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Always keen to offer a top class service and ensure the happiness of every Tenant’s stay, whether it be one week, one month or one year, Notting Hill Properties is always proud to receive glowing appraisals from our past Tenants. Here are a few of our most recent.
“Many thanks Zuzana. I will be inviting you as the first guest for Persian food at my new studio.” – Mina Salimi 20th November 2009
“Zuzana, thank you for sorting everything out. You are simply amazing.” – Abhijit 27th November 2009
“Dear Zuzana, We have just moved in. Thank you so much for everything. You are the best agent we have had so far over three countries.” – Mr Naik 30th November 2009
01:
London: Speed; one million miles per hour. Work; at least forty five hours per week. Play; minimum. Stress; maximum. So what makes us Londoners love this city so much? Why do we put ourselves out there on a “high alert, oh my God I am about to convulse” level for the majority of the week, queuing for the train, queuing for for the bus, queuing for the super market, even if we want to go to the loo, we have to queue up at the cash point to take out a tenner, to buy some gum, to get some change, to then queue for the change machine, get two ten pence pieces and a twenty, to queue through the toilet barrier and eventually get to the blasted place!!!! Perhaps it’s that machine gun feeling we get when we are commuting home and are packed like sardines on the train whilst our face is glued on a b.o smothered arm pit and our right hand is shoved against someone’s crotch. London is wonderful! I hear you cry, London is great! It is, I agree! But why? Why do we remain committed to a city that draws from us such vast senses of hatred and stress, who’s pavements ruin our stilettos, who’s rain frizzes our hair? The answer my dear readers is given to you forthwith; Londres, Londino, Londinion is also a magnificent city that refuses to conform, Dickensian in one blink and minimalist in another. Transvestites and lady boys socialising with Sloaneys and toffs. That is why we love London. Anything goes. You don’t need to worry about what you are wearing or how you speak, where you go or what you do as all and sundry thoroughly accept, love and admire anything that is quirky and embrace imperfection as a sign of idiosyncratic excellence. London is like a Benetton advert, all creeds and colours side by side in a unified waltz to the cinema or a jaunt to the theatre. On one end of the road is “Maroush” for a shwarma and a kofta, on the other is “Mango Tree” for phad thai and tom yum soup. A cauldron of infinite choice, by the river or by the green, old school uniforms or East London grunge. That is why we love this city and why every arm pit sniffing, crotch touching, stuffy tube delay is worth hating, so that you can feel and experience the love of a city like no other.
28:
Quick Dinner for those Notting Hill Busy Mummies Amongst You:
Tarragon and Tomato Stuffed Salmon
Ingredients
2 salad onions, finely chopped
½ x 20g pack tarragon
2 x 500g packs prime salmon fillets, skinned
3 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste
150g Frescopronti Italian Sun Drenched Tomatoes (from the chiller) or Waitrose Cook’s Ingredients Sunkissed Tomatoes, drained, plus 2 tbsp of the oil
100g Waitrose Half-Fat Mayonnaise
75g Greek Yogurt
25g pack curly parsely, chopped
Method
- Prepare and light the barbecue. Pull the tarragon leaves from the stalks and roughly chop the leaves. Lay one salmon fillet, skinned side up, on the surface and spread with the tomato paste. Scatter with the tomatoes and tarragon. Season and position the second fillet on top, skinned side down, with the thick edge of one fillet against the thin edge of the other, to create an even thickness. Tie the salmon at 3cm intervals with kitchen string to hold the pieces together. Chill until required.
- Meanwhile, beat the mayonnaise with the yogurt, parsley, salad onions and some seasoning, then spoon into a small serving dish. Chill until required.
- Brush the top of the salmon with a little oil and position, oiled side down, on the barbecue over a gentle heat. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the lower fillet has turned opaque. Brush the top fillet with the remaining oil and carefully turn the salmon to cook the bottom fillet. (To check the salmon is cooked through, pierce a thick area of the upper fillet with a knife.) Transfer to a board and cut across into thick slices, removing the string. Serve with the flavoured mayonnaise.
Recipe Courtesy of www.waitrose.com
25:
The Westbourne pub opened three years ago has become “the place to go” on a Friday for anyone craving a good old beverage after a hard days work or simply to enjoy a good atmosphere with plenty of young professionals and, let’s not forget, a plethora of male and female eye candy. Good banter, drinking and beauties aside, it was also awarded a place in the 2004 edition of the Michelin Guide having acquired a fabulous reputation for its tasty fare, ranging from rock oysters to pot roasted pheasant with bacon, shallots and oyster mushrooms. Fresh and vibrant in the summer and cosy and inviting in the winter, you simply cannot go wrong with this pub.
Contact details are listed below:
The Westbourne
101 Westbourne Park Villas
London W2 5ED
0207 221 1332
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You may need an Energy Performance Certificate if you are planning to sell or let out your house. Having a copy of a valid EPC when you are involved in such dealings, can help you significantly. EPC is included in the Home Information Pack (HIP) that the seller must have completed before beginning to market the property. As a landlord, you will be required to have a valid EPC before you can change tenants. An EPC assumes paramount importance when a building or property is put on sale or let out. Prospective buyers, often use it to refer when a property or building is let out or sold.
The rating given by accredited Domestic Energy Assessors provides the current energy and carbon emission efficiency rating. It depicts the amount of energy consumption and CO2 rating for your property. A favourable rating is indicative of the fact that the property is not causing harm to the environment.
Besides this, it also mentions the rating that could be achieved if you made improvements to the property. There are numerous advantages of having an EPC. It is said that every home that is marketed for sale must have EPC Energy Performance Certificates as part of a HIP (Home Information Pack), which details a home’s energy efficiency. You can get it from EPC certificate landlords.
A qualified Domestic Energy Assessor can offer you an Energy Performance Certificate. They offer a certificate after doing an in depth assessment of your property. The assessors are required to carry out a survey of the property prior to issuing a certificate. This can be done by a Home Inspector too. You can also get EPC certificates for let properties.
Saving energy will have a direct impact on the energy efficiency rating of the Energy Performance Certificate. Energy Performance of Buildings can help save energy consumption of buildings. The certificate will carry a favourable report on energy saving. It offers a rating for your home and also states if there is a need to carry out any energy saving improvement. The house is assessed on the following criteria:
- Heat loss
- Walls and lofts’ insulation level
- Method of heating and controls used
- Volumetric calculation of all floors Age of your building
- Fixed light efficiency
- Adjacent building’s thermal property
The rating is done on the following basis. If it is A, it is said to be highest level, most efficient and G, which is least efficient. The energy saving measures will be put in place prior to the assessment taking place for this to be evidenced on the EPC. Having an EPC helps a house owner or landlord save a substantial amount of money. This also has a positive impact on the environment. Hence,EPC for landlord provides many benefits.
Get an EPC now if you are a landlord or property owner.
Contact venetia@nottinghillproperties if you wish to find out more about how to hire an Energy Performance Assessor.
(Excerpt courtesy of http://www.energyperformancecertificatesepc.co.uk/)
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21:
A contemporary and newly refurbished studio in a private gated courtyard. With wood floors throughout and neutral decor the property consists of a separate eat-in fully-fitted kitchen, limestone finished bathroom and large studio room with pull-down murphy bed. The flat is furnished with modern styled items. Located around the corner from Kensington Church Street, Duke’s Lane Chambers has a multitude of shops, cafes and boutiques on its doorstep. High Street Kensington (Circle & District Line) is the closest tube station.
Home Features
•Central Heating
•Dishwasher
•Hardwood Floors
•High Ceilings
•Microwave
•Washer/Dryer
Community Features
•Courtyard
17:
As I was walking to the office this morning the chilly air hit my face and gave me the first icy bite on my lips… autumn I thought…..golden skies, warm rustic tones and wintry woollen garments touching the skin for the first time in months. What an ideal period to start thinking about the forthcoming weeks and, if you are single, finding someone to warm your heart and share a romantic stroll thorough the leaf strewn parks of London. It is by no coincidence that the romantic comedy “Notting Hill” was set in this area. Walking to work, I noticed the picturesque buildings with each individual home and shop exuding a little personality of its own. From mansionesque, white dolls houses to higgledy piggledy cottages, it is reminiscent of wandering through a fairy tale land, lined with trees and numerous little coffee shops to hide in and steal a kiss.
Holland Park, which is just around the corner, is ideal for hiding. The ivied arch way can act as a lover’s tunnel through which one can walk and walk whilst exchanging longing glances in to the others eyes. What is he thinking? What is SHE thinking? Well, you can hide away in one of the many little coffee shops and after a mug of warm hot chocolate find out all there is to know about Mr or Mrs Right. ..And if you haven’t found them yet, believe me there are MANY choices here in Notting Hill. Yes, that is another thing I noticed whilst waltzing on my honey hazed, conquer coloured love walk to work this morning. There are lots of lovely chaps and lasses here.
So, I said to myself, with wonderful architecture, pretty coffee shops, lovely faces and romantic nests I shall definitely be moving here soon and hopefully finding a heart warming, autumn red set of lips to kiss.
14:
Located moments from Hyde Park and within easy reach of London’s West End this charming studio flat offers bright living in a well maintained period conversion. The property comprises studio room, open-plan kitchen and fully tiled shower room. Craven Hill is located moments from local amenities while the restaurants, shops and bars of Queensway and Whiteleys shopping and cinema complex are close by. Lancaster Gate (Central Line) is the nearest underground station while British Rail services and the Heathrow Express are accessible via Paddington Station (District, Circle, Bakerloo and Hammersmith and City lines).
08:
So you have moved to your new West London dream home and life is just perfect. The location, the views, the transport links and shops are all you ever needed and as close as you could have possibly ever wished for. But there is just one thing…what do you do when your kiddies have finished school at 3.30pm and you are still at work?
Worry not dear mummies and daddies we have a few ideas that may be of help; if you are new to the U.K and are not familiar with the educational system, it may be worth while popping in to your child’s school and asking a few questions. The majority of schools have after school activities ranging from net ball or foot ball to chess club and computers. The government over the past year has also been strongly promoting the idea of healthy living and so many schools are now ensuring that they offer fitness clubs( dance, athletics, rugby) and cooking clubs in order to teach the adults of tomorrow how to take care of themselves in order to have a healthy body and mind. These get togethers normally run from 3.30pm till about 6pm often allowing the pupils a “focus” hour or so to finish their homework. Homework or “prep” clubs, as they are referred to, are also offered and (having been to them myself when I was younger) are an ideal way of focusing a child on the work they have to complete for tomorrow without the noise and distractions of parents and siblings at home. After school clubs are also an ideal opportunity for your child to learn a new art (singing or choir, piano or flute, painting, sewing etc.) without the pressure and constant examination of a school day.
If you are searching for day care, i.e. nannies, it is better to go via a reputable nanny agency, as then you can ensure that your child’s guardian will have the necessary police checks (CRB) and first aid training should your little one need it. Nannying agencies find nannies that are specifically tailored to your needs, for example, if you are moving over from Greece and need someone who speaks both Greek and English, who cooks Greek food (as this is what your children are used to eating) and who can drive, the agency will pick out two or three people from their books who suit the specification and will suggest you meet them and pick the one of your choice.
If you do not want to take on a full time nanny it is possible to either book them part time or to take on a child minder. Child minders are people who take on all the after school responsibilities such as pick ups, feeding the little ones etc from 3.30pm until you are able to pick your child up, and generally they run this service from their own home.
A few after school activities to look at in the Notting Hill area are listed below but there are plenty more so get googling!
www.harbourclubnottinghill.com – Tennis for adults and children plus other activities
www.westlondondanceacademy.com- Ballett classes.
www.perform.co.uk – drama, music.
www.chelseafc.com- football.
28:
Image from http://www.thenottinghillcarnival.com/
Oh, who am I kidding. What else could I possibly highlight about Notting Hill today but the impending Carnival. This is essentially the sole feature to be had in the neighbourhood this weekend anyway. Be a part of it, enjoy it, leave it with a strong desire to live in Notting Hill, then call us to schedule an appointment to view your new Notting Hill flat. So simple!
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