Monthly Archives: February 2020

Property Services Administrator, Leamington Spa (Full time)

Salary up to £17,500

This is an interesting and varied opportunity to work within a family-run specialised letting and property management company.  The Letting People, based in Leamington Spa’s town centre, offers unique and innovative property investor services, and this role will be an important part of a friendly team based at the stylishly refurbished offices.

If you are the right candidate for this exciting role, you will:

Need the experience and confidence to personally arrange to visit properties to verify and update property information, including taking photos and advising on property preparation requirements.
Have the ability to liaise with clients and customers to arrange property services including routine maintenance and repairs, inventories, and energy performance certificates.
Be able to co-ordinate the handover, renewal or checkout of tenants from properties including health and safety compliance.
Be used to administration of client accounts including processing receipts and payments

The job opportunity:

The Letting People, in conjunction with The HR Dept is now looking for an organised administrator to effectively co-ordinate, prioritise and arrange the client property services.

Your Skills, Qualifications and Experience:

Previous experience within lettings/property (advantageous)
Have an excellent telephone manner, and written communication skills
Good attention to detail (proven)
Willingness and ability to learn quickly and be able to make an immediate impact to the business
Ability to listen and have a clear understanding of the client’s needs
Minimum Grade C GCSE (or equivalent) in Maths and English
Ability to work occasional Saturdays
Use of own car and a clean driving licence

Please send an email with CV and a covering letter stating why you are interested in this position to anthony@thelettingpeople.co.uk before Friday 15/5/2015

BBC Apprentice star Jo Cameron has launched her successful and exclusive business community, the Achievers Academy for Women (AAW), in Leamington Spa, with Caroline Kempster of The Letting People.

The high energy event saw more than 40 of the area’s top businesswomen gather at Leamington Spa’s Episode Hotel to meet Jo Cameron and to hear inspirational stories from women who have changed themselves and their businesses to create successful enterprises.

As the first of Jo Cameron’s 16 AAW groups across the country to launch the ‘Prime’ model, the hand-picked selection of like-minded business professionals in the Leamington Spa group will meet monthly to share and to build upon their knowledge and experience. The new group, will be led by Leamington entrepreneur Caroline Kempster, founder and marketing director of local letting specialists, The Letting People.

Speaking following the event, Jo said: “The AAW launch in Leamington was a super-charged event which saw several existing members share their personal stories. It was inspirational to hear about the incredible business journeys that they were going through and I know that their time spent at AAW, under Caroline’s leadership, will inspire them even further.”

Caroline, who will be hosting the next monthly meeting on Monday 14th April, said “I firmly believe that we can always continue to make positive changes to our personal and business lives if we have the right encouragement and expertise from the people around us.

“When I first joined AAW three years ago it was fantastic to meet women who were so passionate about their businesses. I have gained so much from the group and I know that Jo’s exclusive community of discerning business women will bring a new and positive dimension to business growth in Leamington.”

The Achievers Academy for Women now boasts 150 members across 16 groups in the UK. For more information please visit www.achieversacademyforwomen.com or call 0843 289 2839.

NLA celebrates licensing victory in Milton Keynes

The National Landlords Association (NLA) is celebrating a licensing victory and is delighted to announce that Milton Keynes City Council has abandoned plans to introduce a proposed city-wide Selective Licensing scheme.

The NLA have been leading the fight against licensing through its local landlord members, meeting with local authorities and action groups as well as launching a social media campaign. Milton Keynes Council concluded last week that the introduction of a city-wide licensing scheme would not solve the issues of poor housing standards, anti-social behaviour and low housing demand in the area.  

In a further piece of good news for landlords, the council also cut the license fee on all Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) by over half, from £800 to £300.

Richard Lambert, Chief Executive Officer at the NLA said:

“This is fantastic news for landlords in Milton Keynes and we thank all those involved in reaching this conclusion.

“Selective licensing is a powerful tool at the disposal of local authorities, but it should only be used when appropriate. The clear message from Milton Keynes is that they intend to take a more proactive stance and focus on the existing powers they have available to combat poor standards in the area, an approach the NLA has long argued is more effective.

“It’s important that the NLA represents the views of its members who saw this as the wrong move.  Nevertheless, we’re committed to working with Milton Keynes City Council to improve property standards in the area, to promote best practice and to encourage co-operation between the council, landlords and their tenants."

The Letting People was delighted to receive an invitation to join a delegation of construction-related firms to raise current issues at The Houses of Parliament.

Caroline Kempster, co-owner and Marketing Director joined delegates from across the county, with the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, as they visited Westminster.  They raised key issues with Nuneaton MP Marcus Jones, the Prime Ministers' small business ambassador for the Midlands; Stratford MP Nadhm Zahawi, a member of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills select committee; and Sajid Javid, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury.

Caroline was also delighted to have the opportunity to sit in the House of Lords and hear the 2nd reading of the Immigration Bill where she heard the live debate.  This was of particular interest as Lord Best spoke of the  "daunting" and "adverse" effects this Bill could have on the private rented sector. He highlighted some of the logistics of the Bill and particularly the effects in regard to the onerous immigration checks that landlords, and their agents, might have to carry out on their tenants and their families, if the Bill became law.  Lord Best recommended that a pilot scheme would be the best way forward to test the possible effects of the Bill.

We all know how important it is to make sure that your vehicle is prepared for winter, but what about your property? While we’re spending money on winter tyres, windscreen de-icer, and oil checks, who’s focusing on reducing condensation, insulation, or boiler maintenance?

For residents, the cold snap expected in the coming months can be problematic but for landlords who are not prepared, especially those with multiple properties, these glitches can be extremely costly; The Letting People is encouraging landlords to prepare their houses and flats as soon as possible.   

Every winter we see some landlords struggling with problems which could easily have been avoided if more thought was put into making their properties ‘winter-ready’.  It’s that old adage – prevention is better than cure.

Tenants too can often avoid problems of condensation by ensuring that wardrobes and other furnishings are kept away from cold walls, and windows are regularly opened and/or condensation is regularly wiped off surfaces or extracted.  This will ensure that all moisture is kept to a minimum inside the property from washing, cooking, and drying clothes, etc.

It’s bad enough for home-owners who experience trouble with their boiler, or find damp patches in the corners of their rooms; but for tenants, maintenance issues can take much longer as the landlord must be involved in the decision before any necessary repairs can be made.

The Letting People in Leamington Spa and in Milton Keynes works with reliable local contractors such as gas engineers, plumbers, electricians, and roofers, to help each landlord to be prepared for the winter, and to prevent future costly problems.

Putting the needed provisions in place may seem like an unnecessary expense at this time of year but when you’re trying to relax over the festive break, you’ll be pleased that you took precautions.

In recent years, the Government’s Rent a Room scheme has become more popular than ever before. The scheme, which lets landlords earn up to £4,250 a year, can provide a tax-free benefit for private landlords looking to let out a single room or an entire floor within their property.

We’ve noticed a trend towards resident landlords who continue to live in their property while letting a room, or several rooms, to a tenant or lodger. With times being as they are, money is often tight and many tenants are beginning to see the benefit of taking on an inclusive rent package such as this, which more often than not will include heating, electricity and other amenities such as Wi-Fi and TV licence.

Here at The Letting People we’ve been approached by several home-owners looking to take on a tenant with most looking to put together an inclusive package for lodgers, designed to include the cost of gas, electric, water, and other items.  It seems that both landlords and tenants get the best from this alternative living arrangement. Landlords are content in the fact that they can put a spare room to work and gain tax free income, while tenants enjoy having their landlord close by to deal with any household problems which may arise.

If you are looking to become a resident landlord, you need to consider several factors before taking on a tenant. And it’s important to take into account your needs, as well as theirs. As a live-in landlord you’ll be living in close proximity, so compatibility is essential.

It’s also a good idea to think about the communal provisions which will need to be in place. As well as utility bills, you’ll need to think about laundry facilities, parking, use of an additional television or even rules about occasional guests – for both yourself and your tenant.

We offer our landlords full referencing of their prospective tenant using an insurance company, and preparation of a specialist tenancy agreement.  For more information about becoming a resident landlord, talk to your local branch of The Letting People.

The last week was very exciting – with three prizes won at The Letting People!

The week started on a high note with Nick Holmes www.grumpychicken.co.uk/ setting up a professional photo shoot at the new offices in Regent Street, Leamington Spa. The superb new photos of all the team will soon appear in all the new publicity and promotional items – so watch this space!

Nick’s time was bid for and won by The Letting People at a fundraising auction of promises for The Willows Project www.thewillowsproject.org.uk/ which recently raised over £7,000 at the Radford Semele Community Hall. Caroline Kempster, Marketing Director attended the auction and auctioned a promise of a training session on Twitter!

The Willows Project provides horticultural, agricultural and nature-based day activities on a working organic farm a few miles from Leamington Spa. They work with a range of excluded groups and individuals, including people with mental health problems, learning disabilities, long-term illnesses, addiction recovery and disaffected young people. Through practical, land-based activity sessions they successfully help people to develop new skills, build confidence and connect with nature.

Caroline and Anthony Kempster also attended Jo Cameron’s Achievers Academy for Women (AAW) awards evening which was raising funds for The Philippine Community Fund (PFC) www.p-c-f.org/ and raised over £500 for this incredible charity aiming to end child labour. PCF’s mission is to improve the quality of life for impoverished Filipino communities, to bring stability and realisable potential through sustainable education, nutrition, health and community advocacy programmes, as well as livelihood training, regardless of religion, race or political boundaries.

Caroline was delighted to win a prize in the PCF fundraising draw of a gift voucher of golf lessons with PGA Professional Julian Mellor at the Julian Mellor Golf School in Warwick www.julianmellorgolfschool.co.uk … so watch out on the fairways of Warwick!

The week ended with a £25 premium bond prize was won by Caroline – what a wonderful week of winning!

A very smooth move is taking place at The Letting People in Leamington Spa – from Euston Place to Regent Street – with new offices being prepared to offer all visitors and staff a much improved lettings experience.  

Most aspects will remain the same – same friendly staff, same email address, and same phone numbers – but the location will be much more central to the town centre and with the new buzz of Regent Street.

Anyone visiting the Leamington Spa office in the past few weeks, might be wondering if The Letting People are still in business behind all the scaffolding! Yes, they are still trading … and will open in the new office from Tuesday 29th October.

The next few weeks will see a lot of new changes, and visitors will gain from a new area to drop off keys and pick up documents, and a new confidential room where documents can be read and meetings can take place to discuss your letting requirements.

The new office address is: 1st Floor, 113 Regent Street, Leamington Spa CV32 4NU

"Many professional tenants, on their first move away from home or student accommodation, may not have enough spare money to buy their own furnishings"

At this time of year, university students are moving into their new accommodation, and expecting to find a prescribed list of furnishings supplied by the landlord in each bedroom – bed, desk, chair, wardrobe, etc.  However, most tenancies are not as straightforward as this and landlords are often left in a dilemma as to what furnishings to provide.

The Letting People have considerable experience of advising landlords on suitable furnishings for properties, as required, to make the property let more easily to the perfect tenant. Some tenants will enjoy choosing new furniture to make a rented house into their home. They may therefore choose a particular unfurnished property because of the size of the rooms – a big enough living room to accommodate a large corner sofa, or perhaps a bedroom that will fit the king-size bed they’ve been dreaming of purchasing. 

Equally, many properties to let will be furnished and a rental decision may be based entirely on the style, period and age of the furnishings. Likewise a flat, without lift access, above the first floor is more likely to let on a furnished basis as no-one is keen to carry (or pay someone else to carry) large furnishings up lots of stairs! Another consideration will be the comfort of soft furnishings such as the bed and/or sofa provided. Some tenants will be anxious to find a home with enough clothes storage space also.

Generally, The Letting People recommend that one-bedroom flats and apartments should be furnished. This is because approximately 90% of the enquiries received for one-bedroom flats, are from tenants requiring furniture. This is frequently because single prospective tenants are looking for an alternative to hotel accommodation or just somewhere to live mid-week. Additionally many professional tenants, on their first move away from home or student accommodation, may not have enough spare money to buy their own furnishings.

Two-bedroom properties with a double and single bedroom, are usually let to single professionals or to couples, who will use the smaller room for an office or storage/dressing room. It is recommended these properties are furnished, except for the smaller bedroom.

There is probably an equal demand for furnished or unfurnished two double-bedroom properties, but a very stylishly furnished property will let more quickly and at a higher rent than its unfurnished counterpart. However, although the same unfurnished property may take longer to let – the tenancy can be for a longer term. This is because it is easier both to move into, and to move out, of a furnished property.

Larger properties of three or more bedrooms are often easier to let unfurnished. These properties are more attractive to families or older couples with their own furnishings and requirements for particular spaces such as room to work from home or for teenage children to have their own space.

The Letting People are always happy to advise property investors and landlords on how to maximise their rental income – whether by including particular furnishings or by other means! 

Following the very successful launch of the new offices in Milton Keynes, The Letting People are delighted to invite current and prospective landlords to join the VIP Founder Landlords’ Group.

In addition to the professional, specialised lettings services, this group of landlords, limited to a maximum of 20 members, will be entitled to receive a range of free benefits. Please review the branch information page for more details https://www.thelettingpeople.co.uk/portfolio/our-milton-keynes-office 

The VIP Founder Landlords’ Group will be accepting new members up to 31st August 2013, and to be eligible you should have a property to let in Milton Keynes.  (If the property is currently tenanted, you will be eligible to register with your agreement to let your property at a future date with The Letting People, Milton Keynes.)

 To find out if your property is eligible, and to register your interest, please contact The Letting People, Milton Keynes:  01908 713000 or email miltonkeynes@thelettingpeople.co.uk