Box
Stories
People love stories. People are keen to display their ‘green’ credentials. Here’s an idea that
combines these two facts.
Ebay have designed a strong re-usable box with space on the side for each successive user to write in some
information about their role in the boxes life and to send a message to the next user. The boxes history can also
be tracked via a virtual online community. Needless to say, once the boxes life is over, it is fully
recyclable.
Ebay has printed 100,000 boxes like this. Aside from the environmental ‘Brownie points’ they get for doing this,
they get additional exposure and consumer involvement with the brand through the story element of the process.
Is there some way you could build a story element into your product, brand or packaging? Imagine a car rental
company for example. Wouldn’t it be interesting to be able to see who had hired your car before and what they’d
used it for? There have to be hundreds of applications of this ‘story’ idea in different businesses and
sectors.
Rent-A-Room
Advice
The government's Rent-A-Room Scheme allows you to earn up to £4,250
a year tax-free from renting a furnished room in your home. Check out www.direct.gov.uk. Property expert Jo
Thornhill offers additional advice, ‘Ensure your mortgage lender has no issue or conditions regarding letting
a room to a non-family member. Some mortgage agreements prevent this.’
She adds, ‘Tell your home insurance provider that you have a lodger. In some cases this may increase premiums, but
if you do not disclose the information you could render any policies invalid should you need to claim.’
Plus, ‘It is advisable to get something in writing between you and your lodger. This should include details of the
rent charged and any deposit and procedures if either party wants to end the arrangement.’ Useful websites are
lawpack.co.uk and lodgerlandlord.co.uk.
TL Scam
Alert
If you are offered a heavily discounted buy-to-let property from
someone you don’t know and trust, be warned about the latest scam. A con-artist goes on Right
Move (and similar sites) and lifts details. They then put together an HMTL email or PDF featuring a number of
houses in in-demand rental hotspots such as London with huge discounts of up to 40 per cent and email it to
anyone and everyone.
The con-artist provides a range of figures to show that these make perfect BTL investments, takes relatively modest
deposits of £1,000 and then disappears. There are often tell-tale warning signs because the con-artist is not
up-to-speed on the (BTL) property market; mortgage rates may be quoted with up to 85 per cent LTV, the comparables
may not stack up etc. Do your due diligence on the agent, bring in the solicitor at an early stage
etc.
Protect
Your
Home
According to chartered surveyor Tom Grillo at www.grillollp.com,
it’s time to protect your home for the winter. You should; check the roofs for broken or missing tiles or
slates and other damage; clear out leaves, moss and debris from rainwater gutters, downpipes and gullies and
reset any displaced joints; check the insulation and consider increasing it
Also, have the boiler and heating serviced and check that all thermostats and programmers are working and set at a
sensible temperature; ensure outside doors and the windows fit well and consider fitting draught-proofing strips
where there are gaps between the frames.
Draw curtains after dark and use thicker ones if windows are single-glazed; keep south-facing curtains open during
the day to take advantage of the sunshine which will help heat the house; check the woodwork on windows and repair
now if necessary; check the paintwork on the window frames and redecorate before the weather
deteriorates.
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