The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the UK’s financial regulatory body, operating across the country independently of the government. It recently confirmed it would be pushing ahead with proposed reforms to leasehold buildings insurance. There weren’t really any...
Oakfield Estate Agents is delighted to announce it has acquired independent local operator Rowland Gorringe. And, with immediate effect, it will be taking over the company’s offices in Lewes, Uckfield and Heathfield. All three locations are in East Sussex, where...
According to at least one well-known industry online portal, buyer interest is on the march once again this spring. And we may only be two or three months into 2024, but house sales are already up on the same period in 2023, having risen by 0.4% last month. That now...
One thing you learn quite quickly as a new landlord is the steps you need to take to protect yourself, your property and your tenants. Insurance is clearly one such measure. But standard home policies won’t cover rental activities, and your mortgage lender will...
One of Britain’s biggest lenders, Halifax, recently reported that house prices rose 2.5% in the year to January, representing the strongest performance since the start of 2023, as potentially lower mortgage rates and eased inflationary pressure boosted confidence...
The government is working to transform the leasehold system and, as outlined in its manifesto, ‘crack down on unfair practices’ in this area. This has certainly been on the cards for a while; the government first committed to leasehold reform back in 2017. The plan is...
Deposits can often feel like barriers to taking on a tenancy. In the UK, tenants typically pay up to five weeks’ rent as downpayment, plus a month rent upfront. Initially you will charged a holding deposit of up to a week’s rent, payable in advance, to secure a...
The latest Halifax data shows that UK property prices went up for the third month in a row in December 2023. Meanwhile, some major lenders are already cutting mortgages in expectation of a sooner-than-expected dip in interest rates. And, according to the Guardian,...
If you’re determined that 2024 will be the year you finally move house, you could well be on to a good thing. After all, there’s been more movement in the market than you may have realised, despite some gloom-laden mutterings in the media. It’s also a great time of...
Despite some seemingly ominous predictions in the media, it’s fair to say that the UK’s housing market has actually held up pretty well during 2023. It certainly hasn’t crashed as some said it might. And while house price indices from some lenders including Halifax...
As always with our monthly charity donations from our Community Pledge we aim to utilise the funds so that they can make the most difference. This month we reached out to Warming up the Homeless, one of our chosen charities very close to our hearts, regarding their...
It’s hardly news that summer is the most sought-after time of year to move house. In the south-east, for example, according to one removal services comparison website, August is the most popular month for removals. Meanwhile, nationally, winter is traditionally...
This week Izzy our Lettings Manager in our Eastbourne branch went along to Holding Space to help out with their Christmas Wrapping Fundraiser. These events are arranged over a number of days are an opportunity for people to bring in Christmas presents and for a...
Last week Charlotte and Kyla from our Bexhill branch had the pleasure of visiting Demelza Hospice centre for East Sussex, based in St Leonards on Sea. The ladies loved decorating the centre full of Christmas decorations, lights and trees. They also took a huge...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 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 (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...
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...
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...
Britain’s housing market is never far from the headlines, and recent weeks and months have proved no exception. But, as the Guardian reported this month, house price falls have actually been pretty modest, not least given the background of rising interest rates and...
With our donation from our Community Pledge to Warming up the homeless this month, Casey and Charlotte from our Bexhill office headed to the supermarket with a shopping list of essential items which the charity were in urgent need of. They Managed to fill two trolleys...
Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare in Lewes is one of the six amazing charities we support. They care for over 2,000 animals a year, rehoming over 1,000 animals across East Sussex and providing sanctuary to even more at their 43 Acre site. They also educate pet owners...
Alongside mortgage rates, food costs and energy bills, rents are on the march UK-wide. According to a report from one major property portal, typical UK rents in April were a full 10% higher than the year before, standing at £1,126 on average, with London remaining the...
With house prices inevitably affected by a string of interest-rate hikes, the outlook for the UK’s property market remains potentially uncertain. So it’s perhaps not surprising that many who are looking to buy, sell, rent or let out a property may be tempted to cut...
Energy bills may be starting to come down, or at least rising less rapidly, but they’re likely to remain high. Indeed, one energy boss has warned that prices could spike this winter. But help is available in the form of the year-long Energy Bills Discount Scheme...
The Renters Reform Bill, brought to Parliament this May, brings sweeping changes to the rental sector for England’s 2.3 million landlords and 11 million private tenants. It was first discussed in 2019, before being expanded on in 2022’s ‘fairer private rented sector’...
One year ago we created our Community Pledge to enable us to give something back to our local communities. Living and working in the local area this meant such a lot to us and our team, to be a part of something which can really benefit some extraordinary causes. If...
According to the charity Mind, research published last summer showed that more than seven million Brits have taken up gardening since the Covid-19 pandemic, while over three million report improved mental health after moving away from an urban area to have access to a...
How much does it cost to move home? It’s something we do, according to MoneySuperMarket, more than five times during our lifetimes on average. And it’s likely to be one of the most expensive things you’ll ever do. So it’s no wonder that people often ask us how much it...
It can be easy to forget that not every landlord is in the property sector through choice. It may be, for example, that you have struggled to find a buyer yet need to relocate for work. Or you may be keen to move in with a partner. Or you may have a new baby and...
If you’re currently renting and starting to wonder if you’ll ever get on the housing ladder, one lender has come up with a potential answer in the form of a new mortgage deal which requires no deposit or guarantor. The Track Record Mortgage from Skipton Building...
A new government funding scheme for cladding remediation for medium-rise buildings (i.e. those between 11m and 18m tall) is set to open in the near future. This follows the launch late last November of a pilot Medium-Rise Scheme (MRS) by Homes England, the...
At Oakfield Estate Agents, we’ve seen too many landlords take a short-termist approach to renovating and maintaining their buy-to-let properties. Their ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ view involves completing the bare minimum of repairs and maintenance so that they...
Neil Newstead Founder and CEO of Oakfield Estate Agents is delighted to announce the acquisition of Redwell Estates. Redwell Estates a well-known local agent was first opened in 2000 by Patrick Stapleton, over this time they have built a great reputation for selling...
With the cold snaps of the winter hopefully receding into the past, could now be the ideal time to think about selling your property and moving house? Traditionally, the weeks between March and May represent one of the year’s busiest periods for home sales, and there...
The Guardian reported last autumn that demand for rental homes UK-wide had leapt by nearly 25% in a year, causing private rents (already at an all-time high) to climb even more sharply for the UK’s 4.4m renting households. One major property portal has said that hopes...
We are delighted that the monthly donations we are making to our charities is increasing each month with £450 being paid this month, bringing our overall total since we started making the donations four months ago, to a fantastic £1500! We introduced our Community...
In the 12 months to December last year, average UK electricity costs soared by 65.4%, while gas leapt by an eye-popping 128.9%, according to the Office for National Statistics. The main drivers behind these price hikes are the Ukraine conflict, rising demand, limited...
Oakfield Estate Agents has secured £6.4m in funding to completely replace cladding on a prominent seafront apartment block in Bexhill-on-Sea. Oakfield are the appointed managing agents for The Landmark building, encompassing 66 flats, and have been involved in the...
On January 23 2023, the new Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 came into force. These new rules represent the most significant changes made to fire safety law in recent years, and implement most of the recommendations of the Phase 1 report of the Grenfell Tower...
As a private landlord (or agent), you’re legally obliged to check the immigration status of all tenants, lodgers and any other adults who may be living at your property. You’ll need to do this before the start of the tenancy, and it’s called a ‘right-to-rent’ check....
We are always so humbled when we get to visit the charities we support as we are blown away by the amount of work that goes into running these incredible organisations. This weekend Josh our Lettings Manager from Eastbourne visited Raystede Animal Sanctuary to deliver...
The year just gone has certainly a busy one for the UK’s housing market, with 2022 kicking off with some record-breaking hikes in values across East Sussex, along with unprecedented demand and properties changing hands like the proverbial hot cakes. But as the year...
As we say goodbye to 2022, it’s a great time for reflection, and looking back as well as forward. Of course, the year has seen basic living costs soar, while interest rates in particular have also increased sharply. The Bank of England raised them in December by 0.5...
Earlier this year, the Building Safety Act (as amended) gained Royal Assent, following a prolonged period of delay. One of its provisions, called Leaseholder Protections, safeguards leaseholders from the expenses of some building safety work and remediation, and...
Let us get to know you! We put you at the centre of our service, and the more we know about your needs, the better the service we can offer you. Please get in touch today for a no obligation chat about what we can do to help you and your building. A dedicated member of our Team will be happy to contact you today!
Book a valuation
Whatever your next move, you’ll need to know the likely selling price of where you live now. We can help. Our property valuation service is professional, realistic, straightforward – and free.
Just curious? If you just want a rough value of your home, get an instant valuation online here. Ping over a few details and we’ll do the rest.
Thinking more seriously about selling? Book a face-to-face property valuation. An in-person visit gives us a much better feel for the property and its setting, so we can make a really accurate valuation. Drop us a few details and we’ll get an appointment sorted.
Book a Viewing
Has this property caught your eye? Thinking about buying or renting it? Book your viewing now.
Just pop in a few simple details and a member of our helpful team will be in touch as soon as possible to discuss and arrange your appointment.
We know you’re busy, and we’ll do everything we can to accommodate you and work around your schedule. So let us know your availability when you send over your details – we offer evening and weekend slots, too.
Booking your viewing couldn’t be easier. Do it and take a step towards your dream home.
How it works
You review your Zero Deposit Guarantee quote online, having been introduced to Zero Deposit by [us/your letting agent/Oakfield].
You make a payment equivalent to one week’s rent, provide your Direct Debit details and then the paperwork is generated, and copies sent to all parties.
Your landlord gets a guarantee for the same amount as a 6-week tenancy deposit and you remain liable for any damage or financial loss due to them.
At the end of the tenancy, the inventory and check-out are completed and if you leave the property in a satisfactory condition with no outstanding rent or bills, there is no further action required.
If there is any damage to the property or any unpaid rent, you will need to reimburse the landlord yourself. If you dispute the landlord’s claim, you and the landlord will be asked for evidence which will then be sent for expert evaluation.
If the expert finds in the landlord’s favour, Zero Deposit settle the claim with your landlord and seek reimbursement from you directly. If you fail to reimburse Zero Deposit at this point, you may be liable for recovery costs and it could impact on your credit history.
Important Information
This Guarantee provides your landlord with protection if you do not pay them directly for the cost of any financial loss or damage due
You remain completely responsible for any financial loss or damage due to the landlord, as you would with a traditional tenancy deposit
The cost of the Zero Deposit Guarantee is not returned to you at the end of your tenancy or offset against any claim by the landlord
If you dispute your landlord’s claim, and our expert evaluation partner finds in your landlord’s favour, Zero Deposit will settle with them and then seek reimbursement from you. Failure to pay Zero Deposit at this stage will result in Zero Deposit passing your debt to a debt collection agency which may incur further costs for you and could affect your credit rating
A Zero Deposit Guarantee is offered to you as a choice, so if you prefer to pay a security deposit, you can. With a traditional deposit your money will be returned to you if there is no financial loss or damage due to the landlord at the end of the tenancy
There is a setup fee of £49 at the point you move in, then an annual admin fee of £17.50 per tenancy collected every year by Direct Debit from the first anniversary of you moving into your new property.
For more information visit zerodeposit.com or call 0333 200 2541
Zero Deposit is a trading name of Global Property Ventures Limited (10328435), which is registered at Business and Technology Centre, Bessemer Drive, Stevenage, SG1 2DX. Global Property Ventures is an insurance intermediary and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. You can find details of this at register.fca.org.uk, by searching for the company name or reference number, which is 797026.
The Zero Deposit Guarantee is underwritten by Great Lakes Insurance SE. Great Lakes Insurance SE is a German insurance company with its headquarters at Königinstraße 107, 80802 Munich. Registered with the commercial register of the local court of Munich under number: HRB 230378 UK Branch office: Plantation Place, 30 Fenchurch Street, London, EC3M 3AJ. Great Lakes Insurance SE UK Branch is authorised by the Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht and subject to limited regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority. Details about the extent of our regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority are available from us on request.
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