The government has published new guidance for agents and landlords on how the English right to rent checks should be carried out from 17 May 2021, after the temporary measures introduced in March 2020 expire, and has dropped its requirement for retrospective checks for this period.
How should your agency target the next generation of renters? That's the question that Tara Sparrow, Sales Director at Reapit, answers, with her six top tips.
Maria Lloyd, Insurance Development Manager at Goodlord, shares some insurance insights and how those factor into the level of risk in the lettings market for landlords and agents alike in this April update.
Innovative estate and letting agency, Martyn Gerrard, stepped up its full property management offering to clients two years ago, using rent protection insurance to bolster the value of its proposition to its loyal customers. In doing so, it ensured a continuous flow of income and new business throughout the pandemic.
In 2020, the global office-based workforce changed how it operated, moving to a remote model. At the same time, the impact of climate change has moved to the front of mind for many businesses, in line with the continued importance of meeting customer expectations. So how will this affect the lettings branch of the future? Bidwells moved into a new office at the beginning of the year - and here's what went into its planning.
Hamilton Fraser's Paul Shamplina and Goodlord's Director of Insurance Oli Sherlock share their top tips for making sure landlords choose your fully managed service.
Most, if not all, tenants renting a property are referenced - and this means referencing companies have a front row spot to see market trends as they play out. Here's Liz Lloyd, Account Management Team Leader at Vouch, to share some insights.
Thornley Groves reacted quickly to set out a process to navigate any potential rent arrears with tenants during the pandemic. Here are five key steps to take, to reach the best outcome for all parties.
What could enforcement, agency costs and a potential timeline for the Regulation of Property Agents look like? Sean Hooker, Head of Redress at the Property Redress Scheme, shared his expert view at a recent Goodlord webinar.
Each region monitored by Goodlord saw a rise in the average cost of rent during March, the first time we have seen such a uniform increase across England since July 2020.
Since 30 March 2020, temporary measures for the right to rent checks in England, which traditionally take place in person, have been in place. Now, the government has published guidance on how the checks should be conducted after 16 May 2021, with retrospective, in-person checks no longer required for that period.
Topics: Compliance
A guest blog by Tara Sparrow, Sales Director at Reapit.
The Victorian phrase “as safe as houses” well surmises the security of the housing market as, whether they are buying or renting, people will always need somewhere to live. But whilst the foundations of the property market might be relatively stable, the consumers that buy-in to this market are an evolving generation. Now the next generation of renter is coming of age.
Topics: Business
Things are still uncertain in the lettings market, which is where a strong Rent Protection policy comes into play for the managed proposition of agents. Here's Maria Lloyd, Insurance Development Manager at Goodlord, to take us through some of the trends in the insurance and lettings space. Watch her video, or read on for her thoughts.
Topics: Business
“Property management is now becoming a much more integral part of our offering,” says Greg Tsuman, Lettings Director at Martyn Gerrard, an award winning estate and letting agency operating across North London. “About two years ago, 75% of our portfolio was let-only landlords - then we decided that we were going to phase out the let-only service.”
Topics: Business
"We decided that we had to future proof our methods of working," says Alex Bloxham, Partner and Head of Residential Lettings at Bidwells. "We were going to make a big investment in an office space so we needed to think about the future, and how we'll continue to work."
Topics: Business
How can you upsell landlords - new and old - from let-only to your fully-managed service? Paul Shamplina, Chief Commercial Officer at Hamilton Fraser, joined Goodlord's Oli Sherlock for a webinar discuss their own approaches. Watch the webinar on-demand or read on for their top tips.
Topics: Business
In 2020, the lettings market was reeling from the closure of branches and restrictions that only allowed essential moves to take place. Many agents scrambled to set up virtual viewings and move their traditionally office-based processes to a remote working set up. Now, both agents and tenants are taking lockdown in their stride. While the first one saw limited tenant movement, the market's now busier than ever - with new and interesting trends emerging.
Topics: Business
When the government started to outline its plans for protecting tenants during the pandemic, Lucy Hobson, Assistant Account Manager at Thornley Groves, ensured she was up to date on the latest legislation and what solutions were available to help all parties in the event of any rental arrears - from having a simple conversation to putting a strong Rent Protection Insurance policy in place.
Topics: Business
The Regulation of Property Agents (RoPA) has been a long time coming, with the working group report published back in July 2019. Many agents are already starting to prepare by gaining level 3 qualifications and above, as is the expected requirement once the law is enacted - but there are still some questions left unanswered. Sean Hooker, Head of Redress at the Property Redress Scheme, answered some of those questions in our webinar, "Preparing for the Regulation of Property Agents (RoPA)".
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Topics: Compliance
The latest Goodlord Rental Index shows a buoyant lettings market in March. Tenant incomes rose across England, with rents increasing alongside. The average void period also stayed steady month on month.
Topics: Data
