Latest news with #L&Q
Telegraph
17-03-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
‘I'm a West End choreographer with an unpredictable income – can I afford a buy-to-let?'
Receive personalised tips on how to improve your financial situation, for free. Here's how to apply or fill in the form below. Self-employed choreographer Christopher Tendai, 31, was renting an apartment in West Finchley, North London, when he decided it was time to think about buying his first home. It was November 2020 and he was working as a performer in a pantomime at the National Theatre when the UK went into its second lockdown. Mr Tendai says: 'My first step was to spend a few months sorting out my credit score and making sure it was up to standard.' He had £30,000 saved for his deposit, but being self-employed during the pandemic with uncertain income Mr Tendai struggled to get a mortgage in principle (an initial agreement of what a lender can offer you). 'I was teaching online and running workshops, but lenders wanted a yearly plan of your income and mine fluctuated with no proper continuous work.' He was finally able to buy in spring 2021 using a Help to Buy loan and an additional £5,000 from his mum that he has since paid back. He paid £305,000 for a two-bedroom flat in Ealing at The Quarry development by L&Q, with a 35-year mortgage costing £626 a month. Since then Mr Tendai has focused on rebuilding his savings and is working seven days a week – including starting and running his own teaching business alongside his theatre roles. His efforts have paid off and he now has £30,000 saved in cash Isas. He explains: 'My mother taught me the way of savings and when I was back in work I would save as much of my earnings as possible and just be very strict on that so I could recover a little bit more quickly and feel comfortable.' He currently has a full-time job as the resident choreographer at MJ: The Musical, running in London's West End, with an annual income of £35,000 after tax. Excluding his mortgage, his outgoings are around £600 a month but he worries about the rising cost of living eating into his finances.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Plan for 147 homes in Old Trafford set for green light
A plan for a development of 147 homes on a brownfield site in Old Trafford where three large tower blocks and a pub once stood looks set for approval. The scheme for land off Bold Street comes up for discussion at Trafford's planning committee on Thursday next week (February 13) but has been recommended for approval. Homes for Trafford - a joint venture between the council and social housing provider L&Q - is the applicant. Some 10 per cent of the housing will be affordable and the homes would be predominantly three and four-bedroom largely within two to three-storey terraced housing. There will be access for vehicles from Bold Street and Maher Gardens and separate pedestrian accesses, including from the adjacent Merlin's Park. Homes for Trafford will stump up nearly £1m towards secondary education as part of what is known as a Section 106 agreement. READ MORE: LIVE: Travel chaos after car crashes at major roundabout and lands on rail tracks with trains STOPPED - updates READ MORE: Police swarm area outside primary school following incident as parents picked up children It will also donate £15,000 towards local open space provision. There will be new parking control measures covering Tamworth Street, Gladstone Court, Nelson Court, Maher Gardens and Bold Street along with a permit parking scheme. A report to the committee describes the currently-overgrown site as in a 'priority regeneration area'. It is only about half-a-mile from Manchester city centre. There is a shopping centre nearby at the Moss Lane West/Chorlton Road junction. 'The site is highly accessible with strong bus linkages within the area and established cycle routes through the area,' the report says. The three tower blocks and the pub known as The Seahawk were demolished between 2013 and 2014 and the site has been sealed from public access ever since.
