London Property Matters // Issue 02 // Spring/Summer 2022

LONDON PROPERTY MATTERS

in this issue: Breaking the glass ceiling: Exploring the world of opportunity for women at KFH Driving change: Beam Park's evolving landscape, from Ford factory to modern day living Go for broker: Mortgage lending advice for buy-to-let, help-to-buy and the self-employed

Issue 2 • Spring/Summer 2022 • kfh.co.uk • FREE

Issue 2 • Spring/Summer 2022 • kfh.co.uk

BEST OF BOTH WORLDS Investigating the property, prices

and psychology of living north or south of the Thames – and why they may not be so different after all

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Oval Road, Primrose Hill NW1 £5,200 pcm First floor flat in an award winning building in the highly desirable Primrose Hill.

A contemporary twist on classical architecture for the keen urban dweller.

Premium fixtures and fittings with a large living area and balcony.

Three bedrooms | Two bathrooms | Balcony | Spacious rooms Primrose Hill location | Furnished

BELSIZEPARK.LETTINGS@KFH.CO.UK | 020 4525 3633

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Clapham Common North Side, Clapham SW4 £2,150,000 A spectacular apartment arranged over the first and second floor of a beautiful mansion block with direct views across Clapham Common. Refurbished to an impeccable standard boasting high ceilings and period features throughout.

Two bedrooms | Reception room | Two bathrooms | Large kitchen/dining room Utility room | Dual aspect | Off street parking | EPC Rating C | Leasehold

CLAPHAM.SALES@KFH.CO.UK | 020 4571 7991

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contents

40 LONDON PROPERTY MATTERS

in this issue: Breaking the glass ceiling: Exploring the world of opportunity for women at KFH Driving change: Beam Park's evolving landscape, from Ford factory to modern day living Go for broker: Mortgage lending advice for buy-to-let, help-to-buy and the self-employed

Issue 2 • Spring/Summer 2022 • kfh.co.uk • FREE

Issue 2 • Spring/Summer 2022 • kfh.co.uk

BEST OF BOTH WORLDS Investigating the property, prices

and psychology of living north or south of the Thames – and why they may not be so different after all

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On the Cover Illustration by Muti

07 WELCOME

KFH's Founder and Managing Director, Lee Watts, marvels at the Capital's past and what the future may hold in store too

09 NEWS & VIEWS

The latest on how KFH is doing its bit to reduce its impact on the environment, and details of an innovative new department launch

10 NORTH VS SOUTH

Is there really a great divide between those living on either side of the Thames? We look at a debate that has raged throughout the centuries

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44 18 CENTRAL LONDON

Sales and lettings in the Capital went very quiet as the pandemic wreaked havoc, so as we emerge from lockdowns, what happens next?

25 INTERIORS TREND

The Pantone Colour of the Year 2022 is 'Very Peri', so here are the many ways you can bring it into your home to add a twist to designs

26 MEET THE TEAM

At a time when equality in the workplace is never far from the news, we meet five women who have progressed and flourished at KFH

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“We explore one of the most divisive subjects contested across our fine city” p7

ISSUE 2 Spring/Summer 2022 kfh.co.uk

56 26 32 SYDENHAM

Once known for being the home to the Crystal Palace, how SE26 has finally emerged from the shadows of its near neighbours

40 BEAM PARK

Ford put this part of Dagenham on the map in the 20th century, but a new development for the 21st century is now getting people talking

44 KATE WATSON-SMYTH

The writer behind Mad About The House reveals her secrets for transforming the interior of that dream property

48 ECO HOME

With new demands on landlords to bring their property's EPC rating down, we look at what this actually means and one example of how to do it

50 HAPPY AT HOME

Apartment blocks today are going above and beyond to offer amenities to help improve resident wellbeing.

We look at how this is being done

56 TOP SURVEY TIPS

We ask those in the know about what you should look for when having a property surveyed and how to make transactions as smooth as possible

58 MORTGAGE LENDING

KFH mortgage experts reveal how they help customers overcome the often tricky complexities of buy-to-let, helpto-buy and self-employed applications

62 LONDON YOUTH

In our second interview with the charity's CEO, we see how KFH are helping to offer the Capital's youngsters a platform to have their voices heard

66 TRANSPORT LINKS

We examine why everyone is talking about Crossrail and the Northern Line extension, and what these mean for the property market

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Clarence Road, Bromley BR1 Offers in excess of £1,075,000 Beautifully presented three bedroom Victorian semi detached house located a short distance from Bickley railway station. Retains an abundance of period features such as high ceilings and feature fireplaces.

Three bedrooms | Three reception rooms | Large spa bathroom | Modern kitchen Landscaped garden | Summer house | EPC Rating E | Freehold

CHISLEHURST.SALES@KFH.CO.UK | 020 4571 9683

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W E LC O M E

Making history The Capital is never short on a story or two, but the future is looking just as exciting as the past – welcome to the latest issue of London Property Matters

H

ere we pay homage to the rich history that continues to define our city today. On page 32 we journey through the transformation of Sydenham from rural farmland to holiday destination for wealthy Londoners to the thriving south east hot spot it is today. We also look at a more recent example of regeneration in Dagenham. Once the birthplace of many iconic Ford cars, the area is now undergoing huge change and we are delighted to be part of it, working with Simple Life London to bring the stunning Beam Park development to market (page 40).

We also explore one of the most divisive subjects contested across our fine city (no, I’m not talking about Brexit). It is a right of passage for all Londoners to partake in a rousing debate on the perceived pros and cons of living north or south of the river. In fact, given the passion and frequency in which this topic is debated, you may be surprised to learn this so-called ‘divide’ began way back in Roman times (page 10).

As fascinating as the past is, we must look forward and plan for the future.

The London property market continues to outperform expectations with strong buyer and tenant demand, making it an ideal time to sell or let your property.

You may have noticed that estate agents love to talk about transport links. Change is afoot across London with the introduction of Crossrail (due to open imminently) and the opening of new Northern Line stations at Nine Elms and Battersea Park. We explain the importance of improved transport links and the impact these additions will have on the areas they serve on page 66.

Take a moment to read about our trailblazing landlords who have been on a journey to improve their EPC rating from F to B. Taking on this challenge has not only been good for their wallet, but has also meant they’ve significantly decreased their environmental footprint. We show you how it can be done on page 48.

There is something here for everyone, I hope you enjoy reading this latest issue.

If you have any feedback, we would love to hear from you. Please email londonpropertymatters@kfh.co.uk. 

Lee Watts

KFH Founder and Managing Director

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Upper Richmond Road, Putney SW15 £2,900 pcm Stunning two bedroom duplex apartment in Putney’s newest development.

Offering over 1,000 sq ft of luxurious living and entertaining space, a private balcony and access to a communal roof garden.

Two bedrooms | Open plan living space | Two bathrooms | Private balcony Concierge | Landscaped communal roof garden

PUTNEYHILL.LETTINGS@KFH.CO.UK | 020 4571 9575

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N E W S NEW DEPARTMENT LAUNCH

Mount Snowdon/ London Youth  On Saturday 18 March, 14 members of staff climbed Mount Snowdon to raise money for charity partner, London Youth. The group raised almost £6,000. These unrestricted funds will go towards supporting a network of diverse community youth groups and clubs across the Capital. Laura Maikovaite, West Wickham Sales Assistant Manager, says: “The climb up Mount Snowdon was a great experience and, as a team, we all came together to encourage each other along the way. Although the climb was incredibly challenging, the view from the top was definitely worth it.”

Read more about London Youth on page 62.

IN THE

Tenancy progression department  In January KFH created a new lettings tenancy progression department, headed up by Sarah Burgess. The team of more than 20 people work closely with all lettings branches and the compliance department, providing a centralised service for progressing new tenancies from the moment an offer is accepted by a landlord to the point of move in. Carol Pawsey, Group Lettings Director, says: “This new department will streamline our processes, ensuring that we are providing a concise and efficient service to our clients.”

NEWS The latest news and launches from KFH

KFH are in the process of refreshing branches across the Capital. This makeover moves the business in line with an enhanced brand image and amplifies the presence in almost 60 high streets across London.

CHARITY CLIMB SUCCESS STORY

Electric cars roll out  KFH are taking meaningful steps in reducing their carbon footprint by rolling out hybrid and electric vehicles throughout the fleet. This will not only cut tailpipe emissions significantly, but will also help decrease pollution and improve London’s air quality. KFH aim to have a 90% hybrid/electric fleet by 2025.

The business is committed to finding ways to reduce its carbon footprint and this move is in conjunction with other initiatives that will further improve environmental impact.

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Tale of two halves

Illustration by Muti

Is there really a north vs south London divide in the 21st century?

We investigate historic differences, psychological attachments and an evolving property market

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Clerkenwell versus Peckham

Clerkenwell sales Two-bed flat: £800,000 Three-bed house: £1,600,000 Four-bed house: £2,000,000 Typical buyer: Students, young professionals looking to buy close to City jobs and older couples.

Sales director Jonathan Clews: “We are suddenly twice as busy as we have been for the last few years, by way of viewings and offers.”

Clerkenwell lettings Two-bed flat: £2,500-£3,000 pcm Three-bed house: £3,500-£4,000 pcm Four-bed house: £4,000+ pcm Typical renter: Professionals and students.

Lettings director Lewis HamiltonYork: “There are great connections to east London, Bloomsbury and Soho, major transport hubs and bars and restaurants aplenty.

While the market struggled during the pandemic, with many people opting to live outside of London and working from home, we’re back now with demand through the roof, rents up around 25% from this time last year and many properties achieving all time high rental amounts.”  Peckham sales Two-bed flat: £500,000 Three-bed house: £750,000-£800,000 Four-bed house: £1,200,000 Typical buyer: Young professional couples and families needing more space.

Sales director Jason Davis: “Buyers like the multi-cultured area with its great local shops, green spaces, good schooling and excellent transport links. There’s high demand for two-bedroom garden flats and three/four-bedroom houses, as buyers seek additional space for working from home or to rent out the second bedroom.”

Peckham Lettings Two-bed flat: £1,450-£2,100 pcm Three-bed house: £2,500-£3,200 pcm Four-bed house: £2,800-£3,600 pcm Typical renter: 20- and 30-something professional renters looking for a fashionable south London address.

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ntil very recently black cab drivers famously wouldn’t cross south of the river for fear of not getting a fare back into the centre of London – a northern bias that was either amusing or frustrating depending on where you lived, and which reinforced a centuries-old divide between either side of the Thames.

The Romans kicked off the Capital’s division when they based their settlement Londinium, where the City of London is now, in the 5th century, followed by the Anglo Saxons who established Lundenwic two centuries later, near Charing Cross.

As the city developed, most of the politically important and wealthy buildings – Westminster, Parliament, and the Strand – went up on the north side of the river and the upper classes moved into smart residences being built in Kensington and Chelsea, City of London and Westminster.

“Between the medieval and Tudor period, south London was like a Wild West,” London historian and author Jerry White (jerrywhite. co.uk) explains. “Southbank was where activities that wouldn’t have been tolerated in the city grew up, such as theatres and brothels.”

In the mid-18th century, when more bridges were built, travel between the two sides became easier, and larger houses went up in the south. But roads weren’t developed as quickly due to its marshy, waterlogged ground, which restricted the capacity for development, making building difficult and expensive.

“The south also harboured many debtors and the less law-abiding around two prisons, and it wasn’t until after the 19th century that even more bridges and resultant housing developments brought suburbs such as Peckham and Camberwell,” says White.

Building standards began to match those in north London districts like Camden and north Islington; however, the south was still viewed as a ‘dormitory’ area and was held back by its lack of transport links. Prejudice lingered well into the 20th century, with south London still lacking the cache of the north, reinforced by the fact entertainment was focused in the West End and Soho, and the business centre in the city.

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“Between the medieval and Tudor period, south London was like the Wild West compared to the City” But as south London has been developed – first with County Hall, followed by the Shard, London Eye and Tate Modern, making it a destination for work and play as well as somewhere to live – the gap between north and south has been bridged.

“The current equalisation has been centuries in the making,” says White. And as neighbourhoods have evolved, races and cultures have blended, and communities have become more fluid, meaning that the historical geographic hangover has worn off.

All in the mind What remains are psychological differences – many north Londoners view their patch of the Capital as culturally richer than in south London and, to a certain extent, they have a point.

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N O RT H 01 St. John Street, Clerkenwell EC1V £1,595,000 A beautifully designed two bedroom loft situated in one of Clerkenwell's most prestigious developments.

This apartment delivers unique space combined with one of the most desirable locations in EC1.

KFH Clerkenwell 020 4571 7881 clerkenwell.sales@ kfh.co.uk

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Putney versus Holland Park

West Putney sales Two-bed flat: £650,000-£750,000 Three-bed house: £1,250,000-£1,350,000 Four-bed house: £1,500,000+ Typical buyer: Singles and couples, and professionals.

Sales director Sally Playfoot: “The area has a countryside feel whilst still being very close to central London. The demand is outstripping supply currently and the properties performing the best are those with turn-key finishes.”

Putney lettings Two-bed flat: £2,000 pcm Three-bed house: £3,000 pcm Four-bed house: £4,000 pcm Typical renter: Families and young professional sharers.

02 Rusholme Road, Putney SW15 £3,750 pcm Located close to East Putney, this five bedroom, two bathroom conversion flat is spread over three floors, and features a private rear garden.

KFH Putney 020 4571 7962 putneyhill.lettings@ kfh.co.uk

Lettings director Rohan Alleyne: “The market across south west London is currently incredibly busy with low levels of supply and high demand. Most properties are let within 48 hours and receive multiple offers. I have a number of examples of flats being let for considerably over the asking price, as applicants aim to ensure they can secure a property.”  Holland Park sales Two-bed flat: £550,000-£1,000,000 Three-bed flat: £1,200,000£1,300,000 Three-bed house: £1,300,000-£6,000,000 Four-bed house: £2,500,000-£8,000,000

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Research in the past has revealed that while 80% of southerners have crossed the Thames to visit cultural attractions north of the river, only 42% of north Londoners had travelled south to do the same thing.

But many historians lay the blame for Londoners’ north/south biases on the historic lack of bridges connecting the two halves, a problem that endured until the mid-Victorian times during which bridge building ramped up in earnest.

Before this, it was time-consuming to get across the handful of bridges, and expensive too as all of them charged tolls. This underscored the economic differences between the two and subdued cultural and societal links – which inevitably led to a ‘them and us’ mindset that, it is argued, endures today. Or does it?

Heading south “In contrast to much of north London where there seems to be pockets of similar demographics and culture, in areas like Peckham, Crystal Palace or Borough, you have a healthy diverse mix of cultures, race, age and demographic, which is what London is all about,” asserts Julian Peak, KFH sales director for south east London.

He reports there has been a visible ‘southern drift’ over the last 20 years, with Londoners growing up and renting in north, west and central London, but going on to buy south of the river. And for buy-to-let investors, areas such as Catford, South Norwood and Thornton Heath, with their improving infrastructure, are now where people want to rent, representing great value for money and good rental yields.

Typical buyer: Apartment house hunters are either young couples with bigger budgets or affluent older individuals and couples looking for a luxury statement address. Big family homes don’t come on the market that often as residents tend to stay put.

Holland Park lettings Two-bed flat: £1,600-£10,000+ pcm Three-bed flat: £3,100£15,000+ pcm Four-bed house: £7,200£17,000+ pcm Typical renters: Corporate and creative or media industry professionals looking for historic and traditional surroundings close to central London, although there is a demand among out-of-towners for pied-a-terre properties close to the West End.

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Battersea versus Fulham/ Parsons Green

Battersea sales Two-bed flat: £850,000-£950,000 Three-bed house: £1,150,000-£1,250,000 Four-bed house: £1,500,000-£1,750,000 Typical buyer: First time buyers moving into the area and house buyers upsizing.

Sales director Rita Glover: “In the last six months, the majority of the buyers have been ‘first time buyers’.”

Battersea lettings Two-bed flat: £2,000-£2,100 pcm Three-bed house: £3,250-£3,500 pcm Four-bed house: £4,000-£4,500 pcm Typical renter: Families, couples and mature professionals.

Lettings director Carl Homershom: “I’ve worked in this area since 2014 and never seen the market like it is at the moment, it’s red hot!”  Fulham sales Two-bed flat: £650,000-£750,000 Three-bed house: £1,100,000-£1,200,000 Four-bed house: £1,350,000+ Typical buyer: Young professionals priced out of Chelsea and South Kensington and families looking to upsize from flats locally.

Sales director Alastair Kidner: “Often the buyers looking for flats especially are young professional buyers that work in the City that have been priced out of areas like Chelsea and South Kensington. With houses, these are mostly families that are looking to upsize from flats locally.”

Fulham lettings Two-bed flat: £2,270 pcm Three-bed house: £3,050 pcm Four-bed house: £4,850 pcm Typical renter: Couples, professional sharers and families.

Lettings director Gareth House: “People are staying in their tenancies a lot longer, and with an abundance of people looking and a lot fewer properties coming to market, this has meant most properties have rented within days of coming onto the market.”

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“The cultural diversity of much of south London is one of the main pulls for Londoners to set up home,” says Peak.

Robert McLaughlin, Julian Peak’s counterpart for north London, agrees: “Previously, young people in Islington and Shoreditch wanted a bigger place in Muswell Hill, but over the last five to ten years those people are looking in the south east where they’ve seen more value for money,” he explains.

“The north has held its value and appeared more expensive, but the irony now is that prices are pretty even and the popularity of those places in the south has increased prices, meaning there’s less of a difference between the two areas.”

Riverside family destinations such as Battersea and Fulham now have a similar appeal. Fulham’s proximity to Chelsea and Kensington, and the fact it’s within easy access to central London and the City, makes it a perennial draw, according to KFH’s Fulham office sales director Alastair Kidner.

“Last year was incredible,” Kidner says, “with the level of transactions and people that decided to make the move, while this year we have seen a shortage of family homes coming to the market with still a very large demand.”

Meanwhile, across the river, the Battersea office reports that the feedback it often gets

“The popularity of places in the south has increased prices, meaning there's less difference between the two areas” is that the area is a great suburb to live in and almost doesn’t feel like your typical ‘London’.

“It seems to offer buyers everything we longed for in the pandemic: the green spaces of Battersea Park, Clapham Common and Wandsworth Common, and the endless bars, restaurants, cafés and independent shops on Northcote Road and St John’s Hill,” says Battersea office sales director, Rita Glover. “The market in Battersea is absolutely phenomenal at the moment and even busier than last year.”

Go figure While north London has been more expensive historically, Battersea’s popularity means that here, a two-bedroom flat with outside space costs £850,000-£950,000 compared with its Fulham equivalent of £650,000£750,000, while a four-bedroom house costs £1.5m-£1.75m compared to £1.35m.

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Muswell Hill versus Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace sales: Two-bed flat: £400,000 Three-bed house: £750,000 Four-bed house: £875,000 Typical buyer: Professional first-time buyers.

01 Anerley Hill, Crystal Palace SE19 OIRO £1,100,000 Arranged over three levels and amassing over 1,890 sqft of elegant living space, this is a rarely available four-bed, semidetached family home.

KFH Crystal Palace 020 4571 7864 crystalpalace. sales@kfh.co.uk

Sales director Tyrone Eneh: “The market is extremely buoyant at the moment – we are seeing many buyers coming from south west London into Crystal Palace where they feel there is better value for money here, but with similar amenities.”

02 Sisters Avenue, Battersea SW11 £1,675 pcm A spacious two double bedroom property boasting a bright and airy reception room, tall ceilings and ample storage, close to Clapham Junction.

KFH Battersea 020 4571 9547 battersea.lettings@ kfh.co.uk

Crystal Palace and Muswell Hill make another interesting comparison – both hugely popular with young professionals and families looking for high Ofsted rated schools, meaning the offices are equally busy.

Crystal Palace harbours outstanding primary schools, excellent transport links, Crystal Palace Park, an array of coffee shops and restaurants and boutique stores, reports Crystal Palace office lettings director Jesse Damon.

“There are a good number of transport links within the area and Crystal Palace Park offers beautiful scenic greenery,” he says. “We are noticing a lack of properties on the current rental market, therefore it’s moving quicker than usual.

“Strong demand from tenants and low supply of properties are resulting in a high number of landlords achieving over asking price offers, from best and final situations.”

In Crystal Palace, a two-bedroom flat costs £1,500 pcm and a four-bedroom house is £2,500 pcm on average, while north of the river in Muswell Hill, it’s £1,600 pcm and £3,500 pcm respectively.

Families flock to the largely Edwardian properties and enjoy the outdoor spaces such as at Alexandra Palace, and love the Broadway’s plethora of independent shops. Stephanie Antoniou, lettings director at the Muswell

Crystal Palace lettings Two-bed flat: £1,500 pcm Three-bed house: £2,000 pcm Four-bed house: £2,500 pcm Typical renter: Young professionals and families looking for high Ofsted rated schools.

Lettings director Jesse Damon: “We are noticing a lack of properties on the current rental market, therefore the market is moving quicker than usual. High demand from tenants and low supply of properties are resulting in a high number of landlords achieving over asking price offers.”

Hill office, adds: “We’re very busy now with tenants wanting to live in such a busy, vibrant area. Lots of our renters go on to buy here.”



The last word Robert McLaughlin adds that the north is historically older and arguably architecturally it is more interesting, with areas that are significantly better developed, surrounded by spectacular parklands. “Residents are culturally spoilt, with theatres and museums, superior transport links and the new Elizabeth Line. For a lot of people there’s still a clear distinction and they want to remain part of the history and established parts of north London.”

However, Peak points out that property markets on either side of the river have higher or lower price ranges for reasons other than the cultural, geographic and transport reasons mentioned above. For example, he points out that apartments with river views on the north side can be 20% higher not just because of the postcode, but because they offer a south-facing aspect – proving choice of home in London can be led as much by head as heart, whichever side of the Thames you end up living in. 

Muswell Hill sales Two-bed flat: £550,000-£800,000 Three-bed house: £1,200,000-£1,400,000 Four-bed house: £1,400,000-£1,800,000 Typical buyer: Families looking for good schools.

Sales director Matthew Smith: “The schools are exceptional in the area, which attracts families who like the largely Edwardian properties and enjoy the outdoor spaces such as Alexandra Palace.

We’re incredibly busy, but there’s not enough property for people to buy – you could almost sell a big family house overnight.”

Muswell Hill lettings Two-bed flat: £1,600 pcm Three-bed house: £2,700 pcm Four-bed house: £3,500 pcm Typical renter: Families looking for good schools and professional couples/sharers.

Lettings director Stephanie Antoniou: “We’re very busy at the moment with lots of tenants wanting to live in such a busy, vibrant area. The majority of our renters go on to buy in the area.”

To contact one of our branches, north or south of the river, visit kfh.co.uk/branches ISSUE 2 · SPRING / SUMMER 2022 15

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Sharon Road, Chiswick W4 £2,700,000 An outstanding four bedroom semi detached Edwardian family house. The property benefits from a large contemporary kitchen and family room opening onto a stunning 40 ft landscaped garden.

Four bedrooms | Two reception rooms | Three bathrooms | Modern kitchen 40 ft landscaped garden | No onward chain | EPC Rating C | Freehold

CHISWICK.SALES@KFH.CO.UK | 020 4571 9687

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Earlsfield Place, Earlsfield SW18 £685,000 – £780,000 Earlsfield Place is a stylish collection of apartments and penthouses situated by the River Wandle. Offered with luxury bespoke interiors, chic bathrooms and contemporary kitchens to create a home with an enviable finish.

Located a few minutes’ walk from Earlsfield station.

NEWHOMES@KFH.CO.UK | 020 4571 9742

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C E N T R A L

LO N D O N

Centre of attention Sales and lettings went very quiet during Covid within the Capital’s prime central neighbourhoods as returning overseas and local buyers seek out good value

he elite global community who like to buy or rent property around the world revere London’s prime housing market, as much as the famous tourist attractions the UK capital has to offer. But while many people salivate over the luxurious interiors, Porsche lined streets and eye-popping asking prices, finding a property to buy or rent within London’s famous name neighbourhoods requires expertise – even more so since the pandemic threw this unique market into confusion for the first time since the 2008 financial crisis. Prices and rents dropped during these difficult times by up to 20% in some areas as international travel bans and lockdowns kept UK and overseas buyers and tenants away, and prompted an exodus of residents to the

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countryside. The importance of overseas buyers to the prime central London boroughs – the City of London, Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea – should not be underestimated.

University of York academics recently revealed that 18% of new builds in London are sold to foreign buyers, and just over a third of all properties overall.

Derek Fletcher, who heads up KFH’s central London property sales operation, says that during the early 2010s up to 60% of homes bought in several central London neighbourhoods would go to overseas buyers. “That all quietened down when the previous Chancellor, George Osborne, introduced a 15% stamp duty on properties over £1.5million in 2014, and then added an additional 3% ‘surcharge’ for those buying second homes. The situation was exacerbated last year when Rishi Sunak

introduced an additional 2% stamp duty for overseas purchasers, combining to make the 17% transaction cost in central London for overseas investment buyers, one of the highest in the world,” he says.

“That, along with the ‘non-dom’ rules that were brought in during 2015, combined with Brexit and now Covid, left demand weak and prices fell, meaning the central London market still remains under-priced compared to its highs of 2014.”

But like the rest of the UK, albeit at a slower pace, the post-lockdown housing market in central London has bounced back as many house hunters and tenants have sought-out bargains as prices and rents have softened. “Many people have woken up to the fact that residential property in London is undervalued and, along with the pent-up demand created by Brexit and the Covid

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Queen’s Gate Place, South Kensington SW7 £6,500,000 A four double bedroom apartment situated on the ground and first floor across two beautiful period buildings in the heart of South Kensington.

Four double bedrooms | Four bathrooms | Double fronted | High ceilings | Large terrace Period features | Prime St James’s location | EPC Rating D | Share of Freehold

SOUTHKENSINGTON.SALES@KFH.CO.UK | 020 4571 8012

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Branch star PAUL HYMAN Sales Branch Director, Bayswater Paul Hyman heads up the sales team in this patch of central London, which he says is unusual because it’s relatively affordable compared to its glitzier neighbours like Kensington and Notting Hill, but is next to Hyde Park.

“There is huge demand for properties here and particularly decent-sized twobedroom apartments at around £750,000.”

Hyman says most properties for sale in Bayswater are one and two bedroom flats, which have always been harder to find. Mews houses are a distinct and in-demand type of property in Bayswater and, with limited supply and keen demand, Hyman says this kind of home has been fetching keen prices recently – in one mews KFH sold three properties in quick succession all at circa £3 million.

“In an area where a majority of the properties for sale are leasehold apartments within converted houses, a freehold house within a mews will always be in demand if it’s within the £1.25 to £2.5 million range,” he adds.

“The squares behind the high streets are the favourites – so Leinster Square, Princes Square, Westbourne Gardens, Chepstow Place, Westbourne Terrace, Gloucester Terrace, Craven Hill Gardens and Cleveland Square.

“The redevelopment of the old Whiteleys department store and general regeneration of Queensway is going to make a big difference to the area when it’s completed in 2023/24.”

KFH Bayswater Sales 020 4571 3261 bayswater.sales@kfh.co.uk

SALES BAYSWATER Studio

£325,000-£500,000

1 bed flat

£450,000- £800,000

2 bed flat

£500,000-£1.25m

3 bed flat

£600,000-£2.25m

4 bed house

£2.6m-£4m

lockdowns, these factors have additionally stimulated demand – helped of course by the stamp duty holiday,” adds Fletcher, who says his ten branches saw activity double during the final months of last year, compared to the year before. “Remember that central London is a market of confidence, given the high prices involved – it’s not a market you enter lightly, so it’s more sensitive to uncertainty than other places in London.

“The Covid price drops have made central London more affordable for many younger buyers to purchase their next home because of the price differentials. Also, these price drops have made investment properties more attractive, because yields have improved as the asking prices have dropped, but rents have risen as stock has been depleted by other government tax and regulatory activity. So the buy-to-let investors are returning to the market in numbers that we haven’t seen for three or four years.”

Duncan Blakelock, KFH’s lettings director for central London, agrees and hopes that this increase in landlord activity will solve the private rented sector’s key challenges at the moment – a lack of stock. This has been caused by the rental market turning on its head since Covid restrictions have eased. During the lockdowns, many tenants fled London and the market was flooded with empty properties, not helped by many landlords switching from Airbnb short lets as the tourist trade came to halt.

01 Chiltern Street, Marylebone W1U OIRO £3,400,000 Portman Mansions is located in close proximity to Marylebone High Street and Baker Street with its array of shops, bars and restaurants.

The property comprises four bedrooms, three bathrooms, reception and fitted kitchen.

KFH Marylebone 020 4525 2452 marylebone.sales@ kfh.co.uk

02 Lancaster Gate, Bayswater W2 OIRO £1,500,000 This wonderful large apartment provides considerable volume with high ceilings, views of Hyde Park and a terrace, within a magnificent Grade ll listed building on prestigious Lancaster Gate, located a few moments walk from the Tube.

KFH Bayswater 020 4571 9616 bayswater.sales@ kfh.co.uk

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Broadley Street, Marylebone NW8 £2,200,000 A superb property, meticulously refurbished to the highest standards throughout, offering three bedrooms and spacious accommodation over four floors.

Three double bedrooms | Two bathrooms | End of terrace | Open plan kitchen Patio garden | EPC Rating E | Freehold

MARYLEBONE.SALES@KFH.CO.UK | 020 4579 1793

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Branch star DANIEL BICKERDIKE, Lettings Branch Director, South Kensington South Kensington is the sweet spot for both overseas landlords and tenants looking for the ‘best address’ in London, an area therefore that both suffered during Covid as international travel was brought to a halt – and rents fell by 15% to 20% locally – and at one point the area felt like a ghost town, says Daniel Bickerdike. But then the students and office-working tenants began to drift back and, “while we’re getting back to normal, the challenge at the moment is that many renters are staying put and renewing rather than moving – which has reduced the number of properties coming onto the market. Therefore it’s a landlord’s market, which is why rents have been rising,” he adds. “If I had one message to get out there, it would be that we need more landlord properties.” The recovery in the local lettings market has been the ‘V shape’ that many economists talked about last year, which caught the private rented market on the hop, as it did the wider economy. Bickerdike says he’s most proud of doubling the number of lets his team agreed recently in a single month compared to the month before, despite the market challenges. “The extraordinary super-prime lets are still happening too – the biggest deal we landed recently was a £35,000-a-week short-let flat on Wilton Crescent,” he adds.

KFH South Kensington Lettings 020 4571 9619 southkensington.lettings@kfh.co.uk

LETTINGS SOUTH KENSINGTON 1 bed flat

£450-£550 a week

2 bed flat

£650-£800 a week

3 bed flat

£1,000-£1,200 a week

Houses Circa

£5,000 a week

Source: Rightmove.co.uk

At the time Blakelock says his network of ten branches had 450 properties on their books, but that this has dropped significantly.

“This is a huge swing – but on the other hand it means it’s a landlords’ market at the moment as too many tenants are chasing too few properties,” he says. “It’s why rents massively rebounded during the final months of 2021 and into 2022. And the same applies to the corporate short-lets market, which has come back very strongly since the start of the year – but yet again, finding stock to fill the demand is proving tricky.”

Blakelock also says that different areas of prime central London have different mixes of landlord – for example his branches in prime London like Marylebone, South Kensington and Bayswater are favoured by international investors looking for the ‘big name’ postcodes, while in Clerkenwell, which covers the city, it tends to more accidental landlords, who are more prevalent in the SW enclaves too like Fulham, Earls Court and its newest branch in Brook Green. “Holland Park is more about old money, so you don’t tend to get investors there,” he says. Both Blakelock and his sales counterpart Derek Fletcher agree on one thing – where once KFH was perceived as a leading player in London’s ‘mid-range’ housing market, its success in central London in recent years has shown it can offer vendors, buyers, landlords and tenants a service that rivals its competitors in this hugely competitive market. 

01 Kensington Gore, South Kensington SW7 £14,950 pcm A magnificent lateral apartment with stunning period features located on the sixth floor of this elegant red brick mansion building next door to the Royal Albert Hall and Hyde Park, which is flooded with plenty of natural light.

KFH South Kensington 020 4571 7955 southkensington. lettings@kfh.co.uk

02 Holland Park Avenue, Holland Park, W11 £4,116 pcm A beautifully presented three double bedroom apartment with a balcony in a brand new development in Holland Park.

The property boasts three double bedrooms and three bathrooms (two are en-suite).

KFH Holland Park 020 4571 7995 hollandpark.lettings@ kfh.co.uk

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Westbourne Park Road, Notting Hill W2 £1,500,000 A stunning first floor apartment, enjoying an enviable location and benefitting from a beautifully bright lateral open plan living space, high ceilings and a range of magnificent floor to ceiling sash windows.

Three bedrooms | Two bathrooms | First floor | Open plan living space Wooden floors | Enviable location | EPC Rating C | Leasehold

BAYSWATER.SALES@KFH.CO.UK | 020 4579 1740

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10 1. KIP & CO, dusk blue velvet duvet cover, £179, antipodream.co.uk 2. CIELSHOP, metal table lamp, £119, cielshopinteriors.com 3. CIELSHOP, velvet striped cushion, £39.99, cielshopinteriors.com

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4. PASH CLASSICS, Jacobsen style egg chair, £679, pash-classics.com 5. ELIZABETH OCKFORD, Gertrude indigo, £145, elizabethockford.com 6. JONATHAN ADLER, ripple accent table, £1,220, jonathanadler.com 7. HK LIVING, ceramic 70s mug, £6, folkinteriors.co.uk 8. LIGNE ROSET, Togo sofa in kyoto blue purple leather, £POA, ligne-roset.com

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Very peri

How to bring Pantone’s colour of 2022 – a joyous purple/blue – into your home

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9. JONATHAN ADLER, Paule Marrot blue brown print, £POA, jonathanadler.com 10. CIELSHOP, blue glass sundae dish, £16, cielshopinteriors.com

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M E E T

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THE FA N TA ST IC

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Highlighting the world of opportunity on offer at KFH, we meet a quintet of women who have enjoyed eclectic careers to discover what progress has meant to them

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Lynne Hawkins

“The traditional view of surveying and valuing property, which is usually a middle-aged man poking around a loft, is very out of date”

LYNNE HAWKINS

Director, Chartered Surveyors and Professional Services

A lot happens over two decades, particularly when talking about London. “Twenty years ago, the property market was beginning to boom, and we would not have anticipated a credit crisis or, ten years later, a pandemic,” Lynne Hawkins reflects on her time at KFH. “Yet through all the challenges thrown

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at it, the London property market has remained steadfastly robust.”

Hawkins and her team can certainly lay claim to knowing all there is to know about the Capital.

“All of our customers rely on our greater understanding of property issues and value in this part of the country, so a significant part of my role is to ensure we can deliver that expertise wherever and for whomever it is required.”

Hawkins talks passionately about her role at KFH, so is she keen on promoting women in surveying?

“We absolutely encourage women,”

she states. “The traditional view of surveying and valuing property, which is usually a middle-aged man on some ladders poking around someone’s loft, is very out of date.

Surveyors’ knowledge and skills are in high demand. The nation’s property stock is ageing and will be under huge pressure to become more environmentally suitable in the coming years and values will be affected by not only the impact of the climate on property, but how properties impact the climate.”

Much has changed in 20 years, but a key aspect of KFH for Hawkins has remained resolutely intact.

“The people here are the most rewarding bunch you could hope to work with,” she says. “KFH is one big family, and a huge amount of our founder’s time and energy goes into ensuring everyone feels that way.” Long may that continue.

Favourite place in London I grew up in Chelsea, so the King’s Road. It’s changed a lot over the years, but I still love going back.

Dream property If I told you that then it would go up in price! The key is to buy where you know things are planned to improve.

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Karen Page

JASMIN ATHWAL

Director of People

Meeting Jasmin Athwal, one question instantly springs to mind: what exactly is a director of people? “Attracting and finding the best people for our business,” she begins, “and ensuring that we are able to support them through their learning and develop them so that they are confident to fully perform their role with us, as well being the best version of themselves.

We are looking for people who love what they do, or what they will be doing, a professional drive to always be better, tenacious as there will always be another way, be proud of who they are and what they bring to the table – and to enjoy themselves!”

It certainly appears Athwal practices what she preaches. “I love the people that I have to engage with as part of my role,” she nods, “the projects that I get to be involved in and lead, the cross collaboration, the new ideas and innovation along the way, as well as working with the best people and having fun.”

Athwal’s career has to date been diverse, so she’s in the ideal position to look at what KFH can offer its employees. “I have worked across a range of different industries, with companies of all sizes and also in different places in their life cycle as a business, all different at the speed in

“Not all businesses are open to peoplefocused change in such a short space of time”

which they operate – and KFH has the right balance of giving me space to think, develop and then do,” she says.

“This has been a great place for me to hone my skill set, develop other people and help drive a new way of thinking for the business. Not all businesses are open to large people-focused change in such a short space of time.”

Favourite place in London Any restaurant with fantastic food and cocktails.

Dream property It would be in St Johns Wood.

A lovely little area of London where it still feels peaceful.

KAREN PAGE

PA to Sales Directors

Jasmin Athwal

When looking back at stand out moments in her 15 years at KFH, Karen Page settles upon two. “The first was being part of organising over 50 members to take part in a Tough Mudder event for our chosen charity London Youth,” she starts. “It was a great event and we raised a lot of money to support a great cause. My second favourite was being invited to Verbier to try my hand at skiing.” She breaks out into a smile, before adding: “It is safe to say that the après ski was more my thing, but what an amazing experience the whole weekend was.”

Two very different experiences, which is rather apt when looking at how Page’s career has played out at KFH. “I started at KFH in June 2007, shortly after my 19th birthday,” she recounts. “I started as a survey administrator in the Bayswater office, before I moved over to the sales side of the business – during my time as a sales administrator I worked in five offices within the south west region.

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sales negotiator in the Streatham office, before returning to the administration side in 2016 at a senior level.”

Considering her role today is PA to sales directors, it's unsurprising to learn what she loves best about the job. “It’s the people,” she says. “You spend more time at work than you do at home, so for me it is important to feel like work is an addition to my family and, most importantly, I enjoy my work. The options are endless at KFH and you have an opportunity to choose your career. There is a path for all and you will not be disappointed.

My career has gone from strength to strength over the years. The knowledge I have gained along the way could not have been achieved in the classroom.”

One of Karen Page’s highlights may have involved going downhill fast, but her career has been anything but.

Favourite place in London London Southbank is my favourite spot, especially in the summer.

Dream property I have narrowed this down to south west London and would love to own a huge house in Wimbledon Village.

ROXANNE NAOMI ALLEYNE

Lettings Branch Director, Kennington

If you are keen to learn about opportunities within KFH, then speak to Roxanne Naomi Alleyne. Some 14 years ago, when seeking out a career that was right for her, Alleyne took a punt on estate agency. “I started as a lettings negotiator at 19 years of age, fresh out of college with very little experience in the industry,” she recalls.

“I flourished and quickly became the top negotiator in the division.”

As the years have advanced, so too has Alleyne’s career. In 2013 she became assistant manager of the East

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Roxanne Naomi Alleyne

Dulwich office, before being promoted to lettings branch director in 2017. At the time of this interview, she is about to embark on the next stage of her career, taking over as lettings branch director of KFH’s Kennington branch.

“I am super excited about the challenge and opportunity,” she enthuses.

Alleyne says she loves working in lettings due to it being “very fast paced”, adding she enjoys meeting interesting people and winning new instructions. How does she

approach managing her team?

“I want to build and encourage them to maintain their high levels of service and produce great results, whilst reaching their own personal goals,” she says.

It’s a demanding job, which is why time away from the office is spent wisely. “I am happiest being with my family, enjoying day trips out in London and creating memories,” Alleyne smiles. “I have an obsession with online shopping, and the new

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M E E T

“There is a great feeling of community and diversity where you can develop yourself amongst inspiring, like-minded people”

thing to help me unwind after a busy day in the office is Hot Pod yoga.”

Looking back over her career, Alleyne has only warm words to say about how KFH have encouraged her to develop within the business. “They are a fantastic company to work for,” she says. “There is a great feeling of community and diversity where you can learn and develop yourself amongst inspiring, like-minded people. Also,” she adds with a smile, “if it wasn’t for KFH I wouldn’t have met my husband and had my beautiful children.”

Favourite place in London Going to watch a show at any theatre.

Dream property A detached mansion overlooking Wandsworth Common.

SARAH BURGESS

Head of Lettings Tenancy Progression

Sarah Burgess is a unique interview for this feature, considering she is in charge of a department that is a relatively new addition to KFH. “Being given the opportunity to oversee the tenancy progression department has been a wonderful period of learning and personal and professional growth,” Burgess says on her role, which launched at the start of the year.

What exactly does the job entail?

“At the moment I am busy ensuring a smooth transition of tenancy progression from our front offices to our newly formed team who are based in our head office. This involves looking

T H E

T E A M

Sarah Burgess

at all processes and establishing best practices that are then seen through from offer accepted to completion by both branch and my team. Once our department is fully embedded, I will oversee 22 tenancy progressors who will manage in the region of 7,500-8,000 tenancies each year.”

Burgess joined KFH in 2014 as lettings branch director of what was then the newly opened Clapham Common office, so clearly she’s one for launching projects. “I have been fortunate enough to receive nothing but support from those who I have reported to,” Burgess says on her career progression, “as well as all functions of the business that I have dealt with.

Having come from working in front office, I love that I am able to use my experience in that area to ensure it translates to a smooth transition to this new team and to be able to build something that is beneficial to all aspects of the business.”

Given the pressures of overseeing a new division, if anyone deserves a break soon, it’s Burgess. “I am usually happiest when I am sitting in an airport with a glass of champagne waiting to board a flight to either a holiday destination or to Australia to see my family,” she laughs. “The anticipation itself is almost as good as the hot air that hits your face when you first step off the plane.”

Favourite place in London Anywhere that involves a rooftop, sunshine and live music.

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Sydenham is full of wonderful outdoor spots

“It's a vibrant and thriving area with lots of green open spaces and good transport links into the City”

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spirit Independent

KFH opened their new Sydenham office in 2021, so we caught up with those in the know to find out why the area offers something special

he past couple of years has seen an influx of central Londoners looking to move out to Sydenham, but this migration is nothing new.

The Crystal Palace was a truly stunning construction first erected in Hyde Park in 1851 to house the Great Exhibition, a rather elaborate international showcase of artwork from across the globe.

Within three years, it had been painstakingly reconstructed on Sydenham Hill, remaining there until a devastating fire in 1936 completely destroyed the building. Even today, looking at photographs of the structure up in flames brings a lump to the throat.

Just as that building dominated any aerial shots of Sydenham at that time, Crystal Palace the area has generally been seen by property hunters as the more desirable place to set up home rather than Sydenham down the hill. But something has been stirring in

T

SE26: schools are being widely praised by Ofsted, the independents have moved in, there’s a wide variety of properties on offer, and to cap it off, KFH opened a sparkling new office back in September 2021.

The time is right “KFH have been market leaders in Crystal Palace, Beckenham and Forest Hill for over a decade now,” explains Julian Peak, KFH’s Sales Director for South East London. “Whilst we have enjoyed some success in SE26, we needed an office there to complete the puzzle.”

Having been active in the area already, Peak is well placed to break down how and why Sydenham has suddenly become a property hotspot. “There has been significant investment in local shops, schools and transport in this area of south east London for a number of years, but Sydenham has always lagged behind its more progressive

Crystal Palace, Beckenham and East Dulwich neighbours. Over the last three years, though, buyers have seen Sydenham as representing better value for money with direct trains to Victoria in 15 minutes, some excellent shops, and great cafés, restaurants and bars.”

“It’s a vibrant and thriving area with lots of green open spaces and good transport links into the City, and there’s also a good selection of schools to choose from,” adds Sarah Mitchell, KFH’s Lettings Director for South East London. “One of the biggest attractions is the wide range of different property types on offer – there is something for everyone.”

Peak agrees. “In Sydenham, you will see a wide selection of one and two bedroom conversion and purpose built apartments, with many period cottages and family houses – but don’t be surprised to see some very imposing period mansions that have preserved much of their original charm, character and features.”

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Changing face To explain the housing stock and its variety, a look into Sydenham’s past certainly sheds plenty of light on how the area has evolved. For a place that throws up some intriguing finds off the beaten track, it’s rather apt that Hidden London offer up a concise overview of its history.

The area was known as Chipeham in 1206, probably the farmstead of a man called Cippa, and the name evolved in stages over several centuries. The last change, when the ‘p’ became a ‘d’, did not occur until the late 17th century.

By this time two distinct settlements had evolved: one around Bell Green in present-day Lower Sydenham and the other in what is now Sydenham Wells Park, where the presence of springs with alleged medicinal qualities was drawing visitors. These two halves of Sydenham were subsequently divided by the Croydon Canal, which was constructed from 1801, and by Westwood Common, which was enclosed in the 1810s. “That’s one of the historical facts I love about the area,” Peak says. “The canal used to stretch from Croydon to London Bridge and went straight through Sydenham and South Norwood. This was the main transport mode for transporting goods and smuggling, but in 1836 it was closed and the railway was built on the old canal bed.”

When the canal company went bankrupt, a railway line was laid along the course of the filled-in canal and Sydenham station opened in 1839, after which houses for wealthy Londoners began to appear on the former common.

The aforementioned arrival of The Crystal Palace on the southern ridge of Sydenham Hill in the south-west corner of the district transmuted the fortunes of the extended village. Improvements in communications made Sydenham the best connected place south of the Thames, and hotels and every kind of amenity catered to the needs of the tens of thousands of tourists. Grand houses were built for the new residents in Upper Sydenham and Lawrie Park.

Many of Sydenham’s grandest houses were eventually replaced by homes for the new breed of commuter, while municipal estates were built in several corners, for example at Sheenewood in Lawrie Park, High Level Drive in Upper Sydenham, the Dacres estate in Lower Sydenham, in the Kirkdale area north of Sydenham station, and at Bell Green. On Dartmouth Road, Sydenham School was greatly enlarged to become a comprehensive in 1957. Despite the changes, the hilly terrain and surviving vestiges of its Victorian heyday continue to endow Sydenham with a distinctive character.

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Cobb's Corner is a popular part of the high street

| Sarah Mitchell Lettings Director, South East London

| Julian Peak Sales Director, South East London

| Courtney Early Lettings Branch Director, Sydenham

| Siobhan Melaugh Sales Branch Director, Sydenham

A new dawn Kirkdale is where this story hurtles forward to the present day, with Peak explaining it has undergone a complete transformation. “There has been the arrival of a Sainsbury’s Local, Nandos, PureGym, Cobbs Corner Café, and in February 2018 The Greyhound pub underwent a complete refurbishment and is now one of the most popular gastropubs in the south east London area.” And, of course, KFH opened a branch here, too.

Visiting on a cold, grey winter morning, it’s certainly a welcoming respite from the bitter wind outside. Located right next door to The Greyhound, KFH's office is well-designed and spacious, and is a hive of activity. Siobhan Melaugh heads up the sales operation here, coming across from the Beckenham office and having 12 years’ experience with KFH. “It’s really exciting,” Melaugh says about her role here. “It makes sense to be in Sydenham.”

Despite opening their doors during a pandemic, this hasn’t seemingly translated into any kind of uncertainty in the Sydenham sales market. “It’s really busy,” she nods. “There are houses we are selling within a day or two.”

COVID-19 may have made working operations a little trickier, but it has seemingly had a different impact on those looking to buy. “With more people working from home, it has pushed them into realising they need more space,” Melaugh explains. “I have seen a lot of people move out of London.

If they have children, they want to be closer to family for childcare, but to move from Central London to Sydenham you do also get more for your money – and with the transport links, you can still get back into the City quickly.”

One quirky aspect to Sydenham is that you have different pockets in the area: the high street leading to Upper Sydenham and Sydenham Hill, and heading the other way

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The local community campaigned to save The Greyhound pub

Computer Generated Image

ON THE MARKET

01 02

AV E R A G E P R I C E S Flats

£385,000

Terraced homes

£630,000

Semi-detached homes

£750,000

Average price all

£500,000

AV E R A G E R E N T S 1 bed flats

£1,000-£1,200 pcm

2 bed flats

£1,500-£1,700 pcm

3-4 bed houses

£1,800-£2,100 pcm

5 bed houses

£2,400-£2,700 pcm

Source: Rightmove.co.uk

to Lower Sydenham. “The bigger properties are in Upper Sydenham and Sydenham Hill,” Melaugh says on the stock. “That’s where you are going to get your detached and bigger Victorian houses. There are a lot of flats in Lower Sydenham, but you can also buy a nice Victorian house for around £550,000.

Then you have the Dulwich Estate that has been really popular with buyers, where you have the woodland at the bottom.”

As Julian Peak says, there are a remarkable number of conservation areas in Sydenham.

“Sydenham Hill conservation area is one of the largest,” he says. “Cobbs Corner at Kirkdale covers many of the large opulent early Victorian properties, Jews Walk is incredibly popular with its gothic revival style of architecture, but my personal favourite is the Thorpes estate conservation area, where there are just six roads, which all end in ‘-Thorpe Road’, and feature impressive premium Edwardian properties.”

01 FOXMORE PLACE, SYDENHAM SE26

OIRO £1,175,000 Launching in May 2022, Foxmore Place is a private gated development of five detached houses located off Lawrie Park Road. These luxurious four-bedroom homes, all with private gardens and parking, create a small and exclusive community that strike the perfect balance between metropolitan and suburban living.

Foxmore Place is located right across the road from the ever-popular Crystal Palace Park. The area offers a vast selection of cultural spots, local amenities and convenient transport links. It also has some of the best schools south of the river.

KFH Sydenham 020 3993 5329 sydenham.sales@kfh.co.uk

02 LAWRIE PARK AVENUE, SYDENHAM SE26 OIRO £2,500,000 Available chain free and occupying a large corner plot is this six bedroom gated detached house.

Boasting 4,188 sqft, the property features an outdoor bar area with jacuzzi and sauna. This house would be the perfect property to entertain friends and family this summer. It is also located within walking distance to Crystal Palace Park and selection of transport links into central London. There are also four bathrooms, three reception rooms, kitchen/diner, a double garage, and the property has an EPC rating of C. KFH Sydenham 020 3993 5329 sydenham.sales@kfh.co.uk

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Thurlestone ThurlestoneRoad, Road,West WestNorwood NorwoodSE27 SE27 £1,200,000 £1,200,000 AA stunning stunning five five bedroom bedroom Victorian Victorian semi semi detached detached family family home home which which benefits benefits from from high high spec spec modern modern finishes finishes alongside alongside original original details. details.

Five Five bedrooms bedrooms | Stylish | Stylish family family bathroom bathroom | Large | Large kitchen kitchen diner diner | Bay | Bay fronted fronted reception reception room room Sunny Sunny aspect aspect garden garden | EPC | EPC Rating Rating DD | Freehold | Freehold

WESTDULWICH.SALES@KFH.CO.UK WESTDULWICH.SALES@KFH.CO.UK | 020 | 020 4579 4579 1893 1893

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St. Bartholomew's is a Grade II* listed parish church

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ON THE MARKET

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The perfect mix Courtney Earley heads up the lettings operation at KFH Sydenham and he says that the rental market is also flourishing in the area, highlighting the fact that there’s plenty to attract people to the area. “There are a mixture of properties and cultures too,” he says. “We have got a lot of families looking to rent, but also young professionals.

With Sydenham, there’s also a mix when it comes to rental prices. There’s the ex-council properties and the purpose builds as well, which are a little more expensive, and then the new builds and the houses. Location is key too, if the property is close to one of the stations or not. Then you have the greener spaces up Sydenham Hill. Rents in Sydenham in general are quite high at the moment, higher than before lockdown.”

What’s abundantly clear is that now is the perfect time to move to Sydenham, and the arrival of this warm, welcoming KFH office appears to be the icing on the cake. The rise of the independent outlets brings a certain buzz to the area, and the community spirit is clearly alive and well. The schools are well loved, recreationally there’s plenty to burn off energy, and the likes of Sydenham Arts hold a summer festival that is a real draw for culture lovers.

Once The Crystal Palace stood head and shoulders above all else, but now Sydenham is emerging from the shadow of its namesake neighbour.  KFH Sydenham 313-315 Kirkdale, Sydenham, SE26 4QB Sales: 020 4571 6384 sydenham.sales@kfh.co.uk Lettings: 020 4571 6507 sydenham.lettings@kfh.co.uk

01 HOMECROFT ROAD, SYDENHAM SE26

£950,00 This is a stunning five bedroom period home, set on a popular road in walking distance to Sydenham and Penge East stations.

Excellent local schools and choice of great parks are close by.

The owners say of the property: 'It's a happy house, filled with precious memories which we hope will be as wonderful for the next owners. We have added our own stamp to the house room by room, from a new bathroom to new floors and decoration to complement the period charm.

The rooms can be so versatile.'

KFH Sydenham 020 3993 5329 sydenham.sales@kfh.co.uk

02 GATESBY COURT, SYDENHAM SE26

£1,800 pcm A brand new two bedroom, two bathroom apartment to rent within a two minute walk to Lower Sydenham station. It features a bright and airy reception room, which offers great space with a private south facing balcony.

The reception room has an open plan well-equipped kitchen, and the master bedroom has a built-in wardrobe with an en-suite bathroom.

The development benefits from having an onsite gym, two communal roof terraces, and a private gated underground car park with its own dedicated parking space.

KFH Sydenham Lettings 020 3993 9694 sydenham.lettings@kfh.co.uk

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Highgate Avenue, Highgate N6 £2,750,000 A stunning five bedroom family home located on the beautiful tree lined Highgate Avenue, boasting in excess of 3,000 sq ft of living space.

Five bedrooms | Two bathrooms | Two reception rooms | Utility room Garden | 3,000 sq ft | Great transport links

HIGHGATE.SALES@KFH.CO.UK | 020 4571 7917

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Queenstown Road, Battersea SW11 £7,800 pcm A spectacular three bedroom apartment with an impressive private roof terrace offering views over Battersea Park. Set within a modern development with concierge, comprising of a large reception room and open plan kitchen.

Three double bedrooms | Two bathrooms | Wrap around roof terrace | Open plan kitchen Located near to Northern line | Concierge, gym and pool

BATTERSEAPARK.LETTINGS@KFH.CO.UK | 020 4579 1692

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Motoring along A huge site on the Rainham and Dagenham border, where some of Europe’s most famous cars were built, is being transformed into a new community. Phase One of the Beam Park regeneration is almost complete, so here we look at its past, present and future

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Aerial view of Ford Dagenham Automotive factory during the Docks Strike, 20 July 1970

lick through old A-Z maps of Dagenham and even if you are not a car aficionado, it’s easy to spot the links to Ford. Sierra Drive, Consul Way, Cortina Drive and Fiesta Drive all once weaved around the Beam river, the watercourse that runs through this area of Rainham to the south of Dagenham, emptying into the Thames.

It’s a huge patch of riverfront that Henry Ford chose as the site for one of his first UK factories, initially to build light trucks, but going on to be the birthplace of many Ford car marques, as the road names reveal.

It was also the inspiration for Made in Dagenham, the 2010 film starring Bob Hoskins and Sally Hawkins, which celebrated the efforts of female seat upholsterers in 1968 to secure equal pay with their male colleagues. The site where the strikes and protests took place, which is still in use today as an engine manufacturing plant, has shrunk as Ford car production has gradually moved elsewhere in Europe – however, the site has now made room for an impressive new £1 billion residential and leisure development.

Residents moving into Beam Park are living in an area rich with motoring history that began in 1931 when the first vehicles rolled off the production line at Ford’s now famous Dagenham plant, which had been in the planning since the 1920s. The vast 475-acre site was created out of what had been marshy riverside swamp – Ford used millions of tonnes of concrete to bolster the ground on which the factory was sat. The site went on to employ 40,000 people in its heyday during the 1950s and in total has built 11 million cars, trucks and tractors as well as 50 million

Photo by Victor Blackman/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

F

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engines. Dagenham was a marvel of industrial production even by Ford’s standards. It had its own coal-powered power station, internal railway, port and steel works, all glimmering behind a huge blue Ford sign.

Car production at the plant ended in 2002 after the last UK Fiesta rolled off the line, but for 70 years prior to that Dagenham was a by-word for modern vehicle production and one of Ford’s flagship European sites. Famous cars built there included the Ford Zephyr during the 1950s and the Ford Anglia during the 1960s. The Anglia recently enjoyed a renaissance as a classic car after a restored and airborne example featured in several Harry Potter films.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Dagenham produced nearly a million Cortinas, and after that a similar number of Capris (which sold for £1,000 each), followed by three million Sierras and over a million Fiestas.

Ford remains at the site today, even though mass production of cars has ceased, and it is now one of the largest diesel engine producers in the world.

However, Ford Dagenham continues to surprise. In 2020, the company was part of the VentilatorChallengeUK

“Beam Park is already filling up with residents and the hard work at the site is paying off”

Photo by Staff/Mirrorpix/Getty Images

Ford cars at Dagenham 1960

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consortium which manufactured much-needed respiratory ventilators for the National Health Service during the pandemic. The company transformed an empty warehouse into an ISO 9001-accredited ventilator factory in just three weeks – a feat that would usually take a full year.

But as car production has receded, so large parts of the site close to Dagenham town have become redundant. Covering some 70 acres of the original site, these unused areas are being rapidly transformed into a small town, and Simple Life London have recently launched the first 80 apartments exclusively to rent across two buildings, of what will be a large-scale presence within the rapidly-transforming site.

Phase One of Beam Park is due for completion this year, but by 2028 some 3,000 build-to-rent and affordable housing apartments will dominate the local skyline. As residents have moved into the development, KFH’s dedicated team have been tasked with letting and managing the apartments, which are the first release of a much wider Simple Life London presence on the development.

“Beam Park is already filling up with residents and the hard work at the site is paying off – nearly 90% of people we

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Beam Park will soon be a hive of activity with new openings on site

Regeneration hotspots Dagenham is expecting a significant uplift in its fortunes from Beam Park both for its infrastructure, local shops and services. But the area is not the first to see investment pour in to build large new housing developments. Here we look at other parts of London with a similar story to tell.

CANADA WATER Canada Water is set to be London’s newest town centre which, over the next 12 years, will see some 3,000 new homes, two million square feet of workspace, a new leisure centre and bags of open space created within its 53 acres. It is being built between Surrey Docks and Canada Water and will upgrade an area of former and existing light industrial and retail zones.

MERIDIAN WATER A total of £6 billion is being spent upgrading the area of the Upper Lee Valley above the Stratford Olympic site. This is set to house 10,000 new apartments and attract approximately 6,000 jobs all next to the verdant Lee Valley Regional Park. The plan is to take 25 years to complete, with two phases.

asked about customer service gave it a positive rating,” says KFH’s Head of Lettings Management, Sophie Danes.

“We’re fully up-and-running there including a lettings team and two relationship managers who look after all the residents’ requirements such as arranging repairs, cleaning, and dealing with utilities, but overall delivering an exceptional resident experience.”

The stylish ‘built for renters’ apartments feature many of the benefits this kind of property is wellknown for. This includes upmarket fixtures and fittings, zero-deposit move-ins, and super-fast broadband.

There’s more to come. The site will also have a medical centre, primary school, shops and restaurants, nursery, gym and leisure facilities as well as a public park. There's no doubt that Beam Park is motoring along. 

To find out more visit simplelifelondon. co.uk/development/beam-park/

Is Dagenham famous for more than cars?

For hundreds of years the area around Beam Park was a sleepy rural outpost of London that, until the early 1920s, was not much more than a collection of run-down rural houses and a church that was famous for its Dutch-built flood defences that protected the town from regular Thames flooding, and created the ‘breach’ lake, which is still a popular spot for anglers. Ford was not the only famous company with a factory in the area – Ever Ready batteries were made here for many decades.

People of note from the area include legendary 1960/70s England football team manager and player Alf Ramsey, comedian Dudley Moore, 1960s popstar Sandie Shaw, rap artist Devlin, Depeche Mode singer Martin Gore and X Factor finalist Stacey Solomon. Residents of Beam Park also have access to the amazing Beam Valley Country Park, a stunning area of woodland.

WEMBLEY PARK Anyone who has been to a match at Wembley Stadium will have seen the extraordinary transformation of the site from careworn commercial zones to a £2 billion mini-city of largely ‘built for renters’ homes in and around the site’s two arenas.

Wembley Park also features a raft of retail and restaurant brands and facilities, 3,000 homes already built plus a further 5,500 due to be completed by 2027.

THAMESMEAD The £1 billion regeneration of the Thamesmead housing development to the east of Woolwich is being promoted as the area reaching its full potential.

This will see the repair of homes within the huge existing 1960s estate, the construction of 20,000 new homes, thousands of new jobs plus new leisure, cultural and commercial facilities. This upgrade will, it is hoped, help Thamesmead attain some of its original goals to offer residents a high quality of life with access to central London, but also nearby countryside and parks all with a ‘new town’ feel.

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01

Room for improvement Found your dream home and planning some changes? Kate Watson-Smyth can show you how to make your space work for you

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s the woman behind the UK’s number one interiors blog, Mad About The House, Kate Watson-Smyth is used to being asked for advice and it’s her honest and relatable tone – as well as her great eye – that makes her such an authority. Her much-photographed north London home is a living example of how to achieve successful design, and now Watson-Smyth, a journalist and blogger who has become a serious design mover, is launching an online course to help the rest of us realise our interiors dreams.

The big thing about Watson-Smyth is that she’s not snooty or dogmatic, and her mission is to demystify the process of decorating your house the way you want it. And because deciding on the way you want it is almost half the battle, that’s what she focuses on with this course, which is dedicated to finding your own interior design style. Note ‘your own’ – she’s not advocating recreating her own style (though we’d wager that many of her followers are quite keen to do exactly that) because her core belief is that living somewhere you love has an enormously positive impact on your overall happiness and wellbeing.

The timing of the course’s launch really couldn’t be better, with the idea of wellbeing at home becoming more relevant than ever over the past two years. “I think a lot of people have now realised the link between your surroundings and your mental health,” she says. “In the past, a lot of people would move into a house, slap a colour on the wall, think ‘that’s quite nice’, and then go to work and not see it again in daylight until they were on holiday. Being forced to spend time indoors has led people to think, ‘well actually I hate this room’ and then start to analyse why they hate it. So that’s led to an interest in working out what colours you like and what you use your rooms for. And that’s where my courses and books come in.”

For Watson-Smyth, the starting point is to ask six basic questions, just as she was taught as a trainee journalist. It’s all about the who, what, why, when, where and how.

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“It's about choosing the colours you love and then matching the mood of them to the room you need” “It’s about knowing what questions to ask.

It’s fine if you like teal blue, but you can’t look at a colour in isolation and think, ‘I love it; I’m going to paint it all over my living room’. You have to think, how does that colour make you feel? And if it makes you feel energised, buzzy and ready to start the day, then maybe that’s not the colour for the bedroom. Maybe it’s more the colour for the kitchen. It’s about choosing the colours that you love and then matching the mood of them to the room you need.”

The course is essentially five hours of video material broken down into manageable 15-minute lessons explaining where to start and all the questions you should ask. “It’s not about being didactic and saying this is how it’s done; it’s saying, if you follow this process you will know how you want to do it – you’ll have learnt how to do it yourself,” says Watson-Smyth. It’s illustrated with a walk-

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through of her own very lovely and wellconsidered house, with honest reference to mistakes she has made and things she has changed or would do differently.

The major game-changer for interiors in the past decade or so has been Instagram, which Watson-Smyth loves. “Instagram has been hugely important for interiors, and has democratised it. Magazines remain influential and inspirational, but only certain types of houses get featured, while Instagram has allowed everybody to put their houses up. If you live in a one bedroom flat you’ll be able to find someone on Instagram who’s done their one bed flat beautifully for inspiration. People are doing whole tutorials on how to paint your UPVC windows and everything. It’s made us all more design literate. If you wanted to see what someone’s house looked like in Japan, 30 years ago you’d have had to go to Tokyo, but now you can see how people live

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Kate Watson-Smyth photographed in her loft by Rekha Damhar

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Her courses offer inspiration for all rooms in the house, including the bathroom

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Quirky design touches, such as this chaise longue, adds interest to WatsonSmyth's home

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“We have created something called the marital veto. It's been used about three times” and use space instantly.” There’s a chapter in the course on navigating social media, because it’s easy to become overwhelmed with so much inspiration out there. If you have 300 pins on your kitchen board, you’re not going to know what to do.

And then there are doors. A whole section of the course is dedicated to doors, which makes total sense when you see the different doors in her house. “The standard door can take up a lot of space,” she explains. So on the landing there is one that’s cut in half and folds backwards to save space, while the door to her en-suite is cut in half and hinged on either side, again saving space.

“Plus, I’m a huge fan of sliding doors. I can’t believe that nobody talks about doors.”

Another interesting element of the

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course focuses on relationships. Or more accurately, on persuading one’s partner to agree to things like pink walls and gold grout. Not that Watson-Smyth managed to get gold grout past her own husband. “We have developed something over the years called the marital veto. It’s only been used about three times – last time was when we were doing the loft six years ago and I wanted gold grout in the bathroom. He just said no. I cried on Instagram for a bit and now I hate to admit that he might have been right.” 

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She's a big fan of doors, so these looking out to the garden from the kitchen must be a hit

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You can find plenty of inspiration on how to match different colours on the course

@mad_about_the_house How To Be Mad About Your House costs £127 at createacademy.com

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Shakespeare House, Central Finchley N3 £300,000 – £740,000 Shakespeare House offers a collection of 48 new contemporary apartments benefitting from generous proportions with high ceilings and windows and spacious balconies.

Located on a quiet cul-de-sac moments from the high street amenities and key transport nodes.

NEWHOMES@KFH.CO.UK | 020 4571 9824

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Homeowners, developers and landlords have a responsibility to the planet – and they can reduce their energy bills substantially too. We talk to one landlord, whose Muswell Hill home is currently let by KFH, to show what can be done

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E C O

he 2009 film The Age of Stupid saw an archivist in the year 2055 looking back at how we missed the chance to tackle climate change and save the planet, asking: “Why didn’t we do anything?” Well, James and Tatiana Tanner did do something. “We saw The Age of Stupid and afterwards wanted to learn more about global warming,” James recounts. “We then understood a lot more about the impact we have on the planet and realised how essential it is that we all live sustainably at home.”

Rather than just talking about it, the Tanners got to work on their five-bedroom Muswell Hill property. Perhaps reflecting a key issue in the world today, James says he was surprised how difficult it was to find a professional to guide them at a reasonable price. They wanted to undertake a retrofit of the entire house, all the while retaining the original Edwardian features. It was a challenge, James says, but one the husband and wife team took on enthusiastically.

Visiting the property today, which is currently being let through KFH, the beautiful Edwardian façade looks just like its neighbours, and inside you realise being eco-conscious doesn’t mean sacrificing design and comfort. The changes made by the Tanners has seen the property’s EPC rating jump from F to B. An EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) gives a property an energy efficiency rating from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient) and is valid for ten years. “The Government has proposed that landlords cannot rent out their property

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ways the Tanners improved their EPC rating

1 They replaced the boiler for a highly efficient condensing combi gas boiler, with a programmer so they can set the heating and hot water times.

unless their EPC is a minimum of C by 2025,” James adds. “They also propose that all properties have a minimum EPC of C by 2035.”

You can see at a glance the changes made by the Tanners to help improve the property’s energy efficiency, such as installing LED lighting, and James has also applied the same approach to his portfolio of properties – as a result, his tenants are reaping the benefits. “They have a warm house, which needs little heating. It does not get cold in the winter – there are no draughts or mould – or hot in the summer.

As a result, they have low energy bills.”

As well as the EPC rating target, and helping the planet too, the financial benefits long term are unquestionable, with James saying they have saved “about £20,000” since making all the changes to the Muswell Hill home some eight years ago, with heating bills reduced from £2,500 pa to £900 pa. Maybe in 2055 people will look back at properties like this as a time when things changed for the better. 

2 A thermostat to control the hot water temperature was installed.

3 They added thermostat radiator controls on the radiators.

4 LED lighting and sensor lighting was introduced externally.

5 Internal wall insulation was created by using natural breathable materials.

6 Under floor insulation was implemented on the ground floor.

7 The loft and roof were insulated.

8 They replaced single glazed windows with Low-E argon gas filled double glazed windows, then draught proofed them.

9 Solar PV panels with an immersion heater were introduced so excess electricity can be generated, but when not used can make hot water.

10 They added passive air vents to each floor.

Being eco-conscious doesn't mean sacrificing quality design

11 Fireplaces were blocked to stop cold air entering the property.

12 They replaced their electricity provider for one who generates 100% of their energy from renewable energy.

Tatiana and James Tanner

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Happy at home Apartment blocks today are going above and beyond to offer amenities to help improve resident wellbeing.

Richard Benson, KFH’s Managing Director, Block Management, explains why this is so important

t’s long been accepted that the condition of our housing can influence our physical health. A warm and dry house will discourage damp and, for example, reduce respiratory problems. What has become very evident over the last two years is how housing also has a huge influence on our mental health and wellbeing. For good and bad reasons, working from home has meant for many of us that our properties have been where we spend most of our time.

In a report for Shelter in 2017, even before the pandemic, 20 GPs who were interviewed on the subject reported that the condition of a property was one of the main housing problems referenced in the context of their patients’ presentations of mental health problems.

It is a fact that repairs and refurbishments have been less possible

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RICHARD BENSON

Managing Director of KFH Block Management

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during the pandemic, but buildings are much like people: they age and need to be looked after if they are to be at their best. The lifespan of a building can be significantly extended by the right kind of refurbishment. But more importantly than that, refurbishment can significantly change our feeling about where we live. An overcrowded, poorly maintained or even unsafe environment increases stress and anxiety. But even if these are not the kind of issues that affect us, a good environment makes us feel better about ourselves.

Our homes, both in terms of their location and the physical building itself, influence almost every aspect of our lives – from how well we sleep, to how often we see friends, to how safe and secure we feel. Refurbishment, even if conducted as part of a more significant project, offers some clear benefits.

The process of improving our living space can range from cleaning, redecorating and re-equipping

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M A N A G E M E N T

“An overcrowded, poorly maintained or even unsafe environment increases stress and anxiety” Many developments are now incorporating outside space

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Warner Road, Crouch End N8 £5,500 pcm A beautifully presented unique five bedroom Victorian house set over three floors, boasting original period features, an open plan fully fitted kitchen with a dining area and large private garden.

Five bedrooms | Open plan kitchen | Two bathrooms | Two reception rooms Large private garden | Cellar | Walk in wardrobe | Unfurnished

CROUCHEND.LETTINGS@KFH.CO.UK | 020 4571 7477

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“We want to improve the wellbeing of everyone in London, so let's start with where people spend most of their life” the buildings to more substantial upgrades such as retrofitting with the aim of making a building more energy efficient and ultimately more sustainable. With so many blocks in the Capital having been built in the 1930s, 60s or 70s, energy centres or boiler rooms can become inefficient.

Aging communal pipework can result in increasing heat loss and spiralling bills – something at the front of everyone’s minds at the moment.

But even less ambitious refurbishments can range from upgrading the visual appearance of hallways and lifts (which may be a straightforward redecoration-only scheme) to something more significant that may include the replacement of floor coverings. Refurbishment will often include the maintenance and repair of existing structures as well as the modernisations.

At the heart of any successful refurbishment are communication, planning and reliable delivery. We know from experience that these elements are essential for everyone’s peace of mind and have systems and people readily available to manage refurbishments through to successful conclusions. Issues such as any necessary disruption from noise or dust or temporary changes to the building lighting or access need consideration.

Our London client base is one of the largest and longest established in the Capital, tracing its roots back to the company’s formation in 1977. We advise Resident Management Companies, Right to Manage Companies, as well as investor landlords and house builders,

Well maintained communal spaces are important for resident wellbeing

Gyms are becoming more popular with revamped blocks

and understand the importance of a built environment for the people living in it. Our property managers make it their job to do everything they can to help residents across the Capital make the most of where they live.

After all, if we want to improve the health and wellbeing of everyone in London, there can hardly be a more important place to start than where people spend most of their life. 

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Cromwell Avenue, Highgate N6 £2,799 pcm Located in a sought after area of Highgate Village, this unique church conversion is set over four floors and offers a sizable living space.

Two bedrooms | Two bathrooms | Church conversion | Unique building Set over four floors | Private garden | Furnished

HIGHGATE.LETTINGS@KFH.CO.UK | 020 4571 9581

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Hambalt Road, Clapham SW4 £5,000 pcm A beautifully presented family home located on one of the most sought after roads in Abbeville Village, and boasts a large modern eat in kitchen, bright reception room, five bedrooms and three bathrooms.

Five bedrooms | Three bathrooms (one en suite) | Wood floors throughout Decked rear garden | Abbeville Village location | Part furnished

CLAPHAM.LETTINGS@KFH.CO.UK | 020 4571 7961

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Peace of mind

Illustration by Muti

We talk to the KFH surveying team who help buyers make property transactions as smooth as possible

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TO P

LYNNE HAWKINS

Director

years, says not every home owner has the time to keep tabs on shabby guttering, missing roof tiles or those growing black patches in the corners of some rooms.

“These are some of the most common problems we pick up; less common are structural movement due to subsidence or dry rot due to a lack of ventilation.

But unless you get a survey, you’ll never know what could need fixing.”

Goodfellow says the most extreme case he’s come across was an attic within a listed building that had been sprayed with the wrong kind of insulation foam, which had then trapped moisture within the roof and led to major structural timber defects.

“It meant the whole roof needed replacing – which was obviously going to be expensive,” he says.

THINGS TO LOOK FOR WHEN VIEWING A PROPERTY

Which survey?

Alterations Has the property been altered or extended including loft conversions and extensions? These may have required Local Authority consents and Building Regulation approval. Other changes that should be noted include the removal of chimney breasts and internal walls.

The majority of Chartered Surveyors use the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors’ (RICS) three approved surveys, which use an easy-to-digest ‘traffic light’ system to help people understand potential defects.

SEAN GOODFELLOW

MRICS Chartered Surveyor

A

pproximately 70% of home buyers do not ask for a survey before buying a property that will cost them, often, many hundreds of thousands of pounds. This is a hangover from the days when many buyers relied on lenders’ mortgage valuation to pick up any significant defects. But this is no longer the case; unless it’s a nonstandard property, lenders these days are only interested in a property’s value and whether it meets their lending criteria.

“So it’s essential for buyers to get their own survey if they want peace of mind, particularly given the rising cost of property and the huge expense of fixing problems such as damp, subsidence or a leaking roof after you’ve moved in,” says Lynne Hawkins, Director of KFH Chartered Surveyors and Professional Services. “We’re a safety net.”

Sean Goodfellow, who has worked for the KFH surveying team for many

T I P S

These are: LEVEL 1 – A visual inspection that’s the least comprehensive and does not include tests on building fabric or services, and is designed for a conventional property in ‘reasonable condition’.

LEVEL 2 – A more comprehensive visual inspection, but still without physical tests of materials or services, and available with or without a valuation.

LEVEL 3 – This is the most comprehensive and probing test and is designed for larger, non-standard, older or run-down properties.

Lynne Hawkins says her team offers a wide range of services both to the UK’s leading lenders, home buyers and sellers, as well as helping evaluate short leases, all within London and the home counties.

“All of our surveyors are regulated by and registered with RICS,” she adds. 

If you have any questions, or need a survey conducted on your property, get in contact with the surveying team.

Here are a few tips from the KFH team on how to spot potential problems during those early property viewings, and highlight why surveys are so important.

Cracking Look at the exterior walls and in particular the areas around windows and doors to check for cracks or distortion, both of which can indicate structural movement.

Roofs Roofs are expensive to replace or repair so look for undulating roof slopes and missing tiles or slates, which can be down to old age or because a roof was replaced with a covering too heavy for the joists.

Dampness Signs of mould growth or a musty smell should be a concern, but can be merely down to poor ventilation/heating – or something much more serious and expensive to resolve.

Floors Uneven and/or bouncy floorboards can signify more serious problems – either significant floor slab movement or dry rot to supporting timbers.

Services An aged boiler or hot water tank can cost thousands of pounds to replace, but they’re easy to spot. Upgrading to electrical systems can also be expensive and disruptive to carry out. Ask to see servicing and installation paperwork certifications and guarantees.

Habitable rules To get approved for a mortgage, a home must be watertight and have running water, electricity and a usable kitchen and bathroom amongst other things. Lending is restricted and offered on less favourable terms for ‘uninhabitable properties’.

KFH Surveying and Professional Services 020 4525 3613 surveyors@kfh.co.uk

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Moving advice KFH mortgage experts reveal how they help customers overcome the often tricky complexities of buy-to-let, help-to-buy and self-employed applications

he big high street mortgage lenders love a high-production TV advert to sell their products, whether it’s big showbiz names or troupes of flashy dancers. But away from all that razzmatazz, the reality is that 70% of home movers looking for a mortgage use a broker rather than going direct.

Brokers are essential in today’s world when very few borrowers fit the ‘bog standard’ description and instead require expertise to get the best deal for their circumstances and kind of property. This is particularly true if you are a landlord, first time buyer or are selfemployed. These are the kinds of property buyers who need extra help navigating the mortgage approval process.

Med Moroglu, who has worked in the financial industry for 16 years and at KFH for eight of them, is one of the star consultants within the company. “Every lender has a different set of criteria, which changes on a regular basis,” he says. “A good broker matches an applicant’s needs to the lender whose criteria fits their situation, so you need to be on the ball and know what’s happening.”

Moroglu says Covid has impacted lenders’ risk appetite and consequently mortgage terms have been changing fast and furiously. For most customers, being able to track the 25,000+ changes during the bumpy months of 2020 was clearly going to be a challenge.

He says that this has been particularly hard for selfemployed buyers. For example, one well-known high street bank now only offers them mortgages with 75% loan-tovalues – so knowing where else you look can be crucial.

Lenders have seen self-employed workers as more likely to lose their income than employed staff during Covid, which is why some will only accept applicants with larger deposits. “But a big thing that’s changed for the good is that both the self-employed, contractors and those working through partnerships and other ‘non-standard’ jobs no longer need to track down a specialist broker,” says Moroglu.

T

| Fred Abayeta Senior Mortgage Consultant

| Kerry Golding Senior Mortgage Consultant

| Med Moroglu Senior Mortgage Consultant

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“A good broker matches an applicant's needs to the lender whose criteria fits their situation, so you need to be on the ball and know what's happening”

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M O RTG A G E

L E N D I N G

Case study: Self-employed

Case study: Help to Buy

“KFH has the experience and expertise within our mortgage team to support any client with any employment background. Contractors and self-employed workers think they have to provide two or three years’ worth of invoices before they can get a mortgage,” Moroglu says, “but that’s not true any longer – sometimes one year will do. More people are setting up their own businesses or are self-employed; the days when the mainstream mortgage market concentrated solely on those with regular salaried jobs are gone.

“I had a couple who were limited company directors and wanted to borrow funds to purchase an investment property. They were declined by their existing lender because they had utilised the government income support scheme and Bounce Back Loan during Covid-19,” he says. “But I was able to find a lender, who was understanding of their circumstances and granted them the amount they needed and at a market-leading rate.”

Fred Abayeta, who has been with KFH since 2018, specialises in helping first time buyers apply for a mortgage via the government’s Help to Buy scheme. “A lot of first time buyers buying new build properties assume that getting a mortgage via this scheme is easy because it’s government-backed and on the face of it they fit the basic financial criteria, but it’s very easy to be rejected,” he explains.

“My job is to hand-hold them through the application process so that they can work out which properties they can afford. This also reassures house builders that people we take on viewings are ready to buy and have a realistic estimated budget nailed down.”

Abayeta says many people don’t realise that Help to Buy affordability calculations are based on a buyer’s net (rather than gross) pay, and that a borrower’s regular outgoings including pension contributions,

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L E N D I N G

student loans payments or train season ticket loans – for example – must not be higher than 45% of their net pay.

“People get a shock because the Help to Buy advertising doesn’t communicate the nitty gritty of pre-qualification, so I help them navigate the application process with a healthy dose of reality,” he says. “I help them by looking at the loan term, being realistic about the size of deposit they can put together, advising them to use the correct interest rate in their calculations and also discussing which outgoings could be reduced by showing them the impact.

“I recently had a first-time buyer couple from overseas who had been in the UK for about a year, staying via a Tier 2 Visa,” says Abayeta. “When applying for a standard mortgage, first time borrowers are usually asked for a 25% deposit. But via Help to Buy they can get a 20% equity loan to get on the property ladder and of course provide 5% themselves.

“The couple were in their early 40s and would have had to save for years or wait for a big pay rise or bonus to buy anything in London. But though they were not hopeful, I got their equity loan and mortgage approved and they were over the moon.”

Offers in excess

“It’s why landlords stick with us – particularly if they’re re-mortgaging – because we have all the information needed to submit a loan application at our fingertips such as rents achieved, running costs and any void periods, for example.

“Also, there are a lot of brokers out there who say they know about the current criteria the different lenders are applying to applications, but don’t – whereas KFH always ensure we’re up-to-date with this and that we get regular weekly updates direct from the lenders we deal with.

“We recently received an update on how lenders are approaching the looming changes to Energy Performance Certificate minimum band rules – something other brokers may not know about.

It’s this sort of thing we’re really strong on.”

A 30-something woman from Muswell Hill came to Golding for advice after inheriting a lump sum from a family member. She was keen to use the cash to get on the property ladder, but not in the way you might expect.

“She wanted to buy her first rental property and become a landlord but remain living at her parents, as she wasn’t ready to move into her own place, but wanted to start her ofyet£4,000,000 property journey – I helped her get the best mortgage deal Case study: Buy-to-let available given her unusual circumstances,” says Golding.

A israrely and impressive 3,220 sqThis ft seven terraced house examplebedroom remains an uncommon one, but Golding Kerry Golding a senioravailable mortgage consultant and says she is seeing more younger landlords seeking to has been with at KFHaforsouth five years working across much west facing garden, located on a sought after residential road with buy their first buy-to-let property but remain at their of its branch network with landlords on mortgage uninterrupted Queen’s Park. familyloved home, expecting to then move into the properties applications. Many are accidental landlords who views of the much themselves two or three years down the line.  are referred to Golding by KFH branches, but also investor landlords with up to five properties.

Seven bedrooms | Two reception rooms | Three bathrooms | Beautiful family home “One of the keyGarden points many landlords don’t realise is how office | Planning permission | Park views | EPC Rating C | Freehold much information lenders require when approving buy-toKFH Financial Services let loans, so it’s something we work with landlords on as 020 4571 9800 early as possible in the process and do for them,” she says.

FSreferrals@kfh.co.uk

Milman Road, Queen’s Park NW6

LONDON PROPERTY MATTERS · kfh.co.uk 60 QUEENSPARK.SALES@KFH.CO.UK | 020 4571 6326

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Milman Road, Queen’s Park NW6 Offers in excess of £4,000,000 A rarely available and impressive 3,220 sq ft seven bedroom terraced house with a south west facing garden, located on a sought after residential road with uninterrupted views of the much loved Queen’s Park.

Seven bedrooms | Two reception rooms | Three bathrooms | Beautiful family home Garden office | Planning permission | Park views | EPC Rating C | Freehold

k

QUEENSPARK.SALES@KFH.CO.UK | 020 4571 6326

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Support network Pandemic pressures may be easing, but for London Youth challenges remain.

We take a closer look at their residential centres, Youth Board and the importance of their charity partner, KFH

W

hen we spoke to London Youth’s CEO, Rosemary Watt-Wyness, for the first issue of London Property Matters, their much-loved two residential centres were still shut to the public. “It felt so sad that, at a time when we knew that many young Londoners were stuck in really small places during the intense lockdowns, we were not able to open our centres to them,” Watt-Wyness recalls.

London Youth is a charity that seeks to improve the lives of young people in the Capital, supporting youth centres and giving them many opportunities that they may not have otherwise had. The residential centres are one part of this – located in Ashdown Forest and Amersham – where young people get to experience a whole host of outdoor activities. However, lockdowns forced their doors to be shut, but the costs of running did not stop at the same time.

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“Essentially the centres pay their own way,” WattWyness explains. “We still had a lot of the costs, but none of the money coming in.” It was where the support from London Youth’s partners, such as KFH, proved to be invaluable. “KFH have really stood by us in a difficult period,” Watt-Wyness says. Thankfully, both centres are now open again and Watt-Wyness’s pride in what they offer London’s young people is abundantly clear. “They just have an astonishing experience, with the adventure activities and also just being in a wholly different environment.”

At the time of writing, most Covid-19 restrictions have been eased and the focus is now turning elsewhere – in particular, away from London.

“The government’s levelling up agenda essentially means there’s no real support for the youth sector in London,” Watt-Wyness laments. “There’s a real risk of London’s young people being abandoned by central government. Because London is a successful city, we forget it is also the place in the UK with

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C H A R I T Y

“The children just have an astonishing experience at the residential centres, with adventure activities and being in a wholly different environment” 02

03

the highest rate of childhood poverty. That’s why the support we get from KFH, who really care about London’s people, is absolutely crucial.”

Conversation moves on to their Youth Board, a collective of young people aged 16-25, who together support the work of London Youth as either ambassadors or advisors. “They get involved with us in a number of ways,” Watt-Wyness says. “They attend round tables to feed into policy that affects young people, they will do media opportunities, they will have public speaking opportunities, a really broad set of activities. At the heart of it is we want young people to be informing what we do as an organisation, but we also want to support young people to make their voices and their views heard in government and funding circles.”

Watt-Wyness reflects on an event, pre-lockdown restrictions, attended by London Youth’s president, Sir Kenneth Olisa, where some of the Youth Board spoke about their experiences. “Just hearing from the

young people at those kinds of events is immensely powerful,” she enthuses. “To hear young people partly talking about what we have done with them directly as an organisation ourselves and their opportunities through the Youth Board, but also what their youth club has done for them locally, is truly inspiring.

It’s amazing to hear young people say straight from the heart that they are following opportunities that they would just otherwise not have had.”

It shows in a nutshell what London Youth is all about and why the support of KFH remains so key. “What is wonderful about KFH is that they are a consistent partner, who are with us for the long term. Their funding comes to us in an unrestricted way so that we can use it where we need it most.” It’s a partnership that will ensure many doors remain open to London’s younger generation in the years to come. 

01

London Youth's residential centres offers a wealth of outdoor learning and enjoyment

02

A world of adventure awaits

03

London's younger generation truly embrace their youth centres

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Huntspill Street, Earlsfield SW17 £995,000 An exceptionally presented period house with original features and extended kitchen with full width doors onto the paved garden. Set in a prime location for both Earlsfield and Tooting.

Four bedrooms | Three bathrooms | Two reception rooms | Wood flooring Fireplace | Bay windows | Paved garden | 1,331 sq ft

EARLSFIELD.SALES@KFH.CO.UK | 020 4571 9753

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Highgate Highgate West West Hill, Highgate Hill, Highgate N6 N6 £5,250,000 £5,250,000 RarelyRarely available available GradeGrade II listed II listed Georgian Georgian Villa. Villa.

Impeccably Impeccably presented, presented, this exceptional this exceptional home home offersoffers the pinnacle the pinnacle of period of period character character located located moments moments from Hampstead from Hampstead HeathHeath and local and eateries local eateries of Swains of Swains Lane.Lane.

Five bedrooms Five bedrooms | Two reception | Two reception rooms rooms | Three| bathrooms Three bathrooms | Grade | Grade II listedII listed Eat in kitchen Eat in kitchen | Utility| room Utility room | Garage | Garage | EPC Rating | EPC Rating D | Freehold D | Freehold

HIGHGATE.SALES@KFH.CO.UK HIGHGATE.SALES@KFH.CO.UK | 020 4571 | 020 7488 4571 7488

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TATIANA NEVES

Lettings Branch Director BATTERSEA PARK

Rents “The average rent for a twobedroom property in Nine Elms ranges anywhere in the region of £3,500-£4,000 pcm.”

City links “City workers who would traditionally favour Vauxhall, Clapham Common or Balham due to their Northern and Victoria line connections now view the Battersea Park and Nine Elms areas as equally fantastic locations to live and commute from.”

Nine Elms’ transformation “It has been fascinating to watch how significantly Nine Elms has changed in recent years. This once stagnant, industrial landscape has now been totally regenerated.”

CROSSRAIL The Elizabeth line will stretch more than 60 miles from Reading and Heathrow in the west through central tunnels across to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. The new railway will stop at 41 accessible stations, 10 newly built and 30 newly upgraded.

Transport links

ROBERT MCLAUGHLIN

Sales Director

NORTH, NORTH WEST AND WEST LONDON

-

With Crossrail opening soon and the Northern Line already extended, we find out what this means for the property market

The new stations “At the time the new line was announced, demand for property close to the stations was high with buyers excited by the prospect of easier links to central London, the City and Heathrow.”

The economy “The station complexes are already attracting new businesses and an influx of people to the area will undoubtedly provide a boost to existing local businesses and the community as a whole.”

WHY EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT…

LISA MACKENZIE

Sales Director

SOUTH WEST LONDON

The new stations “Improved transport infrastructure will always have a positive impact on both the value and saleability in any area.”

Battersea Power Station’s retail offerings “There is an extensive range from micro beers to cycles, virtual reality experiences, amazing coffee and food choices ranging from tapas to Japanese and everything else in between.”

Prices “The American Embassy relocating to Nine Elms has helped to put the area on the map. There is a great deal of foreign investment in Nine Elms that attracts a slightly different market to the more traditional areas of Battersea.”

SIMON PATTON

Lettings Director

NORTH, NORTH WEST AND WEST LONDON

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Highgate WestNORTHERN Hill, Highgate N6 LINE

For the area “It will be a massive win for Ealing as there will be five Crossrail stations in the borough, more than any other borough on the line.”

EXTENSION

£5,250,000

Prices The Northern line extension “A lack of convenient modern has opened with new stations transport links have always held at Battersea Power Station and west London back for many Nine Elms, meaning it takes less people and we can now see that Rents than 15 minutes to travel to changing. There is an abundance “As more people will be the City and the West End. of great family homes across inclined to live in the area, these areas with good local landlords will be in a more schools and prices will inevitably favourable position.” rise as more people discover the benefits of the Elizabeth line.” Five bedrooms | Two reception rooms | Three bathrooms New openings “ItEat will create great opportunities in kitchen | Utility room | Garage | EPC Rating D as the line operates every two minutes and would allow us more exposure to a larger market, specifically corporate relocation.”

Rarely available Grade II listed Georgian Villa. Impeccably presented, this exceptional home offers the pinnacle of period character located moments from Hampstead Heath and local eateries of Swains Lane.

LONDON PROPERTY MATTERS · kfh.co.uk 66 HIGHGATE.SALES@KFH.CO.UK | 020 4571 7488

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| Grade II listed | Freehold

kfh.co.uk

30/03/2022 11:01 21:26_KFH_F 24/03/2022

Quebec Way, Canada Water SE16 £3,495 pcm Stunning penthouse apartment located in the heart of Canada Water arranged over 1,200 sq ft of internal space, this light and spacious apartment boasts two large terraces, perfect for entertaining.

Three bedrooms | Two bathrooms | 6th floor penthouse apartment | 1,200 sq ft | Secure gated development Two large roof terraces | Incredible panoramic views | Close to Jubilee Line | Furnished

CANADAWATER.LETTINGS@KFH.CO.UK | 020 4525 3518

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London.

Property.

We get it.

As London’s leading property services group, we put service at the heart of everything we do and stop at nothing until we deliver the right result for you.

Residential Sales Residential Lettings and Management Land and New Homes Block Management Surveying and Professional Services Property Solicitors Financial Services Commercial Property Build to Rent Corporate and Relocation Services

kfh.co.uk

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11:57 30/03/2022 09:11