A little bit about Plymouth
Plymouth is situated in the South West Corner of England in the County of Devon, undoubtedly one of the most beautiful counties in England. Plymouth is steeped in history with the main focal point on the harbour where the Pilgrim Fathers set sail, Darwin and Cook. Plymouth has obviously moved on since those days but still keeps its heritage while moving into the 21st Century.
Plymouth is a large City with the Plymouth City Council area housing a population of 240,718. Of course like all large Cities there are all the expected facilities and good rail, road and air links to other parts of the UK. Below are some links that may give some more information on Demographics, facilities available and places to see in Plymouth and the surrounding areas.
Some useful links:-
Plymouth City Council
UpMyStreet for Plymouth

Looking for your Rental Property
When starting to think about a rental home, whether it is a long term rental or a short term rental it can seem quite a large task. The key to making your move as painless as possible is organisation. In this article are some tips on how to handle the process and make the move a little less of a headache.
Use the Four Stage Rule
When looking for your rental property there is an easy to remember 4 stage process, these stages are:-
Do your Property Research
Ensure that you are fully prepared before even considering starting your search. It is vital that you are aware of your restrictions within the market place. Make sure you are aware of what type of property you can afford to rent. Which areas of the City are suitable for you and match your requirements.
The best start is simply sit down and make a list of what is important to you. This needs to include two different sections. The first section is within the property for example you may only want to rent a flat, or maybe a house with a garage, you may require three bedrooms, a garden, large kitchen, central heating, electric shower, two bathrooms. Make a note in order of importance your top 10 requirements.
The second section needs to be area requirements, for example, maybe you need to be close to the train station, near the town centre, on a bus route, close to the motorway, near to the shopping development, a quiet area. Or maybe you have specific locations that you want to live within the City.
Secondly is setting your budget. It is vital that you know exactly how much you have per month or per week to be able to afford your rental property. Sit down and make a note of all of your outgoings including household amenities such as gas, water, electricity. Make a provision for council tax, petrol, loans, credit cards, car loan and all other outgoings. From this you can decide on how much per month you are able to afford on your rental property. It is highly important that you stick to this budget or below in order to ensure that there are no complications with your rent payment to the letting agent in the long term.
That is the worst bit out the way, now you can begin on stage two of the four step process.
Start your Property Search
There are a number of methods to achieve the desired result; this could include visiting all the letting agents in the town (very time consuming). Maybe complete a search of all the websites on the internet one by one (again very time consuming).
Alternatively you could try using one of online property portal sites, depending which you chose it is possible to send multiple emails to the letting agents expressing your requirements (let them do the hard work in contacting you with property) or maybe do a search on the site of listed property and contact them to arrange to have more details on specific ones advertised or arrange a viewing. Or simply gain quick and simple access to multiple letting agent websites from just one place.
A good site to start is Rentright this offers all of the above and much more, why not visit the Rentright Plymouth Page now and see what property is being advertised by the registered letting agents or contact all the agents with your details.
There are many other sites on the internet designed to make your search much easier, not all are dedicated to rental property and if you cannot find what you are looking for on one you may on another.
Arrange to View your Chosen Rental Home
Once you have made contact with the letting agent then arrange the viewing of the property. It is important that you remember your criteria that you set earlier. Take an impartial person with you on the visit as they may be able to give you some guidance and opinion on what they think of the property. Revisit the area on different times to view the rental property in order that you get a good feel of the location. Don't make a hasty decision there and then, think about it for a while and ensure you are completely happy to go ahead. Once you have given the letting agent the retaining deposit if you change your mind then this will be lost.
Make your Move
Once you have chosen your rental property then on move in day remember that you will need normally but not in all instants, 1 months' rent and 1 months retaining deposit for long term rents. Then you will sign the short hold tenancy agreement and be given the keys to your new rental property. If the house is furnished then there maybe an inventory make sure that this is correct, also if you see any damage that you had not spotted previously then be sure to make the letting agent aware of this as soon as possible.
The letting agent is there to help you so if there are any problems with the property then make sure to seek advice from them; if it is a fully managed letting service. If it is a tenant find only then be sure to make contact with the landlord (who of which you would have met previously) if there are any problems.
Some Letting Agents in Plymouth that may be of Interest
Just Lets, Trundlewood Property Management, Bullard & Scholes Residential Lettings

Chris Courtis is the co-founder of Rentright Property Letting Portal where you can find information and property for rent. Rentright is a resource available for Property Letting Agents to advertise their property and covers the whole of the UK
Statistical data in this article has been used and permitted by UpMyStreet and is accurate at the date this article was written.


Do You Need Rental Insurance?
Do You Need Rental Insurance?
by Kyle Thomas Haley
Many renters don't stop to think about what happens if there is a fire, someone breaks in and steals their new TV or stereo, or a visitor slips and falls on their property. The sad truth is; you will be responsible! While your landlord has
insurance that covers the actual building, that coverage does not include your personal property or liability for injuries which occur in the space you rent ~ be it an apartment or a house and yard.
If a fire should destroy or damage your home, your landlord's insurance will cover the structure. It won't cover damage or loss of your belongings. Neither will it provide for the cost of temporary housing for you and your family.
You may think you don't own enough personal property to make the cost of insurance worthwhile. You're probably wrong! If you sit down and add up the cost of everything you own, you may be in for a big surprise. Consider what you have invested in such things as:
• Furniture and accessories
• Electronics like TV, stereo, computers
• Small appliances like microwaves, toaster ovens, etc.
• Clothing
• Art work like paintings or prints
• Dishes, silverware and cookware
• Sporting equipment
• Books
• Jewelry
Could you afford to replace all of these things?
Even worse, what would you do if a friend is injured on your property and decides to sue you for medical costs and more? It's a scary thought, isn't it?
Are you beginning to see why rental insurance may be a very wise investment?
The cost of rental insurance is based on several factors:
• The dollar amount of your coverage
• Deductibles
• Whether you choose to be reimbursed for Actual Cash Value or Replacement Costs (more about that in a minute)
• Where your rental property is located and the number of previous claims made, not only by you, but by others living in the same area.
Let me explain the difference between Actual Cash Value (ACV) and Replacement Costs. ACV is the value of your property at the time a loss takes place. For example, if your television set is five years old, it's valued at much less than if it were brand new. The lesser amount is what you are reimbursed.
However, if you opt for Replacement Cost, you're paid whatever it costs to go out and buy a new TV with similar features. Insuring for replacement cost raises the amount of your premium so it's a good idea to get quotes for both ACV and Replacement Cost policies. Then you can decide which option fits your needs and budget.
Another thing to keep in mind is that jewelry, valuable collections, and guns are usually covered under a separate policy or "rider". If you own these kinds of items, be sure to tell your insurance agent. You don't want to find out after disaster strikes that they aren't covered or that they aren't covered for their true value.
One way you can reduce the cost of your rental insurance is to check with whichever company insures your car. If they provide rental insurance you may be eligible for a multi-line discount.
Rental insurance may be worth the investment just for the peace of mind it offers you.
________________________________________________
Kyle Thomas Haley of Chapel Hill, North Carolina has been helping people relocate and find apartments on the Internet since 1999 for STANZEEKAY Inc's Relocation Websites such as:
http://www.apartment-rental.net
and
http://www.relocation-guide.net
Copyright 1999 – 2005 STANZEEKAY Inc.
You have permission to publish this article electronically or
in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included and none of the links or content are removed or changed.


Why Sell Your House to an Investor?
When talking to people who are trying to sell their house I'm often asked the question, "Why should I sell my house to you?"
That's a great question. Today's house seller has lots of options: they can list their house with a real estate agent, they can try to sell the house themselves or they can sell their house to a real estate investor. None of these choices is necessarily better than the others: they each have their own advantages and disadvantages.
Here is what I say when asked why someone should sell their house to me:
1. I'm fast. In many cases, sellers are in a rush to get their house sold. Maybe they're facing foreclosure or they're settling a divorce. Sometimes the seller has moved because of a job and needs to sell the house quickly to avoid two mortgage payments. Or someone might inherit a house and they don't want the hassle of dealing with the repairs and marketing necessary to sell the house.
Most people who try selling their house themselves or through a real estate agent find that it is anything but a "fast" process in most cases. Unless you are willing to sell your house at a significantly reduced price, in many markets you could find yourself waiting one to three months before you accept an offer.
On the other hand, because I'm an independent investor with private funds I can often close a house purchase in 7 days or less.
2. My offers are flexible. I make my offer fit the seller's needs. If the seller wants to close quickly, that can be arranged. If the seller wants cash all at once or a monthly cash flow, I can do those, too. I can also make up past payments and take over current payments to immediately relieve money burdens on the seller.
I can be a lot more flexible with my offers than the "traditional" offers sellers typically receive. That's because I'm independent and not part of a bank bureaucracy which has to follow lots of rules. I'm also aware of possible creative solutions to meet sellers' needs that your average home buyer wouldn't think of.
3. I'm open-minded. I might buy someone's house when no one else will. In many cases I buy houses that have fire damage, termites, mold, foundation problems, roof problems or need major repairs. Houses with these conditions scare most buyers and real estate agents hate listing them because they know such houses are hard to sell.
I actually enjoy talking to sellers with houses like these because I can see the house's potential value after all the repairs are made. I'm also not worried about extensive repairs as long as the after-repaired-value of the house justifies the expenses.
In conclusion, I encourage sellers to investigate all avenues of getting their house sold in the way that best meets their needs. If they decide that working with me to buy their house makes the most sense, then I'm more than happy to help.
About The Author:
Marc Menninger is a real estate investor in Seattle, WA. For a free consultation about selling your house go to Seattle House Buyers (http://www.SeattleHouseBuyers.com).