The way your property is presented will have a huge impact on the type and number of prospective tenants we attract. Historically, tenants looked for property in the local press. However, this has changed dramatically over the last 10 years and now the vast majority of tenants look for property online. Because of this, tenants can be exposed to a huge number of properties and so it is critical that we present your property in the best possible light.
The photography is obviously an enormously important part of the marketing. It is essential
that it is eye catching but representative. We want to try and give tenants a feel for what
it would be like to live in the advertised property. Our staff have attended professional
photography workshops and we have invested in top-end equipment to ensure that the
images we take care of the highest standard. We will take a variety of photographs that will
include exterior shots where appropriate; full room vistas; a mixture of micro and macro detail and any notable features.
We can also offer you an enhanced marketing package, which is produced by professional
photographers and will include a mixture of black and white and colour images as well as
elevated shots of the exterior of the property. If you are interested in this option please speak to a member of our team.
Although we maintain a database of registered tenants and will contact them regarding your property, we are keen to ensure that we generate the maximum possible interest in your property by advertising it widely. It is only in this way that we can be sure that we have put the most suitable tenant forward for your approval.
Marketing has changed hugely over the last decade and now over 95% of the tenants we find come through an internet enquiry. This is why we have invested heavily in online property portals and our own website.
It is important, however, that we attract the right tenants for your property and to do this we draw up a profile of the type of tenant that we are aiming for. This enables us to tailor the photographs and the description for that particular type of tenant. We then employ sophisticated analytical tools to monitor the click through rates for each property and if we are not generating the sort of interest that we would expect then we change the profile of the tenant we are trying to attract. We do this by rotating the photographs and changing the property descriptions. By analysing and keeping our marketing fresh we will gain more enquiries.
Online marketing will attract the vast majority of tenants but we also ensure that your property has maximum local exposure. We produce brochures for all our properties that can be downloaded from the Internet or collected from our town and city centre premises. Our window displays are studio designed to attract maximum interest.
We would always recommend having a board outside your property. Many tenants, especially ones coming in from out of the area, will drive around areas of interest looking for suitable property. They will often then come into the office or ring us from outside the property to request a viewing.
We want to attract maximum interest in your property so that we can select the best possible tenant for you. It is not enough just to advertise properties on the Internet, we have to ensure that your property is the one that stands out. We do this by employing additional enhancement tools available from the portals and we include this as part of our inclusive fee so there is no additional charge to you.
As part of our commitment to providing you with the highest level of quality marketing we include extensive photography, floor plans as well as making your property a Featured Property and Premium Listing on Rightmove. This ensures that your property is the one that stands out from the others advertised in the same area and price bracket.
Featured Property – this is an enhancement that puts your property at the top of the relevant search page and also includes larger photos and a prominent highlighted box. We will ensure your property is included in this feature on a rotational basis. 40% more people click through to the details of a property in this listing.
Premium Listing – We will make sure your property appears as a Premium Listing on Rightmove for the duration of the marketing. This will mean that your property appears in a larger, highlighted, silver box in the search results. More photos can be viewed on the search results pages and we can use an attention grabbing red sticker to further highlight your property. 35% more people view a property in this category.
Floor plans – All our properties include a detailed floor plan. This provides the tenant with an exact picture of the layout and the room sizes and is an invaluable tool for enabling them to image how they might live in the property. 30% more people click through to the details of a property that has a floor plan.
Further to all these features, we also use sophisticated analytical tools to ensure that we are getting the level of “click through” rates that we expect. If we are not, we will revisit the marketing and adjust it accordingly. We do everything we can to make sure make your property is the one that people see.
We use the services of independent suppliers in connection with the management of your property for various reasons - to meet your legal obligations; to ensure your interests are protected as far as possible; to maintain the property and to enhance the service we provide. All the suppliers we use have been handpicked by us to ensure that they meet the same operating standards that we do.
Referencing - Our New Lets Department coordinates and deals with all the administration surrounding the referencing process. However, we out-source the actual referencing process to Homelet who are the UK’s largest supplier of tenant referencing. All our tenants have to go through the most rigorous process that involves in-depth fiscal checks as well as verification of information they have provided. Where appropriate, employers and landlord references are obtained and loan and credit card balances checked. Once the tenants have passed this process they are eligible to be covered by Rent and Legal Protection Insurance.
Inventories and property visits - In the event of a dispute at the end of the tenancy regarding any monies deducted from the deposit the arbitration board will find in favour of the tenant if the inventory has not been compiled by a body independent of the landlord and agent. Our clerks are Accredited Members of the Licensed Inventory Scheme. Their inventories are extensively detailed, professionally displayed and incorporate room photos. We commission the same company to move the tenants in so that the inventories are mutually agreed and signed at the beginning of the tenancy. They also carry out the property visits and produce a report with rigorous feedback as to how the tenancy is going in addition to checking the tenant out at the end of the tenancy. In this way we ensure that your interests are fully protected.
Deposits - By law if you take a deposit from a tenant on an Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreement in England, you must protect that deposit with a government-authorised tenancy deposit protection scheme, within 30 days of receiving it. We use MyDeposits who insist that all their members have passed their financial criteria and deposit the funds in a segregated client account. We also provide tenants with the relevant prescribed information and documentation required by law.
Contractors - Our contractors have worked with us for years and understand the subtleties of working in a property with a tenant in situ. Their workmanship is excellent; they hold professional indemnity insurance and are qualified as appropriate. Because of the level of work we commission, they are totally accountable to us and we have negotiated favourable rates that we pass onto you.
Insurance - We work with a number of competitive specialist insurance companies selected by us for their customer service and their promptness in paying in the event of a claim. If you would like a quotation please ask a member of staff.
Mortgages - We work with an independent broker who has access to a huge range of Buy to let and Residential mortgages. Again we have selected them on the basis of their service and competitiveness.
We will be completely transparent with you regarding the costs that landlords face and about the service we will provide. We want this to be a simple and straightforward relationship with no surprises. We charge a fully inclusive fee and, unlike other agents, we will not surprise you with additional costs for marketing; compiling tenancy agreements; property visits or any other hidden extras. There will be some choices for you to make and some legal obligations you have to fulfill but we will advise you fully on these.
You will not have to pay any up front costs. We operate a strictly “no let no fee” policy and there is no charge to you until we have found you a tenant you are happy with and have approved.
It is important to us that our clients have complete faith in what we do. For this reason we are members of The Property Ombudsman. Although it is a legal requirement for estate agents to belong to a redress scheme it is not for letting agents. We are members because we feel that it is the best way to show our commitment to best practice and to give our clients the peace of mind that comes from their agent being regulated.
We appreciate that every landlord we deal with will have different reasons for becoming a landlord; different size property portfolios and a varying level of knowledge around the legal complexities and the ever-changing regulations surrounding the letting market. We look to work in association with our clients and deliver a service that is tailored to your requirements. We pride ourselves on having represented some of our clients for decades and know that trust and attention to detail has to be at the heart of those relationships.
Property management is a highly skilled and complex process. It requires a considerable knowledge of an ever-changing playing field keeping abreast of legislation and judicial judgements that impact on practice. We invest heavily in ensuring that our property management team holds the latest qualifications and that the organisational tools they use are “state of the art”.
At the point that you instruct us you will be appointed to one of our Property Managers who will oversee the process from beginning to end. This is to ensure continuity of service and so that you have a single point of contact. However, there will be a team of people working on your behalf from our Sales Teams, at one end of the process, through to the New Lets Department; onto your Property Manager and the Accounts Team. The whole team pulling together to bring their area of specialist knowledge and skills to ensure that your property is managed to the highest standards.
Our Sales Team will make sure they have seen your property as soon as you instruct us to market it. Seeing a property in person will mean that they can talk about it with more confidence and arrange viewings with tenants that we genuinely feel will be interested. We aim to accompany every viewing. This is a vital part of our job and will help us build up a rapport with your tenant. We are effectively vetting them from the moment we speak to them on the phone to arrange a viewing but meeting them in person will put us in a better position to advise you if we think they will be suitable tenants. You will receive feedback following every viewing within 48 hours and get an update at least once a week.
Once a suitable tenant has been found and approved by you they will have to pass a stringent referencing process. This process is dealt with by our New Lets Departments and they will liaise with you until the tenants have moved in and all the relevant paperwork has been completed.
If you would like us to fully manage your property you will have a dedicated Property Manager from our Property Management Team and the New Lets Manager will now pass seamlessly over to them. Your Property Manager is office based and is there to deal with all calls from your tenant regarding your property. We have trusted contractors that we have used for many years that will be able to react quickly to any works that are required. Unless specified by you, we would not instruct any works to be carried out unless you have authorised us. Our Property Management Team will also commission the property visits and forward the detailed reports to you for instruction. If you are using either of our management services, our Accounts Team will ensure your rents are collected and transferred into your account. They will chase any late rental payments and serve any relevant notices. Our Accounts Team will produce monthly statements showing the income and expenditure.
If you are using either of our managed services our Accounts Team would ensure your rents are collected and paid to you in arrears. They would chase any late rental payments and serve any relevant notices in the correct way. Our Accounts Team will produce monthly statements for you to view your income and expenditure and use for your end of year accounts. This team effort is seamlessly brought together by your Sales and Property Manager to bring you a service delivered by experts.
Independent agents are usually recognised for their commitment to an individual and personal approach. We recognise that our staff are our most valuable asset and do our best to create an environment where they can flourish. In this way we are able to provide you with highly motivated people who take a real pride in their work. We value industry knowledge and our teams undergo a constant programme of training and development. We are proud to have held the Investor in People award since 2005.
In the past there was a definite advantage in putting your property with a large national network of agencies, as they would achieve a greater spread of advertising through their branches. The Internet has radically changed the nature of how potential tenants search for property and given us all the ability to advertise on a global basis. We believe that landlords are best served by an established local company committed to best practice who does not exist to serve their shareholders but their customers.
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