Contacting us
Our offices are currently closed to
the public following government guidance. Sadly, like a large number of
businesses across the UK, we have had to furlough a few of our staff, however,
the rest of us are continuing to work from home to provide support to our
landlords, tenants, sellers and buyers.
When contacting us, we would ask that if your
query is non-urgent that you contact us by email in the first instance wherever
possible to assist us in dealing with the most urgent matters.
Whilst our phone lines remain open as normal
Monday to Friday (as well as our 24hr emergency repairs line) we have taken the
decision to close on Saturdays on a temporary
basis.
Rent
All tenants have been contacted by email asking them to get in touch should they anticipate having any issues in paying their rent. A further email reminder has been sent today however we are in the process of contacting all of our tenants individually to assess their financial position and offer assistance where required. This task has taken longer than anticipated due to its complexity and dealing sensitively with each tenants individual circumstances. Where issues are identified we are notifying the landlords concerned.
On a positive note we have been
encouraged that the majority of tenants expect to make their rent payment as
normal.
Move ins
The latest
advice from the government is that the public should only move home if it is
absolutely necessary to do so, which has obviously made it near impossible to
let properties during this period. We have tried to adopt a proactive approach
and to this end all of our void properties are available to view virtually
either by video or by 360-degree footage. There are a few exceptions for example where the property is to be
occupied by a key worker and we are pleased to say we have managed to assist
some NHS staff. To facilitate these exceptional cases we are using electronic
signatures and key collections from a secured lock box. We are continuing to
reference prospective tenants who wish to move after the lock down period to
put our landlords in a positive position for when the market restarts.
Repairs
The latest guidance is that
only emergency repairs are able to be carried out to properties. Tenants will
continue to report repairs as normal however, we are having to defer the
majority of these until restrictions have been lifted. Where emergency repairs
are required tenants will have to confirm that they agree to having a
contractor visit the property and that neither party are exhibiting any
symptoms of COVID19.
Safety certification
The latest government guidance is that all safety certification in occupied properties should be postponed until after the restrictions are lifted. Landlords will not be penalised for this delay providing there certification was up to date at the point of restrictions being announced.
Landlords with a Property to Let
If you or
someone you know has a property to let not currently under our management we
will be delighted to offer a virtual valuation and discuss the service we offer
in more detail by phone or e-mail.