VeriSmart Blog

The ESTAS have revealed the first shortlist for the Supplier of the
Year Award as voted for by estate and letting agents around the
country.

This completely new award category and aims to find out which
suppliers are providing the best customer service to their client
base.

As Simon Brown MD at the ESTAS explains “ESTA agents nominated their
favourite suppliers. From an original list of over 100 different
firms we now have a shortlist of the TOP 10 suppliers based on
customer service ratings from agents. The bronze, silver and gold
winners will be announced by Phil Spencer on the 15th April at the 8th
annual ESTAS ceremony. We hope the data we provide all supplier firms
who taken part provides some valuable feedback from agents that can
help them develop their services accordingly ”.

"We at Inventoryclerk.com take our levels of customer service very
seriously because we know clients have a choice. We have always been
very proud of the personal service we provide so this is great way to
demonstrate how good we really are.”

The full Top 10 Shortlist for the ESTA Supplier of the Year in
alphabetical order is;

- HomeLet
- Inventoryclerk.com
- Jupix
- Key Agent
- Metropix
- Moneypenny
- Mortgage Advice Bureau
- My Home Move
- Ravensworth
- The Property Jungle

The Estate & Letting Agent Awards, known throughout the industry as
the ESTAS, are the largest and longest running award scheme in the
residential agency market. The competition determines the best agents
in the country through research carried out amongst customers who are
asked a series of questions about the service they have received from
their agent. Over 26,000 questionnaires were completed by sellers,
buyers and landlords during 2010.

The ESTAS sponsored are by Zoopla in association with HomeLet, Rayner
Recruitment, Moneypenny, Estate Agent Today & RICS.

Tickets are on sale now at www.theestas.com/table-booking/
Agents can sign up now for the 2012 at www.2012.theestas.com/agent-sign-up/

We're asked this question daily, often by people who assume an inventoryclerk's work is an easy route to making money.

Frequently we speak to people who are ' fed up' of working for others. Sometimes we hear from those who want a part time income, a hobby... and more.

If you or anyone you know wants to be an inventory supplier, these are not thoughts you'd have if you wanted to be successful. We're convinced of this, we've been around along time and we're daily refining our service, not only in the documents we supply but also in the value and customer support we give.

Price is important, yes we know this, but no it's not just price its more about providing a product that's beyond a client's expectations. This is nothing to do with inventories exclusively, it's general business sense. Yet many people we hear from, sometimes several a day, miss this point.

So, what's the cost?

To be successful, probably alot of time, probably alot of money, and certainly alot of commitment to being the best as well as alot of enthusiasm and alot of positive expectations.

So you or someone you know wants to become an inventoryclerk!

Well we're looking for people who want to join our organisation in numerous locations throughout the UK. It's not alot of money, however commitment and time is what we need, the rest we supply, including the customers.

Call 0845 6123 727.

The answer is both simple but yet contentious. The reason is that most
inventory suppliers, whether in-house or independent believe they all
have the best method.

At the end of the day there is no statutory system and most inventory
providers are left to figure out what’s best. However in our view it’s
not about what’s best but about what works.

We at inventoryclerk.com look for what works which means supporting a
potential adjudicator in making a valid decision regarding any claim,
and that means evidence which is both detailed yet simple to follow
and understand.

Remember, the reason for an inventory is to support a tenant’s deposit
and to ensure there’s record of a landlord’s property. And the reason
for a checkout is to support a landlord’s claim or confirm the right
of a tenant to receive their deposit.

Both have to relate to each other in a way that allows one to easily
differentiate between how a property was at start of tenancy and how
it is at end. A little like a recipe, the checkout (the end product)
can only be as good as the inventory (the ingredients). A poor quality
inventory will allow for lesser quality checkout.

So back to the question.

Well an inventory in our view needs to be detailed; it must contain
every element or component of the property and its contents - right
down to a power socket and the screws within it as well as identifying
its colour, location and condition. Yes… that detailed.

Furniture for example must be described as to what it is – maybe its
make, its colour, the material and finally its condition, without such
a description a checkout cannot easily be used to determine
differences between start and end of tenancy. It is differences which
determine the validity of a claim.

Inventories must be well-laid out, in plain English, preferably item
numbered and photos included, and finally the inventory must be agreed
by the tenant as being a fair representation of the property and its
contents.

Make an adjudicator's job easy; give them more rather than less.

Recently we produced a leaflet which was sent to a number of agents within areas of the UK where we have colleagues representing our work.

Since posting this we have been asked by others for the same leaflet, therefore we are posting this on the web so that anyone interested in the additional expertise we offer can read more about the HHSRS awareness campaign.

Please follow the link below and from this you can print a copy of this leaflet.

http://db.tt/TTzAClH