I believe that everyone chooses how to approach life. If you’re proactive, you focus on preparing. If you’re reactive, you end up focusing on repairing. ― John C. Maxwell

Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.
― Oprah Winfrey

Do what today others won’t, so tomorrow, you can do what others can’t.
― Brian Rogers Loop

Action is the foundational key for all success.
― Pablo Picasso

Knowing is not enough. We must apply. Willing is not enough. We must do.
― Bruce Lee

Dear all,

We hope you are managing to stay safe and well during the on going situation we find ourselves in.  Hopefully, there may be some light at the end of the tunnel and we look forward to easier and better times ahead.  We are all still working from home and we will continue to do so as the levels in Glasgow are still a concern.

We asked the tenants to send in video walk throughs of their properties as on site inspections may not be the most sensible idea at this time which has been going well.  On your log in section, you will be able to see if the tenant has sent in an inspection video or pictures and I have contacted landlords directly if there are any issues that need addressing.  We have always tried to take a proactive approach to property maintenance to try and sort potential issues before they become a problem.

 Halogen lightbulb sales to be banned in UK under climate change plans – BBC News

Colin sent me an article from letting agents today entitled “Agents managing properties with halogen or high-energy fluorescent lights will have to switch in the near future.”

Sales of halogen lightbulbs are to be banned in the UK from September, with fluorescent lights to follow, under government climate change plans.

The move will cut 1.26 million tonnes of carbon emissions a year and deliver consumers savings, officials say.  The UK began phasing out the sale of higher-energy halogen lightbulbs in 2018 under EU-wide rules.  Legislation being brought forward this month will also include the removal of fluorescent lights from shelves from September 2023.

Now retailers will no longer be able to sell most remaining halogen bulbs, such as kitchen spotlights.  Legislation for the plans is being brought forward this month by the government.  The plan will help continue the shift to low-energy LED lightbulbs, which account for about two-thirds of lights now sold in Britain.  It is expected to mean LEDs will account for 85% of all bulbs sold by 2030, officials said.  LED lights last five times longer than traditional halogen bulbs and produce the same amount of light, but use up to 80% less power.

The plans also include a ban from September on the sale of lighting fixtures with fixed bulbs that can’t be replaced – meaning the fixtures have to be thrown away. 

‘Less waste’

To help people to choose the most efficient lightbulbs, changes to the energy labels that consumers see on bulb packaging are being brought in, with the A+, A++ and A+++ ratings abandoned and efficiency graded between A-G, with only the most efficient bulbs given an A rating.

LED bulbs could be incorporated into the fluorescent light fittings as a more energy-efficient alternative, officials said.

Legislation will also include moves to phase out high-energy fluorescent lightbulbs – such as strip lights commonly found in offices – with a view to bringing an end to their sale from September 2023.

There was a time when the humble light bulb became the centre of a political storm over “green madness”.

The EU had announced a ban on old-fashioned incandescent bulbs – the ones that give off more heat than light and use a lot of electricity in the process.

It was a move that led to a campaign of resistance with one newspaper even giving away the bulbs to encourage their use.

But this latest move – the final step in ending sales of halogen lights – comes in very different times.

Many types of halogen bulbs were already banned several years ago, so this is a tightening of the screw on energy waste rather than a massive upheaval.

But it does provide another signal that if the UK is to meet its promises to tackle the heating of the climate, every sector of the economy – in fact almost every aspect of our lives – will have to see some kind of change.

The cut in carbon emissions as a result of the new rules is the equivalent of removing more than half a million cars from the UK’s roads, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial strategy said.

It is part of a package of measures which it says will save consumers money and includes the right to get goods repaired, new energy labels and higher efficiency standards for white goods, TVs and other appliances.

Energy minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said: “We’re phasing out old inefficient halogen bulbs for good, so we can move more quickly to longer-lasting LED bulbs, meaning less waste and a brighter and cleaner future for the UK.

“By helping ensure electrical appliances use less energy but perform just as well, we’re saving households money on their bills and helping tackle climate change.”

Stephen Rouatt, chief executive of Signify UK, which owns Philips lighting, said: “Using energy-efficient LED equivalents for halogen and fluorescent lighting on an even broader scale will significantly help the UK on its journey to decarbonisation, as well as lowering the annual electricity bills for consumers.”

Rents set to rise three per cent in next 12 months, say surveyors

The latest lettings market snapshot by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors suggests little easing of the strong tenant demand and consequent rising rents.

The RICS report – which measures the proportion of surveyors seeing demand and supply – says tenant demand growth remains firm with the latest net balance standing at +48 per cent in late May. This is broadly similar to the +56 per cent reported in April.

At the same time, the survey’s indicator on new landlord instructions remained in negative territory for a 10th consecutive month. 

On the back of this, a net balance of +55 per cent of surveyors anticipate a pick-up in rents over the near term. 

By this time next year rents are likely to have grown around three per cent on average across the country as a whole. 

Meanwhile, the sector appears to be recovering in London, which had seen rent falls because of a lack of business and international travel activity during the pandemic; RICS says both the three and 12 month rental growth expectations are moving into positive territory.

As we know the emergency legislation the Scottish government put in place are due to be reviewed in September 2021 and we will find out from there where things stand in relation to giving 3 months’ notice to increase rent and to give a tenant notice to end the tenancy.

https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-landlord-and-letting-agent-faqs/

https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro-2020/e-euro-2021/

I have seen some great memes about Scotland’s performance in the Euros,  my favourite so far being “ Scotland getting to the Euros is like me making it past 12 on a night out, no one knows how I’ve made it here, everyone wants me to do well, but it is guaranteed that I’m going to absolutely…” I can let you fill in the blanks on that one.

Whatever team you are supporting, or if you are or are not following it there was a wonderful sense of community and pride in Scotland on Monday, and it was lovely to see the kids with the flags painted on their cheeks and the schools letting the little ones watch the game, shame about the result, but the optimist in me thought “at least we got there!!”

Kindest Regards

Michelle O’Donnell

Branch Manager

17 Elmbank Street

Glasgow

G2 4PB

0141 221 3990

 

Registration number LARN1903009

VAT : 174415411

SC345735

The information in this e-mail is confidential. The contents may not be disclosed or used by anyone other than the addressee. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and delete this message. Glasgow Property Letting Ltd cannot accept any responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of this message as it has been transmitted over a public network.

We will no longer retain emails from you as per GDPR legislation. This means when you send us an email you should keep a copy for your own records if you will need to refer to it at a later date. You can dispose of your own copies according to your own GDPR retention policies