure the safety of our clients and team members, along with the smooth running of the business.
For full details on the safety procedures, we have in place please click here www.countryhousecompany.co.uk/
Full details on the regulations applicable to property agents can be found on the ARLA PropertyMark website https://www.arla.co.uk/news/january-2021/the-housing-market-can-continue-during-lockdown-in-england/
After booming in early 2020, the UK property market was severely affected by COVID-19’s first wave.
Aside from concerns over steep recessions and job losses, strict lockdown made it almost impossible for people to physically view properties, carry out property surveys and complete transactions. Many sales were delayed or collapsed entirely.
Announced in July 2020, the Government’s stamp duty ‘holiday’ was intended as a major boost to the UK’s property market.
The holiday appears to have worked, triggering a surge in transactions. However, significant delays occurred almost immediately. Many parties, including solicitors, lenders, surveyors and local authorities have struggled to cope with the ever-growing backlog, with staff working from home or in socially-distanced environments with reduced office support.
How does the stamp duty relief work?
Prior to the announcement of the cut in Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) rates in July 2020, any property purchase above £150,000 incurred stamp duty, unless the purchaser was a first-time buyer.
SDLT rates were calculated on a sliding scale, with a 0% rate payable up to £125k, 2% between £125k and £250k, 5% between £250k and £925k, 10% between £925k and £1.5m and 12% above £1.5 million.
Under the new SDLT ‘holiday’ rate, there is no stamp duty to pay whatsoever for properties sold for £500,000 or less. For properties over the £500k threshold, the rate remains as before, but the holiday still represents a saving of £15,000.
Higher rates still apply for owners of more than one property, unless they are replacing their ‘main residence’.
When will the stamp duty holiday end?
At the time of writing, the Chancellor’s SDLT relief is set to end on 31st March 2021. This means that the standard (pre-holiday) rate of Stamp Duty Land Tax will be due on transactions that do not complete before 1st April 2021.
The current SDLT threshold of £500,000 will drop back to £125,000. This means the buyer of a £500,000 property must find an additional £15,000 to fund their transaction. The threshold will remain at £500,000 for first-time buyers.
Despite growing pressure from professional bodies like Propertymark, Chancellor Sunak has denied requests for the deadline to be extended.
Running out of time
The property market is currently experiencing an unprecedented volume of transactions, as home movers who have delayed their transaction due to Brexit-related uncertainty and lockdowns flood the market before the stamp duty holiday ends.
At the same time, many property professionals are running at reduced capacity. Support staff at solicitors’ firms and local authorities have been furloughed or let go. Many staff are working from home in sub-optimal conditions. The aftermath of the first lockdown triggered a surge in requests (including for property searches, leasehold managing agents’ packs, surveys and mortgage applications) that the industry is yet to recover from.
Many transactions are now taking much longer than ‘normal’ to complete, with delays possible from multiple sources. Fortunately, there are still several tricks that sellers and buyers can apply to sidestep some delays, minimise the effect of others, and keep their transaction moving forwards.
Advice for buyers
Instruct a solicitor. Buyers often wait until they find a property and have their offer accepted before instructing a solicitor. There is no reason to do this. By instructing a solicitor early, you can get the initial paperwork, like ID verification, out of the way. If you also have an agreement in principle (AIP) from a mortgage lender, you can check that your chosen solicitor can act for your lender.
Order the searches and survey ASAP. Once your offer is accepted, you should ask your solicitor to order property searches immediately. Search backlogs, particularly for local authority searches, are causing serious delays, and these delays are likely to worsen as the March deadline approaches. The recent second lockdown has also made life difficult for surveyors and it may take weeks to book a survey.
Follow up and ask for updates. Whenever you reply to a question or request, if you don’t receive confirmation, you should check that your reply has been read, and that your response is sufficient. Many conveyancing firms are juggling a very high caseload in difficult circumstances, and there is the potential for an email or callback request to be missed.
Advice for sellers
Instruct a solicitor early. Much of the conveyancing work on the sale side (such as filling out property information forms and preparing the draft contract) can be carried out even before a buyer is found. There is no reason not to instruct your solicitor as soon as possible, complete the TA forms and get the draft contract prepared ASAP. If you are selling a leasehold property, you should also ask your solicitor to source the managing agents information. This paperwork can often take weeks to obtain.
Above article written by Chris Salmon of www.quittance.co.uk
As a company we are in full support of the NAEA Propertymark (National Association of Estate Agents) in their campaign to extend the holiday on property tax.
The importance of the property industry as a whole was clearly acknowledged by the government in authorising the reopening of the property sector ahead of others.
The property market dramatically impacts on many sectors including lenders, removal companies, storage providers, plumbers, decorators, landscapers, builders, architects, surveyors, interior designers, and furniture retailers, to name but a few. The NAEA Propertymark have stated, that since the introduction of the cut to Stamp Duty/Land Transaction Tax/Land and Buildings Transaction Tax, the housing market has shown substantially increased activity and this will have been reflected in a boost to income and the economy.
To further encourage and reinforce the importance of the property market, the government instigated the campaign to #keepthecountrymoving, which we have been actively involved with. We focused our marketing on the benefits of moving to the country and to the South in particular, with its excellent commuting links combined with glorious rural life. For the enthusiasm to move to be dampened by the government would undo so much of what has been achieved under such difficult circumstances.
Therefore, we will continue in our support of the NAEA Propertymark and are hopeful that there will be some encouraging announcements early in the New Year.
Kate Porter, Head of Sales
Three exciting and different rental opportunities available through The Country House Company and ready to move into before Christmas.
New to the rental market is a large elegant Grange in The South Downs National Park. It is situated in glorious private gardens and grounds near Selborne, and offers light, spacious and flexible accommodation. There are seven bedrooms with the option of three further double bedrooms, a large farmhouse style kitchen/breakfast room with Aga and conservatory, and four receptions rooms. The large well stocked gardens include a walled vegetable garden and extensive outbuildings.
In an equally lovely location is a beautifully extended and modernised 17th Century five bedroom farm house. This large family home offers spacious, light accommodation and modern comfort throughout, with a wealth of character features. The rooms are well proportioned and the high ceilings give a sense of space and elegance. Externally, the property benefits from ample driveway parking and a large garden with terraced area, shed and extensive lawns.
Alternatively, we have a two bedroom charming cottage in East Tisted. It has lovely, bright accommodation and original beams, a newly refurbished kitchen/breakfast room and has been re-painted and re-carpeted throughout. It has a garden to the front and rear and a single garage with further parking available on the roadside.
For full details on any of these properties and others, please call Gemma Bailey or Louise Bailey on 02392 632275 or see www.countryhousecompany.co.uk
Landlords and tenants it is worth noting further regulations covering tenancies during national restrictions.
On 17 November 2020, the Public Health (Coronavirus) (Protection from Eviction and Taking Control of Goods) (England) Regulations 2020 came into force in England.
The rules prevent the enforcement of evictions against tenants, other than in the most serious circumstances during the second national local down period and over Christmas. This means that no eviction notices are to be served until 11 January at the earliest and, given the 14-day notice period required, no evictions are expected to be enforced until 25 January 2021.
The most serious circumstances include:
- illegal occupation
- false statement
- anti-social behaviour
- where a property is unoccupied following the death of a tenant
- extreme rent arrears
Importantly, following the UK Government’s announcement on 5 November 2020 where it was stated they would look to introduce an exemption for extreme pre-COVID rent arrears, the Regulations now confirm that landlords will be able to seek possession of their property and see bailiffs and High Court Enforcement Officers enforcing warrants and completing evictions.
However, this will only apply to tenants who have accrued the equivalent of nine months’ rent arrears, with arrears accrued since 23 March (the start of England’s first lockdown) discounted.
For further details call Kate Morton, Head of Lettings on 02392 632275 or see www.arla.co.uk or www.gov.uk
‘Essentially so you know that your property is safety compliant, being checked regularly and that there is a point of contact for the tenant and landlord.’
In the past 5 years there have been over 150 new regulations affecting landlords and in some cases breaches of these regulations carry a criminal record or prison sentence. These regulations change quickly, and particularly during the current crisis.
If your property is Fully Managed your property manager will be updating you and ensuring that all safety checks are complete including electrical, gas, legionella and smoke and carbon monoxide testing.
Money is saved if systems and appliances are regularly serviced. If a property is Fully Managed then we would ensure that boilers and Agas are serviced, chimneys swept, oil tanks filled, septic tanks emptied, alarms serviced, plus more.
A Fully Managed property will be inspected at regular intervals. You will know that the tenant is looking after the property and complying with the terms of the tenancy agreement. As a tenant you will be reassured that we are here to help you
The landlord and tenant will be able to contact us at any time to report a fault with the property and repairs will be carried out quickly and efficiently by trusted and qualified contractors.
At The Country House Company we have a specialist team, all professionally trained and experienced in property management and we have a dedicated out of hours Management phone enabling landlords or tenant to contact a member of the management team at any time.
Most importantly we manage the expectations of the landlord and the tenant. The landlord knows exactly what to expect and rely on and the tenant has a tenant charter clearly outlining their responsibilities and relationship with us.
Located in the heart of the popular South Downs village of Hawkley, this stunning cottage has been sympathetically extended and refurbished to create a stylish and attractive home. The property has been finished to emphasis its unique character features while modern touches have been incorporated. The result is an attractive home with contemporary living space and all the character of a property of its period, including exposed timbers, brickwork and inglenook fireplaces.
The ground floor accommodation includes a contemporary kitchen/breakfast room opening to a spacious living area with central inglenook fireplace.
There is a glass linked family room which could equally be ideal as a home/office space, a cosy sitting room with exposed timbers and fireplace and a cloakroom.
A staircase leads to the landing with modern glass floor showcasing the room below. The master bedroom is at the rear of the cottage and has triple aspect windows and an en suite with shower. A family bathroom and three further bedrooms, each benefitting from overhead beams and brick feature walls, and one with further en suite, completes the first floor accommodation.
Externally, to the front there is a small garden area and driveway for multiple cars and to the rear is a good size garden with spacious patio area, raised beds, and a wide lawn sweeping towards open countryside and lovely views.
Hawkley is a rural village with a quintessential village green, popular bistro pub, church and village hall. Petersfield, less than 8 miles away, provides a good range of shops including Waitrose and the larger centres of Chichester, Winchester and Guildford all offer more extensive shopping and leisure facilities.
With easy access to the A3, connecting to the M25 and the rest of the motorway network, this property is, though rural, well placed for commuting. The closest mainline services run from Petersfield to London Waterloo with a regular service taking just under an hour.
The area is well served for sporting and leisure facilities which include horse racing at Goodwood and Fontwell, polo at Cowdray Park, golf at Hindhead, Liphook and Petersfield and sailing off the South Coast at Chichester. The surrounding countryside is networked by footpaths and bridle paths providing excellent opportunities for walking (including the Hangers Way and the South Downs Way) and riding. There are also many renowned schools in the area including Bedales School, Ditcham Park and Churcher’s College.
For full details see www.countryhousecompany.co.uk or call kate Morton, Head of Lettings or Kate Porter, Head of Sales on 02392 632275.