Inventoryclerk.com recognised as TOP 10 Supplier at the prestigious ESTAS - The Estate & Letting Agent Awards 2011

 

Inventoryclerk.com have been short-listed as a TOP 10 supplier in the first Supplier of the Year Award at the ESTAS in recognition of their excellent customer service as voted for by their clients during the course of 2010.

 The award was announced by Phil Spencer, presenter of Channel 4’s Location, Location. Location property programme at a lavish luncheon & ceremony at the Hilton Park Lane London attended by 500 of the UK’s top estate and letting agents. 

 Phil Spencer said “The ESTAS are the most important and valuable awards in our industry.  An ESTA is not an easy accolade to pick up, to win one requires a lot of hard work, over a very long period of time.”

 Simon Brown MD at the ESTAS explains “ESTA agents nominated their favourite suppliers.  The TOP 10 suppliers to the industry were then rated by agents from around the country.  ESTA agents believe passionately in providing the highest quality customer service.  They are prepared to go that extra mile, prepared to take criticism as well as praise and prepared to invest and develop their businesses accordingly. Shortlisted suppliers are no different.  We hope the data we provide all supplier firms who have taken part gives some valuable feedback from agents that can help them develop their services accordingly”.

 The ESTAS are sponsored by ZOOPLA, the property search website.  Nick Leeming, Director said “It is important that we understand what the public think of the service which we provide them with and that is what the ESTAs are all about. ESTA agents have a common desire to know how the public rate their businesses and develop and adapt accordingly. ZOOPLA shares that ethos and that’s why we’re delighted to be the headline sponsor for the ESTAS”.

 The national scheme is backed by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). 

David Dalby, Residential Director at RICS, said “This is the sixth year that RICS have been involved with the awards, which we support because the results are based solely on customer satisfaction rather than the opinions of a judging panel.  To win an ESTA, a firm has to demonstrate a consistently high level of service and, to achieve this, they must ensure that staff follow those standards of efficiency, good communication and transparency that differentiate the exceptional agent from the ordinary one.”

 Other organisations who support the ESTAS include;

 HomeLet

John Boyle, Managing Director said “‘I’d like to congratulate the winners and all the businesses that were shortlisted. It’s a real honour for everyone who has been involved with the awards not just because of the fierce competition, but because the awards were judged by customers who’ve experienced their service first hand. I’m delighted that HomeLet have had the opportunity to be associated with the awards, which have once again proven to be a real highlight for the industry.’

Rayner Recruitment
Joshua Rayner, Managing Director said “We are delighted and honoured to support the awards. Rayner recruitment shares the same values in that we offer a simple, transparent service which offers excellent value for money to our clients.  Our clients strive to recruit the talent needed for their business growth. We aim to provide a both cost efficient way of recruiting as well as a Head Hunting prestige service for key performers.”

 Moneypenny

Director, Joanna Swash, explains “Agents who use our service provide outstanding levels of service for their customers, gaining a competitive advantage in the local market place.  For this reason, we are delighted to be associated with such a highly-regarded scheme as the ESTAS, and congratulate all the shortlisted and winning agents.”

 The ESTAS are organised by Awards for Business www.theestas.com 
Agents can sign up for the 2012 now at www.theestas.com/agent-sign-up/

Thanks to the latest in technology there are now a number of products appearing which promise to make inventory taking easy, even paperless.

We're not sure, not because we're wedded to paper, but because we've not yet found an adequate system to replace a hard copy inventory. However we're working on it.

The problem is - we hear, that many think the latest gadget is best, often with a view that such technology is quicker and more economical. If it was, guaranteed, we'd be using it. We've tried a number of systems from touch screen laptops to android apps and nothing yet is quick or detailed enough for us.

As the largest inventory clerk group in the UK, we get to see all manner of properties, tenancies, inventories and checkouts, more than any other single group we believe. And yet there's nothing to date that beats a highly-detailed document which a tenant can agree to, and with any amendments where needed - no matter what system is used.

The question is - whatever format we use - will our documentation satisfy the adjudication service? That's what counts, if no claim or argument between landlord and tenant, then whatever system used, it won't matter. It really only matters when either party cannot agree to the others argument and an arbiter is required to decide.

So we invite comment, is there something we should be looking at?

That’s a dramatic headline we know and it does not indicate that renting a property statistically carries health warnings. However since the introduction of our HHSRS awareness, we have notched up some interesting numbers.

In March, the first month following our training to recognise anything within a property which may give rise to housing health and safety concerns, we completed a little over 1000 inspections and reports of which 16% included an advisory note relating to at least one element of a property which we classed as a HHSRS violation. This means that the inventory clerk identified at least one hazard within the property which might need attention.

As a word of caution, this does not mean that 16% of properties inspected were dangerous; it did mean however that there was at least one mention of a property’s make-up which could be rated as a category 1 or category 2 hazard, and if a category 1 hazard, then in turn this could mean the need for immediate action.

We are now just over a week into our second month and of 318 inspections the percentage is running at 15%, which is 49 inspections and reports listing again at least one hazard in those properties.

Now most reports will note innocuous concerns, these mainly falling within the category 2 domain, however there are some which carry category 1 hazards and on the odd occasion there are multi-category 1 and 2 hazards.

What’s the point of all of this? In our case it is to advise landlords of potential enforcement orders against them should councils on inspection issue enforcement orders at £300.00 a time.

Our view is that as we are already inspecting properties, and in great detail, we might as well give landlords and their agents the heads-up should we see something of concern. It does not mean that landlords should run out and create repairs or alter properties, unless they feel it’s in theirs and their tenant’s interest.

For further information about this subject please read some of the previous blogs with links to in-depth explanations of the HHSRS.

We were interested today to read 2 articles in the ‘Letting Agent
Today’ publication, one on the percentage of failed landlord claims as
per the DPS and secondly a piece referring to comments made by Alex
Britchfield, a Deputy Independent Case Examiner for TDS.

The first indicates that of the DPS adjudications within a time period
since 2007, the large proportion (41.5%) found wholly in favour of the
tenant and just 19.1% wholly in favour of the landlord or letting
agent, with 39.4% resulting in a split award.

On these figures, no wonder many people say that landlords are
discriminated against in favour of tenants.

The second piece highlighted that all new tenancies should be subject
to an up-to-date inventory. “An inventory is a landlords’ opportunity
to demonstrate the condition of a property at the start of tenancy.
Out of date inventories, or those lacking sufficient detail, lead to
difficulties in quantifying any change in condition and therefore the
likely success of a future claim” says Alex Britchfield in the
article.

In both articles it became clear that adjudicators need help in making
viable and fair apportionment of tenant’s deposits, and as indicated
in past blogs, the less appropriate or inadequate material an
adjudicator has at hand, the more likely they will rule in favour of a
tenant. In our view, they have little choice.

To qualify this we ourselves recently had a classic example where a
tenant objected to all 129 dilapidations on a checkout report.

The checkout was completed against an inventory with ample evidence of
condition and contents within a newly built and newly furnished 2
bedroom flat.

The inventory was acknowledged as good by the adjudicator with each
item adequately identified with corresponding photographic support.
The problem came about with the checkout.

The adjudicator awarded an approximate 60/40 split of the deposit in
favour of the tenant. The reason in his summary was simple. He said
that because there was a 100% tenant objection to all listed
dilapidations he was obliged to investigate each one. This meant
comparing the checkout item against the inventory item.

He firstly said that in favour of the agent the fact that the
inventory was produced independently of the client was a plus.

He further indicated that as each item was numerically identifiable it
made his task easier, another plus. He said that because the
photographic support in the inventory was clearly representative he
gave another plus. But when it came to the checkout, that’s where it
ended. Why you may think.

The reason he said was that despite the clear written reference to
each change between inventory and checkout, the photos in the checkout
were not labelled adequately and therefore he had little choice but to
award those 40% worth to the tenant.

He meant we believe that we had inadequate labelling of each photo
tying it to its referred dilapidation. That pedantic we thought! But
if that’s what’s required then that’s what we have to do from now on,
we decided.

So back to the earlier points. Unless the evidence is clearly
representative at both start and end of tenancy and a landlord’s claim
is going to adjudication, then our experience demonstrates that the
tenant may receive all or part of the disputed claim.

It’s not about favouritism or bias it seems, its possibly more about
common sense.

As one can see from previous posts we are seemingly a little
crusader...ish about our newly-acquired HHSRS skill and the additional
service we offer to our clients, and here's the reason.

Unfortunately, and not dissimilar for the need to understand the
importance of a good inventory/checkin and checkout report, many
landlords - and sometimes their agents - are unfamiliar with a
council's duty to take enforcement action against landlords whose
properties are deemed to have Category 1 hazards.

In-line with our responsibility to both landlord and tenant, we like
to create awareness of possible risks to tenants in advance of any
possible enforcement orders that councils might impose on landlords.

We do this by providing a secondary report to an inventory/checkin and
checkout advising landlords and agents of concerns we may have
regarding such risks. The report does not form part of the
inventory/checkin or checkout and is provided as an advisory note
only.

But what are these risks and do we see them very often? Well, yes we
do see them - and often, and at first glance, even though some appear
innocuous, further examination shows that a landlord could be caught
out if a council was to probe into a properties condition.

It is our understanding that if a tenant should complain to a council
about their property, that councils on inspection could find more
risks than were 1st complained about resulting in multi-enforcement
orders to the surpise of the landlord.

To help landlords understand more we have found a council website with
pages explaining in a very coherent way the subject of the HHSRS.
Please see the following link:

http://www.monmouthshire.gov.uk/info/200040/environmental_health/881/housing_...

If you would like to know more about the HHSRS service we offer,
please call 0845 6123 727.