Five of Kent’s towns have been ranked in the top 50 best places to live in Britain according to the Halifax Quality of Life Survey 2014, great news if you are moving to Kent or the South-East. We all know that Kent has some of the best places to live and it is nice that this is recognised.
The highest placed Kent town was Sevenoaks, which ranked 14th, followed by Tunbridge Wells which achieved 31st place. Ashford ranked in 38th, Tonbridge and Maidstone were 42nd and 44th respectively. If you are thinking of buying a house and moving to Kent you can’t go far wrong with these towns, they offer something for everyone.
Local Councillors of the top towns were very pleased. Leader of Ashford Borough Council, Gerry Clarkson, said:
Being named as the 38th best place in which to live in the UK is pleasing. It echoes everything residents have told us about the borough as a desirable place to live.
Nicolas Heslop, leader of Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, said good schools, transport links to London and leisure facilities played a part in the borough’s placing.
As a region the South East dominates the survey, with over half of the towns found in this area. Hart in Hampshire was crowned the winner, as it has been for 4-straight years. Though, interestingly, only two London boroughs, Kensington and Chelsea and Bromley, made the top 50.
This is the ninth year that Halifax has completed the survey, which takes into account a variety of factors such as the labour market, housing, physical environment, health, education and personal well-being. Data is compiled from public agencies such as the Office for National Statistics, the Met Office and the British Crime Survey to produce the report.
What do you think – do you agree with the survey? We would love to hear your views on the best places to live in Kent and the South East. Where would you move to if you had the choice and why would you move house? Leave your comments and views below.
Top 50 Best Places to Live in the UK 2014
To find out more about the Quality of Life Survey check out the following link:
People of Kent – Al Murray, The Pub Landlord, has announced he will be stand for election in Kent on 7 May 15. He has chosen the Kent constituency of South Thanet to take on Nigel Farage and is representing the newly formed Free United Kingdom Party (FUKP).
The comedian is standing on a platform of self-professed “Common Sense”, part of which includes leaving Europe by 2025 and the edge of the Solar System by 2050. On economics Al Murray has promised to revalue the pound at £1.10 making the pound allegedly worth 10p more.
The FUKP logo, which includes an upside down pound sign, is clearly a snub to UKIP, as it includes an upside down pound symbol. Al Murray has also said “It seems to me that the UK is ready for a bloke waving a pint around, offering common sense solutions.”
If Al Murray wins the election in Kent, he promised “The other parties offer a moon on a stick. We will do better than that: a British Moon on a British Stick”. Some of the other FUKP election pledges include:
1p a Pint, as well as white wine or fruit based drink (Crisps will remain the same price)
To brick up the Channel Tunnel, with British Bricks.
Greece will be bought and operated by Kent County Council.
Reintroduce National Service, but only for those who don’t want to do it.
To look up the unemployed as they cause crime.
The South Thanet Seat is currently held by the Conservatives who won it from Labour in 2010. Laura Sandys, the Conservative MP, won with a majority of 7617 and a 48% majority. UKIP candidate, Trevor Shonk, on the other hand only managed 5.5% of the vote.
If you’re a betting man, Ladbrokes are currently offering 66-1 that Al Murray can win the election in Kent. Although if he does win, South Thanet would become the Nation’s capital and a Demilitarized Zone will be established between North and South Thanet. According to FKUP their official poll has found the following:
FKUP First Official Poll
To see more of FKUP and the policies effecting the election in Kent, go to:
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all the team at Colin Batt Removals. Whilst we pride ourselves on being great removers the ultimate removal man has to be Father Christmas. He can deliver to every child in the land in one night…phew – just think of all those stairs and chimney pots! Whilst Father Christmas will be busy moving heaven and earth to get all the pressies to the kids, we will take a well earned break, the office will be shut from 24th December but we’ll be back to look move your house or piano from 5th January 2015. That said the phone will be periodically monitored for any emergency calls, just in case Santa needs a hand moving your new piano upstairs!
2014 was a great year and that is thanks to all the hard work the whole team put in. A big thank you to all our Porters who move your furniture, the office staff who arrange your removal and the management team who look after the rest of the staff. To celebrate we all had a Christmas party in Canterbury, Kent and had a traditional Indian curry! The vindaloo was too hot for everyone even in the depths of December.
Best wishes to all for the New Year and we look forward to helping all of our existing and new customers from Kent, Surrey and beyond with any and all of your house removals needs. Remember to call us if you need to move house, want some items stored after all the Xmas gifts you received, or have a piano you want delivering. Don’t forget we can help with document archives if you are doing a bit of office spring cleaning too.
All the best to you and yours and have a fantastic, fruitful and fun 2015.
House prices have risen remarkably in Kent and the South East recently and so it is more important than ever to understand the other fees involved in moving home. When you buy a property the cost to move house is more than the price you pay for the property, there are many more fees and charges that you need to budget for. These fees can quickly add up and so you should account for them before you agree your sale and mortgage. To help you with this we have compiled a list of charges you should consider when moving house, everything from mortgage fees to house removal costs.
Colin Batt Removals Kent House Move
All house price figures were obtained from Zoopla using their Zed index and are accurate as of 21 October 14.
Deposit
Zoopla currently estimates that the average house price in Kent is now in excess of £278,000 and has reached the previous highs set before the economic crash in 2008. This means that the deposit requirements for your mortgage are also increasing. Listed below are the average prices and illustrative deposits you may need for a variety of example properties currently available in Maidstone, Ashford and Canterbury.
Location
Property
Average Price
20% Deposit
Maidstone
Detached
£456,047
£91,209
Canterbury
Flat
£188,076
£37,615
Ashford
Semi-Detached
£233,222
£46,644
Mortgage Fees
You will be acutely aware of the costs and long-term financial responsibility a mortgage brings – with the added bonus of your own home! What you may not be so mindful of is all of the other fees mortgage providers charge you. There is obviously the interest on your loan but there are additional fees they may charge to set up your mortgage. Some of these can be added to you loan but doing this will obviously increase your monthly payments and the overall cost of your loan. The mortgage fees vary between lenders but can include:
Valuation Fee £150-1500
Set-up Fee £99-300
Arrangement Fee £0-2000
Stamp Duty
Properties bought for more than £125,000 will incur a stamp duty fee paid to the exchequer on completion of the property sale by the buyer. This fee is charged on a sliding scale dependent on the property sale price. These are set by HMRC and can be viewed at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/sdlt/intro/rates-thresholds.htm. For an average priced property in Kent (£262,028) the stamp duty fee is 3% of the purchase price and so would cost £7860.
Purchase price
SDLT rate
Up to £125,000
Zero
Over £125,000 to £250,000
1%
Over £250,000 to £500,000
3%
Over £500,000 to £1 million
4%
Over £1 million to £2 million
5%
Over £2 million
7%
Over £2 million (purchased by certain persons including corporate bodies)
15%
Legal Fees
These are the fees incurred by the solicitor or conveyancer on your behalf for the legal work required to complete the sale. The fees vary whether you are buying or selling (clearly you are usually doing both). The charges are usually between £300-£700 for selling and £400-1000 when buying. If you are purchasing a property the solicitor will also usually instruct all the relevant searches on your behalf (such as those to check appropriate planning permission, flood risk, chancellory etc) and these will amount to approximately £200. There is also the Land Registration Fee to pay and this usually varies between £20 and £455 depending on the property price. In total the legal fees for both selling and buying a property can vary between as much as £1000 and £4500.
When choosing you solicitor, surveyor and estate agent (see below) use a reputable firm and use firms recommended by your friends and colleagues – a cheap initial price can actually turn out to be very expensive. As always, obtain several quotes before you decide and always negotiate.
Estate Agent Fees
As with the legal fees these vary from agent to agent. The fees can vary anywhere from 1% to 3% of the final sale price. Your estate agent can also usually organise an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for you as this is a mandatory item for sale. The EPC will cost around £100 and so for an average price property in Kent the estate agent fees and EPC combined will set you back £2720-7960. Remember both the estate agent fees and the EPC charges are only paid by the seller.
Surveyor
A house purchase is the most expensive outlay you are ever likely to make as such it is always advisable to get a qualified surveyor to inspect the property. A home buyers report will highlight any major defects within the property and a full structural survey gives you in-depth detail on the state of the house you are considering buying. Either report could well save you thousands of pounds and a lot of heart ache in the long run. A home report will set you back around £300 and a structural survey start in the region of £500.
House Removal
Your house removal costs are completely dependent upon the amount of furniture and belongings you have to move, how far you are moving and whether you plan to do the packing yourself. Additional charges could be incurred for moving bespoke items such as pianos or fine art. Just like any other purchase do your research and use a firm recommended by your friends and colleagues. You can also use independent sites such as ReferenceLine to get a feeling for the company’s reputation.
We recommend you get three independent quotes from member of the British Association of Removers (BAR). Members of the BAR agree to abide by a strict code of practice and all members are fully insured. The BAR provide an online estimator for you to get a rough idea of how much your move may cost but always get an on-site survey before you choose your removal company. We also provide an online form to provide you with a removals estimate, see the link to the right.
Buying a house is an expensive business with lots of additional costs to move house in addition to the actual purchase price. Careful budgeting is key as is shopping around, but do use recommended companies. After spending all that money on your dream home don’t start your first night there stressed having tried to save a few pounds by using a disreputable removal company. They are, after all, moving all of your worldly belongings so it may cost you more money in the long run.
KENT RANKS HIGHLY AS ONE OF THE ‘BEST PLACES’ TO LIVE IN ENGLAND AND WALES
Kent has scored extremely well overall in a recent ‘Best Places to Live’ index produced by the The Telegraph. The index was constructed using average weekly incomes, crime rates, health, home ownership, and economic activity.
We know that when moving house local crime rates, health chances and incomes play a big factor in your decisions. This index provides a simple ‘at-a-glance’ overview of the areas where you live. The good news is that Kent has at least 6 areas in the top 10% of best places to live from Tonbridge & Malling to Maidstone and Medway. The table below shows the highlights but he full index can be found at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/11041812/Mapped-the-best-places-to-live-in-England-and-Wales.html
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