1. Create Specific Areas

An effective way to transform your outdoor space is to create specific areas within your available area. Creating a seating area with screens, a bedding area with planters and adding hanging baskets further down your garden will create real depth as well as encouraging the use of these spaces. If you have less space available, think about using furniture which can be also be used as storage as well as items which can be folded away or stacked.

2. Lighting

Investing in lighting for your outdoor area will not only make it more attractive when the evenings set in, it will also encourage you to embrace the outdoors even when it is a little darker. Solar lighting is an affordable, effective and fuss-free way to add some ambience to your garden, patio, balcony or outdoor space – solar nets are particularly effective as the lights can be weaved through a trellis or on a fence.

3. Pots and Planters

If your outdoor space is a small patio or balcony area then using pots and planters is a great way to add some fresh flowers and foliage, making your space much more inviting. If your property is rented, then pots and planters are also really useful as you can take them with you when you move to a new property and you do not need to dig up a garden which could cause potential disputes. If you have more space available, add some hanging baskets to create different levels of interest across your garden.

4. Accessories

Although investing in soft furnishings and accessories can be a more pricey way to refresh your outdoor space, because the items are intended for outdoor use they tend to last longer and so can be a worthwhile investment. Bright pops of colour can be added to any size of space with cushions, beanbags, throws and adding candles to table areas will take your outdoor space to the next level.

5. Planting

Very few things will bring the outdoors to life as much as fresh plants and flowers – over the span of summer they also work out to being fairly inexpensive. Lavender is a particularly good option due to its hard-wearing nature and the gentle scent that is emitted. You can also purchase bedding packs of plants from most supermarkets and DIY stores, making them easy to find and inexpensive.

In one of the biggest changes to the property market for some time, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has introduced a stamp duty holiday which is now in place and runs up until 31^st March 2021. This £4bn stimulus to the property market has been launched with a single purpose – to stimulate the market and encourage potential buyers onto the property ladder. 

"The average stamp duty bill will fall by £4,500 and nearly nine out of 10 people buying a main home this year will pay no stamp duty at all," said Sunak in his summer statement. 

For first-time buyers and existing homeowners, stamp duty rates are now as follows; 

For those who are buying a second home, or increasing their portfolio, stamp duty rates are now as follows;

The stamp duty holiday has been analysed by the TaxPayers’ Alliance, which estimates that the change could encourage 216,000 home moves. 

John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "Stamp duty is a terrible tax and this measure will help get Britain moving again, potentially unlocking hundreds of thousands of new moves. 

“The tax gums up the housing market and locks down homeowners, at a time when many more people are ready to move. We estimate this tax cut could have an impressive effect on the housing market this year." 

"The scale of these benefits show that the chancellor would be crazy to stop there. Raising the threshold further, or preferably just abolishing the tax completely, would build in huge benefits for homebuyers, productivity and the economy as a whole.”

For those seeking foreign climates, there are now approved lists of countries which no longer require self-isolation upon arrival back in the United Kingdom. The approved lists are different for those in Scotland, with the Scottish government still requiring people travelling from Spain to quarantine, whereas England, Wales and Northern Ireland do not. Guidance is universal in warnings against journeys on cruise ships, due to the difficulty in social distancing and previous outbreaks being so virulent.

Should you choose to travel to one of the Foreign Office’s approved countries, travel cover should be taken out as per your normal process, however while most policies will cover treatment for illness and injury whilst you are abroad, not all will include coronavirus-related claims. Policies are now coming to the market which have specific coronavirus clauses for treatment or repatriation, therefore you may need to take out a separate policy or increase your standard policy in order to be covered in case of coronavirus.