Going Into 2014...

Barbers specialist residential letting and property management department, headed up by Richard Heath has earned a well deserved reputation for providing a thorough, reliable and professional service.

Richard started  Barbers lettings department in the mid 1990’s and since then the business has grown from collecting rent on twenty properties to managing well over eight hundred properties with a dedicated team of twenty three staff occupying various roles in assisting in the arrangement of new and existing tenancies.

Richard Commented “Barbers promotion of properties “To Let” is unrivalled in the area and covers the whole of our network of five offices in prime locations within Shropshire. This coverage of the market place provides a unique exposure, greatly benefiting landlords and tenants alike.”

Richard added “We have an extensive knowledge of the local area and a strong reputation for excellent customer service, our professionally trained and helpful staff are there to help with all aspects of the letting and management process. One of the main aspects of our growth has been the recommendations and referrals from our clients”

Going forward into 2014 Richard stated that Barbers plan for all the staff working within the department is to have a recognised industry qualification.  Already over half the staff have passed the National Federation of Property Professionals ( NFOPP ) Technical award in Residential Letting and Property Management. As members of the Association of Residential letting Agents we are a Licensed Agent so landlords and tenants will know that their tenancy is handled safely and professionally, the deposit and rent will be protected as we have client money protection, we hold professional indemnity insurance and are members of the property ombudsman scheme which offers a complaints procedure, in all giving peace of mind to landlords and tenants.

In The UK, one in every six properties is now let in the private rental sector, there is a huge need to regulate the lettings industry and with a number of new regulations set to be introduced during 2014. We welcome these changes and during the past few months we have introduced a number of new features to our department with a tenants handbook for all managed properties, which is a comprehensive manual for tenants to refer to regarding most aspects of renting a property, ensuring that they understand their obligations and how to manage different situations. We also produce a monthly newsletter to our clients and in 2014 we will be offering a rent guarantee scheme to all our managed landlords

Mike Arthan Barbers managing director commented, “We are in a very strong position because every year has been a record year for us since we started the lettings department, 2013 has been no exception with demand for two and three bedroom homes continuing to outstrip supply with larger properties also seeing higher levels of tenant demand. We have had instances this year where three or four families were after one property which inevitably leads to a higher rental return!”

The lettings market is incredibly fast paced, and tenants must act quickly when they find a property they like. Richard went on to say that “for investors with available capital, now is good time to enter the buy-to-let market. There are some exceptional deals around on properties in prime rental areas. Rental values remain steady and with demand outstripping supply, there is potential for generating good yields if you invest wisely. We have had a number of clients this year who have invested in property with gross yields of 6% and informed investment purchase advice is available from Barbers market leading property sales offices.

Tenants are also keen to know they are renting from a landlord who won’t be selling six months into their tenancy which would require them to move on, they are seeking more security and for most investment landlords this is good news as the average time tenants are staying in our managed properties is now just short of two years, having one tenant over a five year period is obviously better that half a dozen tenants.

If you have a vacant property you are thinking of renting or thinking of buying to let please call Barbers Lettings whose knowledgeable staff would be only too happy to go through the lettings procedures in detail with you.