Benefits of becoming a property guardian Archieven

Opting for property guardianship presents an excellent opportunity to reduce your monthly housing expenses. However, it’s important to note that properties under guardianship often come unfurnished and guardians are responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the premises. Additionally, many of these properties are shared houses, which means coordinating bills, chores, and maintaining clear communication among housemates.

Luckily, the digital age has brought forth a plethora of innovative apps designed specifically to streamline the process of living in a guardian household. In this blog post, we’ll explore the best apps for property guardians from moving in, maintaining and through to moving on.

Moving In

When it comes to furnishing your new property as a property guardian, it can be overwhelming and costly, especially since most houses are provided unfurnished. Luckily, there is a wide array of excellent apps that can help you acquire free or highly affordable furniture and household items, making the process of furnishing your new home easy, budget-friendly, and sustainable.

These apps thrive on the concept of web communities, with Freecycle and Freegle standing out as major players. These platforms offer free membership and are run by volunteers, serving as local online groups where you can find and give away items. The availability of these groups may vary in different areas, so here are a few more of our favourite recommendations to get you started.

Sharing Bills and Expenses

Many property guardian houses are shared properties, and one of the most crucial aspects of shared living is managing bills and expenses fairly. Splitwise is a fantastic app that simplifies this process. It allows housemates to create and manage a shared expense sheet, keeping track of who owes what and when. The app also sends reminders and notifications, ensuring everyone stays on top of their payments and no one ends up out of pocket.

Household Maintenance

We couldn’t compile a top app guide without including Arthur. Arthur is DEX’s property management portal and tenant app and it is available to all our property guardians. It acts as a one stop shop for reporting and managing property repairs and maintenance issues with the DEX Team. You can also find all your licence agreement information and documentation on the app. You should receive an email inviting you to join when you become a DEX Property Guardian.

Sharing Chores

Keeping a shared living space clean and tidy can sometimes be a source of tension among housemates. There are many apps on the market that can help and one of our favourites is Chorma, an app designed to streamline chore management and encourage accountability. Guardians can create a chore wheel, assign tasks to individuals, set deadlines, and even integrate a rewards system for added motivation.

Another app is Nipto, which introduces gamification to household chores. This app organises chores into games, allowing housemates to compete and earn points throughout the week, this interactive approach can help make an often tedious task slightly more fun.

Moving Out

When the time comes to move out of your property, it’s likely that you’ve amassed numerous items that are no longer of use to you and must be disposed of before returning the property. Remember, what may be considered junk to you could be a valuable find for someone else. You might be pleasantly surprised by what others would be eager to take off your hands instead of incurring removal costs.

Freecycle and Freegle are again the big names, although there are many others on the market, here are a few of our favourites;

Gumtree – a popular app where people can sell their unwanted belongings for cash as well as giving them away for free.
Facebook marketplace – If you have the facebook app to can use facebook marketplace to sell or give away unwanted items.
Trash Nothing – An easy to use and active app that allows you to give unwanted but reusable items to people in your local community
Olio – A sharing app for local communities where you can give away an array of unwanted items ranging from food to furniture and clothing to books.

If at the end you still have items that need deposing LoveJunk is a waste removal & reuse marketplace providing cheap, safe, eco-friendly removal of bulky waste and junk.

Not found what you are looking for? Get in contact with the Guardian Management Team, they are always happy to help and provide further advice.

Many property guardian properties (even the inner-city ones) come with outdoor space which guardians are responsible for looking after and maintaining. Spring is the perfect time of year for guardians to put their green fingers into action, transforming their unique gardens into their own oasis’s that can enjoyed all year long.

Before you get started, looking after a garden in a guardian property comes with a few unique requirements. Here we share some tips and tricks for getting your garden ready for spring in one of our properties.

1. Before you start – speak to us

First of all, before making any major changes to the garden please speak to the DEX team. While we encouraged you to maintain the space, plant flowers or vegetable etc, we would ask you get in contact with us before more major maintenance, such as removing items, carrying out any excessive pruning or assembling any more permanent garden structures.

2. Start by assessing your garden space

The first step to getting your garden ready for spring is to assess the space you have available. Take note of the size, shape, and any features in your garden, such as trees or flower beds. This will help you to plan out what you want to do with your garden and how you can make the most of the space you have.

3. Tidy up your garden

Spring is the perfect time to tidy up your garden and get it looking its best. Remove any weeds, dead leaves, and debris that may have accumulated over the winter months. Give your lawn a good rake to remove any dead grass or leaves and consider mowing it to get it looking neat and tidy.

4. Add some colour with potted plants

One of the easiest ways to spruce up your garden is to add some colour with potted plants. You can find affordable plants at your local garden centre or even at the supermarket. Choose plants that are suited to the amount of sunlight your garden receives and don’t forget to water them regularly.

5. Create a mini herb garden

Another way to add some life to your garden is by creating a mini herb garden. Not only will this add some greenery to your garden, but you’ll also be able to enjoy fresh herbs in your cooking. You can plant herbs in pots or even in a small patch of soil in your garden.

6. Add some garden decor

Finally, consider adding some garden decor to make your outdoor space more inviting. You can find affordable garden decor at your local garden centre or even at a charity shops or online. Choose pieces that fit your style and personality, such as a bird feeder, a garden gnome, or some nice outside chairs.

Getting your garden ready for spring as a property guardian doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. With a little bit of creativity and some elbow grease, you can transform your outdoor space into a beautiful oasis that you can enjoy all season long.