Big Energy Saving Week!

Last week the National Landlord Association pledged their support for Big Energy Saving Week, by helping Landlords to work with their tenants in reducing energy bills and costs. The Association advised that 43% of people worry that they cannot afford their next fuel bill, and as winter looms the fear of fuel poverty grows. In their official press release the National Landlords Association stated: 

"The NLA urges landlords to work with their tenants to ensure they are using the most competitive energy tariff for their consumption; switching suppliers could save tenants hundreds of pounds per year"  

This statement advises that just a change in energy supplier could make a massive difference for UK tenants. We agree with this concept and hope that many Landlord's took the advice from the NLA in their stride and have helped tenants reduce their bills before the Winter months truly set in. 

Although changing energy supplier can offer an immediate solution for lower energy bills, the use of the Government's Green Deal Initiative will solve the problem of high energy bills in the long run. In implementing ecological changes into your property you will not only improve its' environmental standard, you will also ensure lower energy bills indefinitely. 

If you need any help or advice in comparing the best energy companies or regarding the Green Deal Initiative please do not hesitate to contact us directly for advice! We have years of experience in managing properties and tenants and always ensure we are available for any potential problems or issues. 

What did you do to support Big Energy Saving week? Get in touch at info@bristolpropertycentre.co.uk we would love to hear stories of your sustainable support! 

We support Bristol City Council:

A recent survey by LettingFocus.com highlights how there is little information made available by London Council’s for both tenants and Landlords in the private rented sector. LettingFocus.com specifically advise that they found almost a total lack of information for necessary subjects such as letting agency fees, charges to tenants and other legal issues. The report suggests that this basically is not good enough as the private rented sector stands for 25% of all housing throughout London.

At Bristol Property Centre we compared this report with local councils across the South West. The work of Bristol City Council in particular is fantastic for the private rented sector. The website not only offers dedicated pages to private landlords, but also issues a magazine entitled “Landlord News” to provide local landlords with up to date information within the rented sector, including ideas and comments from local letting agents. 

At Bristol Property Centre we are supportive of the council’s work for Private Landlords and offer our services to local authorities if they have any questions regarding the current private rental market across the south west. We also welcome any questions from Landlords within the region and will always aim to do our best to help.

A Divided Market:

According to the most recent report revealed by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, property sales will increase by the end of 2012 as house prices will continue to fall. 

The report advises that the increase of loans from banks and building societies together with better mortgage rates will ensure a necessary lift in the property market. However, as money starts to exchange hands on a consistent basis, it seems first time buyers, landlords and those eager to move will benefit from consistently low property prices. The same report advises that although the increase in available mortgages will help to get the property market moving, it will be the vendors who are forced to compromise as they have no choice but to sell in a buyers market. 

However, what is most interesting about this report, is that it also advises London and commuter towns are unaffected by this slump in property prices, as in such areas prices continue to increase. In an area high in demand it is clear that the property market has returned to its' state as a seller's market. A market where the vendor is able to let their house go for a reasonable price where they may have even made a profit.

It seems that this recent report by RICS not only shows a sheer divide in the property market between different areas of the UK, but also aims to suggest that the property market will improve through the developments in lending banks and building societies. Like many other industry related professionals, we at BPC have observed movements and changes in the property market with baited breath. We hope that this development will ensure a positive change for the property market.. for both buyers and vendors. 

Rain rain go away...

Over recent weeks Britain has been subjected to days of relentless rain, which has consequently resulted in flooding through many areas. For many, this involved being evicted from their housing until further notice. The impact of flooding for properties is devastating, not only for the bricks and mortar but also, and more obviously, for the tenants or homeowners. 

Through our years of experience we have found that many tenants have not bought contents insurance and in turn have regretted it some time later. There will most likely be several tenants who are unfortunately affected by the floods, and are in this very category. We strongly advise all tenants to buy contents insurance to not only cover themselves in rare situations as this, but also for times of loss, accidental damage, change of locks in the event of losing your keys, and access to 24 hour maintenance professionals. 

At Bristol Property Centre we aim to provide excellent customer care for our tenants and our landlords. If you have any questions regarding contents insurance or require advice on the best insurance providers please do not hesitate to contact us directly at info@bristolpropertycentre.co.uk

Fee Guarantee Scheme

A lot of estate agents issue hefty fees for landlords to promote rental properties to the market. As the rental market soars, we at Bristol Property Centre see little point in issuing extortionate fees for Landlords to use our services. Our aim is to help Landlords fill empty properties, and where required offer our full property management services. We work on the retainer that if our services excel expectations Bristol Property Centre will continue to succeed, and Landlords will continue to trust us with their properties.

Our main ethos is our fee guarantee scheme, where we simply will not be beaten on fee. With this scheme we will ensure all landlords receive our services at a cheaper rate than any of our competitors. We also work on a “no let no fee” basis assuring Landlords that they will not have to pay mass charges with little result.

We offer our landlords two main service options, a fully managed service or a Let only Service. For both services landlords will receive: Your property advertised on national websites, eye catching to let board, accompanied viewings 7 days a week and evening viewings. Your tenants will be fully referenced. To fully manage your property we will then look after your tenants and the day to day running of the property. For the Let only service, the day to day running of the property will remain your responsibility. For both services we always aim to meet your specifications and where needs be, we will tailor our work to meet your requirements. For further information please do not hesitate to get in touch!