Latest News

Landlords, this is great for you and tenants if you are looking, you may well still benefit from the price reductions that took place in December.

From a property management point of view, we found ourselves dealing more with storm damage than a cold snap that we would usually encounter at this time of year.

Old Brighton buildings tend to have alot of gaps and draughts keeping our handyman busy with fitting draft excluders and various seals around old style sash windows.

Brighton can still be a great place to live even in the winter weather with unusual items being washed up on the beach ! The photo above is the warning red light bouy that was ripped from its mooring at the end of the West Pier

Although we have been lucky so far, managing to avoid any really cold weather, this will surely happen at some stage before we get to the end of winter. It is when this happens that we find ourselves giving alot of advice regarding condensation and the management of it. As the temperature drops outside, walls of buildings and windows become colder. Then all the breathing, cooking and showering that we all do is seen as condensation on cold surfaces. See our other news item for advice on how to manage this.

In the meantime, we would ask tenants to let us know of any damage occuring during stormy weather so that Landlords have a chance to take action and remedy any issues.

Here is some information that you will hopefully find useful.

Condensation is actually produced by us through breathing, cooking, showering etc. Even when we are asleep we emit 1 pint of moisture into the air.
All that moisture then has to go somewhere. It will end up on the coldest surface there is. This is why mirrors steam up and windows show water on them.  You will also notice it more on external walls of buildings as these will be colder than the others.

The best way of minimising this is to ensure plenty of ventilation whenever you can, so getting ready in the morning is a good time to have your windows open just to allow the moisture to escape from the flat.
In the event that a property is not ventilated, you will create a humid atmosphere and will start to see mould forming on the cold areas where moisture is just accumulating.

A humid atmosphere can then also be accentuated by things such as wet washing sitting around a flat while the windows are closed and heating is on.

Your heating plays an important part in managing the issue. A low constant heat will be more effective in warming your walls and thus creating a surface that is not so cold. The time when condensation becomes most noticeable is when we have the first cold snap and people haven’t really put their heating on yet, then really warm air inside the flat is hitting really cold walls. Just help the flat as much as you can by having the heating low and constant – yet still ventilating in the morning as much as you can.

Things to accentuate Condensation / Mould
Lack of ventilation
Wet washing sitting around
Heating being on in irregular hot blasts.
Lack of regular bleach/cleaning in bathroom areas
Furniture pushed tightly into corners will restrict the airflow around them and you may find mould forming behind them.

Things you can do to help Condensation / Mould
Ventilate a room as much as you can
If you have an internal bathroom don’t shut the moisture in there, leave the door open and ventilate the main room.
Ensure that you use the extractor fan in the bathroom. They are designed to extract a lot of moisture from the air.
Clean a bathroom with a bleach/cleaning solution at least once a week. Preventing mould forming will stop more mould forming.
Creating a low constant heat.
Keeping furniture away from walls – just enough to allow sufficient airflow.

If you are doing all these things and still having problems with mould then speak to us. We can then speak with your landlord and additional steps can be taken such as checking extractor fans if you don’t think they are working. Or in basement flats assisting ventilation with airbricks or trickle vents in sash windows.
In extreme cases of condensation where you are taking all possible preventative measures and still having problems then it may mean that there is a hidden leak contributing to the level of moisture in the room.
 

The Property Awards for Women was a fantastic event for Massey Property Services, with two members of staff nominated:

Jo-Blaise Martin (Outstanding Commitment to Excellence)
Marie Baxter (PA of the year)

Marie was shortlisted to the final 6 which was an excellent achievement Well done to those who received a nomination!

Masseys were pleased to be able to have a stand at the brand new AMEX stadium in order to promote our re-brand, new office and recent expansion of our sales department. Having been recently joined by Andrew Cooney we are enjoying a steady sales market even in these pressing times. Andrew’s experience ensures that properties are marketed at realistic prices that are producing results for sellers.

The exhibition was a great opportunity to chat with both sellers and Landlords with many keen to chat about the market and how we were finding it. It was good to share some knowledge and advice and we generated some new properties which are now being marketed.

We held a competition with a Halloween theme, mainly involving sweets and a pumpkin! The winner of our £500.00 Marks and Spencer voucher was Sally Westfield of Lingfield. Sally was visiting Brighton with her family and considering moving to the area. Congratulations Sally! It was also of course a chance to have a social gathering with our existing clients.

Massey Property Services has been established since 1990 but the recent rebrand combined with the move to new offices in Western Road has been innovating and exciting. They have created a fresh and highly professional approach to estate agency. The brand is now eye-catching, modern, yet inviting, breaking the mould of the typical ’80s feel of some estate agents. In that vein, new sales partner Andrew Cooney has been brought on board to drive the department to new heights.

Brighton and Hove is a great city, and can be broken down into many unique areas, from the students market to the extremely sought after Regency squares and crescents. Brighton also offers small terrace houses around Brighton Station and large family homes in and around Hove Park, complete Regency dwellings within the city centre, not forgetting a vast array of unique mews cottages and bespoke work units. This creates great diversity giving buyers and renters choice.

Although the market is not at the heights of 2006/7, there still is an extremely strong market. If properties come onto the market at a realistic figure they will sell –it is very important not to inflate market prices.

Within the city there are a large number of London commuters and professionals, who will be excited about using a real top-tier agency when they come to buy, sell, let or rent. Did you know that Brighton and Hove is within the top five areas in the UK for rental yield return, in some cases up to ten per cent? So if you are thinking about buying a buy to let, why not contact Massey for advice.

Over the last 18 months, rents have increased by around 12 per cent. If you would like an up-to- date rental appraisal please call Jo-Blaise Martin. If you would like to discuss a potential sale or letting, please call Massey on 01273 727278.

This will make use of knowledge gained over the last 5 years and give him the ARLA (Association of Residental Letting Agents ) Technical Award qualification. The exams cover a wide variety of topics related to Residential Lettings from Common Law associated with Tenancy Agreements, various Housing Acts, to Health and Safety Regulations, Both Landlord and Tenant obligations, dealing with Tenancy Deposit Disputes.