Pavilion Relocation, Relocation Agency UK

We have had some interesting discussions with number of the major removal companies concerning the changing face of relocation, corporate relocation services in particular.

As the economic down turn has affected so many companies from multi-nationals to individuals they have found themselves reassessing how they should manage the relocation of their staff from a number of perspectives. They tend to look much more closely at how much value it will add to their company to move an employee to a new situation in another part of the world. They are also paring back on relocation expenses thus rather than offering the full relocation package they are tending to offer a reduced service package and offering lower allowances across the board.

Some examples of how Corporate Expatriate Relocations have changed are detailed below;

The short term expatriate, usually single men and women working in blue chip, or banking environments are frequently moved around the world for a year or two on short term contracts as they have fewer ties and fewer demands and expectations. They will usually rent an apartment for the period of their relocation and the expenses for the company are kept to a minimum.

Commuting expatriates are employees who are encouraged to work and live abroad on a weekly/bi-weekly basis and return to their family at the week-ends.

Project based transferees, usually just the employee involved will move for a limited contract of 3 to 6 months thereby negating the necessity of up-routing the entire family and incurring unnecessary expense for their company.

These changes within the Corporate Relocation Environment have led to changing practices by Removal Companies, Relocation Companies and their corporate relocation services.

Some removal companies, relocation management companies and Serviced Apartment Companies have started to broaden their services offering in house destination services or property management.

The above have had a knock on effect in a number of ways.

Smaller shipments - made up of personal effects, often air freighted or only taking up part of a container due to shorter assignments. There has also been an increase in the number of expatriates looking to rent fully furnished or part furnished properties rather than the unfurnished apartments they would have taken several years ago.

The allowances/package given to Expatriates has decreased and they are often offered a lump sum and expected to organise their own relocation. Often excess baggage is included in their allowance.

Finally there appears to be greater co-operation and merging of the larger relocation companies with the smaller boutique companies and this holds true for the large removal companies forming reciprocal arrangements with relocation companies in order to offer a comprehensive service to their prospective clients

Pavilion Relocation’s executive relocation help caters to those looking to relocate to the UK. Our particular area of expertise covers London and the home counties.

If you are relocating to London then make sure you set aside some time to visit Portabello Road Market in Notting Hill which is open every Saturday. There is so much to enjoy from Vintage clothes, antique memorabilia, contemporary glass and ceramic shops and great clothes, bags and shoes if you dare to be different!

The street food is amazing with huge vats of Paella, Indian delicacies, Nutella pancakes – definitely a must for the little people. It is vibrant, fun and has a vast array of restaurants with E & O restaurant offering fusion cuisine and the best water melon martinis in town!! There is also great Italian and Pizza options and plenty of coffee houses.

Exhibitions

The David Hockney Exhibition which is currently on display at the Royal Academy is definitely a must see. Vibrant, quirky and fun, the paintings are displayed with flare and originality and your emerge feeling buoyed up and full of life. His i-pad paintings are amazing and until I read the blurb I had not realised that that is what they were. Well worth setting aside a couple of hours to visit this wonderful exhibition.

Lucien Freud at the National Portrait Gallery provides an interesting contrast to the David Hockney Exhibition. Darker and more descriptive drawings which give a markedly different take on life. They tend to focus on the human form rather than the wider landscape. Fascinating nevertheless and his depiction of the female form is sometimes questionable. Is he depicting women as being beautiful in whatever their shape or form or is he actually saying something else?

If you choose Pavilion Relocation for executive relocation help we will ensure that you not only find the best location and home that you could wish for, but we will also try and ensure that your time, however fleeting, will encompass as much orientation of the area that you have chosen to live in as we can.

Spring is in the air which is great news for our relocation agency in the UK and relocates, as more and more housing stock is coming onto the market. Pavilion Relocation have been kept extremely busy over the last few weeks keeping up with new clients who need to find schools and homes in a relatively short space of time. Thus we have been pre-viewing houses in London, Kent and Surrey. Having such a buoyant housing market at present really helps us to find ideal fits for our incoming relocatees. We have to move quickly when something suitable becomes available for our assignee as most relocating families have strict timelines that they have to work to so our task is to pre-view, de-select, carry out school searches if required and then invite the client over for an intensive few days viewing. This means Pavilion Relocation have to build up a comprehensive picture of each of our client’s needs and make sure we select only areas, houses and schools that will fit with their criteria. This is the best time of year for both vendors and purchasers’ as houses and gardens come to life again and people feel more optimistic, energetic and ready for a change.

From our own personal experience having gone through numerous relocations and moves, helping people with our relocating services, we think the following points are well worth noting:

1. Stay calm and plan ahead.

2. Make sure that the company HR department will sort out any necessary immigration matters such as appropriate visas for you and your family. It is vital that this is sorted out by a professional.

3. Once you know where your job will be located, you can decide where you want to live, dependant upon transport links and the schooling needs of your children.

4. Know your housing budget - do you want apartment living in London or would you prefer a house in London, or would a house within commuting distance be more acceptable to you? Will you require unfurnished or furnished accommodation?

5. If you are moving with your children you will need to consider the type of schooling you want for them whether it be an international school or a local state or private school.

6. Make sure you know the budget for the removal companies. Get at least three comparable quotes.

7. If your budget allows it then use a relocation professional or home search agent. Their relocating services will be able to help you with:

The orientation of the area you decide upon.

House viewings.

Negotiate the rental or purchase of your property (as they have extensive knowledge of the housing market and contractual requirements).

School appointments.

Lists of health practitioners in the area from dentists to doctors and hospitals.

General local information on shops, entertainment, culture, and transport links.

8. Work to your deadlines. Line up the shippers, the date for commencement of the tenancy agreement, the start date for the schools etc.

9. Think about your transport generally. Will a car be needed for the family?

10. Embrace the move. It will be challenging but with the help of a relocation agent your move should be a seamless, fun and interesting experience.

DON’T WASTE TIME CALL US NOW ON 01892 257001

Pavilion Relocation Seek Young Dynamic Family with a Sense Of Adventure to Participate in an Exciting NEW CHANNEL 4 Production.

Following on from our previous Facebook/Tweet notification we NEED TO FIND A FAMILY who are interested in taking part in an exciting new relocation right here within the UK and who would benefit from the help and advice of a panel of Ch4 experts. Their journey, if they are accepted, would entail being filmed from the beginning to the end of their life changing relocation and this will be broadcast on prime time television.

We’ve been requested by an independent Ch4 production company to seek a family who are up for a challenge, have had enough of their current jobs/quality of life and are wanting to pack it all in, maybe set up their own business and relocate. The object of the programme is for the presenter and team of experts to evaluate the chosen family’s current life – their assets, skills, and future dreams - then come up with three different feasible business/life plans to get them started on the path to the future they wish to have. Not only will they be presented with these plans, they will also get the opportunity to really experience what making these life changes would be like.

We are ideally looking for families who would be ready to make these changes in the next few months. It's a perfect opportunity for people who dream of changing their lives but until now just haven't had the 'headspace' or opportunity to go for it!

At the moment Pavilion Relocation are trying to help a Ch4 production company find the right family for this challenge, perhaps a family who have dabbled with the idea of relocating and starting a new life/business but until now have not fully made the leap. We are only looking for people who are relocating from somewhere else in the UK not from abroad.

Our specialised knowledge of the UK school system and tailor-made School Search Guidance UK adds a unique dimension to our professional relocation service.

The opening in September 2010, of the first bilingual primary courses at the French government's school in Fulham, L'ecole Marie d'Orliac and at Holy Cross School provides free bilingual state school education for local children regardless of religious background.

This innovative project is a joint venture between the two host schools of Holy Cross School, the French L'ecole Marie d'Orliac, the Diocese of Westminster and H&F Council. The terms of the bilingual partnership agreement makes the Diocese of Westminster responsible for the maintained bilingual stream, which is not restricted to Catholic children

It was the first time bilingual classes were taught in Hammersmith & Fulham and only the second in the country, the first being Wix Primary School in Battersea, London, which opened in 2006.

The school is now looking to expand to meet growing demand for core and bilingual places at the two host schools as the school has proved hugely popular with parents in Fulham.

After its first academic year, places for September 2011 were, once again, heavily oversubscribed. In addition to the new bilingual provision, Holy Cross School will be expanding by an extra form of entry in September 2012, enabling more local parents to secure these much sought-after places. This is part of a borough-wide expansion of primary places to cater for the popular and growing school.

With our School Search Guidance UK we've found a high number of families in Hammersmith & Fulham choose private education or schools outside the borough rather than local state schools. The borough is facing the challenge in offering local families new and innovative school choices.

This trend for bilingual schools is increasing with the new bilingual Spanish school in Brighton opening up this academic year (see previous article).

With our corporate moving help we aim to help our clients know the facts about stamp duty on properties and how it can affect them when relocating.

Stamp Duty Land Tax was introduced in December 2003 and replaced the original stamp duty on purchases of flats, houses, land and buildings.

It is based on the percentage paid on the purchase price of a home or non-residential property and then graded into bands.

The bands for tax year 2010/2011 are as follows:

0% paid at 0 - £125,000 1% payable on properties costing between £125,000 and £250,000 and 3% payable on properties costing between £250,000 and £500,000 and 4% payable on properties costing over £500,000

In the 2010 Budget these bands were amended and now First-time buyers can secure a two-year temporary stamp duty relief of up to £250,000 from 25th March, 2010. In addition a new threshold of 5% of properties over £1m was introduced on the 6th April, 2010.

How stamp duty works

It is payable on the whole value of the property, thus if you purchase a property that costs £251,000 you would pay £7,530 not just the amount over the threshold as is the case with income tax. This means that is a property costs £250,000 you would pay £2,500 and if it costs £250,001 you would pay £7,500.03.

Stamp Duty some background

Before the changes to stamp duty came into effect in 2003 purchasers had to submit their documentation providing details of their purchase to the Stamp Office for stamping. Since the changes in 2003 came into force the solicitors or licensed conveyancer for the purchaser will present their client with a Land Transaction Return Form. This form contains all the relevant information required by the Inland Revenue .

This new form was far more complex than the earlier one and was designed to prevent people claiming they had to pay more for fixtures and fittings than they did, therefore bringing the cost of the house below the threshold. Thus where the previous form consisted of a single page asking for the names and addresses of parties, location of the property and the price paid, the new form consists of six pages and has 70 questions. This form, once completed, is sent to the Inland Revenue for inspection. It is also sent to the Land Registry who only register ownership once a certificate has been received from the Inland Revenue. This tightening up by the of the Stamp Duty Law by the Inland Revenue also allows the tax man to scrutinise a sale carefully and investigate it for up to nine months afterwards.

Stamp duty has never been a popular tax and this is even more apparent in the current economic climate as the thresholds have been set at specific levels and do not automatically increase with house price inflation.

If you are planning on relocating to the UK from overseas and are looking for a house to buy please contact either Amanda or Anji at Pavilion Relocation and with our corporate moving help we will be happy to help you in your search for a home and talk you through all aspects of your prospective purchase.

Our corporate relocation services have helped those moving to the UK for the first time, returning expatriates and those relocating within the UK.

We've noticed that American real estate agents encourage their clients to employ a good decorator or house arranger prior to listing/marketing their home. A decorator will come in and help de-clutter, re-hang paintings, spruce up the garden or outside area and generally make the house more appealing and saleable.

A good decorator or someone experienced in de-cluttering has become extremely popular in America. This is mainly because families, having lived in their home for many years, find it difficult and distressing to put away family photographs and possessions in order to open up their home and present it in the best possible light. However the main objective of preparing a house for sale is to be as dispassionate as possible... make sure the focus is on the house, not the art collections, furniture or knick knacks, as this will distract potential buyers.

Our corporate relocation services have found, to ensure an easy sale or rental, the house should be spotless and inviting, with new house plants placed strategically. Colour should be introduced into the darker areas of your home... try to focus on lighting softening it where appropriate. You can also use light to highlight particularly attractive architectural features.

This approach to selling/marketing properties in the UK is becoming more popular. For the sake of a relatively small investment, Pavilion Relocation believe that it makes a tremendous difference to the saleability/rentability of a home. From the vendors and purchasers point of view it creates an atmosphere that is appealing to possible purchasers.

Pavilion Relocation’s home search guidance UK caters to those looking to buy or rent as part of their relocation.

Despite the predictions that the UK property market will be more depressed in 2012 than it was in 2011, London and the South East and a few other key areas such as Manchester, still continue to attract corporate relocations due to the high level of businesses with overseas presence. Thus, though analysts expect sales to stay low and maybe go even lower than last year (and suggest that house prices may fall), in general, with larger drops of up to 10% in some areas in the coming months, relocates can still find good investment opportunities if they choose their locations carefully.

The main factors influencing this predicted plateau or decrease in property prices are:

New fears concerning the Euro

With a real threat looming with regards to the possible complete collapse of the Euro, there are serious concerns that should this happen then, it would undoubtedly engender another major banking crisis.

Ed Stansfield, Capital Economics states that “No-one knows how Europe is going to play out” and “The longer it drags on, acting as an obstacle to the smooth operation of the financial markets, acting as a drag on business and consumer confidence, you’d have to say the balance of probability is that things are likely to get worse before they get better”

If the Euro does trigger a new banking crisis this could lead to a further mortgage drought and create a further gumming up of the housing market.

Lack of housing stock

The sales figures, for housing in the first 11 months of 2011 was about 787,000 compared with 810,000 for the same period of 2010. This may be due to the reluctance of lenders to repossess houses from borrowers already in arrears, which in turn, deprives the market of cheap homes that would otherwise have been put up for sale.

A rise in unemployment

As a rise in unemployment is also predicted and more people are uncertain about their financial future and this will lead to people to tightening their belts, staying put and being less willing to borrow money to buy a house.

Reality check

Many vendors are still being unrealistic about the value of their properties which has created a phenomenal gap between asking prices and actual selling prices and in some cases as they are over-priced by much as 40%. This is a major contributory factor to houses sitting on the market for extended periods of time until the vendors realise that the asking price should be dropped.

Hot spots

As is generally the case with the UK housing market there are always areas such as London and the South East, where prices have continued to increase and in some areas are back to their peak levels.

The reason for these phenomena is probably due to a number of factors:

Creation of new jobs/businesses in these areas is greater.

Wealthy foreigners looking for a safe haven for their money.

Uncertainty regarding stability of the Euro and general unemployment in Europe is leading more people to look for employment in the UK.

It therefore seems apparent that the overall the trend for house prices is that they will remain static or fall by between 2% and 10% depending on which area of the UK you are currently living. However, the UK still has a number of areas where investors can feel relatively sure that buying property is still a worthwhile investment.

Although this forecast seems to be a little gloomy, the UK’s housing market is still relatively buoyant, people still need to move and relocate both within the UK and through International companies from all over the world, particularly Russia, China, Australia, Greece and Spain and it is through this movement that the market continues to move.

Please contact either Anji or Amanda at Pavilion Relocation for further information on our home search guidance UK, particularly if you need help and advice with your relocation to London or the South East.

Property price predictions 2012

Martin Ellis –“unchanged plus or minus 2%”

Henry Pryor – “down 10%”

Ed Stansfield – down 3%”

Bernard Clarke – “a broadly flat market”

Sources:

Pavilion Relocation provides executive relocation help that not only finds our clients a suitable home near their workplace, but that also helps find the right school for their children too... as we know many people have more than just work commitments to uphold in 2012.

With 2011 now over we all know the state of the property market was slow in 2011, but let’s take a look at what happened to house prices using the Halifax House Price Index (HPI) to 30 September 2011.

Briefly we have ranked the rising hotspots from highest gain nationally:

1. It may be surprising but London’s prices didn't rise the fastest. In fact, looking at the data East Anglia pipped the capital to the post, with the price of an average home rising by nearly £10,000 (6.4%) in 12 months. Perhaps London commuters still see East Anglia as an attractively priced place to buy a home.

2. In second place was Wales, with prices up by over £5,400 (4%) in 12 months to nearly £140,000. With property prices below the UK average, Wales has rebounded stronger than most regions in 2011.

3. In third place, with our executive relocation help, we found the typical home priced well below the UK average, the 2.7% rebound in house prices in the North West of England.

4. Despite costing almost £100,000 more than the UK average, the average price of a home in the UK's capital rose by over £5,000 (2%) in 12 months

As part of our executive relocation help, in a separate blog, we will be looking at the general forecast for 2012 from a number of property analysts.

Our London corporate relocation agency understands it can be a pain to renovate your home if the building is listed.

The 'listed building' term is unique to the UK. There are around half a million UK buildings which are listed, together with some specific UK historic monuments that are listed. Being “listed” marks those buildings that have special architectural and historic interest. This said, it also brings such buildings within the consideration of the planning system when it comes to its future (i.e if you're considering a home renovation).

All buildings built before 1700 which retain much of their original features are listed, as well as those built later but which are of some historic importance. Most of those between 1700 and 1840 are likely to be listed.

According to the English Heritage website:

Grade 1 buildings (of which 2.5% of listed buildings form) are of exceptional interest and considered to be internationally important.

Grade 11* buildings (of which there are about 5.5% of listed buildings) are particularly important and of more than special interest.

Grade 11 buildings (of which these form 92% of listed buildings) are nationally important and of special interest and would therefore be more likely to be owned by a home owner.

If you do want to buy a listed building and want to carry out certain works or extensions, then listed building consent will need to be applied for. You should always check if any work has already been carried out, and if it has been done with such consent from the Conservation Officer from the local council. Remember it is the person that you buy from that is liable for the correction of any alterations or additions.

It is that time of year again, where the independent schools open their doors for the annual open days, and our school search guidance UK is here to help you pick the best of the best!

In Kent and Surrey most of the schools offer set open days from February through to May, although many are also able to offer independent tours, which we can help arrange with our school search guidance UK. We are more than happy to help with providing advice on the different types of independent schools, and to also give you an idea of the schools offering open days. The following are only a few of the next open days for schools in Kent and Surrey:

Kings Rochester, Rochester- Independent education for girls and boys aged 3-18 with boarding available.

Saturday 3rd March-9.30am-12noon Saturday 12th May-9.30am-12noon

Kent College, Tunbridge Wells- Independent education for girls aged 3-18 with boarding available.

Saturday 4th February- 10.00am-12noon Tuesday 7th February - 9.30am-11.30am

Early Years Monday 19th March-9.30am-11.30am

Hilden Oaks School and Nursery, Tonbridge-independent education for boys and girls aged 3 months-11 years.

Friday 3rd February-1.30pm-3pm Saturday 4th February-9.30am-12noon

Holmewood House, Tunbridge Wells- Independent education for boys and girls aged 3-13 with boarding available.

Thursday 23rd February-9.30am-11.30am

Royal Alexander & Albert School, Reigate, Surrey-Top state school for boys and girls aged 7-18.

Saturday 17th March-9.00am-10.30am Saturday 19th May-9.00am-10.30am

Pavilion Relocation provides a comprehensive UK school search guidance, as we know that schooling and education is one of the most important decisions families make when relocating.

A change in the independent schools charitable status has recently been made. On 5th December 2011 we saw the removal of the previous guidance on how private schools justify their charitable status. The change comes after the Upper Tribunal ruled that the charity commission must withdraw some of its guidelines within 21 days, or face having them quashed.

The Independent Schools Council (ISC) had brought a case against the Commission arguing that its guidance must be quashed because it was too vague, and "should be corrected". The ICS complained that the commission’s guidance was illegal because it suggested that offering free and subsidised places to poor pupils represented the most straightforward way of passing the test

The panel concluded that parts of the guidance were "erroneous and claimed the commission was guilty of "micro-managing" individual charities.

The move follows a bitter row over rules that require schools to provide wider “public benefit” to remain in business and hang on to millions of pounds worth of tax breaks.

It means that schools are technically still bound by the public benefit rules – but the regulator must issue fresh guidance telling them how to comply.

School leaders claimed the move would drive up fees for existing parents and price some families out of independent education altogether. This will have an impact on the bursary places currently offered to fulfil the charitable status.

With our UK home search guidance, we like to help our clients find the perfect home to relocate to, at the right price. This is why we get our relocatees to consider these five points when buying a home in the UK.

1. The Market

Always keep and eye on the market particularly checking 'like with like' where you can. It is always really useful to keep an eye on comparables and look at the actual sales in the area.

2. Improvements

Bear in mind those improvements in a house! The improvements are really only make the house more saleable, and are usually done to the sellers taste. Sellers do not necessarily recoup on a new kitchen or bathroom, however if they are fully kitted out it could add some value, but again not the amount that was probably spent.

3. The Price

Remember the real price of the house is what a willing buyer and willing seller agree in the end. A house is worth only what someone will pay for it. It is what the market will bear and not necessarily the asking price. Bear in mind that for estate agents it is a numbers game, they are competing against the others, and it is the estate agents’ job to get the vendor signed up. By doing that they may often inflate a price so that it becomes a “dream price” for the vendor and may be unrealistic in the market.

4. Time frames

Time frames also play a significant part in the final purchase price. If the vendors are in a hurry to sell in order to buy something, they have seen they will be more amenable to a reduction on asking price, so it is always useful to capitalise on that.

5. Emotions

Remove emotion! Be realistic about the price of a house and what it is really worth. Once emotions play a part, you may find that you inflate the cost of the house. Be prepared to walk away if prices start to seem unrealistic.

Our UK relocation agency has noticed a countrywide decline in House Prices – A pre-Christmas blip or is the economic meltdown finally beginning to hit home.

It appears that house prices throughout the UK from Cornwall to Kent, Cambridge to Manchester have all seen substantial reductions in some of their larger properties, some as much as a million. A point in case being a house in Wiltshire which was initially marketed at £3.5m and earlier this year and has recently been re-marketed at £2.5m. This situation may improve in the New Year, but much depends on whether the world-wide economy can find a balance again and inspire confidence again.

There has been an overall decrease of 3.2% (Land Registry House Price Index) but London is still on the up with an overall increase of + 0.3%. This increase could be due to the large number of foreign investors needing to move money to a safe haven and see London housing as a good investment.