Homes & Gardens

Landlord vs. Homeowner’s Insurance: What's the Difference?

As a property owner, securing the right insurance is essential. But if you're transitioning from living in your home to renting it out, or perhaps you're a new landlord, a crucial question arises: "Will my homeowner's insurance be enough?" The answer, in most cases, is a resounding no...

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Improving facilities for disabled

An extra £100,000 is now being spent on improving facilities in disabled people’s homes in Plymouth.

Plymouth City Council’s Investment Board agreed the extra funding over and above the £800,000 that the authority was already committing to spend in 2014/15.

The move means an additional 30 homes in the city are having a number of improvements including grab rails, stairlifts,...

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house

Disabled

Plymouth

adapted

disbilities

Snapshot of UK’s property investment concerns

A new poll reveals the negative perception that Brits have of becoming a landlord, with 36% of UK adults saying it's extremely risky being a buy-to-let landlord.

Despite the negative perception, millions of buy-to-let landlords are reaping the benefits with data from HM Revenue & Customs showing that the number of buy-to-let investors in the UK is around 1.6 million, after an...

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property investment concerns

Plymouth

Devon

emerging property

SW firms must fight for more homes

As more powers shift from Whitehall to town halls, the South West Housing Initiative (SWHI) is rallying businesses to call for politicians to shape UK devolution in a way which will solve the region’s housing crisis. This crisis is having a detrimental impact on businesses.

SWHI, a partnership of housing professionals committed to combating the region’s housing crisis, said that...

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house

housing

Business

New affordable housing on former Astor Centre site

A new affordable housing development on the site of the former Astor Community Centre is nearing completion.

The centre was closed several years ago and the land was released as part of Plymouth City Council's Get Plymouth Building programme. AJM Building Design Ltd has transformed the former community centre into a striking block of 12 one and two bed homes, one of which is a disabled...

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Astor

plymouth affordable housing

Devon

Saturday 6.30pm: the most dangerous time to be in your home

Blundering adults in the South West have over 6 million home accidents each year, each one causing physical injury or property damage, with Saturday at 6.30pm the most dangerous time to be at home in the region.

A study by Electrical Safety First has identified that our risky behaviours are leading to a huge number of accidents, with the most common accident in the South West...

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Road to be named after late councillor

A road on new development of 19 affordable homes on a former factory site is being named after the late Councillor Dennis Camp, who served Plymouth’s Southway ward on Plymouth City Council from 1990 to his death in 2006 and was also Lord Mayor of Plymouth in 2000/01.

Alison Seabeck MP and Councillor Chris Penberthy, Cabinet Member for Cooperatives, Housing and Community Safety for...

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Renting ‘lifers’ £600,000 worse off

New research identifies emerging social tribes –‘first time flyers’, ‘first time triers’ and ‘renting lifers’

Families in the South West who are never able to get on the property ladder will be more than £603,800 worse off over their lifetime than those who can buy a home in their twenties, new research from Shelter shows.

The unique study by the housing charity paints a...

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Popular garden waste scheme restarts

Plymouth’s popular garden waste collection is starting up again from 30 March.

This year the scheme will be extended by a month until the end of November so that people can sweep up autumn leaves and put their garden to bed for the winter.

The collection operates every fortnight – the same week that people’s recycling is collected.

The service starts just ahead of the...

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Householders in SW save millions by switching electricity supplier

Around £10.2 million was saved by 145,000 households in the South West in the last six months, simply by changing electricity supplier.

The figures, released as part of the ‘Power to Switch’ campaign, show that within the South West:

28,000 households in Bristol saved around £2 million 20,000 households in Gloucester saved around £1.4 million 17,000 households in Bournemouth...

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Gardeners beware: The slugs are coming!

Gardeners should start preparing early for their great slug and snail hunt this year as winter temperatures have provided the perfect conditions for their arch enemies.

According to Wyevale Garden Centres – the UK’s largest garden centre group - last year, gardeners spent £11.6 million in their battle to protect their botanical spaces, battling over 30 species of slugs including a...

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