Propertymates home page. Co-buy. Co-invest. Co-rent

Now propertymates throughout the UK can join our network.

Posted on March 14, 2012 by propertymates

We’ve expanded our service to cover the whole of the UK. Well to be more precise, England, Scotland and Wales. By broadening our reach, we hope to attract more potential co-buyers and co-investors to join Propertymates.

In the past, a number of people have written to us asking when we are going to expand into their part of the country. We also know from our stats that we get a lot of hits from outside of London, which makes it a no brainer to offer our service nationwide. After all, it’s not just London that has high property prices.

Another benefit is that we can now offer a better service to renters and house shares with a spare room to fill.

Propertymates continues to be free, so you’ve got nothing to lose by joining today, creating a free ad or profile and start to get found.

Propertymates has a many useful guides on co-buying, renting, advice for landlords and legal information. So take a look today.

Posted in Propertymates | Tagged co-buy property, co-buyers, flat share, free room ad, house share, I want a room, I've got a room, offer a room, renting | Leave a comment

Get clear advice on making the most of your money

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Peter

I’ve come across a really cool service for sorting out your money issues which is really worth checking out.

Called Money Advice Service it is independent and was set up by the government and is funded by a levy on the financial services industry. It claims to give free, unbiased money advice to help you make informed choices – throughout your life and whatever your circumstances.

The advice and information is available online, over the phone and face-to-face. Because they are not regulated by the Financial Services Authority they can’t give you a specific recommendation on whether a particular product is suitable for you. But once you have got the advice on what you need to do you should be able to go off and consult a professional financial adviser with confidence.

The website is really worth checking out. They run a thorough and anonymous health check to help get you started. Based on what you’ve told them, they immediately create a step-by-step action plan to help you make informed choices. OK, so you may have already done some of the things they suggest, but there may be some you haven’t thought of before.

If you are serious about buying, particularly co-buying, this a good place to start.

Posted in co-buyer, co-buying, first time buyers, Group Mortgages, Mortgages | Tagged buying with friends, co-buyers, first-time buyer, help for first-time buyers, Mates mortgages, Propertymates | Leave a comment

Calling all Propertymates. Come and meet up.

Posted on January 20, 2012 by propertymates

I hope you’ve had a happy Christmas and New Year holiday and that you are now ready to kick-start your search to find a co-buyer.

I would like to invite you and your friends, to the first Propertymates meet up of the NewYear, which will take place on Monday March 12th. The venue will be The Library Room at the highly recommended pub, The Victoria, W2.

BOOK HERE.

The evening will start at 7.00p.m.with informal networking over a glass of wine or soft drink. (Extra drinks will be available to purchase.) We’ll do some shuffling during the evening to make sure you get to meet as many people as possible.

The Propertymates Team will be on hand to give help and advice on buying together. A Propertymates party offers a relaxed and informal networking opportunity where you have the chance to get to know and build relationships with other potential co-buyers.

There are limited places available for this event so you are advised to book early to avoid disappointment. For now, Propertymates Parties are free. I have been asked to confirm final numbers with the pub by close of play on Friday March 2nd so please book your place before 6.00p.m. on that day. Book here.

I hope you will be able to join us on March 12th. Why not bring a friend or associate? I look forward to seeing you there.

Best wishes
The Propertymates Team

PS. To find a Propertymate, create your own profile – and start searching straightaway. Good luck.

Posted in co-buying | Tagged buying with a friend, Propertymates, Propertymates parties | Leave a comment

Find your co-buyer at a Propertymates party

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Peter

As Propertymates explain on the site co-buying is when one or more people buy a property together. So with the problems with mortgages and the price of property in London it’s not surprising that co-buying, with the financial benefits it brings, is becoming increasingly commonplace.

Most people know someone who has bought with a friend or family, whether as first time buyers, moving up or as a property investment to rent out. But what happens if you don’t know anyone with the same mindset or similar financial situation as yourself? Or your parents are not wealthy enough to give you a helping hand onto that tantalizingly out of reach first rung of the property ladder?

Making informed decisions is the key to success. Finding someone to buy or rent with is a big step but doing your homework needn’t be a chore. Why not try a Propertymates Parties. They bring people together. In a safe, social atmosphere at great venues in central London. In just a couple of hours you’ll have made your first steps toward shared ownership of a house or flat.

We think there’s no better way for prospective co-buyers and flatmates to meet than face-to-face at a meet and match party. It not only saves you time; it’s without obligation and gives you the chance to meet a variety of people at the same time.

Would you attend a Propertymates party? What would you expect?

Go to the Propertymates party survey and tell them, it will only take a few seconds.

Posted in co-buying | Leave a comment

Renting? Then start thinking about buying!

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Peter

Here we are a month later and average monthly rents have risen again by another 0.7% to £718.

Earlier this month, the housing charity Shelter said private rents had become unaffordable in 55% of council areas in England.

While David Newnes of LSL Property Services, which owns a number of estate agents and letting agencies, and compiles the monthly figures has echoed what I was saying last month;

“In many cases, buying a home is now cheaper on a monthly basis – provided renters can get past the stumbling block of the substantial deposit requirements,”

So renters who have cohabited should seriously consider the option of co-buying to help them over the deposit hurdle. Obviously sharing a mortgage and all that goes with it is a serious business. But all the tools are in place to help the process.

Apart from the need to identify and process a co-buyers mortgage, co-buyers should start by considering a Deed of Trust. A Deed of Trust or (Declaration of Trust) is a legally binding document that sets out the joint owner’s intentions, what would happen should they go their separate ways and the effects of their plans. A deed of Trust cuts the risk of any misunderstandings.

Find out more here or seek some free advice from Fidler & Pepper, one of the UK’s biggest on-line solicitors.

Posted in co-buyer, co-buying, Deed of Trust, first time buyers, Group Mortgages, Mates Mortgages | Tagged buying with a friend, buying with friends, co-buy. deed of trust, co-ownership, first-time buyer, joint ownership, Propertymates | Leave a comment

Could renting become more expensive than buying?

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Peter

I wrote a few weeks ago about the re-emergence of the 90% and 95% mortgage. Now according to the BBC News site we read that the cost of renting a house has risen at its fastest rate in a year. BBC News

The average is now £713 per month, with the rise between July and August a staggering 1.2%. ”We are in the thick of the busiest time of year for the rental market, and red-hot demand for properties is driving rents up at their fastest monthly pace in the last 12 months,” said David Newnes, LSL’s estate agency managing director. “In the last two years, average rents have risen by more than £50 a month.”

Of course areas of the UK vary and the survey from lettings agent LSL, which owns Your Move and Reeds Rains, suggested that London had seen the biggest rent rises in England and Wales in the last year, rising by 6.6%, followed by a 6% rise in the West Midlands and a 4.3% increase in the North East of England.

Surely with interest rates at a record low and the re-emergence of the 90% and 95% mortgage, now has to be the time for first time buyers, with some money saved, to get on to the property ladder. House prices may well still be volatile but as the economy improves over the next 5 years this has to be a wise move.

Plus, “co-buying” for 2 or more people who are renting, and have proved they can live together, has to be an option worth exploring. Britannia, one of the leading lenders with a Co-buying product, is worth a look and Propertymates Co-buying guides are an important source of useful information.

Posted in co-buyer, co-buying, Deed of Trust, first time buyers, Group Mortgages, London property, London renting, Mates Mortgages, Mortgages | Tagged buying with a friend, co-buy. deed of trust, co-buyers, first-time buyer, London property, Mates mortgages, Propertymates | Leave a comment

SAFEagent scheme a positive for housing market

Posted on September 6, 2011 by propertymates

The Housing Minister, Grant Shapps, has endorsed the SAFEagent scheme which has now launched to the public.

Mr Shapps has congratulated the industry for taking such measures and has also urged agents who are currently not signed up to the SAFEagent scheme to do so immediately.

New factsheets for landlords and tenants have been released. These include a “Dos and Don’ts” factsheet for landlords, a “Dos and Don’ts” factsheet for tenants, and a factsheet about “Gaining Possession”.

In addition, SAFEagent has received registrations from over 1,200 agents and is also supported by organisations such as, Shelter, NUS, Trading Standards Institute, Council of Mortgage Lender, Residential Landlords Association, The Property Ombudsman Scheme and the British Property Federation.

Mr Shapps, with regard to the SAFEagent scheme, has stated: “The private rented sector provides a valuable source of accommodation for over three million people in England, and the vast majority of them are happy with the service they receive. That’s why I have promised not to wrap the sector in red tape, but instead to work with the industry to help them develop their own plans to tackle those bad landlords, and with councils to throw the book at those who don’t live up to their responsibilities.”

An example of a “bad landlord” mentioned here would be someone who does not look after their property, does not look after their tenants, and probably does not have a necessary Landlord Insurance policy. The SAFEagent scheme will aim to flush this out, and can only be a positive addition for the future.

Furthermore, Nick Cooper, Managing Director of Northwood and Chairman of the SAFEagent steering group, has been quoted saying: “We want SAFEagent to become a recognised kitemark that every reputable letting agent signs up to. We would welcome the opportunity to work with all organisations with an interest in the private rented sector.”

Mr Shapps has also said that unnecessary disputes between those renting and letting a property are caused by misunderstandings. With better information being provided to both parties, such future disputes will hopefully be avoided.

Posted in Landlords | Tagged Dos and don'ts for landlords, Dos and don'ts for tenants, Landlord responsibilities, Landlords, SAFEagent scheme | Leave a comment

Well does the property market think it has bottomed out?

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Peter

With house prices down again last month maybe the market thinks the bottom has been reached because the lenders are certainly back with a vengeance.

The 90% and 95% mortgage is back. Chelsea Building Society, Yorkshire Building Society and HSBC have all announced 90% mortgages and Skipton Building Society and Cambridge Building Society have even announced 95% mortgages. Mortgages for first time buyers.

On top of that according to www.ftadviser.com, Northern Bank, based in Northern Ireland, has started offering 100pc mortgages to new borrowers. This would mean those without any parental assistance and no savings could buy their first home

So this means the first time buyer deposit is tumberling. Interestingly data from the Survey of English Housing shows that only 4pc of first-time buyers used a gift or loan from family or friends for a deposit pre-1980. But in 2009, the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), said 80pc of first-time buyers under the age of 30 required parental help. Well that means help should be less of a problem for parents now if the market continues to offer low LTV mortgages.

This in itself is a good thing, because according to a Skipton Building Society survey over half of people heading for retirement expect to leave nothing when they die. Because they will have to spend their savings to live. Spending the inheritance So the less they need to hand to the kids the better.

So with the number of first-time buyers at its highest level in 10 months, according to figures out this week from the CML, let’s hope we have learnt the lessons of high LTV mortgages.

Posted in co-buyer, co-buying, first time buyers, Group Mortgages, London property, Mates Mortgages, Mortgages | Tagged bank of mum and dad, co-buyers, first-time buyer, help for first-time buyers, London property, Mates mortgages, Propertymates | Leave a comment

Co-buying with friends? Star in a new TV series.

Posted on July 12, 2011 by propertymates

Calling co-buyers past and present to appear in a brand new TV series.

With the concept of ‘mates mortgages’ and buying in partnership being so much in the recent news, we were not surprised when Presentable TV contacted us at

Propertymates in the hope of finding genuine co-buyers (friends or property partners) – past, present and future, to feature in a 10 part series proposal to present to Channel 4.

The programme will cover everything from the excitement of finding a home to sorting out the legals. If you are seriously considering buying in partnership, this could be an ideal way to help you through the process. If you have already co-bought, why not share your experiences – good and bad.

If this is you and you’d like to take part in the series, please email me, Iona Stern, at tv@propertymates.co.uk

For more information on co-buying, visit Propertymates/co-buying

Be a co-buyer reality TV star

Posted in co-buyer, co-buying, first time buyers, Group Mortgages | Tagged buying with friends, co-ownership, Mates mortgages | Leave a comment

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