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47T

HE

IND

EP

EN

DE

NT

FRID

AY14

JAN

UAR

Y 20

11l

ll

ll

l

Hom

es &

Des

ign

46l

ll

ll

lFR

IDAY

14JA

NU

ARY

2011

TH

EIN

DE

PE

ND

EN

T

Hom

es &

Des

ign

Mar

imek

koun

ikko

fabr

ic

TH

E S

EC

RE

T H

IST

OR

Y O

F..

.

It’s p

roba

bly

one

of th

e m

ost

reco

gnis

ed fa

bric

des

igns

in th

ew

orld

. Hug

e sp

lash

y po

ppie

s in

ava

riet

y of

col

ours

ado

rnin

g um

-br

ella

s, b

ags,

tea

tray

s an

d be

ddin

g.A

nd y

et U

nikk

o, fr

om th

e F

inni

sh

desi

gn c

ompa

ny M

arim

ekko

, onl

yca

me

abou

t whe

n a

desi

gner

dar

edto

def

yhe

r bo

ss.

Arm

i Rat

ia, t

he c

reat

ive

visi

onbe

hind

Mar

imek

ko, b

ough

t a te

xtile

com

pany

wit

h he

r hu

sban

d, V

iljo,

in19

51. S

he in

sist

ed o

n bo

ld c

olou

rs b

utde

cree

d th

at th

ere

wou

ld b

e no

flor

alde

sign

s. In

her

opi

nion

nat

ural

flow

ers

wer

e so

bea

utifu

l the

y sh

ould

not

be

used

as m

otifs

. But

one

of h

er d

esig

ners

,M

aija

Isol

ade

sign

ed U

nikk

o in

pro

test

at b

eing

told

wha

t to

draw

. T

iina

Ala

huht

a-K

asko

, of

Mar

imek

ko, s

aid:

“Arm

i had

sai

dpu

blic

ly th

at s

he d

idn’

t wan

t any

flow

ers,

but

Mai

ja r

efus

ed to

acc

ept

her

deci

sion

and

des

igne

d a

who

lera

nge

of fl

oral

pat

tern

s w

hich

wer

eso

gor

geou

s an

d di

stin

ctiv

e th

atA

rmi b

ough

t eig

ht s

trai

ght a

way

.”A

fter

the

Sec

ond

Wor

ld W

ar,

Eur

ope

was

rea

dy fo

r so

me

colo

uran

d th

e R

atia

s ca

me

at ju

st th

e ri

ght

mom

ent.

But

thei

r de

sign

s, w

hile

popu

lar,

didn

’t se

ll as

no

one

knew

how

to u

se s

uch

bold

fabr

ic.

Rat

iahi

red

a fr

iend

to m

ake

the

mat

eria

lint

o si

mpl

e sh

ift d

ress

es. A

tth

e fir

st fa

shio

n sh

ow, t

he c

row

dw

ent w

ild, b

uyin

g th

e cl

othe

s al

mos

tst

raig

ht o

ff th

e m

odel

s’ b

acks

. In

1957

, the

y w

ere

invi

ted

to s

how

at t

heup

scal

e R

inas

cent

e st

ore

in M

ilan

atth

e in

vita

tion

of t

he th

en d

ispl

aym

anag

er, G

iorg

io A

rman

i.T

he c

ompa

ny n

ame

was

cha

nged

from

Pri

ntex

to M

arim

ekko

, an

anag

ram

of A

rmi’s

nam

e to

geth

erw

ith

the

Fin

nish

wor

d fo

r dr

ess,

and

,as

the

form

al g

love

d lu

nche

ons

of th

e19

50s

gave

way

to g

arde

n pa

rtie

s an

dba

rbec

ues,

so

thei

r m

ore

rela

xed

styl

e of

clo

thes

fitt

ed th

e ne

w m

ood.

In 19

60 J

acki

e K

enne

dy b

ough

tse

ven

dres

ses

and

was

pic

ture

d on

the

cove

r of

Spo

rts I

llust

rate

d in

are

dsl

eeve

less

ver

sion

. A

few

yea

rs a

fter

Rat

ia’s

deat

h in

1979

, the

com

pany

was

sol

d bu

t ran

into

finan

cial

pro

blem

s. In

1991

,K

irst

i Paa

kene

n bo

ught

Mar

imek

koan

d is

cred

ited

wit

h ha

ving

sav

ed th

eco

mpa

ny. I

n 20

07,i

t beg

an o

peni

ngit

s ow

n sh

ops

and

whe

n C

arri

e B

rads

haw

was

pic

ture

d w

eari

ng a

Mar

imek

ko b

ikin

i and

late

r a

dres

s in

Sex

and

the C

ity,

the

com

pany

was

back

at t

he fo

refr

ont o

f fas

hion

. Fo

rit

s 60

th a

nniv

ersa

ry th

is y

ear,

Mai

ja Is

ola’

s da

ught

er K

rist

ina,

who

still

wor

ks fo

r M

arim

ekko

, has

cre

at-

eda

colla

ge o

f pat

tern

s fir

st d

esig

ned

by h

er m

othe

r.K

ATE

WAT

SON

-SM

YTH

Ren

t is

dead

mon

ey, o

r so

the

sayi

ng g

oes.

But

desp

ite

falli

ngpr

oper

ty p

rice

sin

201

0, w

ith

Hal

ifax

repo

rtin

gan

ove

rall

1.6 p

erce

nt d

eclin

e, it

rem

ains

the

only

op

tion

for

man

y as

piri

ng fi

rst-

tim

ebu

yers

str

uggl

ing

to s

ave

for

the

aver

age

£29,

000

depo

sit r

equi

red

to b

uy a

pro

pert

y of

thei

r ow

n.

Thi

s ye

ar’s

pred

icti

ons

add

to th

egl

oom

; 41 p

er c

ent o

f lan

dlor

ds a

repl

anni

ng to

incr

ease

rent

, say

buy

-to-

let

mor

tgag

e sp

ecia

list P

arag

on.

Wit

h th

e av

erag

e re

nt a

lrea

dy a

t£6

92 (a

nd £

992

in L

ondo

n), a

s st

ated

in th

e la

test

buy

-to-

let i

ndex

from

LS

L P

rope

rty

Ser

vice

s, th

e id

ea o

fha

ving

any

mon

ey le

ft o

ver,

let a

lone

a su

bsta

ntia

l sum

to s

et a

side

for

ade

posi

t, se

ems

rem

ote

for

the

maj

ority

of r

ente

rs. A

rec

ent p

oll c

arri

ed b

yre

ntal

sit

e S

pare

room

.co.

uk fo

und

87pe

r ce

nt o

f ten

ants

sai

d th

ey fe

lt th

eyw

ould

n’t b

e ab

le to

eve

r af

ford

thei

row

n ho

me

in to

day’

s cl

imat

e, e

ven

thou

gh th

ey w

ante

d to

. A

rep

ort p

ublis

hed

at th

e en

d of

last

yea

r su

gges

ted

it w

ould

take

an

aver

age

earn

er, o

n a

sala

ry o

f£2

5,90

0, ju

st o

ver

14 y

ears

to s

ave

ade

posi

t to

buy

a pr

oper

ty, w

hile

in

depe

nden

t res

earc

h or

gani

sati

onR

esol

utio

n Fo

unda

tion

say

s it

cou

ldta

ke a

low

ear

ner

at le

ast 4

5 ye

ars.

And

wit

h m

ost m

ortg

age

lend

ers

aski

ng fo

r a

depo

sit o

f at l

east

15 p

erce

nt, h

ome

owne

rshi

p fe

els

out o

fre

ach

for

man

y.

“It’s

sti

ll ve

ry m

uch

the

case

that

the

bigg

er th

e de

posi

t, th

e be

tter

the

rate

s of

inte

rest

and

mor

tgag

e op

tion

sav

aila

ble

to b

uyer

s,” s

ays

Dav

idH

ollin

gwor

th o

f mor

tgag

e br

oker

sL

ondo

n &

Cou

ntry

. “If

you

had

a 2

5pe

r ce

nt d

epos

it, y

ou c

ould

get

a

muc

h be

tter

rat

e of

inte

rest

than

ifyo

u pu

t dow

n a

10 p

er c

ent d

epos

it.”

But

the

idea

of o

wni

ng y

our

own

prop

erty

doe

sn’t

have

to b

e te

nant

s’w

ishf

ul th

inki

ng; t

here

are

way

s to

save

for

a de

posi

t eve

n if

you’

re p

ayin

gof

f som

eone

els

e’s

mor

tgag

e ea

chm

onth

. “I u

sed

to r

eally

res

ent p

ayin

gm

y re

nt,”

says

Ala

stai

r H

iggi

nbot

tom

,a

26-y

ear-

old

secu

rity

man

ager

from

Nor

tham

pton

, who

was

pay

ing

£550

a m

onth

for

a ro

om in

a te

rrac

edho

use

unti

l rec

entl

y. “

Eve

ry m

onth

Iha

d no

thin

g le

ft to

sav

e or

spe

nd. I

was

alw

ays

havi

ng to

say

no

to g

oing

out o

r bu

ying

any

thin

g ne

w, a

nd a

l-w

ays

wor

king

ove

rtim

e to

ear

n m

ore.”

Det

erm

ined

to s

ave

for

his

own

hous

e, h

e be

cam

e a

prop

erty

guar

dian

. Pro

pert

y gu

ardi

ans

are

appo

inte

d by

man

agem

ent c

ompa

nies

,w

hich

look

aft

er v

acan

t bui

ldin

gs o

nbe

half

of p

rope

rty

deve

lope

rs u

nabl

eto

sel

l or

owne

rs w

ho a

re o

vers

eas.

Inex

chan

ge fo

r ke

epin

g an

eye

on

the

build

ing,

gua

rdia

ns b

enef

it fr

om a

subs

tant

ially

dis

coun

ted

rent

. A

s a

guar

dian

, Hig

ginb

otto

m p

ays

£63

a w

eek,

incl

udin

g bi

lls, t

o liv

e in

a25

ft s

quar

e ro

om in

Del

apre

Abb

ey, a

stun

ning

cou

ntry

est

ate.

He

plan

s on

stay

ing

ther

e fo

r tw

o ye

ars,

by

whi

chpo

int h

e ai

ms

to h

ave

save

d en

ough

for

a de

posi

t to

buy

his

own

hom

e.“T

he A

bbey

is g

lori

ous

– th

ere’

sla

ndsc

aped

gar

dens

and

woo

dlan

dw

alks

. To

get t

o m

y ro

om, y

ou c

ome

up a

gra

nd s

tair

case

and

pas

sst

aine

d-gl

ass w

indo

ws.

The

re’s

a de

finite

wow

fact

or to

livi

ng h

ere,

and

by

bein

g he

re w

e’re

kee

ping

the

plac

efr

ee fr

om s

quat

ters

,” ex

plai

ns

Hig

ginb

otto

m. “

But

for m

e, th

e fin

anci

alsa

ving

s ar

e m

ost i

mpo

rtan

t. I’m

sa

ving

at l

east

£30

0 a

mon

th, w

hich

mea

ns I

can

lead

a n

ice

lifes

tyle

and

build

up

a sm

all p

ot o

f mon

ey a

s a

depo

sit.

Tha

t was

som

ethi

ng I

coul

dn’t

even

thin

k ab

out b

efor

e.”

Cam

elot

Pro

pert

y m

anag

esD

elap

re A

bbey

, and

pla

ces

prop

erty

guar

dian

s ac

ross

the

coun

try.

Itre

port

s a

35 p

er c

ent i

ncre

ase

in th

enu

mbe

r of

peo

ple

beco

min

ggu

ardi

ans

in th

e la

st 18

mon

ths.

“We

are

ofte

n ap

proa

ched

by

peop

le w

ho a

re s

ick

of th

row

ing

away

mon

ey o

n ve

ry h

igh

rent

, whi

ch c

ould

be u

sed

to s

ave

for

a de

posi

t,’ s

ays

John

Mill

s, C

amel

ot’s

UK

dir

ecto

r.“M

any

of o

ur g

uard

ians

are

key

wor

kers

who

wou

ldn’

t ord

inar

ily b

eab

le to

aff

ord

high

ren

tal p

rice

s, le

tal

one

save

for

thei

r ow

n ho

me.

”C

amel

ot s

ays

guar

dian

s pa

y an

aver

age

of £

200

a m

onth

in r

ent,

incl

udin

g bi

lls a

nd c

ounc

il ta

x. It

sw

ebsi

te c

urre

ntly

list

s 64

pro

pert

ies

in n

eed

of g

uard

ians

, inc

ludi

ng

war

ehou

se a

part

men

ts in

the

Wes

tM

idla

nds

and

hous

es in

Bri

ghto

n.P

rope

rty

com

pany

Ad

Hoc

say

s it

has

also

see

n hu

ge in

tere

st fr

om p

ro-

fess

iona

ls s

igni

ng u

p to

be

guar

dian

s.“W

hen

we

ask

them

why

, it’s

alw

ays

beca

use

they

are

sav

ing

for

a de

posi

ton

a h

ouse

,” sa

ys D

oug

Edw

ards

, an

Ad

Hoc

man

ager

. “T

hey

wan

t so

mew

here

nic

e bu

t aff

orda

ble

to li

vew

hile

tryi

ng to

sav

e.”

Edw

ards

est

i-m

ates

Lon

don

prop

erty

gua

rdia

nsco

uld

save

£8,

000

over

18 m

onth

s.

Mea

nwhi

le, t

enan

ts in

the

priv

ate

rent

ed s

ecto

r co

uld

be fo

rgiv

en fo

rre

sign

ing

them

selv

es to

pay

ing

exto

r-ti

onat

e re

nt, o

win

g to

the

shor

tage

ofre

ntal

sup

ply

in c

ontr

ast t

o de

man

d.T

he la

test

hou

sing

mar

ket s

urve

yfr

om th

e R

oyal

Inst

itut

ion

of

Cha

rter

ed S

urve

yors

rep

orts

that

33

per

cen

t of s

urve

yors

saw

a r

ise

in

STO

P L

ET

TIN

G,

STA

RT

LIV

ING

‘Pro

pe

rty

gu

ard

ian

s a

rea

pp

oin

ted

to

loo

k a

fte

rv

aca

nt

bu

ild

ing

s in

exh

an

ge

fo

r ch

ea

p r

en

t’

dem

and

for

rent

als

in 2

010,

the

fast

est i

ncre

ase

sinc

e 20

08.

But

that

doe

sn’t

nece

ssar

ily le

ave

ever

y la

ndlo

rd w

ith

the

uppe

r ha

nd.

Nik

Mad

an, l

etti

ngs

dire

ctor

at J

ohn

D W

ood

& C

o, s

ays:

“Yo

u ca

n ne

goti

ate

on r

ent,

alth

ough

you

’re

mor

e lik

ely

tobe

suc

cess

ful i

f you

’re

star

ting

a n

ewre

ntal

, rat

her

than

ren

ewin

g on

e. A

pow

erfu

l way

to n

egot

iate

is to

forg

oth

e br

eak

cont

ract

whi

ch w

ould

ot

herw

ise

give

you

the

flexi

bilit

y to

give

not

ice

and

mov

e ou

t ear

ly. M

ost

land

lord

s w

ill b

e w

illin

g to

red

uce

rent

for

som

eone

pre

pare

d to

com

mit

to a

long

term

con

trac

t of 1

2 or

18m

onth

s, w

ho is

n’t g

oing

to le

ave.

”M

ost l

andl

ords

are

pre

pare

d to

redu

ce r

ent f

or te

nant

s w

ho c

anm

ove

in s

oone

r th

an e

xpec

ted

and

itca

n be

wor

th o

ffer

ing

to ta

ke o

n th

eco

st o

f rep

aint

ing

or fi

xing

the

prem

ises

,in

exc

hang

e fo

r m

oney

off.

Mad

ansa

ys o

ne o

f his

clie

nts

has

agre

ed to

knoc

k £2

00 o

ff a

tena

nt’s

mon

thly

rent

as

a re

sult

of t

he te

nant

’s of

fer

tore

pain

t and

upd

ate

the

hous

e.A

mor

e su

bsta

ntia

l way

to s

ave

isto

ren

t onl

y du

ring

the

wor

king

wee

kas

a lo

dger

. Thi

s is

how

Mat

t Par

r, a

24-y

ear-

old

PR

con

sult

ant,

save

s ov

er£3

00 e

very

mon

th, w

hich

he

hope

sw

ill c

ulm

inat

e in

a ti

dy d

epos

it.

Par

r an

d hi

s gi

rlfr

iend

had

hop

edto

ren

t a fl

at, b

ut d

isco

vere

d th

eyco

uldn

’t af

ford

the

area

. Ins

tead

, the

yea

ch p

ay £

25 w

eekl

y to

lodg

e in

ath

ree-

stor

ey h

ouse

in P

onty

clun

,W

ales

, ret

urni

ng to

thei

r pa

rent

s’ho

mes

on

wee

kend

s.“I

t wor

ks o

ut b

rilli

antl

y,” s

ays

Par

r.“W

e ha

ve a

bed

room

, sto

rero

om a

ndla

ndin

gw

hich

dou

bles

up

as m

y w

ork

area

, and

we

shar

e th

e re

st o

f the

hous

e w

ith

the

owne

r. It

’s in

form

alan

d fr

iend

ly; w

e ge

t on

wel

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cameloteurope.com16.01.2011 - sunday times

home4

Looking after number oneStruggling to save up a deposit for yourfirst home? Why not live (almost) rentfree as a ‘guardian’, says Martina Lees

H ow far would you go to save up a deposit? Would you (a) live in an abandoned fire sta-tion; (b) risk confronting a drug addict breaking into a warehouse; or (c) have a Blair

Witch-style horror movie filmed in your basement?

Gregg Quixley, 38, a teacher, did all three before he bought a one-bedroom flat overlooking Richmond Park, in southwest London, with his wife, Leigh-Anne. To cut down on living expenses in his bachelor days, the burly South African spent 4½ years as a live-in guardian in empty buildings. “It was ridiculously cheap, from £75 a month,” he says. “I saved £400-£500 a month.”

Quixley had grasped a simple truth of today’s housing market: if you want to get a foot on the property ladder, you have to be creative. On average, some-one in their twenties would have to save their entire take-home pay for 27 months to afford the £37,000 deposit on a typical £155,000 property, the Home Builders Federation found last October. In London, it would take a full three years.

For most first-time buyers — 9 out of 10, according to a report by the think tank Policy Exchange — the solution is a loan, or better still a gift, from their parents. But what if, like Quixley’s, your mother and father are unable to help?

In January 2003, he was one of the first people to register as a “guardian” with Camelot, a property management firm that had just arrived in Britain from Holland. Any employed person over 18 can apply, provided they satisfy certain basic criteria (see panel, below), for a position as a deterrent to vandals and squatters.

Home for Quixley has included a former nunnery in north London, a 5,000 sq ft photographic warehouse in Camden, an abandoned office block in Battersea and, of course, that fire sta-tion. He and three other guardians moved into Manchester Square fire station, in Marylebone, central London, after it was closed in 2005. “It had a brass pole to slide down and a lookout tower up a spiral staircase — you could see all the way to the London Eye,” he recalls.

The five-storey, Grade II-listed build-ing has since been sold to the hotelier André Balazs, who has gained planning permission to convert it into a 33- bedroom boutique hotel in time for the London 2012 Olympics.

“We lived right in the middle of a rich West End street, 500 yards from Baker Street Tube station,” Quixley says. He paid just £220 a month, including bills, for his room in an office on the second floor.

At the time, art exhibitions were often held in the basement and in the cavernous ground floor, where the fire engines used to stand. Just before Quixley left to get married in 2007, filming of the indie horror movie Credo started on the two lower levels. Starring the late Boyzone singer Stephen Gately, it went straight to DVD — and living with the production was far from

glamorous. “We would wake up at 2.30am with people screaming and killing and all that,” Quixley says. “I had a few bust-ups with the director over the racket.”

Looking after a big space can have its benefits, though. While guarding the derelict Consolata Mission College, a Victorian mansion that was used as a Carmelite nunnery in the 1960s, Quixley played squash and indoor cricket in the parquet-floored dining hall. Banner Homes has since turned the property, in Totteridge, north London, into a devel-opment of eight luxury homes, called Grace Court — one of which sold for more than £1.3m in 2007.

Other aspects can be less appealing. A drug addict broke into Quixley’s first Camelot home — a photographic ware-house in Camden, north London — stealing a camera and leaving a bloody trail after cutting his hand on broken glass, which led to his arrest.

Fortunately for Quixley, he was not there at the time — but others have had even closer encounters.Kevin Wrankmore, 50, a salesman for a luxury watch brand, lived as a guardian for another property manage-ment firm, Ambika, in a five-storey man-sion in May-fair that was owned by an Arab family and had views of Hyde Park. “One night, I heard something down-stairs,” he says. When he investigated, Wrankmore found a man walking round the house.

“I asked him, ‘Excuse me, who are you?’” He at first pretended to be looking

at another guardian’s

artwork, but then Wrank-

more saw that the locks had

been broken. A lock-smith was sitting in a

car outside. “When I con-fronted him, they left. They must have been looking for a squat.”

Although in a shabby state, the house was “very plush”, Wrankmore recalls.

“It even had its own lift, but it didn’t work.” A huge staircase swept up from the entrance hall to what could have been a “mini ballroom” on the second floor. He had the entire top floor, with two bedrooms, a bathroom, a small kitchen and a “huge lounge” all to him-self — all free of charge. “It had these big double doors that led out onto a lovely balcony with views over Hyde Park.”

Wrankmore’s three years there — and a rather less exotic 18 months spent guarding a one-bedroom flat in a once

drug-infested estate on Gray’s Inn Road, near King’s Cross, central London — enabled him to save up a £37,000 deposit by 2003. With his girlfriend, Jennie Gilbertson, he bought a three-bedroom Victorian home in Thornton Heath, south London, for £219,000.

Quixley, too, managed to save a hefty deposit. In 2008, he and Leigh-Anne, 34, a vet, bought their flat in Roehampton, on the sixth floor of a former council estate. The previous owner, an elderly lady, had died, and it was on the market for £169,000; the heirs accepted an offer of £110,000. “We got in right at the bottom of the downturn,” Quixley says.

If you don’t want too much adventure, fear not: there are plenty of residential properties to protect. Laura Hart, 34, saved £500 a month by guarding a one-bedroom flat in Walthamstow, within walking distance of her then job as a plumber at Whipps Cross University Hospital, in northeast London.

“I was lucky,” she says. The flat, which she protected on behalf of Ad Hoc, another property guardian firm, had wooden floors and a newly fitted kitchen and bathroom, all for £250 a month. Last October, she bought a two-bedroom flat in Lewisham, southeast London, for £177,000, with a 30% deposit. “There’s no way I could have saved enough money if I had lived anywhere else,” she says.

sunday times online

The best strategies to beat the property market in 2011:thesundaytimes.co.uk/home

What are the requirements?Guardians must be over 18, employed and able to move immediately. Sorry, no children, pets or smokers — but couples can be accommodated.

How do I apply?Anyone with proof of employment and income, British residency and landlord references can apply to Camelot (0845 262 2002, uk.cameloteurope.com) or Ad Hoc (020 7226 9900, www.adhoc.eu). Ambika (020 7376 9740, ambikaproperty.com) requires an introduction by an existing caretaker, as well as a day’s training.

What does it cost?Camelot and Ad Hoc guardians pay a monthly licence fee of £100-£400

per person per month, including bills; Ambika caretakers don’t pay a penny. There is usually a registration fee of about £30, and you’ll have to buy a fire safety kit for £65.

Where could I live?Anywhere in Britain, in anything from an old care home or church to a police station or office block. About 40% of Ad Hoc’s live-in sites are residential, from one-bedroom flats to derelict mansions, says Joseph Cooper, the company’s marketing manager. Camelot, which has more than 5,000 guardians across Europe, has seen a 35% increase in the number of vacant buildings over the past 18 months.

What facilities are there?Property management firms ensure that the homes have hot water, power and heating, as well as basic kitchen

and bathroom facilities. Guardians bring their own furniture.

Can I decorate?Yes. Ad Hoc permits only neutral colours; Camelot will let you do wall art, as long as there are no structural changes and you get prior permission.

What’s the catch?Ambika can ask you to move out with only hours’ notice; Camelot gives you two weeks. There is no fixed-term tenancy agreement. No parties or overnight guests are allowed and you have to give ample notice of holidays.

What’s in it for the landlord?Guardians deter squatters, vandals and theft of fixtures and fittings. Landlords save 50% on the cost of boarding up a vacant property and 80% on security guards, Cooper says.

Up to the job?

Gregg Quixley, pictured with his wife, Leigh-Anne, was a guardian

at this disused London fire station

Vicki Couchman; Peter Tarry

living 16.01.11thesundaytimes.co.uk/home

cameloteurope.com21.05.2011 - the times

cameloteurope.com18.08.2011 - Fm World magazine

cameloteurope.com18.08.2011 - Daily record

BBC Scotland's landmark former headquarters have been occupied by a team of "live-in guardians". Hard-up flat hunters are being allowed to rent rooms in the multi-million-pound Victorian mansion in Glasgow's west end for just £45 a week to protect it from squatters and vandals.

Genevieve Fidele, 22, has been living at the Queen Margaret Drive building for three months. She said: "It's brilliant. I'm getting to stay in this amazing building with a great location for a reasonable rent, and it means the place is being well looked after. "There are about a dozen of us in here at the moment and everyone gets on well. "We have a common kitchen area in a former office of one of the top BBC executives and we have access to most of the building, so it's really interesting to look around the old studios."

Genevieve, a receptionist who is also studying for a master's degree at Glasgow University, added: "I first found out you could do this sort of thing when I was living in London. "When I moved to Scotland, it seemed like the best way to get a good place to stay at a rent I could afford. "It doesn't look like there are any moves to sell the building at the moment so we are hoping to stay put for a while. "Even if someone does buy it, we get a month's notice to find somewhere else."

The scheme is being run by alternative security company Camelot Property Protection. Hayate Kassou, Camelot's Regional Manager Scotland, said: "This is a win-win situation for everyone involved. "The property owners get the benefits of low-cost security and people got the opportunity to live in an amazing building. "We are very careful to get the right people to stay in our properties and usually find they are young professionals who like the idea of living somewhere a bit different."

The BBC moved out of Queen Margaret Drive to a new purpose-built studio in Govan four years ago. The building is currently controlled by administrators after QMD Glasgow, the property firm who planned to turn it into a luxury hotel, went bust. In exchange for a low rent, guardians live in empty buildings to keep them safe, secure and tidy for the owners.

Other Camelot properties include office buildings, care homes, warehouses, pubs, old libraries, schools and churches. Guardians must be over 18, with a job and no dependents, pets or criminal convictions. And they have to be ready to move at the drop of a hat.

cameloteurope.com19.09.2011 - nuneaton news

action to protect site

by LISA BUCKLEY

SECURITY staff could be brought in to lay siege at a former Nuneaton secondary school at risk of arson, thieves and squatters.

Plans have unveiled for eight `passive' security guards to live at what was Manor Park School, until the future of the site is decided. Warwickshire County Council has applied for permission for a temporary change of use of the vacant school in Beaumont Road to provide accommodation for a `security by occupation' service. Members of the public, including people living nearby, have until Tuesday, October 4 to express their views over the proposal. Ciaran Power, senior planner at Shire Hall, said that the plan is less costly than other options including installing CCTV and should put a stop to lead and copper thieves, firestarters and uninvited guests.

"Future use of the site at Manor Park has not yet been determined," he said. "Since the school has been closed the site has been targeted by various acts of theft and in a bid to manage further acts of vandalism, Warwickshire County Council has proposed introducing a 'security by occupation' arrangement to be managed by Camelot Property Management. "The proposal seeks permission for temporary occupation on the site for eight individuals to act as passive security guards appointed by Camelot in exchange for cheap rent with bills included. "This arrangement works out significantly less expensive than installing 24-hour security guards and cameras. "The guardians will live on-site to deter squatters or vandals and are to look after the property until either the building is sold, or the future use of the building is decided. In either event the local authority is required to give three weeks notice to the temporary 'tenants'." The former secondary school building has stood empty since the end of July when the Nuneaton Academy stopped using the site. It is owned by the county council which is still exploring the best use of the large building and surrounding land. Camelot Property Management is the first company in the UK to introduce property protection using live-in guardians. Its staff, who are not trained security guards but come from all walks of life, set up home in temporary `pods' equipped with kitchen and toilet facilities and are used in everything from former schools to monasteries, office blocks and factories. Anyone who wants to have their say about the application can speak to Ciaran Power on 01926 412 193, write to Planning and Development Group, Communities, Warwickshire County Council, Warwick, CV34 4SX or email ciaranpower@warwickshire.gov.uk. People are asked to quote application number NBB/11CC016.

cameloteurope.com19.09.2011 - the metro

cameloteurope.com29.09.2011 - timeout magazine