A tenant is not just for Christmas - or are they?

Many people are moving into house shares after splitting up with partners during the run up to Christmas and it is worth bearing this in mind if you were thinking of waiting until the new year to advertise your spare room writes Lea Beven.

If your room is empty and you live alone, then it may be fun to have someone to share the festive season with.

Not only will you have some company, but you'll have some more money coming in too.

There seems to have been a shift in the clients calling us this week.

Often we have contractors and recruitment companies call us looking for rooms in house shares for their staff, but this week we have seen a much larger amount of separated people.

Is there something in the air?

Pets

Talking to some locals this week, there is also a growing concern amongst pet owners about renting properties.

Many people have to put them into a home because they can't find a landlord who will allow pets.

This is such a shame when there are now such great insurance products out there that will protect your property for up to £700 of pet damage.

So if your struggling to let out your property, allowing pets could help you stand out from the crowd.

I'll sign off with a slightly unrelated, but very important, tip of the week - if you're showing someone your property, don't leave the bedrooms with bare mattresses.

For whatever reason, it really puts people off. So make your bed and you could make a sale.