There is strong demand or property in the area

ashion in interior decoration is mo ing to la ish colour, big patterned wallpaper and more ornate urniture, but letting agents are ad ising buy-to-let landlords to be cautious be ore they ditch the sa e, neutral contemporary look. Despite interior designers' excitement at the new anti-minimalist trend, anything but plain, understated, contemporary colour-schemes tends to put o all but a ew tenants, although a bold and imaginati e design can earn a premium rent i the right tenant happens to iew the place. Many builders, howe er, are throwing caution to the winds at the show apartments in big de elopments, which are usually conser ati e to appeal to the widest range o isitors.The show penthouse at West3 in Acton, west London is a striking scheme by the theatre designer Ashton Taylor Smith, e oking the Art Deco interiors o the 1940s. To maximise rental income as well as making your property an attracti e proposition to buyers at a later date when you sell, you should ensure: You buy a unit with two bathrooms as well as two bedrooms (they can be en suites or amily bathrooms or a mix) to appeal to sharers when you let it out; You should include your parking space or garage in the rental deal, since this is unusual and a big draw or prospecti e tenants; The apartment should be in a block with clear responsibilities or the cleaning and maintenance o communal areas (in council blocks where some lats ha e been sold pri ately and others ha en't, there are sometimes con licts o er these issues); inally, you may want to seek guidance rom lettings agents in the area be ore you go ahead and buy, to get their iews on popular streets and how ar rom a mainline station you can be while still remaining attracti e to tenants.I you would like House Hunter's help, write to: House Hunter, The Independent, 191 Marsh Wall, London E14 9RS or e-mail: househunter independent.co.uk. There is also double glazing, gas- ired central heating, a balcony and a garage at the rear.Agent: Kinleigh olkard & Hayward, 020-8460 6066 act ileYou suggest you may want to let out your property in the uture when you go abroad. There is a modern kitchen, two double bedrooms (one with an en suite), a bathroom and a shower room.

There is a lounge/diner with wooden loors and doors on to a balcony, while the two double bedrooms each ha e itted wardrobes and one has an en suite shower room. There is also secure underground parking.Agent: Kinleigh olkard & Hayward, 020-8460 6066Property three: third- loor apartmentPrice: ?289,950Agent's details: A bright and spacious third- loor apartment, located near to Beckenham Junction. or some lats, you get the deposit, stamp duty, legal ees and some interior eatures thrown in or ree, pro iding you use the de eloper's pre erred mortgage scheme (which may not be the best- alue deal, howe er).Agent: Bryant Homes, 020-8663 6544Property two: two-bedroom second- loor latPrice: ?285,000Agent's details:This is a two-bedroom second- loor lat in an established de elopment close to Pointcentral, in act. Hometrack, a price index compiled rom estate agents' data, shows prices in Beckenham ha e risen by about 7 per cent in the past year, with a 0.5 per cent rise in August.Property one: two-bedroom apartmentsPrice: ?242,950Agent's details:These new lats with a roo top garden are in a six-storey block on a busy road close to the high street The de elopment is called Pointcentral. The centre has all o the acilities o a middle-class South-east town.There is strong demand or property in the area.

Beckenham Junction pro ides regular mainline ser ices to ictoria (only nine miles away) in 20 minutes.Beckenham itsel is green and not o er-de eloped, and much o the land outside the town is protected green belt. It is also popular with business renters since it allows rapid access to central London and the rest o the UK, or e en o erseas. The M25 is 15 miles away and there are easy links to the Gatwick Express and Eurostar.Beckenham has good connections to south-west London, with tram links to Croydon and Wimbledon. I'd like there to be a park or a ri er nearby or walking, and a quick exit to the countryside to the south or south-west o London.The ad iceHouse Hunter replies: Your ?300,000 is a good budget or south London, but the di iculty is combining proximity to ictoria with your demand or an attracti e location and speci ic requests such as parking.South London is packed with council and ex-council lats, but it seems you want to create a better image than this would allow or.There are ewer pri ate lats, but Beckenham is a good bet. At weekends, I like to get out to the countryside and I lo e walking, cycling and gliding.I want to work in London, and when I retire, I'll go into oluntary international de elopment work and let my property.I'd like to buy somewhere a maximum o 30 minutes rom ictoria, ideally a two-bedroom lat in a purpose-built block with low noise and maintenance, and secure parking or a garage or bikes and a car.My budget is ?300,000. The problem NICK BROMLEY O LONDON WRITES: I ha e a deposit and a ull-time job, but this year I' e been gazumped, had a endor withdraw, and been run ragged by agents and sellers. My job is demanding, and I'm a dad who likes to spend time with his daughter She li es south-west o London just outside the M25.