New Year's Wish List: A cosier home and a housekeeper who replies instantly on WhatsApp

January, with temperatures still hovering in single digits across Britain.

At this time of year, international students typically fall into two camps:

One group posts meticulously curated Winter Wonderland snaps on Instagram;

The other, currently curled up in bed, silently makes two unassuming New Year's wishes to landlords who only reply with automated emails:

• I wish for a home without leaky windows.
• I wish for a housekeeper who replies to my WhatsApp messages.

If you find these wishes ‘too humble,’ you've clearly never endured the harsh winter in Britain.

01 /

There's a kind of cold called ‘your British landlord doesn't believe you're cold’

(The nightmare of single glazing)

Renting in Britain comes with a particular agony called EPC (Energy Performance Certificate).

Many students, chasing that elusive ‘British vintage charm,’ rent century-old Victorian terraces upon arrival.

Only to discover in January that those beautiful timber-framed windows are all single-glazed.

• Physical sensation: At night, you can feel the cold wind slicing through the window gaps like knives. Even with the heating on full blast, the warmth vanishes into a bottomless pit, leaving you bundled in a down jacket indoors.
• Visual: Waking to find condensation plastered across the windows, with black mould spots quietly spreading in the corners beneath the windowsills.
• Auditory: Sound insulation is virtually non-existent. Ambulance sirens and drunken brawls in the street at midnight feel like a live broadcast right beside your ear.

When you try to complain to the landlord about the cold, you'll often get nothing more than a quintessentially British shrug:

‘Oh darling, this is London. Put on a jumper.’

02 /

A kind of despair called ‘Please send an email’

(On the art of waiting for heating repairs)

Worse than the cold is when the heating breaks down in the cold.

If your landlord is a typical unconcerned British landlord or your property is managed by an inefficient large chain agency...

Then getting the heating fixed becomes a long-term endeavour:

• Day 1: The boiler breaks down. You email to report it.
• Day 3: Receive an automated reply: ‘We've received your request and are arranging a Contractor.’
• Day 7: Still no one has come. You call them. They say: ‘The Engineer is busy. Earliest available is next Tuesday.’
• Day 14: The repairman finally arrives, glances at it, says ‘Need a part, have to order it,’ then leaves.

During these two weeks of waiting, you endure not only the cold but also a profound sense of helplessness from being ignored.

Every nudge you send feels like a stone sinking into the sea.

In their work logic, unless the house is collapsing, it's not considered an emergency.

03 /

2026: Saying No to “Survival in the Wilderness”

(How UKmate's “Full Management” Service Pampered Its Tenants)

We often say that true British living should be elegant, not a torment.

At UKmate, we dare promise tenants a “warm winter” because we've made two crucial choices.

First: Our landlords are more willing to invest

This is a major feature: over 60% of the premium properties on the UKmate platform come from overseas clients (primarily Asian buyers).

This category of landlords (Asian owners purchasing in London/Reading/Southampton) has a distinct characteristic: newer properties and a willingness to invest.

• They mostly purchase modern flats delivered in recent years or fully refurbished houses.
• Double glazing is standard, with Energy Performance Certificates typically rated C or above.
• Unlike some older landlords who merely patch things up, they replace boilers when needed and insulate thoroughly. The result? Your home stays genuinely warm.

Second: Our property managers excel at instant responses

We understand that for international students, ‘unreachable contacts’ create a major security vacuum. That's why UKmate ditches the traditional British ‘Email Tennis’ approach:

✅ Fully Chinese-language communication: No need to consult dictionaries for emails – contact your manager directly via WhatsApp.

✅ Lightning-fast response: Our bilingual team is based locally. Boiler broken? No hot water? We categorise it immediately (highest priority: Urgent).

✅ No buck-passing: Our fully managed mode means we hold decision-making authority. No need for layers of reporting to landlords for approval – for any reasonable repairs, we dispatch someone to fix it first.

This new year, don't let your student life be drained battling cold draughts or haggling with landlords.

Home should be your sanctuary

– warm as spring when you open the door after pulling an all-nighter writing papers in the library, with hot water flowing freely and someone there to answer.

If you've had enough of:

❌ Draughty windows and mouldy corners

❌ Estate agent emails perpetually showing ‘Out of Office’

❌ Maintenance updates stuck on ‘Please wait’

Then welcome to UKmate. Here you'll find Asian landlords who understand your needs, and a concierge who's always ‘online’.

👇 Open WhatsApp to consult a UKmate advisor

WhatsApp: +86 15992727555