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High demand in Heaton
Few suburbs of Newcastle hold as much appeal as Heaton. Less than a mile from the city centre, this elegant east end suburb expanded throughout the late 19th and early 20th century. Today, its bay-fronted terraces and inter-war semi-villas are highly sought after – and not just for their classic architecture.
Like neighbouring Jesmond, Heaton has become one of Newcastle’s most prestigious suburbs. Yet unlike Jesmond, Heaton remains comparatively affordable. You can buy a property here with a £120,000 budget and rent an immaculate flat for £800 per calendar month, whereas you’ll pay considerably more for comparable properties on the western side of Jesmond Dene. While High Heaton is synonymous with semi-detached houses, South Heaton (which is usually referred to without the prefix) is more traditional. Elegant bay-fronted terraced houses stretch along grid-pattern roads, broken up by hedges and corner retail units.
A desirable destination
There are good reasons why Heaton is such a sought-after location among homebuyers and tenants. Heaton Park is a unique attraction, where allotments and wooded walks are joined by a play park and a historic windmill. Chillingham Road stretches between the large outlets at Newcastle Shopping Park and the fittingly titled Coast Road; it’s a quick drive east to the golden sands of Tynemouth from here, with Whitley Bay a couple of miles further north along the coast.
Heaton’s public transport links also play a key role in underpinning demand for homes here. The Chillingham Road Metro line has five services an hour departing for South Shields/Whitley Bay, plus another five heading into the city centre. Monument Station is just six minutes away, so it’s unsurprising that Heaton has become hugely popular among city-based commuters, especially as companies introduce hybrid working patterns or encourage a full-time return to the office.
At the heart of the local community
Chillingham Road is the epicentre of the local community, home to various long-standing family-owned businesses and modern eateries. This year alone, the Flight Bar cocktail bar and HIDE bistro have opened in Heaton, reflecting the vibrant night-time economy in this area. A block west of Chillingham Road is Heaton Road, where you’ll find other popular restaurants alongside dog grooming salons, antique furniture stores – and Cloud Estates’ head office.
“There are good reasons why Cloud Estates moved our office to Heaton in early 2022,” says director James Skoyles. “We’re at the heart of the local community, in an area where people are keen to move to or stay once they’ve settled here. Because of all these local amenities, and big employers like the Freeman Hospital, there’s huge demand to live here. It’s often better to register interest with us than wait for a property to reach the open market, by which point it might already have attracted lots of enquiries.”
If you’d like to be among the first to know about new sale and rental homes as they reach the Heaton market, get in touch with us and register your details by clicking here.
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We know that starting a renovation in a rental property is something you might not want to do at all. However, there are several reasons why it is worth it and why the extra lick of paint and new flooring might be worth it.
Firstly, it makes the property easier to rent when it is in better condition. This naturally decreases the possibility that the property is empty, and a tenant is paying you to rent every month. You can also charge a bit more monthly.
Secondly, a property in good condition might attract tenants that are better “quality”, in other words, respect the property and take better care of it and are more likely to pay the rent on time.
Also, a renovation could increase the value of your property, so if you are planning to sell it, that will be easier as well. Many property buyers are more likely to buy a property that is already in good condition rather than having to do the renovation themselves.
So, what kind of things you should be focusing on if you want to do an easy renovation to freshen up the apartment?
1. Use tiles wherever you can as they are more durable and easier to maintain than paint. Dark tiles and dark grouting especially are a good idea because lighter colours can start looking grubby.
2. A lick of paint does the job, but don’t necessarily choose the lightest colour. Choosing a darker colour such as grey is a better option long term because you don’t have to be painting the walls all the time as the minor marks is less visible.
3. Replace the faucets in the bathroom and kitchen makes wonders to give a fresh look.
4. Change the flooring to laminate or add a new dark coloured carpet. Laminate is an excellent and affordable option for rental properties. If a particular area of the flooring is ruined, only that area needs to be replaced, not the whole flooring. Darker carpets are also a good idea as the dirt and marks are not as visible as lighter carpets.
5. Do not choose too vibrant colours or make the property look too personal. The more neutral the property is, the easier it is for tenants to make it unique by adding decorative elements.
Are you not interested in the process of renovation but want to freshen up your property? Or do you still have questions about renovating your property? Give us a call or submit an enquiry form on our website, and we’ll be in touch. Cloud Estates offers experienced and professional property management services, and we will help you with the renovation of your property to make the process hassle-free for you.
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Are you looking for an estate agent to manage and let your properties? Cloud Estates is an award-winning estate agent and specialises in HMO lettings and property management. You can expect experienced and professional service from our friendly team.
Properties in Newcastle are generally more affordable compared to cities such as London, Bristol, and Edinburgh. Newcastle is a student city, and therefore, individuals who wish to rent their property to students will have several tenants waiting for them. Furthermore, a significant increase in Buy-to-Let properties can be seen in several areas in Newcastle.
City Centre
Needless to say that the City Centre of Newcastle is very popular amongst students and professionals who wish to live close to events and activities. Buying a property in the City Centre area costs an average of £273,946. However, it is almost guaranteed that you will be able to rent to property very quickly. The average rent for a 3-bedroom property in the City Centre is £1,450.
Jesmond
Jesmond is an excellent place to invest in. Several people buy properties in Jesmond and convert them into student accommodation or HMO properties to maximise rental profit. Jesmond is a centre of students in Newcastle due to small and trendy shops and restaurants - Osbourne Road is always busy during the day and night. The average property in Jesmond costs, on average, £223,858. The average rent of a 3-bedroom property in Jesmond is around £1,500 per month.
Sandyford
Sandyford is ideally located close to universities and only a short walk away from the City Centre, which attracts many students. You can expect to pay on average £165,044 for a flat in Sandyford, and most of them are Tyneside flats. In Sandyford, a 3-bedroom property costs on average of £1,200 per month for tenants.
It is very close to the famous park Jesmond Dene and has its local restaurants and bars that attract people from around Newcastle. In short, Sandyford is an excellent area to purchase a Buy-to-Let property as students are very eager to move to this area due to its ideal location.
Heaton
Flats in Heaton cost an average of £125,843 and renting 3-bedroom flat costs on average £950 per month. The area has welcomed more and more students within the last years and especially postgraduate students or recently graduated professionals move to Heaton for the cheaper rent compared to City Centre and not to live too close to louder undergraduate student areas such as Sandyford and Jesmond.
The properties in Heaton are beautiful Victorian and Edwardian homes. They are suitable for Buy-to-Let landlords as there will be no shortage of tenants.
Gosforth
In Gosforth, you can expect to pay on average £250,178 for a property. It is a friendly and more quiet area where there is forest and parks close everywhere. Some people even think it is the best place to live in Newcastle.
Gosforth is only a few metro stops and a 10-minute drive away from the City Centre and has all its small coffee shops alongside good schools. Most individuals who live in rental properties in Gosforth are professionals or recently graduated university students. This is because, for many university students, Gosforth is not close enough to universities. Tenants who want to rent a 3-bedroom flat in Gosforth should be prepared to pay on average £1,200 per month.
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When moving into your first or 13th home, you always must pay energy bills. But trying to be more energy efficient is also an excellent way of doing your bit to helping to save the climate. When consuming less power, the amount of toxic fumes released by power plants is also reduced. We have written down tips how you can do this.
1. Check if you are using the cheapest energy supplier.
If you feel like your energy bills are always more expensive than your neighbours’, you might want to think about comparing the energy suppliers. It might be possible for you to save around £200 in a year by just simply switching from a standard or default tariff set at the level of the price cap to the cheapest deal.
Also, some companies charge you for the paper bill that is sent to you. Change your paper bills to e-version and pay by direct debit as it is often cheaper than paying individual paper bills.
2. Install heating control
It is so much easier to manage your energy consumption with these when you can decide how hot your property is to be and which rooms might need more heating than others. Also, just cutting the heat level by 1ºC can save you £55 a year. Overall, installing heating control saves on average £70 per year.
It is also a luxury if you have a smart thermostat that you can use on your smartphone and heat your home remotely, so it is nice and warm when you enter.
3. Replace light bulbs with energy-saving versions
A LED light bulb can save up to £180 during its lifetime compared to an old-style light bulb. LED light bulbs use 90% or less energy than traditional light bulbs and therefore last longer and are cheaper.
But changing light bulbs does not do much if you keep all your lights on in every room all the time. Do not forget to turn off the lights when you leave the room.
4. Do not let the cold air get in.
Especially in older properties, there are more draughts than new ones and therefore heating the apartment might be more expensive. Keeping the small draughts away by adding brush or hinged-flap draught excluders on the bottom of doors and use draught-proofing strips around the window frame can make miracles.
5. Use energy-efficient appliances
By checking the EU energy-efficiency rating, you know which appliance is best rated and will save you the most money. Did you know that just swapping the washing machine to a more energy-efficient version can save you up to £48 a year?
6. Turn off the shower when you are applying washing products
Avoiding using water “unnecessarily” is just common sense. For example, when you shower or wash your hands, turn off the tap when you are applying the handwash or shampoo or just brushing your teeth. It might seem like a small amount of water, but if everyone in the UK started doing that, a lot of water could be saved.
There are many reasons we should be saving water, such as minimising water shortages as we need to remember that the population and industry grow. Another reason is simply to maintain the cost of water low and minimise the possibility of political conflicts over water.
We hope that these tips can help you save some money on your energy bills. If you are a property owner and need help with property management, we at Cloud Estates are happy to help. Give us a call or visit our website to read more about our services.
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Are you wondering where you should move in Newcastle? We have created a brief introduction of all most typical student areas with our favourite coffee shops.
Heaton
Heaton is considered as a trendy and recently increasingly student- area. There is plenty of independent coffee shops opening all the time in there. It is also reasonably close to Newcastle City Centre with good transportation connections, so older undergraduate students, postgraduates and recently graduated like living in Heaton.
The area is not that far from the popular Jesmond Dene either, and it has its own Heaton Park, where there is a chance to go for a run and visit some outdoor events.
The properties in Heaton are beautiful Victorian and Edwardian homes, and the area is generally quieter than Jesmond and Sandyford, which are increasingly full of student properties. In addition, due to its distance from City Centre, the level of rent is generally lower than City Centre's.
A few of the recommendations of coffee shops in Heaton are:
- Heaton Perk Coffee Shop
- Butterfly Cabinet
Jesmond
This area is the heart of students in Newcastle. Jesmond is full of lovely coffee shops, restaurants, pubs, and bars. It is considered the most fashionable districts and energetic in Newcastle, so it is increasingly attractive to students. You can see how the streets are busy all day from early hours until late at night. Several businesses have their head office in Jesmond as it is located close to Central Newcastle.
There is something for everyone in Jesmond: from quiet coffee shops, hairdressers, shopping in cute boutique shops, nearby Jesmond Dene Park to a vibrant nightlife.
However, Jesmond is also a home for families who live in the beautiful historic Georgian and Victorian properties. The level of rent is reasonably high in Jesmond due to its popularity, so students and young professionals can expect to pay on average £800 for a 2-bedroom flat and £1300 for 3-bedroom apartments.
Here is a short list of our coffee shop recommendations in Jesmond, although there is many more to find:
- Local NCL
- The 1901 (good vegetarian / vegan options)
- Cake Stories
Quayside
It is a beautiful location full of coffee shops and a nightlife hotspot with stylish bars, restaurants, and clubs. It is located close to City Centre, and universities and all the shops and therefore makes an excellent place to live for students. Quayside also has its own Sunday market, which attracts people from all around Newcastle to enjoy street food and local crafts.
Quayside is also close to the Newcastle Metro Radio Arena, which hosts music events and concerts.
The area is full of lovely coffee shops, bars and restaurants but here is a short list of our favourites:
- The great British Cupcakery
- Violets Café
- Pitcher & Piano
Central Newcastle
Naturally, all the most popular bars, clubs and shops are in the Newcastle city centre. You will find everything you need from here as the city centre is full of activities. This is an excellent place for a person who likes living in the middle of the action and does not mind a bit of background noise from the pub downstairs.
If you like shopping, Eldon Square serves your needs and all the shops in Northumberland Street and surrounding areas. Furthermore, you will find more “expensive” shops such as Boss, End., Ted Baker and The White Company. Mosley Street is a famous bar street and is packed with students at nights.
To continue with the coffee shop theme, here is a list of our favourite places in Central Newcastle:
- Pink Lane
- Yolo Coffee Shop
- Waterstones Coffee Shop (upstairs)
Ouseburn
This area is considered as the pumping heart of the North East's creative economy. It has hidden gems all around it and especially the coffee shops, restaurants, and bars. Many artists, musicians and designers call Ouseburn their home. There is also a fascinating Victoria Tunnel guided tour, an old underground wagonway used to transport coal.
There are also several new buildings and renovated flats around Ouseburn, which has made the area trendy and attractive to students. In addition, the site is only a 16 minutes’ walk away from the Newcastle City Centre and has excellent transportation connections.
A few of our favourite coffee shops in Ouseburn are:
- Kiln
- Ouseburn Coffee Co.
- Dreamworld Cakes Patisserie
Sandyford
In Sandyford, you are only a short walk away from the university and will never miss a good night out. Sandyford is ideally located between City Centre, Jesmond, Heaton, and Ouseburn – it is close to everything! You will get the best-hidden gems, including beer gardens and very close to Jesmond Dene – a popular park between Jesmond and Gosforth.
Sandyford is heavily populated by students, so you can be pretty sure to live close to your friends. However, it is quieter than Jesmond and Heaton as an area. It is also excellent value for money and has one of the most affordable private student housing in Newcastle.
We love to visit especially these coffee shops in Sandyford:
- Café Oasis
- Aidan’s Kitchen
- The Carriage
Gateshead
Gateshead is located on the other side of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle. Even though it is on the other side, it is still close to Newcastle City Centre and therefore makes an excellent place for students to live. It has a large supermarket, a movie theatre, coffee shops and small independent shops for everyone.
Some of the best areas to live in Gateshead are Low Fell, Saltwell Park, Lobley Hill, Ryton, Whickham and Eighton Banks. Baltic Temporary Museum and Tyne Bridge are some of the most beautiful landmarks in Gateshead, right next to River Tyne.
The coffee shops you must visit in Gateshead are:
- The Staiths Coffee
- Saltmarsh Coffee
- Café Dominic’s
Hopefully, you have found inspiration for your home hunt. To view all the available properties in Newcastle, visit available properties on our website.
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Are you applying to a university in Newcastle or looking for an alternative for the halls- type of living? We got you covered! It is typical for all freshers (aka first-year students) to live in a university's student accommodation and move to a private flat after the first year.
We in Cloud Estates offer excellent variety of rental flats in all around Newcastle to all students, young professionals and others.
University accommodation
These are an excellent option for first-year students and exchange students as you get to meet other students in the halls and make immediately new friends. The university accommodations are also located right at the centre of Newcastle. You will be close to the university, pubs and bars in addition to most of the other social events. Northumbria University offers hall-based living in Glenamara House, Lovaine Hall, Camden Court and Winn Studios and elsewhere, whereas Newcastle University has accommodations such as Castle Leazes, Kensington Terrace, Park View and Windsor Terrace. Whether you are accepted to either university, there will be accommodations available.
(photos from Newcastle University & Northumbria University webpages)
Private Letting
After the first year of university, most students move into rental flats into Newcastle City Centre, Sandyford, Jesmond, Quayside or Gateshead to live with their closest friends from the first year. These areas are excellent for students who wish to live close to universities and "action" but do not want to share their bathroom and kitchen with strangers anymore. These areas are only 1-2 metro strops away from Central Newcastle and are full of good coffee shops, restaurants, bars and activities. If you are interested in these areas, look out for flats from NE1, NE2, NE4 and NE8.
Professional Letting
Most postgraduate students and recently graduated individuals who wish to stay in Newcastle are often located in Heaton and Gosforth. These areas are further away from universities and City Centre and do not attract that many undergraduate students. These areas are quieter and therefore ideal for people who do not wish to live next to loud students. Getting to central Newcastle from these areas is relatively fast and easy as, for example, it takes only 5-10 minutes to travel from South Gosforth to Haymarket via metro.
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There are several obligations for landlords that may take a lot of time and energy to get sorted before renting is possible. Therefore, we have created a short checklist of the critical things landlords must handle to rent out their property legally. Furthermore, landlords must stay up to date with all the new requirements to make sure they do not receive sanctions.
- Landlords who have five or more people occupied in the property forming more than one household (and those five people share a toilet, bathroom or kitchen) require an HMO licence.
- HMO landlords (letting to 3 or more people) require planning permission if there is a material change of use.
- Landlords should keep the property safe from health-related issues such as bird nests in the attic or other pests. Also, the quality of the water, possible water damage in structures and in other ways unsafe structures might affect tenants’ safety.
- Landlords should use secured tenant deposit by the scheme approved by the government to protect tenants right to get the full deposit returned if they have met the terms of your tenancy agreement, have not damaged the property and have paid the rent and bills on time.
- Landlords are required to check whether the tenant has a right to rent in England. Landlord should check all tenants as it is against the law only to check people whom you think are not British citizens. Landlord must not discriminate against anyone because of where they are from.
- Fire safety that includes fitting and testing smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms is one of landlords' obligations. They also include following the fire safety regulations in relation to buildings’ safety and if the house has been adapted into flats.
- Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is required every time the property is rented and should include information about the property’s energy use and typical energy cost in addition to recommendations on how to reduce the use of energy and save money.
- Providing a Gas Safety Certificate (CP 12) for your tenants should include the annual gas safety check. Furthermore, sharing the gas safety record with your tenants is also required. Lastly, as a landlord, maintain the gas pipework, appliances, chimneys and flues in safe condition with maintenance work.
- Providing the tenant with a “How to rent” information sheet should be designed to help the tenant to understand what is required from them and their obligations and rights. This should include information about what the tenant should do before renting, how to behave in the property during the tenancy, what is going to happen after the tenancy agreement ends and what the tenant should do if something goes wrong with the flat.
- Information about how the rent is reviewed and potentially increased overtime should be included in the tenancy agreement. It should contain information about when the rent is reviewed, how much the rent can increase and legal information and help tenants if they disagree.
- Landlords should also have a strategy to solve potential disputes, such as legal action. Often, settling disputes can be sorted out by speaking with the tenant and coming to an agreement.
- The financial responsibilities of a landlord include things such as paying income tax for the rental income.
Are you feeling overwhelmed by all the requirements? Do you feel like you do not have the time and energy to deal with these issues? And not to forget that these issues do not include marketing the property, using time on viewings and managing tenancy agreements.
We are here to help to let and manage your property! Cloud Estates provides experienced and professional services to maximise rental income and make letting your property hassle-free.
Call us today and book a free valuation of your property!
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Cloud Estates uses Fixflo, which is a property management and repair platform that operates fully online. It helps to improve efficiency and maintain compliance with the regulations.
The system allows the tenants or occupiers to report issues online when they appear at any time of the day. When the occupier submits the required information about the case, the portal can provide an accurate quote. In addition, the portal informs the occupier if the issue is their responsibility to resolve and how to solve the problem. Furthermore, the portal is helping to prioritise the repair issues, and the automation helps save time with the most common tasks that arise.
Fixflo also helps to keep in touch with the tenant, provide better services to them, and save landlords’ time. In addition, planned maintenance makes the whole job more manageable and less devastating impact on residents. A minor issue can be fixed before something breaks, and therefore significant failure can be avoided.
Many landlords use their contractors who may seem cheaper at first, but in the long run, additional costs from things such as materials, delivery or disposal. With property management and repair platforms such as Fixflo, the complete repair and maintenance experience can be more straightforward, and the quote more accurate and might end up being more affordable to the landlord.
Do you need help with the maintenance of your property? Or do you want to hear more about how we in Cloud Estates use Fixflo?
Book a free valuation of your property today (no obligation), or give us a call – we are here to help you.
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What is it?
Property inventory report compiles the information about the rental property condition before, during, and after the tenancy. The description of the condition is explained in writing, such as “good condition” or in photos such as possible cracks in the walls.
Why do I need it?
The property inventories are created to protect the landlord and the tenant from maintaining the transparency of the deposit payment returns. With the property inventories, both the landlord and tenant can view in what condition the property was before the tenancy agreement and after it so that the returned deposit sum is correct and in line with the possible damage of the property.
The property inventory report is also important in relation to meter readings so that the tenant will not be paying for someone else’s electricity or gas usage or that the correct utility numbers are reported to the landlord and they will not end up paying tenants’ gas or electricity.
Before, during and after the tenancy.
It is good to make a property inventory report right before the tenant moves in. The report should state clearly if there are any issues with the condition of the flat before the tenancy agreement starts. It is recommended that the tenant approves and signs the report as well.
Some landlords also conduct the property inventory reports during the tenancy agreement to check the property's condition. This makes it possible to compare it with the created “before” report. In this case, the landlord is required to give a notice 24 hours before entering the property.
Lastly, after the tenant has moved out, the landlord often conducts the report and compare the “before”, “during”, and “after” reports with each other to notice any new significant damage in the property. The landlord can prove whether the tenant has treated the property right and if the landlord should return the whole deposit sum. At the same time, with these reports, the tenant can prove if they have not done any damage to the property, and therefore, the landlord is required to return the entire deposit.
In Cloud Estates, we will manage the property and take care of the property inventory report for you.
Contact us for more information and get a free valuation of your property today!
