It is fair to say that if a person was asked to describe a chimney sweep, chances are the picture they conjure would be that of a soot covered child working in the Industrial Revolution, or the dancing chimney sweeps from Mary Poppins. Chimney sweeping is an ancient profession. There are records of people earning a living by cleaning chimneys as far back as the 16th century. The occupation of chimney sweep is thought to be one of the oldest in the world because chimneys have been around for a long time. It is only in the last two hundred years that the chimney has in fact been big enough to hold a human. Before that, in the 15^th and 16th centuries, Western Europe constructed houses with rooflines with crow-stepped gables which allowed a chimney sweep convenient access to the top of the chimney.

Today we live in a world which is much more modern and we have luxuries such as central heating which has more or less replaced the coal and wood fires used to heat homes in the past. Because of this, it is easy to assume that a chimney sweep would no longer exist. However this assumption would be way off the mark. They may not be as readily available as a plumber or electrician, but they are available and they are modern professional tradesmen. The number of households turning to wood and coal to heat the home is growing, as old fashioned fireplaces are becoming increasingly sought after, and with good reason. If a fireplace has been well restored it can add great character to a room, and, if it is well looked after, it can also be a great source of heat during the cold British winter months.  The benefits of having a real wood or coal fire in a home has to be balanced out by giving up some time and money to make sure that the fireplace works both safely and efficiently. If a property is owned by a landlord, they will happily pay to have a chimney swept as they will not want to make a claim on the landlord insurance if a problem develops in the chimney. It should be done during the yearly gas appliance check.

There is actually a National Association of Chimney Sweeps and they take the job very seriously, they pledge to help in the prevention of chimney fires and help to cut down the risk of dangerous fume emissions from blocked heating appliances, chimneys and flu-ways and all members of NACS are covered by Public Liability Insurance. A good chimney sweep will have completed all of the necessary training and will be experienced enough to notice problems which could lead to a fire in the chimney and he/she will be able to make homeowners aware of any problems. They can also inspect the chimney for potential problems from the roof such as signs of freeze thaw weathering. As with everything else, if a problem is picked up early, it will probably be easier and also much cheaper to fix it. Although it may be possible to attempt the job yourself, it is much more convenient to hire a professional chimney sweep to take what will be a very time consuming, draining and a very messy job off your hands. Having a professional do the job will also bring the peace of mind of knowing that any potential dangerous problems have not been overlooked. Chimney sweeps normally advise that chimneys should be cleaned after a long period of disuse i.e. over the summer. Some also advise that a chimney should be cleaned before the end of a heating season to make sure that the chimney is clear of all animal nests and prepared for the subsequent idle period.  If a chimney is used a lot, it might be necessary to sweep it more often than once a year. A professional chimney sweep will be able to advise the best cleaning schedule for a chimney.

As any landlord will know, there is always a thin line to tread between profit and fitting a rental property out well enough to attract the type of clientele you are looking for. Always be on the look out for a good deal, whether it be cheap landlord insurance that fits your needs or replacing white goods that not only look good but do the job . The old fridge freezer in one of my properties died quite suddenly after some 15+ years of service so I had to find a new one quickly. I did a little research and plumped for a Beko CDA543 Frost Free as a replacement. It came in at £320, which included delivery and turned up at the apartment within 3 days which for an online store is quite good.

With a rental propery you’ll want to consider more than just the price - although this particualry product wasn’t the cheapest product available, it keeping with the rest of the kitchen for the tidy apartment it was needed for. The space available was only 60cm wide so it fitted well being 54.5 cm wide and makes efficient use of the space. The tenant was keen to have plenty of freezer space so four freezer drawers made him more than happy. Be very wary of trying to economise by providing a fridge with an ice-drawer only, as few tenents want to buy their own white goods, and thus expect all their basic requirements be already catered for. A further consideration is maintenence - you can’t guarantee that a tenent will look after your facilities well, and thus would be wise to install goods that self-maintain easier - the frost free feature of this product was particulary useful.

The fridge has 4 good sized glass shelves so there is plenty of room for cool air to circulate around your food.

There is a full width salad drawer at the bottom, which is ideal for storing items like rhubarb and leeks without having to cut them down.  In some models this drawer can be difficult to get out because of the door shelves but Beko have designed it with rounded rear corners so you can slide it out at an angle - easy.  There is ample door storage too including an egg tray.

Overall I am very pleased with my purchase and it is a rated as an added bonus. As with any rental property, landlord insurance should be a consideration to protect your investement.

There’s a whole lot of water on Earth! Something like 326,000,000,000,000,000,000 gallons (326 million trillion gallons) of the stuff can be found on our planet. This water is in a constant cycle — it evaporates from the ocean, travels through the air, rains down on the land and then flows back to the ocean. The oceans are huge - about 70 per cent of the planet is covered in ocean, and the average depth of the ocean is several thousand feet (about 1,000 meters). Ninety-eight percent of the water on the planet is in the oceans, and therefore is almost unusable for drinking because of the salt.

When looking to let out a property, water, along with other utilities , is a consideration for you - especially if you are letting your property out inclusive of bills.

There are over 20 companies supplying water in England and Wales, whereas both Scotland and Northern Ireland each only have one. Despite the vast array of suppliers. you cannot actually switch your water supplier.

There are two ways that you can be charged for your water supply depending on whether your property is metered or unmetered. If you are worried that you are paying too much for your water bills most households are entitled to have a meter fitted and your water company will not charge you for this - something to be considered if you are residential landlord - as meters generally are considered to be more economic and anything that keeps your costs down is worth investigating. Cheap landlord insurance or low emission light bulbs are other examples of money saving opportunities. If you have a water meter, you’ll only pay for the units of water you actually use and readings are taken from your meter every 6 months. On your metered bill you will usually see the charges under ‘Water supply’ which are charged per cubic metre (220 gallons) of usage. You will also pay a standing charge to cover meter reading and billing services, which is usually a fixed amount each year.

If you do not have a meter you’ll pay a set rate for your water, based on the rateable value of your home in England and Wales, or your council tax band if you live in Scotland. These rates also include a standing charge to cover customer services such as billing. For information about getting a water meter fitted then you need to contact your water company.

The prices we pay for our water supply are regulated by Ofwat. Every 5 years the water companies suggest new prices, and these prices are then reviewed by Ofwat who then decide on a price to suit both the water companies and the consumer,

For example, the last review saw the water companies suggesting a 29% increase but Ofwat decided on an average 18% increase for the next 5 years.

Sadly, there are genuine reasons water rates rise, for instance, to cover the cost of renewing water pipes and treatment plants, to keep the quality of water at a good level and to improve the standard of service received by customers. Rates do differ however between each Water Company and area, typically because of the geographical area which the company covers and the water availability in the vicinity.