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ONS Average Private Rent in London: What the Figure Actually Measures
Short answer: The ONS Price Index of Private Rents put average London private rent at £2,302 in June 2026, up 2.2% on the year — the lowest annual rent inflation of the nine E…
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Letting your London flat from abroad: how the China Desk runs it end to end
Short answer: you can let a London flat while you live overseas, and you never need to fly in to do it. Our China Desk runs the whole tenancy on your behalf — viewings, refere…
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New-build rental hotspots: Nine Elms and Canary Wharf in 2026
Short answer: London's strongest new-build rental hotspots in 2026 are the riverside regeneration zones — led by Nine Elms and Canary Wharf, with Royal Wharf, Stratford, Wembl…
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Letting agent vs estate agent: which do you need?
Short answer: an estate agent sells homes; a letting agent lets and manages them. If you're selling, use an estate agent. If you're letting — especially a new-build or from ov…
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How much rent can I get for my London flat?
Short answer: it depends on your specific flat, not just your postcode — the floor, the view, the finish and the building it sits in move the rent more than the area does. The…
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The UCL Rent Guarantor Scheme in 2026: how it works for international students
Short answer: UCL runs a Rent Guarantor Scheme that lets eligible full-time students — mostly overseas students with no UK guarantor — rent privately in London, with UCL stand…
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From off-plan to tenant-ready on day one: letting a brand-new London flat
Short answer: letting an off-plan London flat on day one is a sequence, not a scramble. Confirm the handover date, run the snagging walkthrough, get the compliance certificate…
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The Non-Resident Landlord Scheme: what overseas owners of a London rental need to know
Short answer: if you live abroad and let a London property, the Non-Resident Landlord Scheme applies. Your letting agent must deduct tax at the basic rate — 20% — from your re…
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Why overseas tenants pay a premium, and how full disclosure earns it honestly
Short answer Renting to overseas tenants in London tends to achieve a stronger rent because unfamiliarity carries a premium — an applicant moving from abroad pays for the comf…
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A £36,000-a-year home should carry more detail than a used car
Short answer A rental listing should include far more than most do: every appliance photographed and specified, the heating and cooling system named, the flooring and finishes…
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Inside our Giraffe 360 capture
Short answer A property virtual tour and a laser floor plan come from a single scan of the property using a Giraffe 360 capture system, which produces HDR photography, a high-…
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Why we shoot, edit and write every advert in-house
Short answer Yes, most letting agents outsource property photography, and that is exactly why we do not. Harvey W James shoots, edits and writes every advert in-house, end to …
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The numbers every landlord should ask a letting agent for
The short version When you interview a letting agent, you are usually shown one number: how many properties they manage. It is the easiest number to inflate and the least usef…
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Meet James, our AI property assistant
Short answer We have added an AI assistant to every page of this website. His name is James, he is available at any hour, and you can type to him or simply talk to him out lou…
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Void days are the landlord's money: how HWJ runs the major refresh
Short answer A property that sits empty for fifteen days on a £3,500 per month rent costs the landlord around £1,700 in lost rent, plus another £150 to £200 in council tax and…
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