"I think that our productivity has actually gone up," says Matthew Wilkinson on his agency's move to remote working. "If you are having to progress a deal or deal with a property management issue, there are fewer distractions without the office phone ringing all the time."

"Technology in lettings processes will start to become a necessity, especially when you have such quick turnarounds, from offering a property to move in," says Robbie Hearn, Lettings Manager at Bonners & Babingtons. "Digital signing, for example, is going to be a must."

The current pandemic has been an unprecedented period in our country’s history and everyone has faced hardship and sacrifice in their daily lives and many face an uncertain future without security and in fear. Whilst every sector faces challenges, the private rented sector is one that is particularly vulnerable at the moment. The number of people who rely on renting privately is around 23% of the population - not just single people and students, but hardworking families up and down the country.

Much of the new legislation relevant to the rental and property sector that was set out during the pandemic will end in the coming months. Here's a breakdown of the key legislative dates that estate and letting agents need to know in England, Scotland and Wales.

The recent increase in UK cyber crime as businesses relied more heavily on digital solutions during the pandemic emphasises that letting and estate agents should be aware of how they can bolster their security systems, to make sure they keep their tenants' and landlords' information safe. Technologies such as open banking can play a part - so here's an open banking fact sheet for your tenants, to encourage them to opt in where relevant. 

This month, we're going to cover some stats from our Rental Index and take a mini deep-dive into how the Rent Protection landscape has changed quite dramatically in recent years, plus we've got a couple of big industry updates - all of which you can read or watch below.

Creating an agile agency is all about taking a team-centred approach. You should trust your staff to work with autonomy towards a shared goal - normally a focus on bringing the right value to customers. Businesses that embrace this model introduce efficiencies across the board, which the Boston Consulting Group's research shows can mean a 25 to 35 percent reduction in costs, and an increase in customer satisfaction of 10 to 20 percent.

General Insurance provider Paymentshield and referencing firm Goodlord have signed a partnership agreement for a further five years following a successful partnership which started in 2016.

"We're always looking for new, innovative ways to stay ahead of the market," says Dawn Clarke, Lettings Director at Nock Deighton. "The main reason for our success is never standing still." Being on the lookout for new opportunities led the agency to realise a lack of investor-specific information for the large pool of property investors in Shropshire - and it reacted quickly to give the market what it wanted.

New approaches to lead generation, increasing your managed fees, and adding a VIP category to your service offerings are just some of the ways that letting agencies could increase their profits, said Agent Rainmaker’s Sally Lawson, CEO and Founder, and Kate Gregory, Chief Customer Officer, in a Goodlord webinar. Here are six ways they suggest letting agents could improve their bottom line.