Your local independent property experts covering Hornchurch and surrounding areas.

A rare warm breeze is a playful reminder that we are now into autumn, the summer months having passed us by.
Blue skies peppered with clouds will seemingly quickly turn to rain. Mornings start with wet ground underfoot, while the nights are already drawing in and the streetlights in and around Hornchurch will be glowing earlier. Children are collecting conkers, and while some of us relish the walks through the fallen golden leaves, others might be looking forward to snuggling down at home in the warmth.
It’s the perfect time to get our homes and gardens in order, ready for the rest of autumn, the slow onset of winter and the cold, snowy weather it often brings.
So, we’ve put together six things you should be doing right now to prepare your home and garden for the weeks ahead.
Store your garden furniture
You may already have been prepared and put all your summer items away, but some of us just haven’t got around to it yet, reluctant to say goodbye to the slim chance of just one more warm and sunny day! It’s a job that must be done though, so make sure that your patio furniture is stored away in a garage or a shed, or at least has a protective sheet over it. Chances are, you will have spent a few pounds on the furniture so you should look after it.
Top Tip: Give your garden furniture a good scrub before storing, as not only will it mean things are clean, it means you won’t have to spend time doing it when you bring your furniture out of hibernation in spring next year.
Don’t leaf it too late! (Sorry! We couldn’t resist!)
Many trees and plants have now shed their leaves, and you might love the look and sound of those crunchy piles as they mount up against a wall or fence, but it’s best to sweep all the fallen debris up before it begins to rot and leaves an unsightly mess in your garden. Similarly, ensure your gutters are free from mud, leaves and twigs.
Top Tip: Invest in a composter. That way, you have somewhere nearby to put garden clippings and leaves in, and, if managed carefully, you’ll have the beginnings of great compost.
Check your pipes and drains
As the days become colder, it makes perfect sense to make sure that you don’t get any headaches from broken pipes or blocked drains. With drains, ensure that they are not blocked by leaves or soil. With pipes, it’s best to ensure that they are well insulated. It’s also recommended that you keep your heating at set temperatures, even if you are away from home so that pipes don’t keep contracting and expanding, making them prone to damage.
Top Tip: Landlords who let out properties have a duty by law to have gas safety checks and boiler checks, but it’s easy for homeowners to skip an annual service. It makes sense to us here at Parkstone Properties for every homeowner to make sure their heating and boilers are in good working condition. It’s safer and more efficient, saving the pennies.
Ensure insurance is in place
No matter what you do, sometimes things go wrong, and it can prove costly. Through no fault of your own, harsh weather conditions in winter can mean leaks, breaks and cracks can happen. Check that your insurance is in place and that it covers you for everything you need.
Top Tip: As you’re checking your insurance cover, take the time to do an audit of other bits and bobs of paperwork too. Perhaps your car insurance needs looking at, or you need to renew policies or update your will. Seriously, spending time doing essential paperwork can save you money and heartache.
Sound the alarm
With the coming cold weather, chances are you’ll be spending more time indoors – the kettle is on, the fire is roaring, candles are lit, the heating’s on. While you’re indoors, you need to know you are safe, and that if anything should happen, you will be quite literally alarmed. Get a smoke alarm fitted, and a carbon monoxide alarm too. A few pounds spent could save your life.
Top Tip: If you’ve got your alarms sorted, do you have a plan of what happens if one sounds? Make sure you and your family know what they should do in the event of a fire or other emergency, including escape routes.
Seal up for winter
No matter how new your house may be, a little gap here and there can let in drafts – and allow heat to get out. Make sure your insulation is good and do any work to make sure doors close properly, or gaps in window frames are sealed. It’ll keep you warm and save you money.
Top Tip: A nice draft excluder by the front door can actually add to your decor. If you’ve got children, perhaps they would like to make a draught excluder out of old clothes and textiles as a fun project!
These are just a few tips to help you prepare your home and garden for autumn and winter. If you would like any more advice, we will be more than happy to help. Call a member of our team at Parkstone Properties on 01798985588 or email hello@parktoneprop.com.

Everyone dreams of a perfectly organised home!
Streamlined bookshelves and a pantry packed with Pinterest worthy decanted goods are what comes to mind when most imagine an organised space.
However, it is important to realise that an organised home is not only one that looks great, but one that perfectly functions for your family’s needs.
The process of organising your home can initially be overwhelming. But, with a thorough initial declutter, and some clever organisational tips, you will have your home looking picture perfect in no time.
Start by Decluttering
A thorough, ruthless declutter is the most tiresome yet essential element of organising your entire home.
The best way to comprehensively declutter is to remove everything from a room and separate it into three distinct sections. 
The first involves collating things that are broken or no good. This is a collection of items that will be sent to the bin or recycling. For clothes that are no longer good quality, be sure to take them to your local material recycling drop.
The second section is for items that you no longer use but will find a good home elsewhere. These pieces can then be sold online or donated to your local charity shop. Be conscientious when donating to charities, however, and be sure only to drop things that are of a quality that you would consider buying yourself.
The third section is for the items you love and use regularly. Once sorted, you can begin to find a good home for every individual item.
Complete this process for every room in your house. It is not until this process is complete that you should begin organising.
Love your Living Room
The living room is perhaps one of the most challenging rooms to organise, needing to strike the perfect balance between functional and relaxing.
If you are a family who owns a lot of ‘things’, consider dedicating a whole wall to shelving. This is a stylish yet functional way to turn your items into a display feature. A well organised home is not one that lacks personality; it is one where everything has a function.
Display and aesthetics are perfectly valid functions. Just be sure you are only displaying items that you truly love.
Wicker baskets are ideal for the living room and can be used to store items without a permanent home, such as remote controls and chargers. Additionally, be sure to use a wire tidy behind your television cabinet to conceal loose cables, keeping the electrical unit neat.
Beautify your Bathrooms
Bathrooms are one of the most used rooms in our entire home, so finding clever storage solutions is imperative. The room should be a haven, and therefore your shelves and cupboards should be thoroughly considered.
A shelving unit above the toilet is a great storage option, particularly for smaller bathrooms. This is often dead space, but a simple cabinet provides the ideal solution for storing extra toiletries.
Mason jars are great for collecting cotton pads and bath salts, in an easy to access way. Invest in a label maker and create quirky labels for the front of the jars, keeping your items organised but also looking fantastic.
Invest in a tall, freestanding shelving unit for your bath towels, which will allow you to display your items whilst storing them efficiently. A tall narrow unit is excellent for maximising storage in even the smallest of rooms.
Make your Bedroom Blissful
Your bedroom should be your sanctuary. A clean, tidy and organised bedroom will undoubtedly improve your sleep and enable you to wake feeling refreshed.
One of the most under-appreciated spaces in bedrooms is the under-bed storage. Rolling storage containers provide an excellent way to store excess clothing or bed sheets, freeing up space in your wardrobe. For the children’s rooms, pack them with toys and books, which can be switched around on rotation.
Another great way to organise your bedroom, and free up space, is by hanging artwork. Removing frames from your dressing table, sideboards and windowsills will make the room appear much sleeker.
Organise your Home Office
Keeping your dedicated home office organised and tidy will enable you to work most productively.
Although we all try to work paperless wherever possible, physical documents are inevitable and loose paperwork can quickly become disorganised.
Investing in a good quality shredder, paperweights, magazine racks, and folders is the first step to a perfectly organised office. Keeping on top of individual documents each day is much less time consuming than large weekly clear-outs.  
Not enough space in your current home and looking to upsize? Parkstone Properties are your local property experts for the Hornchurch area. Call us on 01798985588 or email hello@parktoneprop.com to chat with a member of our friendly and experienced team.

Buying a new home in Hornchurch is a commitment, and it’s not one that you should ever take lightly. It’s also not something you should go into blind. Having a deposit saved up, looking at your budget, knowing what you need from the property ahead of time – all of these things will help immensely when buying a house.
Knowing the difference between a freehold and a leasehold is also important as it can impact which properties in Hornchurch you will be looking at as a whole. Knowing if you’re happy to look at leasehold properties or if you only want to view freehold properties can streamline your hunt for a new home immensely.
So, first, let’s look at Freehold:
What is a Freehold?
A freehold means you buy not only the house but also the land it sits on. You own it and are responsible for the upkeep and in charge of all the decisions. If you want to extend, change, or renovate the property the only obstacle is the relevant planning and building permissions.
Share of Freehold
You might also come across a concept known as Share of Freehold which means you are a leaseholder that is a director of the Leasehold company. This is mostly the case when purchasing a flat, as you do not own the whole property, only a portion of it. You will then enter into a ‘Share of Freehold’ agreement with the other flat owners.
What are the Benefits of a Freehold?
When you own a Freehold, you own it outright. You have control over the property and land and don’t need to worry about your Leasehold tenancy ending.
Now let’s look at Leasehold:
What is a Leasehold?
As the name suggests, you own the property for a certain tenure of years, but you do not own the land itself. This means you have to pay a ground rent, which, in most cases, is a small amount, though it can be increased at any time. New legislation is in progress to reduce Leasehold ground rents though, and in the future this could either be zero or a very small, fixed-rate sum.
When the lease expires, the ownership of the property reverts to the freeholder. Leasehold agreements are commonly 99 years or 125 years, with some extending 500 or even 999 years.
If you like the look of a Leasehold property, it is important to know how long is left on the lease as this will affect you when it comes to securing a mortgage. Lenders generally won’t loan you money if there is less than fifty years left on the lease after the mortgage lending period, and so it is recommended not to buy a Leasehold property that has less than 80 years left. If the Leasehold you are looking at does have less than 80 years, you can see about options for renegotiating with the freehold owner to extend the Leasehold to its full amount or even longer.
What are the Benefits of a Leasehold?
You don’t have to repair the outside, right of way access, or maintenance of the property itself. You are only responsible for the interior of your property. During the Leasehold, you can sell on your home as usual.
What are the Downsides of a Leasehold?
You will need to adhere to the rules set out by your Freeholder, which includes ground rent and the service charge collected to handle the upkeep of the building and common areas.
When the Leasehold tenancy ends, your entire property reverts back to the freeholder, so even if you technically own the building during the Leasehold, you don’t once the tenancy ends. This makes it very difficult to sell on and recoup your investment cost once the tenancy nears 80 years or less, whereas with a freehold you can sell for market value or even rent the property out.
There is an increasing trend for Leasehold properties – particularly in shared ownership schemes, so it’s important to ensure you know whether the property you are interested in is freehold or leasehold before you buy!
If you are considering buying a property for sale marketed through Parkstone Properties, our friendly, knowledgeable team can advise you!