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Thursday, November 18, 2021 51

Newbury Weekly News

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Find your perfect home in west berkshire here each week in Newbury home search and online anytime at www.newburyhomesearch.co.uk www.newburyhomesearch.co.uk A Newbury News Limited publication

Head for Hillview HILLVIEW is situated in Oakley Wood, in the very heart of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty near Wallingford. This property has been in ownership terrace off the master bedroom suite. On the ground floor are a cloakroom, kitchen/breakfast room, family room, dining room, drawing room, garden room, sitting room and three bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms.

by the present owners for many years, who have refurbished it to achieve an inspirational modern and contemporary family home. It is set in delightful gardens and grounds approaching an acre and boasts a barn complex and a charming two-bedroom guest cottage. Throughout the property there are numerous interesting architectural features, such as galleried landings, vaulted ceilings and even a roof

The master bedroom has an en-suite bathroom, dressing room and terrace, while there is an tower bedroom. The gardens and grounds are a delight, with an array of trees, shrubs, and plants, and there are various dining areas and a swimming pool. The guide price is £2m. For more details, call (01491) 874144 or email sales@warmingham.com

Centre of attention THIS smart two double-bedroom second-floor apartment is in a quiet but central location, just minutes’ walk to Northbrook Street and the train station. The apartment, which has lift access, is of a contemporary design and has four years remaining on the builder’s warranty and 994 years remaining on the lease. The open-plan living/dining room and kitchen is of a contemporary design with a feature floor-to-ceiling corner window providing lots of natural light with further windows to side and front. Within the kitchen is a smart range of eye- and low-level units, while the master bedroom has a built-in wardrobe and an en- suite bathroom. The second bedroom has a large feature window and the bathroom boasts a smart suite. The accommodation includes a communal entrance hall with security entry system, stairs and lift to second floor and personal hallway and an allocated parking space. The guide price is £274,950. For more details, call (01635) 523777 or visit www.downer.co.uk For private sale and rental properties, see the classifieds section of the Newbury Weekly News. @newburytoday ❑ Follow us through the week Thursday January 10, 2019, £1 Families in emergency meeting on care home Newbury Business Today See the full story and all the area’s latest business news inside Gabrielle on a mission to boost local economy Council’s new economic development officer wants to strengthen digital infrastructure NEW YEAR NEW YOU Time for a fresh start

Buy-to-let landlords still play a vital role

believe the burden of housing just under a fifth of the UK population isn’t appreciated or taken seriously by Government. Notwithstanding the challenges, most BTL landlords are in it for the long run. BTL mortgages can be secured for less than one per cent and demand is on the rise. My final piece of advice to anyone thinking of becoming a BTL landlord for the first time is that you have to plan ahead. Those who stumbled into the buy-to-let market in the early 2000s made a lot of money without any strategy. Moving forward you need the guidance of an agent who can tell you the best places for invest- ment. They will also be able to ensure you attract the right sort of tenants who won’t trash the place and leave you in arrears. If you would like some advice do not hesitate to drop me a line or pick up the phone. Newbury’s Van & Truck Hire Specialists Make the smart move, call 01635 552200 smart hire vehicle rental CARS ● VANS ● MINIBUSES ● TRUCKS www.SmarthireVehicleRental.co.uk

By LEE FENN-TRIPP Lettings Director, Downer & Co

n Continued from last week Most Newbury landlords are very fair with their tenants, providing them with clean, well-presented and affordable housing. Of course, there are the rogue landlords, but with TV shows such as Landlords from Hell , the British public are given a distorted view of private landlords as a whole. Private landlords have played a critical role in providing homes to millions of Brits. The UK population has grown by 405,000 people per year for the last 20 years, yet only 22,750 council/social houses have been built per year in the same time frame. If it wasn’t for the private rented sector, who would’ve housed all those extra people? What about the exorbitant rents? Would it surprise you that rents have risen below infla- tion between 2008 and 2019? Also there has been a drive to tax BTL land- lords more comprehensively and regulate the private rented sector to develop better housing conditions for tenants. Unlike owner-occupier homes, tenants get the benefit of new regulations from gas safety checks and electrical safety reports. Also, BTL landlords will need to improve their Energy Performance Certificate Rating to at least a C rating by the end of 2025 for all new tenancies, and by end of 2028 for all exist- ing tenancies. Landlords have also had to pay more tax on their BTL properties, paying three-per-cent Stamp Duty supplement for the last five years,

and higher-rate tax relief on mortgage interest was taken away four years ago. Landlords have also had to deal with the fallout of the pandemic – it’s estimated one in five tenants in the private rental sector have some form of rent arrears. Landlords that don’t use a letting agent to manage their property are 272.5 per cent more likely to be two months or more in arrears. Also, evictions for rent arrears were banned during the pandemic, meaning some tenants ran up arrears of 12 months or more. According to the National Residential Land- lords Association, this has left around 210,000 private tenants in the country facing a court order for rent arrears. That would equate to 150 Newbury private rented households with a court order for ar- rears. The idea that landlords are middle-class types who are out to take advantage of tenants who can’t afford to buy their own homes is just wrong. Some 501 Newbury landlords own just one BTL property. Just under half of those use their rental in- come to supplement their pensions and a third have a gross income (excluding income from the property) of less than £20,000 per annum. It’s hard work being a BTL landlord and I

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No new admissions after multiple complaints

WELFARE checks are being carried out at a Newbury care home follow- ing complaints about the quality of care and the treatment of residents. Reviews are also being completed for all those who reside at Winchcombe Place after a number of concerns were received from concerned relatives. Care UK, the provider that runs the home on Maple Crescent, admitted the quality of care had “fallen below the high standards” it expects. It added that it would not be accept- ing new admissions for the foreseeable future, so it could focus on the care it gives to existing residents. West Berkshire Council said it had been made aware of the issues and was working with the Care Quality Commission to ensure an appropriate improvement plan was in place to keep people safe. The local authority added that it took the responsibilities of the people in its care “very seriously” and confirmed it has th bil e a ity to ter i t

The balloons that had Newbury looking up A composite picture of four images taken over a period of 40 minutes of balloons rising from Donnington Grove Hotel on Saturday morning, as seen from Donnington Castle Picture by Chris Meads

Report by DAN COOPER email dan.cooper@newburynews.co.uk twitter @danc_nwn

only received one formal complaint, it had been contacted by multiple family members to alert them to further concerns. In a statement, the council said: “These issues have been raised by vari- ous people including the Care Quality Commission and the family and friends of residents at the home. “Once we became aware of these concerns we wanted to meet with rela- tives to inform them of the situation, to give them the opportunity to ask ques- tions and gain further information from the families about their experi- ences of care at the home. “The meeting was attended by approximately 70 family and friends of residents.” It d a ded: “We t B k

A COLOURFUL array of hot air balloons floated across the skies above West Berkshire over the weekend. The annual Icicle Refrozen Balloon Meet – an informal, unsponsored event

which is open to all balloonists – took place on Saturday and Sunday morning. Around 50 balloons left the Donnington Grove Hotel and Country Club shortly

before 9am, much to the delight of onlookers who had gathered to witness the spectacle. Go to Newburytoday.co.uk for more pictures.

Extra mental health support for district’s children A PROJECT to support and improve children’s mental health is being trialled in West Berkshire.

said: “I have seen first-hand the excellent work already being done in schools to support children and young people with their mental health. “These new dedicated teams will build on this working clo l i , se y w th childr

Council, Reading Borough Council and Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. Both local authority areas will have their own ment l h l a ea th support t

Berkshire West has been selected by NHS England to pilot a three-year project to run two dedicated mental health and support teams

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