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Many landlords will have met Beverley Jeavons, our viewings advisor, as she whizzes from viewing to viewing sourcing the best tenants for each landlord’s property. However, few people will know of her hidden talents and qualifications as an interior designer…. and master furniture re-arranger!

Nonetheless, Beverley has been known to go ‘beyond the call of duty’ with furniture re-arrangements, dead plant removals, and carefully placed bowls of fruit and fluffy towels.

We recently heard that she not only moved all the sitting room furniture around, but also found some designer carrier bags (all empty unfortunately) at the back of a wardrobe and decided to re-arrange them in strategic points throughout a house we were trying to let – a creative ploy to help find a tenant that would aspire to the Christian Dior, Gucci and Harrods lifestyle.

And it worked because the next viewing through the front door was suitably impressed, and decided to apply for the property straight away!

Since then, the tenants have continued to improve the property, liaising with the landlord to supply and wallpaper all the hall, stairs and landing, and painting upmarket colours throughout.

Looks like Beverley’s designer touch is infectious!
 

With the landlord’s permission and the help of our local trade contractors we carry out many property Makeover services – including sourcing great bargains on fixtures, fittings, and furnishings. The Makeover service may include:

• Updating decorating with modern paint colours and with feature wallpapers
•  New flooring with carpets, linos, and wood laminates
•  New plumbing – replacing showers, taps and kitchen and bathroom fittings
•  New electrical fittings to ensure the sub-tenant’s safety
• Replacing curtains/curtain poles, and light fittings and shades with contemporary colours and fittings
• Replacing furnishings with good quality new or ‘pre-loved’ items
• Sourcing upmarket lamps, cushions, throws, prints, pictures, and mirrors to complement different property styles and to encourage the sub-tenant to feel at home
• Replacing or removing old fences, greenhouses and sheds and tidying up neglected gardens
• Cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning!

To complement the Makeover, we introduced our unique ‘Fee Free’ service in 2011.

It means The Letting People agree to become the tenant of a property (and thereby take on all of the responsibilities of the tenancy) on a 2-3 year tenancy agreement with the landlord’s permission to sub-let*.

The ‘Fee Free’ service is proving to be very popular and the benefits to the landlord are:

• An agreed start date and guaranteed rent paid on the 1st day of every month for a 2 or 3 year term – thus avoiding void periods over the agreed fixed term
• No letting fees as The Letting People are the tenant
• No deposit claims to worry about – The Letting People arrange inventories and check-outs at their expense, and make deposit claims with the sub-tenant as necessary
• The property is returned to the landlord in a re-lettable, and usually an improved condition (thanks to a makeover) at the end of the 2-3 year term, or an agreement to renew the tenancy is made

To find out more about the ‘Fee Free’ or Makeover services please contact us to make appointment for us to assess your property.

                     Before   ……………….. and ……………………..  After

*Currently available on most local properties with a rental value assessed at less than £700pcm.
 

Exciting News! New franchise branch opening shortly. The Letting People are delighted to be working on a new franchise branch opening,  which is expected to be in June 2013. Further details will be announced soon……..

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.

Celebration of The Property Woman Award 2012 Nomination

The Letting People are delighted to announce that their Marketing Director, Caroline Kempster, has been nominated for the National Landlords Association Letting Agent Property Woman Award 2012.  This award is for an inspirational woman operating within a lettings agency.  

Since becoming a landlord herself, and setting up the business in 2002, Caroline has been at the forefront of creating a marketing-led business and a strong brand that has always recognised that a letting agency is definitely a ‘people’ business – and hence the name, 'The Letting People'. 

Caroline says: 
“I am very proud to have been nominated for this award by a long term landlord, and I hope that these awards will encourage more women into a very interesting, rewarding and professional career.  The Letting People has gone from strength to strength because of the support and encouragement of our long term staff and landlords, and of our freelance colleagues.

We started The Letting People as an alternative to the traditional estate agency as we wanted to provide a specialised, professional, and local service to our clients.  From the beginning I believed in building up long term relationships with our landlords over many years, rather than just being in the business of selling a property and then moving on to the next one.  

I am very concerned that in recent years lettings has become seen as just an add-on business to most estate agencies.  It seems that very few of these businesses are investing their time and effort to understand all the legalities of lettings, or to addressing the real concerns of their landlords and tenants.”

Caroline enjoys creating new marketing ideas for individual properties and for the business (including radio commercials, videos, and social media) and has also enjoyed creating a joint promotion with the local hospice where she works voluntarily.

Last year The Letting People became a franchise business, and Caroline now looks forward to  working with inspirational franchise partners throughout England.  In future years she is optimistic about helping them to breathe new and professional life into the private-rental sector.
 

The Letting People, Milton Keynes celebrated its opening with a successful launch attended by a host of well-known local business professionals including Milton Keynes Council Leader, Andrew Geary. 

Attended by more than 50 invited guests, the launch of The Letting People, held at the agency’s High Street premises in Stony Stratford, introduced the new organisation to potential landlords, tenants and a range of local faces. 

The evening also saw Council Leader Andrew Greary, and David Morris of NatWest Business Banking and Stony Stratford Business Association, deliver speeches on small businesses and the importance of supporting those working in the local community.

Operated by local businessmen Michael Lomax and Philip Rayner, The Letting People specialises in residential lettings and property management. 

Michael said: “We’re extremely pleased with how successful the launch event proved to be; it was great to see so many people turn up to hear more about what we have to offer.  

“Philip and I come from very different backgrounds and were looking for a business venture which would suit both of our skill sets. Philip had a long career in the construction industry, while my experience lies in marketing and design. We researched The Letting People and agreed that it was a perfect fit.”

Established in Leamington Spa in 2002, The Letting People has recently franchised the business which focuses on helping landlords find the perfect tenant, and tenants find the right property – without the hassle.

Caroline Kempster, founder of The Letting People, added: “We’re an agency with a difference because we’re passionate about keeping our systems as uncomplicated as possible while still providing a professional, personal and trustworthy service.

“Michael and Philip have a great deal of experience in their relevant fields and I’m sure they will be the perfect people to introduce The Letting People to Milton Keynes.” 

The Letting People has also shown its support for other organisations in the area, auctioning a bottle of House of Commons wine signed by Prime Minister David Cameron to raise money for local charity, Willen Hospice. The prize, donated by MP for South Milton Keynes Iain Stewart, combined with raffle prizes donated by other local businesses, raised more than £200.

For more information, please call 01908 713 000 or visit Telegraph House, 54 High Street, Stony Stratford, Milton Keynes MK19 1AQ.

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                                            

With the phenomenal growth in demand for rented property, the UK market is now ripe for specialist and professional residential letting agents to start up new businesses.  This continued demand has also been the motivational force behind setting up The Letting People’s new franchise investment opportunity – the first franchised letting agency to be founded in Coventry & Warwickshire!

From the company’s beginnings, the philosophy of this specialist, independent letting agent was to address the main concerns of each client, save the clients’ time, and increase their income, by providing individual and creative property letting solutions.

Founded in 2002, in Leamington Spa, by Anthony and Caroline Kempster, the business steadily grew to become a successful family business with multiple-company efficiency.  Now celebrating over 10 years in business, they are looking to share their success with like-minded people with an interest in the property business.

During a year-long feasibility study, Anthony and Caroline worked closely with British Franchise Association (BFA) accredited franchise experts to further develop the business model.  This ensures that each new franchise branch will be profitable quickly, and benefit from the professional business plan, marketing strategy, and training programme. 
Anthony Kempster said “We decided to franchise The Letting People because we will enjoy supporting and encouraging our franchise partners to set up in business.  With a memorable brand name, tried and tested new technology, an advanced website, and low start-up costs for quicker profitability, we know that our business has a sound and winning formula.”

Franchise partners will also benefit from having their own exclusive territory, working with very sincere and straightforward people with strong business-building and promotional flair, and from conscientious training, and daily support. 

Caroline Kempster said “As the name says, this is a brand which will appeal to franchise business partners who want run a ‘people’ business and to operate with a different approach to many letting agents.  We work hard to find and retain a long-standing team of professional and specialist staff, savvy property investors and landlords, and reliable contractors.  We now know that this business model can be replicated both cost-effectively and easily.”

Anthony and Caroline are now looking for the right type of person to start up the next The Letting People branch – no experience is necessary, but you must be energetic, a good communicator, adaptable to the unexpected and able to deal with all types of people, ambitious, and willing to learn…..Is this for you?

For more information click on our Franchise page on the website and fill in the enquiry form, or call our office on 01926 882555.

Property investors and landlords in the Leamington Spa, Warwick and Kenilworth area can also ask for property business advice such as:
*Residential buy-to-let property investment advice
*Property refurbishment, upgrades and makeovers with project management
*How to increase rental income potential
*Property marketing
*New tenancy negotiation
*Franchising
 

"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! 

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