Navraj Johal 27/11/2020
Property guardians: Bafta-winning documentary maker says cheaper rent helps him live a creative life in London
Edward Watts won a Bafta for his documentary For Sama while living in a derelict church — but the scheme's not for everyone.
Navraj Johal 13/11/2020
Is it worth becoming a property guardian in London?
London is one of the most popular cities in the UK for young professionals, but it also comes with a high cost of living. London has one of the highest average rent costs in the country which can be very daunting and off-putting for those wanting to make it in the capital.
Navraj Johal 05/11/2020
Is it safe to be a property guardian?
If you’re new to the concept of property guardians, the thought of living in an empty commercial property might sound strange, scary or even dangerous. But Live-in Guardians are committed to finding properties for our guardians that are not only 100% safe, but comfortable and completely habitable.
Navraj Johal 15/10/2020
How to eliminate your chance of squatters
No property owner wants their vacant property to be targeted by squatters. Squatters can present a real risk to your property, causing damage from breaking in, stealing valuables and vandalising. There are many ways that landlords can protect their commercial properties and eliminate the risk of squatters, from security services to property guardians, that can keep your property safe and prevent some of the expenses that squatters can incur.
Navraj Johal 01/10/2020
How to maintain your empty property
An empty property can be difficult for property owners to secure and maintain. Large vacant properties such as office buildings or pubs require a lot of upkeep and can be susceptible to attacks from squatters, thieves and vandals. Empty property maintenance can also be an expensive endeavour, with costs adding up from cleaning, security services and any potential repairs that may need carrying out.
Navraj Johal 17/09/2020
How to keep my empty pub safe
No landlord wants to see their pub sitting empty, but when unfortunate circumstances lead to pubs closing, they can quickly become a liability. Empty pubs are a tempting target for invaders and are very at risk of squatters, vandals and fly-tippers breaking in and causing damage.
Navraj Johal 09/09/2020
The real cost of squatters in your empty property
Vacant commercial properties are at risk of attracting squatters, and thousands of buildings in London and the UK are damaged by squatters each year. Unfortunately, in the aftermath of Covid-19 with many businesses having to close their doors, that number is only rising.
Navraj Johal 18/08/2020
What is SIA licensed security?
An SIA license gives you confidence that the security personnel you are hiring is a fully trained and vetted expert in providing private security solutions. All of our live-in caretakers are SIA licensed as well as ex-military, meaning they are fully equipped to provide you with the highest quality property security.
Navraj Johal 17/08/2020
How to Secure My Empty Property
Your property is an important investment, and nobody wants to see their property sitting idle, gathering cobwebs and potentially attracting squatters or vandals. There are many traditional security solutions on the market to keep your building protected and surveilled 24/7, but these security services often come with very high price tags.
Navraj Johal 14/07/2020
Property Guardians Checklist
As the country emerges from the Covid-19 crisis, property owners are now in need of live-in property guardians more than ever. With many pubs, offices and other businesses unfortunately having to close their doors due to the virus, this means there are many city properties left vacant and at risk of squatters or vandals.
Navraj Johal 11/07/2020
5 Top Tips for living cheap in London
London has always been one of the most fashionable and desirable – but most expensive – places to live in the UK. Particularly for young professionals and graduates, finding affordable accommodation in London can be difficult. However, there are a few tips and tricks that can make London living cheaper.
Navraj Johal 16/06/2020
Life as a Property Guardian
In our blog we’ve talked a lot about our market-leading property guardian scheme, and how it allows thousands of professionals to beat the trend of unaffordable housing in some of the most vibrant and desirable places in London, and other cities across the UK.
Navraj Johal 15/06/2020
Life as a Live-In Caretaker
Live-in Caretakers is not a run of the mill security firm. Our operators are almost exclusively recruited from military veterans and active military personnel.
Navraj Johal 15/05/2020
How to Become a Property Guardian in 2020
Live-in Guardians is always on the lookout for new Guardians to help protect great buildings in London and other major UK cities from vandalism, arson, theft or illegal occupation (such as squatting).
Navraj Johal 08/05/2020
Looking for Affordable Short-term Accommodation?
Live-in Guardians helps professionals across London and other major cities move on in their careers by providing great opportunities for guardian property management. Our guardians are diligent, professional people holding full-time jobs – but would otherwise be held back by increasingly unaffordable housing costs.
Navraj Johal 17/04/2020
Can Millennials Afford to Buy a Home?
‘Millennials’, it’s a controversial term – but, in literal terms, refers to people born broadly between 1981 through 19961. It’s remarkable how polarised the perceptions of other generations have towards Millennials.
Danny Schindler 24/03/2020
What are Live-in Caretakers?
We all might have an image in our heads when it comes to caretaker services or caretakers in general, the classic older man armed with truncheon and torch – whistling as he whistling as he walks around a building. For regular caretakers, this isn’t actually that far from the truth (minus the truncheon!) and caretakers do fill an important role in society – protecting warehouses, office buildings, retailers and a host of other businesses from theft and vandalism.
Danny Schindler 18/02/2020
What Kind of Properties do We Cover?
Any live-in property guardian should definitely consider what kinds of properties they are going to be guarding, and on the flip side, landlords and owners looking for property protection services and guardian property specialists will want to know what properties are eligible, and what kind of structures Live-In Guardians works with.
Danny Schindler 17/01/2020
Lonely in London – How Guardianship can bring people together.
It’s a strange reality that the bigger the city, the more developed the infrastructure and the larger the community – the more lonely the people who live there tend to be.
Danny Schindler 19/11/2019
Debunking the Myths of Guardianship
In May 2018 the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, a department of HM Government, released a ‘fact sheet’ aiming to give potential guardians ‘advice’. However, it appears to be strongly biased against guardianship and fails to factor in this alternative method of housing as a healthy option for skilled professionals.
