Creating a perfect Christmas obviously depends on family, friends and hospitality, but the ambience and comfort of the home will always add a great deal to the occasion.  Hardcastles currently has a good selection of properties to let, both large and small, and could still carry out the necessary negotiations for a tenant to be moved in before the big day.

For those seeking to “get away from it all”, Old Sheep House is situated in an idyllic and tranquil spot four miles from Cirencester.  Totally renovated to a very high standard, cooking the turkey should be a pleasure in the state of the art kitchen, and there is a choice of dining venues, either in the kitchen itself or in the adjoining dining room/playroom.  The large beamed living room with wood burner would be an excellent backdrop for Christmas entertaining.  There is also a well fitted utility room and cloakroom. Upstairs the master bedroom has a superb en suite with a bath and separate shower as well as ‘his and hers’ hand basins.  There are two further double bedrooms and an excellent family bathroom, also with separate bath and shower.  The rooms are all light and sunny and enjoy rural views.

The house comes with a pretty mainly lawned south facing garden, overlooking open countryside, with an attractive pond and barbeque area as well as a summer house and a good garden shed.   Breath-taking country walks are right on the door step, and the nearby village of Barnsley is just a couple of minutes drive away for the festive necessities of Church and pub, with the added attraction of Barnsley House for real celebratory dining out. 

The monthly rental of £1,950 includes the garden maintenance, water rates and logs.

Another delightful rural property is 1 Holt Cottages in the peaceful hamlet of Culkerton near Tetbury. This spacious semi-detached cottage has also been completely refurbished and, with a wealth of beams, would lend itself perfectly for festive decorations. The newly fitted kitchen/breakfast room would easily accommodate a large table for entertaining, and the spacious partly panelled sitting room with woodburner would have plenty of space for the addition of a Christmas tree.

There is also a cloakroom and an excellent utility room with a door to the garden – useful for muddy boots and dogs! Upstairs are two pretty double bedrooms and a bathroom with a shower over the bath.

At the back of the property is a large level garden with a further lawned area at the front, as well as parking space for at least two cars.

At £895 per month this property would be particularly attractive for anyone commuting from Kemble, being only a few minutes drive from the station.

LOCAL LETTING AGENCY STANDS UP FOR STANDARDS

Cirencester’s property management agent HARDCASTLES, joined the NALS nationwide letting scheme in May 2010 - set up to provide a much-needed scheme to enable landlords and tenants to avoid the pitfalls of dealing with ‘cowboy’ letting agents.  HARDCASTLES is fully licensed operator under the NALS scheme.

NALS (The National Approved Letting Scheme) ensures that agents comply with defined service standards and has in place a customer complaints procedure offering independent redress through The Property Ombudsman’s scheme, Professional Indemnity Insurance, Client Money Protection cover and access to Tenancy Deposit Protection.

The scheme is supported by some of the most powerful voices in the property industry. The British Property Federation (BPF), Sanctuary Shaftesbury Housing, the National Union of Students (NUS) and the Guild of Letting and Management are all Board members. Whilst the National Federation of Property Professionals (NFOPP) and RICS endorse NALS. The scheme is open to any firm operating in the lettings sector who meets NALS strict criteria.

NALS Operations Director Isobel Thomson comments: “NALS service standards are the consumer’s benchmark against which to judge the performance of letting and management agents operating in the private rented sector and we are delighted to welcome HARDCASTLES into the scheme.

“Agents such as HARDCASTLES are in the vanguard of a drive to establish uniform service standards in the industry. Those agents who are not prepared to meet the standards required by NALS and, most importantly, the public, will not survive for long.”

With the property market sluggish, and mortgages becoming more and more difficult to obtain, the rental market is the only option for a growing number of people. With demand currently outstripping supply, Hardcastles is constantly seeking to expand its property portfolio.

Hardest hit with the mortgage crisis are the first time buyers and it therefore follows that the lower end of the rentals are most in demand at the moment. However Hardcastles, which is a member of NALS (National Approved Letting Scheme) deals with all types of property, from one bedroom flats to large country houses. The area covered is roughly a thirty mile radius of Cirencester and an individual package is arranged for every property, which can be managed by Hardcastles or by the Landlord.

In the last month Hardcastles has let a particularly good selection of properties in Cirencester itself, three of which were on the first viewing, ranging from a one bed flat in the town centre to a large family house. This endorses the fact that Cirencester continues to be a much sought after location.

Landlords wishing to have a free, confidential and no-obligation appraisal of their property should contact the lettings team at Hardcastles on 01285 658656.