In this three-minute read, we look at how you can improve the local environment by joining the fight against litter. If the sight of discarded fag butts, empty bottles and plastic wrappers makes you see red, you’re not alone. Litter is an issue that frustrates and aggravates many people in the UK, and rightly so. Not only is litter unsightly and expensive to remove (in 2017/18 keeping the...
2020
In this two-minute read, we look at how you can keep your home and family safe as the weather turns colder. Next Monday (14th) sees the tenth annual Gas Safety Week begin. The awareness campaign is timed to get people thinking about and checking their gas appliances as the autumn starts to take hold. Gas Safety Week’s goal is to raise awareness among homeowners about the crucial importance of...
A 60-second update. Yesterday the Government made changes to the six-month eviction notice periods law which were introduced in a bid to stop people being evicted from their homes due to the impact Covid-19 is having on their finances. This means the new, longer notice periods will run from today, 29th August until 31st March. However, there are several instances where shorter notice periods can...
In this three-minute read, we share the things you should look for when instructing a solicitor to do the legal work when selling or buying a home. When you are selling a home, you have two crucial decisions to make. Firstly, choosing the right estate agent to sell your home is often the difference between getting a good deal or ending up with no deal. Secondly, selecting the right conveyancing...
In this two-minute read, we look at the despicable criminals targeting people's phones in Rayleigh & Hockley and what we can do to stop them. Do you know your fishing from your phishing? While one is a gentle pastime popular among millions, the other according to Wikipedia, is this: Phishing is the fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information or data, such as usernames, passwords, and...
In this three-minute read, we look at the most common mistakes landlords make and share some simple, musical theatre-inspired tips, to help you protect your investment. Hands up if you think this statement is true. Being a landlord is easy. You buy a property, find a tenant, and then sit back like Daddy Warbucks and count the cash as it rolls in! If you raised your (jazz) hands, then we’ve...
In this two-minute read, we’ll share the secrets of how to put together a picnic you’ll be proud of. We’ve still a few weeks of summer to enjoy. And many people are still furloughed. If we’re lucky, the warm sunshine might hang around until late September. Even though the holiday season abroad has taken a big hit due to you know what, that doesn’t mean you can’t create some magical...
In this three-minute read, we look at seven things you can do to ease the back-to-school nerves children may be facing ahead of the new academic year. The lockdown and ongoing fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic have been tough for everyone. But it’s been especially hard for school-aged children. They’ve gone months without seeing a lot of their friends, have had their routine turned upside down...
In this two-minute read, we look at how we can all do our bit to support and celebrate the local businesses serving Rayleigh & Hockley well. “The service you do for others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” That was a quote from Muhammad Ali, and who are we to argue with sport’s greatest icon? And although the boxing legend was talking about how we need to help each other...
In this three-minute read, we look at how landlords can prevent their property from being used for cannabis production. If you have a nice property in a respectable street in Rayleigh & Hockley you probably would never imagine that criminal gangs would ever target you. Well, think again. Cannabis farms are a widespread and persistent issue; as soon as the police crackdown in one location, the...