Property

My grandparents,motherand uncles(the Gage family)lived at 49,Evelina Road,Nunhead from about 1906 to 1975 and all except the grandparents attended Hollydale Primary School.I was there from 1946 until 1953, when I moved on to Honor Oak School,Homestall Road where my mother had been in the 1930's.I would love to hear from anyone who may still be living in the area who remembers the family,maybe as a neighbour or from schooldays.When I left Honor Oak in 1960 I went to Goldsmiths'College where I trained as a primary teacher and began my teaching career in 1963 at Torridon Infant School,before moving to Worthing,Sussex in 1965.I married Richard in 1970 and we lived in Twickenham and had two sons,Simon and Tim in 1972 and 1975.In 1985 we returned to Sussex.I still visit "my roots" as Simon has been teaching in Dulwich for several years! I like to visit Ayres and have a little painting of the wool shop at Nunhead Green which I did when it was a hardware shop in the early 1960,s.There were Typhoo Tea adverts at the top of the windows!(J.P.and Z.Matthews)I have vivid memories of Nunhead and would love to share them with others who would like to contact me! Christine

I am sorry SD that you have got such a bad experience with estate agents.I have got a property in Nunhead 1 bed flat which I was trying to rent.I have managed now but I needed to go down with the rent.I had too many people DSS and I will never rent it to them.I am shocked as the estate agents charge so much money I had it with Foxtons and they were not able to rent it as well as they called me all the time to lower the rent.I told them fine but lower your fees.They said that they can not do that.
You realy have to meet every tenant and have a kind of 6 sence to know that whom you take will pay your rent.I prefer to wait 2 to 3 month and get good tenant.
it is very stresfull to wait for people and they never turn up.
If you like you cna contact me and I can manage your properties for you or help to find you tenants for smaller fee then estate agents/
RegardsZuzana

Nunhead is one of those places in London that no one has really heard of but may have passed through on the train sometimes on the way to Victoria.
By far the most interesting part is the cemetery ! Really ! A lovely quiet place that was once a grand burial ground for the rich. Tours last Sunday of each month (2.30 PM)

Ivydale Road (and the roads that branch of it) have the most affordable and spacious Victorian houses. This is the 'grander' end of Nunhead. Either side of the Ivydale Road backs onto open space, a school field one side and the cemetery the other. A rarity in London not to be overlooked in your back garden.

I have lived in Nunhead for 5 years. It is full of young professional families. A great place to meet other mums, there is so much to do. Full of toddler clubs and of course great walks in the beautiful Nunhead cemetery or Peckham Rye park. Nunhead is a hidden gem but definitely on the up
It is an unpretentious, safe 'villiage' with good bus and train links into town.
For anyone looking to move south east, I would say Nunhead is the pace to be in 2009!

To the absent oversea landlord who had problem with Ludlow Thompson, serve you right. Living off the backs of others and exploiting the fundamental human need for shelter, Go back crawl under your stone. We don't want middle class property developers in Nunhead.

I don't know about Ludlow Thompson - but Roy Brooks are completely unprofessional.

I LIVE IN NUNHEAD AND ITS THE BEST. I LIVE ON LINDEN GROVE, A FABULOUS STREET WITH WONDERFUL NEIGHBOURS. I,VE BEEN LVING IN NUNHEAD FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS. HAD NO PROBLEMS WAT SO EVER . I WILL GIVE IT A 10 OUT OF 10

what about that wonderful modern wood and zinc building on the corner next to the old nunshead and gordon road

I have had one of the worst experiences in my life with LUDLOW THOMPSON and want to give people a 'heads up' so that they don't have to go through what my wife and I have been through.
Ludlow has been managing a property for me since March 2007. Problems:
(1) Pre-tenancy
The fiasco began with several 'negotiators' from the same office competing with each other - taking deposits etc even before I had a chance to agree anything with no obvious communication between them. Finally I agreed to a prospective tenant and a holding deposit was taken and his details were obtained for referencing. The tenant (from the Netherlands) was 'referenced' (in which - strangely - someone elses credit card details were taken instead of the actual tenants - so that rents could be charged if they later defaulted. I soon learned that the use of this card was unauthorised and my debtor amounts rose swiftly). The tenant was said to be of good credit yet a few weeks after moving in he asked me to sign DSS papers for him (which I declined).
(2) Tenancy
The tenancy was negotiated for 24 months and they took their management fees over 5 months up from for the whole period. Why this is done - I do not know - but the result of it is that once the benefit has been passed to them - there is no further incentive to actually manage the property efficiently. I later learned that the tenant had been accepted and 'tenanted' despite the fact that he had never viewed the property.The next part of the fiasco began when the tenant started to make demands and threats of legal action - apparently all sorts of furniture etc had been promised to him (without my knowledge) even though the tenancy was supposed to be UNFURNISHED. In the end I felt that in the interests of keeping the tenant (whom I beleived to be of good standing at the time) I shelled out a few hundred more to furnish the flat with some basic items.
(3) Management
I have two properties in this (new) block of flats. Both are managed by independent agents. One property - no issues ever other than the usual problem here and there. The property managed by Ludlow - seems to incur more repairs, call-outs and other costs than any other property I own. i.e. the property costs are disproportionate to other assets.It is clear that they get some benefit from contracting out 'repair jobs' - some examples: (a) tenant couldnt use the dishwasher. Solution: Send a qualified engineer to show the tenant how to use the appliance. Cost: over £100. (b) tenant reported a leak in the toilet. Solutiuon: Send a plumber to assess. Cost: £100. (c) tenant reported the same leak (water passing into bowl) Solution: Replace something in the cistern. Cost: approx £250. (d) Tenant reported a 'leak' in the shower. Solution: Quote for new shower (??). Cost: over £1000 (e) Other appliance issues and electrical 'problems' - cost - over £500.
When I gave then the homeserve warranties I was told that if they were managing the property then they would have to use their 'own' contractors or else I would have to make various arrangements like issue keys to contractors and be there for appointments (from 8000 miles away) on my own as they would not take any 'responsibility' for external contractors (like the appliance manufacturers who would repair products for free with their highly trained engineers using new branded spare parts)
(4) Credit Control
The worst I have ever experienced. I am a non resident overseas landlord. I am about 8000 miles and several time zones away from the UK. I rely on these 'managing agents' to look after my best interests. NOT SO. The tenant has been in arrears since he moved in!!! Their version of credit control is a letter to the tenant and a copy to me. I have had about 10 of these letters. Sometimes they take months to get to me - even though I have asked them to email me rather than send letters as I am always travelling.Now my tenant has decided to move on, 9 months early and I email the Client Manager daily and get no response. They have no 'head office' from a customer point of view and although the lettings team are more than happy to get me a new tenant (and charge me hundreds more in new finders fees) the management team are predictably silent and unreachable.If they would refund the balance of the management fees I have paid - i would gladly go elsewhere.
To all you landlords out there - this has been a VERY expensive mistake for me. My tenant owes me £2450 and I can't even get hold of my 'client manager'.
Please, please AVOID Ludlow Thomspon - they are quick to get you a tenant but you will pay for this dearly.