The Importance of a Floor Plan

We couldn't help but notice Rightmove's latest 'Monthly Pro Tip' about the importance of floor plans on their June 2013 newsletter that we received this week.

Rightmove said:

"Add a floor plan to help increase your leads - 40% of the properties advertised for sale on Rightmove currently don't have a floor plan. And that rises to 90% for lettings properties! This is despite the fact that 37% of buyers are less likely to send an email about a property which doesn't have a floor plan and two thirds of landlords say that seeing their property listed with a floor plan is 'very important' to them."

We absolutely agree with this and Applegate Lettings are one of the few local letting agents that will not only provide our landlords with a floor plan for their property but we'll also do it absolutely free of charge!

May Round Up!

It's been another busy month at Applegate Lettings and although we enjoyed the few days of sunshine we've had, like everyone else we're wondering when Summer is going to hurry up and get here!

We've been the proud sponsors of Marsden F.C. since last Summer and we attended the Huddersfield Challenge Cup Final on 7th May to watch them compete against Bay Athletic for the title. After a valiant fight they were unfortunately defeated 2-1 by Bay Athletic who made history as they became the first club ever to win the Huddersfield FA's Challenge Cup for the fourth time in a row. They should still be congratulated for reaching the final though and the Applegate team were proud to be there to cheer them on.

We welcomed a new member of staff in April - John has joined the team to assist with showing prospective applicants around properties. After a month in the job he has really settled in and we don't know how we ever managed without him. We'll have another new member of staff joining us on a full time basis from 10th June but we'll give you a proper introduction once they officially start.

We've had quite a few clients commenting in recent weeks that they are seeing more and more of our boards throughout Holmfirth and Huddersfield and the rumours are true....we are continuing to grow at a rapid pace! We put this down to our dedication to providing exceptional customer service and taking the stress out of letting, rather than contributing to it!

Our Managing Director, Amy Wray, has been nominated for the Forward Ladies Women in Business Young Business Woman of the Year! The finalists and winners will not be announced until the Autumn but we're still very excited about the nomination - well done Amy!

Over 60% of new business this month came from existing clients referrals and 30% came from existing landlords re-instructing us to deal with their properties again. We're always pleased to see results like this as it shows that not only are we getting new business but we're managing to keep it by maintaining a high standard of service that we're gradually becoming known for. With 0 withdrawals for yet another month, we're going from strength to strength!

Image: Vinz98/Shutterstock

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Hanson Lane, Lockwood

House to let – Hanson Lane, Lockwood

Property type: 2 bed cottage
Location: Huddersfield
Rental: £400 pcm
Min term: 6 months

A two bedroom cottage with extensions to the front and rear making the accommodation more spacious than it first appears. The property has a gravelled garden, gas fired central heating and double glazing.

This lovely home is modern throughout and has gas fired central heating and double glazing. Briefly comprising; entrance lobby,  good size lounge with stairs down to small storage cellar and breakfast kitchen with plumbing for washing machine. A staircase rises from the entrance lobby to the first floor which is home to a larger than normal shower room and two double bedrooms (please see floor plan for measurements). The larger of the two bedrooms has the advantage of fitted wardrobes. Externally there is a gravelled garden area and on street parking. Priced accordingly for a quick let. Pets considered.

• Deceptive cottage
• Good sized accommodation
• 2 bedrooms
• Gravelled garden
• On street parking
• DG + GFCH
• Unfurnished
• Pets considered
• Bond: £500
• Available: 1st July 2013

To enquire about this property, please contact us on 01484 682999, or for further images and floor plan, please click here. 

Please note the administration fees involved in applying for any property with Applegate Lettings are as below;

First applicant application fee – £100 + VAT
Additional applicants including guarantors – £65 + VAT
Fees will not be taken until we are in receipt of completed application forms
Check in fee (payable only once tenancy approved) – £55 + VAT

NOW LET

NOW LET – Radcliffe Road, Slaithwaite

Property type: 3/4 bed semi-detached
Location: Slaithwaite
Rental: £625 pcm
Min term: 6 months

A beautiful three/four bedroom home with lower ground floor annex, gardens and bags of character.

This lovely home is set in the popular village of Slaithwaite not far from the rural walks along the canal. Briefly comprising; breakfast kitchen with terrazzo stone flooring and granite working surfaces, family dining room with stone floors, beams and feature fireplace with stove effect stove and lounge again with raised stone fireplace. From the lounge a staircase rises to the first floor where there are two good sized double bedrooms one with dressing room, a further single bedroom and house bathroom with three piece suite. A staircase leads down from the ground floor hallway to the lower ground floor which could be used as a complete annexe or individual rooms. There is a large utility room, shower room, large bedroom/study/living area and sun room leading out into garden. The property also has the benefit of various dry cellars/stores internally and two external stores. The property has gas fired central heating, partial double glazing and gardens with two patios.

• Character home
• 3/4 bedrooms
• 3 double rooms
• Popular area
• Gas central heating
• Log fires
• Great views
• Bond: £825

For a list of our available properties please click here. 

Massive changes ahead for lettings industry, says minister

Massive growth and a sea-change in its structure lie ahead for the private rented sector, said housing minister Mark Prisk in a major speech.

Speaking at the Law Society, London, he emphasised just how transformational the new build-to-rent industry will be for the entire housing market.

He said: “For too long, our housing markets have been dysfunctional. For much of the past two decades, we have been consistently building half of what we needed, year on year.

“The result has been a serious imbalance between supply and demand, and while this has led to potential opportunities for investors, there are significant social consequences too.

“So as a government, we’ve had to step back and adopt a new, comprehensive approach to the problem. An approach which reaches across all tenures – owner-occupied, affordable, and private rented – understands the relationship between the three, and seeks to address the deep dysfunctionality in supply and demand.”

Prisk went on: “Over the last decade, the rented sector has become increasingly important in addressing people’s housing needs. The sector now houses 3.8 million households. Mobile patterns of work and reduced mortgage availability have made renting a more realistic choice for many more people, and the effect has been a strong rise in demand over the last decade.

“So far, this rising demand has been met principally by individual landlords, who have been responsible for adding approximately 1.5 million new homes to the sector over the past decade. But there is real potential to go further, and particularly to bring new players into the market.

“Put simply, we want a bigger and better private rented sector, a sector in which large scale and experienced institutional investors can help the market not simply grow, but also to mature.

“Small-scale individual landlords operate around the world, but in many countries, such as the US, Germany and Switzerland, institutional investment in the private rented sector is much stronger and more established than it is here. Evidence from those markets shows that where institutional investment is stronger, costs are driven down and the sector becomes more professional, with a longer-term perspective.

“That’s what we want to encourage here. It’s a change which has the potential to underpin sustained growth of the entire private rented sector, and offer beneficial changes to the market as a whole.”

Prisk also used his speech to announced a new private rented sector taskforce. This will be led by Andrew Stanford, former head of Cluttons Residential. Other members are Julian D’Arcy, a former chairman of Knight Frank, chartered surveyor Joanna Embley, Tacey Hartley of Grainger, and Dominic Martin of EC Harris.

Prisk said: “The role of the taskforce will be to connect investors with opportunities for long-term investment in the sector and help to break down actual and perceived barriers to entry. They will work with the sector to kickstart the delivery of innovative, high-quality and large-scale rented projects.

“And they will bring developers, management bodies and institutional investors together to help you get the most from both the private rented sector Housing Guarantees and the Build to Rent Fund.”

Prisk concluded: “We believe that the private rented sector is a vital part of a functioning housing market, and we want it to get bigger and better.

“A sector in which supply keeps pace with demand, large investors play an increasing role, and government policy is set for the long term.

“Only in this way will private rented housing fully realise its potential alongside other tenures. It’s why we’ve introduced Build to Rent and our Housing Guarantees.

“Our interventions are radical and significant. And that’s because this is a long-term commitment, not a short-term fix.

“Success will not be easy or quick. There will be further obstacles along the way. After all, this is an untested market.

“But working together, I believe we can rebalance our housing markets, and so provide the right type and quality of homes for the next generation.”

Original article taken from www.rman.co.uk 
Image: Victor Correia/Shutterstock

NOW LET

ANOTHER PROPERTY LET BY APPLEGATE LETTINGS:

Spa Terrace, Fenay Bridge

Property type: 2 Bedroom Terrace
Location: Fenay Bridge
Rental: £595 pcm
Min term: 6 months

 An extremely well presented two double bedroom property with additional dining room, tiered garden and three private off street parking spaces.

Set in the quiet location of Spa Terrace, this wonderful home must be viewed to fully appreciate the quality of accommodation on offer. Briefly comprising; Entrance hallway, large lounge with feature gas stove and large double glazed window, dining room and breakfast kitchen. A staircase leads down from the lounge to the cellar which is currently used for storage. From the hallway a staircase rises to the split level first floor. There is contemporary, fully tiled house bathroom with separate double shower unit, inset bath and additional velux window which allows plenty of natural light into this room. To the first floor landing there are two double bedrooms, one with fitted wardrobes which is currently used as the master bedroom and another currently used as study. Externally the property has two rear car parking spaces which allows the occupier direct access to the kitchen area, or alternatively there is an additional off street space in the new drive to the front of the property at the bottom of the tiered garden, which comprises of lawn and patio areas. The property is complete with double glazing and gas fired central heating and has recently undergone various works by the landlord thus setting this property out from others comparable properties.

• 2 double bedrooms
• Dining room
• Large lounge
• Tiered garden lawn and patio
• 3 Private parking spaces
• High quality throughout
• Contemporary fittings
• Bond: £795

Just one in a hundred deposits ends in formal dispute

The ratio of deposit disputes in England & Wales is just over 1% according to official figures released by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

The Government figures show that of the seven million deposits (7,052,255) that have been protected since the launch of the legislation in 2007, only 91,802 have ended up requiring formal dispute adjudication – just 1.3%.

While some critics will wonder whether such hefty legislation was really worth it to crack such a minority problem, there have been relatively few complaints about deposit protection itself.

A total of 10,657 complaints about deposit protection and the service provided have been made to all three of the approved schemes in that time – equating to just under 1,800 complaints a year.

The figures were calculated by combining information provided by my|deposits, The Deposit Protection Service and The Dispute Service.

Eddie Hooker, chief executive of my|deposits, launched by the National Landlords Association, said: “Tenancy deposit protection was introduced to protect the tenant’s money so it is extremely encouraging to learn that only one per cent of tenants experience issues over the return of their deposit which they cannot sort out without the help of the schemes.

“It’s good news for tenants, as it shows the vast majority are happy with the return of their deposit at the end of the tenancy. It also shows that the relationship between landlord/agent and tenant is improving.”

The official government figures also show that the total number of deposits protected last year stood at 2,659,301, worth £2.6bn.

At Applegate Lettings, our detailed inventories and check out reports are designed to limit any disputes between landlords and tenants. We also provide our tenants with a help sheet one month prior to them vacating the property which has pointers and advice on how to leave the property if they want to get their bond back in full.

Article courtesy of Letting Agent Today
Image: Pressmaster/Shutterstock