Blog
Despite the seasonal dip in rents, you can still secure a speedy letting if the price is right
This autumn we have seen rents start to settle after three months of rapid price rises across England. As reported by one industry website, average rents on fresh tenancies did not seek the same hikes we had for the previous quarter. Normally, we’d expect to see a...
Oakfield have funded training for a new coach at RunningSpace
As part of our Community Pledge this month, we are delighted to have been able to fund the training for a new Volunteer Coach with RunningSpace. Their coaches really are the beating heart of their organisation – they’re almost always ‘home grown’ and have often been...
Buying a leasehold property? Here’s what you need to know
What is a leasehold property? With a leasehold, while you own your property, you don’t own the building or land on which it sits. That means you’re obliged to pay ground rent to the freeholder every year, either at a fixed or variable rate. (Although the government...
Team Building Volunteering Day at Raystede
On Friday 19th October a group of team members from across our branches and departments got together for a team building day, volunteering at Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare. This amazing charity was started over 70 years ago by Miss Raymond-Hawkins as a small set...
I’m a first-time landlord – what questions should I be asking my letting agent?
Rising interest rates (albeit cushioned to an extent by climbing rents) are clearly a concern for many buy-to-let landlords, but you can still make the market work for you. According to the Property Reporter website: “Investors can take comfort in the fact that the...
Why buyers are super-sensitive to price just now – and how Oakfield can help
According to the latest House Price Index for this month on one major online property portal, the average asking price for homes which are new to the market has declined by an annual percentage of 0.4% to £366,281, the biggest dip since March 2019. Asking prices are...
Charlotte and Zoe Smashed the Charity Walking Challenge in September
Charlotte Diamond and Zoe White both from our Lettings Accounts team took on the ‘Walk 30 Miles in September Challenge’ to raise money for Cancer Research UK! The challenge was to walk 30 miles each in September but between them they walked a huge 133 miles which was...
The Building Safety Act 2022: An update…
The Building Safety Act 2022 (Section 77, as approved in April 2022) says high-rise residential buildings 18 metres or higher, or at least seven storeys tall, and incorporating two or more residential units, i.e. higher-risk structures, must register with the Building...
Why you should never underestimate the importance of good photos in property listings
We’ve all scrolled through the major online property portals looking at houses – perhaps wishing we could live in some of the places featured, maybe crossing others immediately off the list. But, probably without even actively realising it, you’re almost certainly...
Midnight to Midnight Relay with Running Space for World Suicide Prevention Day
Yesterday some of our Sales team members went along to support one of our charities, Running Space on their ‘Midnight to Midnight Relay’ to raise awareness of World Prevention Suicide Day and to raise money for their amazing cause. The event started at midnight on...