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As of February this year, all Landlords throughout England must ensure that potential tenants, of 18 years or over, are legally allowed to live in the UK and have the Right to Rent. This also applies to UK Nationals.
Right to rent checks have been introduced as part of the government ongoing reforms to the immigration system so Landlords who don't make the checks, could be fined up to £3,000 if they rent out a property to someone who's in the UK illegally.

After our incredibly busy start to the year, where we successfully let and managed 29 properties, we can now boast that 100% of our portfolio is occupied! I bet there aren't many agents that can say the same? I would like to express a big thank you to the Lemontree team and maintenance team for all of your hard work and dedication. Keep up the good work.
If you are a Landlord needing a quality tenant promptly, please call Beth on 01638 661375.

The Lemontree team are very excited to be driving around in their fresh looking pool car. The striking colours and memorable artwork will certainly get noticed whilst we drive around Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. A BIG thank you to Sean of S G Auto Tint, Soham for a splendid job and excellent service. Sean can be contacted on 07973 766898.
The new law requiring carbon monoxide and smoke alarms to be installed in PRS properties has been welcomed.
As of October 1st, the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 mean carbon dioxide detectors must be installed in any room where a solid fuel burning appliance, such as a central heating boiler or a gas fire, is present.

Last weekend, the Newmarket Town under 10s girls football team were invited to be mascots at Cambridge United football ground. The girls were honored to represent their club in their new Lemontree-sponsored kit, and had a thrilling afternoon supporting Cambridge.

Part one: why should you invest in Newmarket?
Whatever route you choose to become a landlord, it’s important to find an agent that has a thorough understanding of the local property market. At Lemontree Properties, we have over five years’ experience offering exceptional lettings services to landlords within a 10-mile radius of Newmarket.

From April 2018, all rental properties must have an energy rating of Band “E” or higher, otherwise they will be deemed unlawful to let.
This new initiative will see more than one million tenants who are renting from private landlords, benefit from warmer homes that cost less to heat.

From April 6 2015, new ‘pension freedom’ rules will come into force. This will allow over-55s to access all their retirement savings in one go, making buy-to-let investment an affordable opportunity for a lot more people.
Over three quarters of current landlords already see their investment in property as a pension pot.

After an impressive winning streak over the last few months, Newmarket Town’s under 10s girls football team were keen to take on Swavesey and continue with their success. On Saturday 7th February, they beat Swavesey at home, with a final score of 5-1. The girl of the match, Carmen, played exceptionally well in her midfielder position, as usual.

During 2014, the Immigration Act came into force, which means that landlords and letting agents are now legally required to check that prospective tenants have the right to rent a home in the UK.
The identity checks required already form part of the checks undertaken before a tenancy is agreed.

Reports state that landlords in the UK have experienced increased yields in 2014 and the good news is that this trend is forecast to continue into 2015.
We have experienced this same trend in Newmarket, with high tenant demand throughout the year and an average of 96 per cent of our fully managed portfolio being let and occupied.

As you may have seen in the industry press recently, some property agents have been ‘double dipping’; charging landlords and tenants for the same service.

Household repairs and maintenance seems to attract dodgy workmen who promise the earth and then deliver poor quality work and frequent delays. For rented properties this is even more of a problem because the person paying the bill isn’t usually present when the job is done so it’s even easier to get away with a ‘bodged job’.

Lemontree is proud to sponsor Newmarket Town Girls FC Under 10s. The girls are now sporting all-weather sports jackets, sponsored by Lemontree, to keep them dry and warm during their winter training sessions.

As a landlord, you now have a legal duty to safeguard your tenants from Legionella, which can be found in a property’s water system.
Although the risk may be low, all water systems require regular assessment to identify if actions need to be taken to prevent or control the risk of human exposure to the disease.

We've had an incredible five years seeing Lemontree go from strength to strength. We would like to welcome you to celebrate with us, meet the team and share a glass of bubbly at our Newmarket office.
Date: 7 November, 2014
Time: 3pm - 7pm
Location: Lemontree Properties, 10a Station Road, Newmarket CB8 8DN
We look forward to seeing you there!

A rule change will have an impact on landlords who want to replace white goods such as free-standing fridges in unfurnished rental properties.
HM Revenue and Customs has said landlords will no longer be able to claim tax relief on the replacement cost.
Where a fridge is within a fitted kitchen, a replacement will be allowed as it counts as a repair. A genuine repair to keep an item in a working condition will still be tax deductible.

The 2014 Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) conference brought together industry professionals to discuss the changing shape of the private rented sector.
The annual conference, which helps letting industry professionals keep up to date on topical issues, had a strong focus on improving the public perception of letting agents. The private rented sector often suffers if just one or two firms make omissions in their dealings with the public.

It was great to take part in this year’s 10-mile off-road bike ride in Thetford Forest, and through our pedal power support East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices.
The charity gives care and support to life-threatened children, young people and their families and their 2014 Ride for Life encouraged us to walk, jog or cycle to raise funds for EACH.

A redress scheme, that already benefits Lemontree clients, will soon be in force across England.
New legislative changes will require all letting and property management agents to register with an approved scheme. The government has recently approved The Property Ombudsman as one of them, and Lemontree is already a member.

Although renting privately is regarded as a short-term measure in the UK, Lemontree has noticed an increase in average tenancy length since it began in 2009.
Research on Lemontree’s portfolio shows that over 60% of its tenants have rented for two years or longer, with this figure expected to rise with emergence of ‘Generation Rent’.
Despite claims that increasing rents in the UK are causing a debt crisis for tenants, Lemontree can report a more positive outlook with little change in tenant arrears in 2013.
With over 200 properties in our portfolio in a tenancy agreement, we are seeing a positive picture with average rent arrears of just 0.5%.

Over half of landlords in the UK expect tenant demand to increase in 2014, with four in 10 reporting growth in the last six months, a new survey shows.
Overall, 58% of landlords predict tenant demand will grow in the next 12 months and nearly a fifth expect to expand their portfolios in 2014, the latest landlord sentiment survey from LSL Property Services found.

At Lemontree, we are proud to be a registered member of the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA), and news that its advertising is hitting the small screen has come as a great start to the New Year.
From this week, adverts for ARLA will begin broadcasting on channels including ITV4, Home, Sky Atlantic, Sky Living and Discovery Home & Health to remind customers of the importance of choosing a licensed agent.

The Lemontree team would like to wish our landlords, tenants, friends and associates a very Happy New Year.

As autumn and winter close in and temperatures begin to drop, condensation problems begin to rear their ugly head. Warm, moist air settling on cold surfaces will cause condensation, and while it is most noticeable on surfaces such as tiles or glass, condensation settling on organic material such as wallpaper, clothing or wood can result in black mould, musty smells and dampness.
So what can be done about condensation to avoid any associated problems in autumn/winter 2013?

A survey conducted by Keytek™ Locksmiths has found that homeowners across the UK, despite years of being advised by the police and government against it, still leave their keys in an easy hiding place, such as underneath a plant pot or front door mat.

It's happened, the cold weather has set in and our winter coats have become a necessity once again. Here are our top tips on how to keep your house as warm as possible during the next few months.
Block all vents, except boiler vents, and draughts letting in cold air from the outside.
Buy keyhole covers for your front and back doors. It's surprising how much cold air can get through here.
Keep doors shut in between rooms to consolidate the heat.

Whilst you enjoy the firework celebrations over the next few weeks, spare a thought for your animals, as they can find this time of year particularly stressful. There are a number of things that can be done to help your pets feels less traumatised. Some of these are simple and easy, while others involve a little bit of planning and preparation.

Newmarket lettings agency Lemontree Properties is celebrating securing its 200th managed property by making a donation to a local charity.

Before you head straight to the rubbish bin with your old belongings, have a think... you could be throwing away a home for nature that’s just waiting to be transformed! No matter how big or small your outside space is, growing plants in containers is a great way of providing wildlife with a tasty treat or somewhere safe to hide.

With the ‘Big Six’ energy firms likely to increase their charges by as much as £120 on an annual basis, many people in the UK will be worried about the cost of their gas and electricity bills as winter creeps ever closer.

According to a survey by British Gas, over 81% of people under 40 in the UK don't know how to deal with frozen pipes and 75% wouldn't be able to check the pressure on their boiler. With another winter looming it's important to make sure you prepare for some of these common winter emergencies with our handy tips.
Avoid frozen pipes

A statistic from the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) says it can take between six and eight months to feel at home in a new area. This does not surprise us as, for many people, moving home can be both an exciting and a rather daunting experience. It can take time to understand the area, where the local amenities are and even what day to put your rubbish bins out for collection.

Owning a property is not as important for young British people as it used to be with new research from protection specialists LV= showing that 42% of people aged 35 and under who are renting are happy to do so for the next 10 years or more.

Whilst Universities prepare for the new academic year, many young people across England will be packing their belongings and getting ready to live away from home for the first timeWhile some parents may get caught up in the emotions of the thought of their children flying the nest, it is important that parents take the time to help their children in getting ready for their exciting times ahead.

Newmarket lettings agency Lemontree Properties is to expand its service offering from September, as the thriving business continues to grow.

We are very lucky to have great tenants in our properties of whom we have good relationships with. This in turn helps reduce the turnover of tenancies enabling us have a constant minimum of 94% fully managed properties let at any one time. When a property does become available, the void period is kept to a minimal, which is usually no more than seven days.

Wear and tear in a rental property is inevitable. Paintwork will chip, carpet stains will appear and the odd breakage is common. It's how a property agent reacts to maintenance queries that can affect profitability for landlords.

A quarterly trend study by Paragon has discovered a huge increase in first-time landlords with continual growth since the middle of 2009.
The total of buy-to-let cases reached a significant high back in the second quarter of 2002 when the buy-to-let industry underwent a massive boom in popularity. In 2008, the demand from new landlords experienced a sharp decrease, mainly due to the brutal hit of the recession.

It is well known that summer is the worst time for neighbourly disputes. A recent survey has found that 55% of disputes, that took place between June and August, were as a result of loud music, noise from parties (12%) and smoke from BBQs (5%).

A recent report from Confused.com has found that claims for thefts from the home are higher during the summer period compared to during the winter. In large part this is due to holidays, since nearly a quarter of victims were away when their homes were broken into.

We were excited to find out that Newmarket and the surrounding district is becoming an increasingly popular place to live in the UK. Migration statistics collected by an independent estate agent has found the net population for the Forest Heath has risen by 1.56 percent - the highest figure in the UK.

The uncomfortable high evening temperatures can make sleeping difficult. Fans often become a necessity in the house and can be a great help to keep the flow of cold air. Here are a few other ideas to keep the temperature of your property as low as possible.

The summer months are a particularly busy time for Lemontree, with the warm weather almost doubling the number of properties let per month compared to the rest of the year. The racing season brings a number of short term tenancies too, with a large proportion of our properties being situated within three miles of the famous Rowley Mile and July Racecourses.

Just had a client come in to the office to thank us for the excellent service he has received throughout the re-letting of his property. Only 4 days void between tenancies and, new carpets were installed! Thank you Mr Moharjerin

Members of the Lemontree team and families recently took part in an off road bike ride through the wonderful Thetford Forest in support of EACH, a charity that provides care and support to life-threatened children and their families throughout East Anglia.
The 10 mile bike ride is the first EACH charity challenge of 2013 that Lemontree has participated in and the team will be getting involved with more events throughout the course of the year.

Patience is an essential quality in a property manager. Being the centre point of communication between all landlords, tenants, maintenance team and contractors. We are faced with different challenges on a daily basis. Patience allows us to make calculated decisions and to ensure that every solution is implemented quickly and professionally.

On Friday 19 April the Lemontree team attended the ESTAS awards in London, which recognises the best letting agencies in the UK. Short-listed in the top six for the Eastern region, we were joined by other leading agencies that we could share ideas and expertise with. Unfortunately, we did not take the prestigious title this year, but with a performance service rating of 92.12% we are very positive about our growing reputation.

We have a very happy member of the Lemontree team this week. Rugby fan Lara was the lucky winner of a signed Leicester Tigers shirt at the Two Counties exhibition on 5 March. Lara was presented the shirt by Richard from Flex-able Group in the Lemontree office this week.
We really enjoyed our first Two Counties exhibition and getting to know other Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce members. Our home made lemon drizzle cake went down well too!

It is less than a week to go until our first event at the Two Counties exhibition at Newmarket Rowley Mile Racecourse. Team members Beth and Lara will be representing Lemontree and have been busy preparing the team’s stand.
Whether you need property advice or a casual chat, come along on Tuesday 5 March and share some homemade lemonade and cupcakes.

Lemontree Properties has been shortlisted for the Estate and Letting Agent (ESTAS) Awards 2013, which recognises the best estate and letting agents in the country.
The ESTAS award scheme provides clients with the chance to rate the service they receive from their agent. We received comments from over 70% of our landlords, with feedback including exceptional comments and a performance rating of 92.12%.

We have recently become a member of the Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce to network with other like-minded businesses. Our team hopes to continue to build on the growing reputation in the local market by sharing our expertise at Chamber events.
Our first showcase event will be the Two Counties exhibition held at Newmarket’s Rowley Mile Racecourse on Tuesday 5 March.

Our team worked hard during 2012 to develop the Lemontree brand and we are enjoying our growing reputation in the local market. We hope to build on our strengths and make 2013 a year to remember.
We would like to wish everyone associated with Lemontree Properties a happy and prosperous New Year.