Choosing a carpet for your home is a big decision. The carpet you choose will be in your home for many years to come and therefore it is important to choose wisely. In this article, we look at the most commonly available carpet materials and give tips and advice on what makes a good quality carpet and how to choose your carpet, dependent on use and budget.

What Should I Think About When Choosing a Carpet?

There are some factors to think about when choosing a carpet for your home, such as:

• your budget – bear in mind that the cost of a carpet can vary greatly per square metre, depending on the construction of the carpet. A basic carpet, made from synthetic materials will be more budget friendly than a hand-woven carpet made from natural materials.

• where the carpet will be used – high traffic areas such as stairs and hallways will need a carpet made from a more durable material. Consider who lives in your home or visits. Spills and stains are likely with children, pets and yes, those merry party guests! An easy to clean option would be advisable here.

• the look and feel you are going for – are you looking for a soft, luxurious feel underfoot throughout your home or just in the bedrooms? A flatter option may be better on the stairs and high traffic areas. Do you want plush and full or tight and dense? All important considerations when making this considered purchase for your home.

What Types of Carpet Are Available?

In the UK, there are two main types of carpet available – either tufted or woven. A woven carpet will be more costly than a tufted one (most sold in the UK) due to the way that it is made. To make a woven carpet is very labour intensive whereas a tufted carpet is much easier to produce. Woven carpets, such as Axminster and Wilton, are generally considered to be more durable than their tufted counterpart, making them a great choice for high-traffic areas. Tufted carpets are more budget-friendly – a few pounds per square metre will buy a basic, synthetic carpet with a basic wool option being more costly. Tufted carpets have either a cut or looped pile, giving a differing appearance. A pet friendly option would be cut – claws and loops do not mix well!

Which Material Should I Choose?

The material choice will come down to a budget and usage for natural or synthetic materials.

The benefits of choosing synthetic materials, like nylon or polypropylene means a more stain resistant finish and a less expensive option. Bear in mind however, a synthetic fibre will wear much quicker than a natural option.

If choosing natural fibres, such as sisal or wool, you’ll have a carpet that will last much longer due to the resilient nature of the fibres. This comes at a price though, as natural fibres are more expensive and have a greater propensity towards staining.

A natural/synthetic mix might be a good option, giving the benefits that come with both sets of fibres.

As with all major household purchases, it certainly pays to shop around the various carpeting options to see the best option for your home and those in it and of course the budget that you have available.

The number of properties available had been curtailed by existing renters staying put.

Together, this has meant a rise in rent for new lets, up 8.3% in the final quarter of 2021 compared with the same period a year earlier. A typical monthly rent in the UK rose by £62 per month to £969.

This increase in rent was seen across most major cities including Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds and Manchester, Zoopla said.

properties can be let either unfurnished, part furnished or furnished. In this article we will focus on what a landlord should provide in an unfurnished property in the UK. Before we get into too much detail, let’s describe what these “furnishing” terms mean.

As of right now there is no clear definition in UK law as to what each category really means and what should be provided by a landlord for each instance. This can be confusing and makes it a little hit and miss. Landlords don’t always know what should be provided and tenants can be uncertain about what to expect. Below we describe the generally accepted understandings for each term.

What Does Unfurnished Mean?

A privately rented unfurnished property essentially means that the tenant is to provide the furnishings for the property, therefore the landlord does not supply any furniture for the tenant. That does not however mean that the property is let completely empty of items, more on this further in the article.

What Does Part Furnished Mean?

A part furnished property is one where the landlord supplies just the basic items required to live in the property. Necessary furniture like beds and a sofa.

What Does Fully Furnished Mean?

A fully furnished property, as the name suggests, means that items like sofas, beds, wardrobes, drawers, tables, chairs and often smaller electrical appliances can be provided by the landlord.

Remember, there is no legal definition for each of these three terms and part furnished and fully furnished rental properties will often include different items as a part of the let. However, when it comes to furnishings, Landlords need to be aware that certain items of furniture will need to conform to British Fire Safety Standards.

Whether the property is let, furnished, unfurnished or part furnished, there are still expectations held by tenants with regards to “fittings”. Fittings should not be confused with furnishings.

What Should A Landlord Provide In An Unfurnished Property?

Whilst an unfurnished property does not include furnishings, it should still include fittings and will often also include White Goods. We can guess your next question:

What Fittings Are Included In An Unfurnished Property?

Fittings is the general term that applies to items that are fitted or fixed in a property. Things like sanitary-ware (bath, shower, sink and toilets), kitchen cupboards, worktops and the sink, integrated appliances, carpeting or flooring, light fittings, internal and external doors, and the heating and hot water systems. These should all be included in an unfurnished property rental.

Renting An Unfurnished Property – Frequently Asked Questions

We are often asked for clarifications by both tenants and landlords as to what should be included in an unfurnished property. Here we share a couple of the most frequently asked questions we receive and their answers:

Does Unfurnished Mean No White Goods?

Most often, unfurnished properties are let with some White Goods. “White Goods” is the collective term used to describe kitchen appliances such as a cooker, fridge, freezer, dishwasher and washing machine. However, it is not mandatory for a landlord to provide any or all of these items, so it is best to check exactly what is included in the unfurnished property prior to signing an agreement. As with furnishings, landlords have a legal responsibility to ensure that the electrical appliances they provide are clean and safe to use.

Are Curtains Included In Unfurnished Rental Properties?

Landlords of unfurnished properties are not required to provide window coverings. This is one of those grey areas whereby some landlords do provide curtains or blinds and others do not. This is down to the individual landlord. If you are in any way concerned about whether curtains are included in an unfurnished rental it is best to ask for clarification. Please do not presume that any window coverings present at the time of viewing will remain as these may belong to the tenant in situ at the time of the viewing.

Renting An Unfurnished Property

There are pros and cons to weigh up when deciding to rent an unfurnished property and they will be different for each individual. For tenants the decision to rent an unfurnished property will largely be governed by your own personal circumstances, if you have a houseful of furnishings for example, then this option is probably the right one for you. Otherwise, you will need to consider how you will store your surplus personal belongings. For those just starting out, then it might be better for your circumstances to consider a furnished or part furnished property, especially if you have a tight budget.

If you are a landlord deciding whether to let your property unfurnished and would like specific advice about the options available to you, then have a chat to one of our local property experts. They will be more than happy to share their wealth of experience gleaned from working with a variety of different landlords as well as their knowledge of the local property market. They will listen to your thoughts and views and discuss with you the many options available to you.

Eco friendly

At switch properties, we took the opportunity to pick today to be the day that we go fully paperless alongside a 50% reduction in the usage of plastics. We have a great deal of respect for the worlds wildlife and care deeply about how we contribute to the environment. That’s why we have decided as a company to take this step.

Starting march 3rd, all documents we send out including Tenancy agreements, Tenancy Application forms, Holding deposit agreements and Key return and collection forms will be digitally sent out via E-mail. For forms that require signatures, an E-signature will be required instead.

How will this make an impact?

Well, our company all on its lonesome might not be able to impact global waste and harm reduction to wildlife. We believe that as a collective we’ll be able to make a significant dent in this quite often neglected realm. And to act as a collective, someone needs to make an effort first, so why not us!

switch properties is all about making a good impact, no matter the size, from doing small acts of charity to our local mosques and churches to holding food banks and conducting community events, it’s something that is simply within our nature.

Future plans

 We are always seeking new and innovative ways in which we can help contribute positively to our local community and our environment. We welcome any suggestions you as a reader may have for us in order for us to reach this coveted goal of ours.

We have plans to initiate a program to plant 10 trees for the start of every 1 tenancy and 1 tree for a 5 star review on google maps. last year we had near to 750 tenancies, if we manage to hit a similar figure or more this year, then we could be potentially looking at an extra 7500-8000 trees planted!

London’s choice

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has stated that he supports the seizure of Russian property held by the allies of Vladimir Putin in London, Transparency international estimates that there are 100 Properties owned by elites linked to the Kremlin worth £1.1 billion.

Khan, who was critical of the governments previous course of action with regards to foreign property in London, Is asking for the government to press further than simply taking these Kremlin owned properties. Khan wants to see more pressure put on Russia.

Firstly he wants a register of all overseas property owners. A seizure of all properties owned by allies of and by President Vladimir Putin. Raising the amount of money that overseas owners have to pay for leaving their properties empty by increasing the council, tax this is called the ’empty homes premium’, raising capital gains tax on overseas buyers from 28% to 40%. And finally by increasing the taxes paid by overseas companies investing in property by increasing the yearly tax on enveloped dwellings.

Khan claims, that in addition to the initial seizure of £1.1 billion, this could generate up to £370 million a year. Which would then be used to either build more council homes or diverted towards social services and healthcare.

What does this mean?

Lets break down and analyse each point. We’ll start with the first action to be taken, that being the seizure of foreign property assets and what this means for the UK. The properties being seized are a total of £1.1 billion in value, this is a sizable chunk of the London property market which may now find its way into the hands of UK based investors at base rate rather than at profit. Which may lead to a slight dip in property prices overall, including rental prices. (It should also be mentioned that Khan also would like to see his suggested measures be applied to all properties across the UK, not just London.)
This dip would however be temporary as the demand for property especially in large cities such as London, will always remain high due to being large financial and industrial sectors.

Secondly, the measures that khan suggested bringing in such as higher capital gains tax on overseas buyers and higher ’empty homes premiums’ are quite clearly designed to be anti-foreign investment measures. A restriction in the number of buyers will mean less demand for properties, meaning a dip in property prices.

It is however predicted that such measures would only be targeted towards Russian citizens despite demands for these measures to target all foreign investors as is currently being proposed. However, the mere possibility of such restrictions being thrust onto the market Is likely to send some investors into a panic and decide to sell.
This is why we predict that the property prices will take a slight downturn before beginning their usual inexorable rise.

Though the chances are likely quite low, given that some options are always required to be left on the table in terms of sanctions, If all that is being suggested were to be put into effect, including the triple threat of seizing properties and selling them to UK investors at base rate, Unfavorable conditions for foreign property investors and the building of council houses. It is quite likely, we may experience a 2008 style property market collapse.

In summary

Russian properties are to be seized by the UK government, this property seizure means there are more properties on the market. The mayor of London proposed restricting the number of foreign buyers by the measures mentioned above, this means there’s now more properties on the market and less buyers on the market. According to supply and demand, this means the property prices must come down. But due to the nature of the property market in the UK, expect prices to rise to prior levels soon after the drop.

This however is purely speculative at this point in time as the facts on the ground are constantly in flux, we aim to provide accurate and up to date information regarding the property market to the best of our ability, however there may be times such as now where the information coming in is at a rapid pace, what may be relevant and correct for 1 day may be totally unfeasible the next.

one month wonder

Property prices across the UK have increased by an average of a record shattering £8,000 according to data from RightMove.
The reason this figure is so significant is because it is the single largest increase in property prices that has ever been recorded by RightMove since it began collecting data 20 years ago.

What is the situation looking like?

RightMove says that the average asking prices for properties are 9.5% higher than the year before with signs that indicate both buyers and sellers have a “fear of missing out” on the housing market before prices increase yet further and the property ladder lifts itself out of reach for those not on it.

It has also become clear that the average listing price of a property has £40,000 to £348,804 in 2 years since the beginning of the pandemic compared to a £9000 rise in the 2 years prior to the pandemic. Many pundits predicted that prices would infact fall with the advent of the pandemic as the supply would increase due to offices being converted to flats. However as the situation has progressed it has started to become increasingly visible that the trend in this prediction was deeply flawed. It failed to assume that people would be moving to rural areas or to larger properties within the cities and that large service sector companies banked on the pandemic ending soon and held onto their office spaces / adapted a form of hybrid working.

These factors combined together formed a powerful driving force that led to the increase in property prices.
Potential buyers sent 16 per cent more messages to estate agents than they did this time last year.

Clear skies or the eye of the storm?

The number of sellers putting up their properties for sale increased by a sizable 11 percent compared to one year ago, while the number of buyers requesting a home valuation rose by a similar percentage. Many see this as a possible end to the price rises we are currently experiencing, while others argue that this is simply a speed-bump and will not affect the overall direction of the market.

While the argument for this recent development leading to a price dip is a compelling one, when we look back at this data provided by Nationwide depicting house prices from 1975-2019. The trend is as clear as day, prices are increasing and will continue increasing. As long as there is a large population and a small supply of properties, the basic law of supply and demand will apply.

What should I do?

The answer to that is simple and the evidence behind it is overwhelming. You should buy a property, as soon as you can, do not put it off until an imaginary dip in the market otherwise someone else will take your options and leave you 1 rung down on the property ladder and in a market which is ever increasing in price, this is most certainly not a place you want to be in.

Supply disruption due to Ukraine-Russia crisis

While the industry is still in flux and things are changing very rapidly, the current situation is looking quite dire indeed. The price of Brent crude oil has now reached a 7 year high of £73 per barrel. The RAC warned that the crisis may propel petrol prices further beyond the 149.12p record high which was reached on Sunday 19th February. Russia has sent forward troops into the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Donetsk known for their hydrocarbon production (Oil, Natural gas and coal),this is set to cause a significant disruption in the supply chain as it is.

However, this is not the only factor that worries the RAC, it is the fact that Russia is one of Europe’s largest exporters of Hydrocarbons. A war on the doorstep of Europe is undoubtedly not going to affect just oil prices, but indeed energy prices which are already in a bad situation currently.

Exacerbated energy crisis

Following escalation of tensions with Ukraine by Russia, many political analysts are suggesting that Russia will begin a possible deadly full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Many in the EU and NATO have expressed that they will go ahead and deliver severe sanctions on Russia if the scenario comes to fruition.

How this will affect the energy industry (and by extension the property industry) is due to the nature of the sanctions that are on the table some of which may have been utilised at the time of writing this article, a banning of Russia from ‘SWIFT’ the world banking system as well as a shut down of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and decreased trade relations overall with Russia. A shortage of natural gas will lead to increased energy prices across Europe.

Predictions of the property market

Due to the rise in energy prices, this will add to the cost of living crisis in the UK, Many, though not all landlords often hold properties through a Buy-to-let mortgage, the effect of higher energy costs/running costs of their properties will lead them to list the properties at greater rental prices in order to make up the shortfall.

This means increased prices across the board, with higher rental prices the value of the property itself is bound to increase. Many in the media claim that the opposite is true, that due to the increased cost of living, people will simply be unable to afford a wider selection of properties to stay in. This claim however, falls on its face as the demand for property will still be the same, if not higher, a likely outcome is that people will simply take on more debt in order to stay in/purchase properties.

Taking all this information into account, we advise our readers to purchase any property that dips in price due to panic selling to maximise short term profits, alternatively buy what properties you can at this moment in time to maximise long term profits, as there is no telling exactly when the price will skyrocket, however we can be certain that it will.