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BBC Apprentice star Jo Cameron has launched her successful and exclusive business community, the Achievers Academy for Women (AAW), in Leamington Spa, with Caroline Kempster of The Letting People.

The high energy event saw more than 40 of the area’s top businesswomen gather at Leamington Spa’s Episode Hotel to meet Jo Cameron and to hear inspirational stories from women who have changed themselves and their businesses to create successful enterprises.

As the first of Jo Cameron’s 16 AAW groups across the country to launch the ‘Prime’ model, the hand-picked selection of like-minded business professionals in the Leamington Spa group will meet monthly to share and to build upon their knowledge and experience. The new group, will be led by Leamington entrepreneur Caroline Kempster, founder and marketing director of local letting specialists, The Letting People.

Speaking following the event, Jo said: “The AAW launch in Leamington was a super-charged event which saw several existing members share their personal stories. It was inspirational to hear about the incredible business journeys that they were going through and I know that their time spent at AAW, under Caroline’s leadership, will inspire them even further.”

Caroline, who will be hosting the next monthly meeting on Monday 14th April, said “I firmly believe that we can always continue to make positive changes to our personal and business lives if we have the right encouragement and expertise from the people around us.

“When I first joined AAW three years ago it was fantastic to meet women who were so passionate about their businesses. I have gained so much from the group and I know that Jo’s exclusive community of discerning business women will bring a new and positive dimension to business growth in Leamington.”

The Achievers Academy for Women now boasts 150 members across 16 groups in the UK. For more information please visit www.achieversacademyforwomen.com or call 0843 289 2839.

Henry has extensive experience of moving and settling into new homes having been born in Perth Australia, 3 further homes, and then rehomed to find himself in Leamington Spa! He is a flat-coat retriever and is now very knowledgeable about the parks and gardens of both Leamington Spa and surrounding areas including all the best places for a run and swim.

Henry is regularly found in Jephson Gardens in the morning where he meets the new dogs in the neighbourhood and at the weekends in the Aviary Cafe for his breakfast treat. If you are looking for a new home with your dog, Henry recommends some very helpful information which may be obtained from the Dogs Trust at http://www.dogstrust.org.uk and http://www.letswithpets.org.uk and we will also do our best to find your dog- and human-friendly home. Woof Woof!

"Many professional tenants, on their first move away from home or student accommodation, may not have enough spare money to buy their own furnishings"

At this time of year, university students are moving into their new accommodation, and expecting to find a prescribed list of furnishings supplied by the landlord in each bedroom – bed, desk, chair, wardrobe, etc.  However, most tenancies are not as straightforward as this and landlords are often left in a dilemma as to what furnishings to provide.

The Letting People have considerable experience of advising landlords on suitable furnishings for properties, as required, to make the property let more easily to the perfect tenant. Some tenants will enjoy choosing new furniture to make a rented house into their home. They may therefore choose a particular unfurnished property because of the size of the rooms – a big enough living room to accommodate a large corner sofa, or perhaps a bedroom that will fit the king-size bed they’ve been dreaming of purchasing. 

Equally, many properties to let will be furnished and a rental decision may be based entirely on the style, period and age of the furnishings. Likewise a flat, without lift access, above the first floor is more likely to let on a furnished basis as no-one is keen to carry (or pay someone else to carry) large furnishings up lots of stairs! Another consideration will be the comfort of soft furnishings such as the bed and/or sofa provided. Some tenants will be anxious to find a home with enough clothes storage space also.

Generally, The Letting People recommend that one-bedroom flats and apartments should be furnished. This is because approximately 90% of the enquiries received for one-bedroom flats, are from tenants requiring furniture. This is frequently because single prospective tenants are looking for an alternative to hotel accommodation or just somewhere to live mid-week. Additionally many professional tenants, on their first move away from home or student accommodation, may not have enough spare money to buy their own furnishings.

Two-bedroom properties with a double and single bedroom, are usually let to single professionals or to couples, who will use the smaller room for an office or storage/dressing room. It is recommended these properties are furnished, except for the smaller bedroom.

There is probably an equal demand for furnished or unfurnished two double-bedroom properties, but a very stylishly furnished property will let more quickly and at a higher rent than its unfurnished counterpart. However, although the same unfurnished property may take longer to let – the tenancy can be for a longer term. This is because it is easier both to move into, and to move out, of a furnished property.

Larger properties of three or more bedrooms are often easier to let unfurnished. These properties are more attractive to families or older couples with their own furnishings and requirements for particular spaces such as room to work from home or for teenage children to have their own space.

The Letting People are always happy to advise property investors and landlords on how to maximise their rental income – whether by including particular furnishings or by other means! 

A very smooth move is taking place at The Letting People in Leamington Spa – from Euston Place to Regent Street – with new offices being prepared to offer all visitors and staff a much improved lettings experience.  

Most aspects will remain the same – same friendly staff, same email address, and same phone numbers – but the location will be much more central to the town centre and with the new buzz of Regent Street.

Anyone visiting the Leamington Spa office in the past few weeks, might be wondering if The Letting People are still in business behind all the scaffolding! Yes, they are still trading … and will open in the new office from Tuesday 29th October.

The next few weeks will see a lot of new changes, and visitors will gain from a new area to drop off keys and pick up documents, and a new confidential room where documents can be read and meetings can take place to discuss your letting requirements.

The new office address is: 1st Floor, 113 Regent Street, Leamington Spa CV32 4NU

Do you know anyone looking for an interesting new job based in Leamington Spa?  The Letting People are delighted to announce that they are now recruiting for a permanent, full-time job of a 'Lettings Co-ordinator' at the Leamington Spa office.  This is an important position, joining a small team at The Letting People – a specialist, local, and independent letting agency. 

They will be looking for the following personal requirements to fill the vacancy:
• Letting agency experience is essential.
• Clean licence and own car is essential due to varied locations.
• Local knowledge is an advantage.
• Computer literacy is a must.
• Clear understanding of bank procedures essential.
Duties will include:
• Coordinating the letting service to achieve lettings targets.
• To visit properties as required and communicate with prospective tenants.
• Arrange appointments as required, negotiate prospective tenancies and to take applications, coordinating the letting service from application to tenancy.
• To provide reception service.
• Update specialized computer software.
• To register tenants deposits and provide feedback of deposit claims.
• To arrange contractors for repairs and maintenance.
• To update and log all relevant communications in accordance with company policies and procedures.
How to apply
(Please note that all applicants should apply as below by post or e-mail only please.)  You can apply for this job by sending a CV/written application to:
Caroline Kempster at The Letting People, 1st Floor, 5 Euston Place, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, CV32 4LN, or to caroline@thelettingpeople.co.uk.

Closing date for applications: Friday 1st March 2013
 

From 1st April 2013 Warwick District Council are changing the council tax discounts and exemptions for all residential rented furnished and unfurnished properties that are vacant.  This means that the current discount of 10% for empty furnished properties, and the 6 month exemption for empty unfurnished properties will both be altered in a few weeks' time.

From 1st April The Letting People will continue to find innovative ways to ensure that all furnished and unfurnished rented properties are turned around between lets as quickly as possible.  They are able to do this by ensuring that the property is inspected and effectrively cleaned after tenancies, by keeping the rent at an attractive level to encourage the best tenants, and by introducing individually tailored special offers where applicable.

To ensure that your property is not left empty between tenancies, contact The Letting People as soon as your tenant gives you notice and an appraisal can be made of how to ensure you have a new tenant in place as soon as possible.

To find out more about Warwick District Council's council tax changes visit http://www.warwickdc.gov.uk/WDC/Your-Council/Council+tax/Council+tax+reforms+2013.htm

The last week was very exciting – with three prizes won at The Letting People!

The week started on a high note with Nick Holmes www.grumpychicken.co.uk/ setting up a professional photo shoot at the new offices in Regent Street, Leamington Spa. The superb new photos of all the team will soon appear in all the new publicity and promotional items – so watch this space!

Nick’s time was bid for and won by The Letting People at a fundraising auction of promises for The Willows Project www.thewillowsproject.org.uk/ which recently raised over £7,000 at the Radford Semele Community Hall. Caroline Kempster, Marketing Director attended the auction and auctioned a promise of a training session on Twitter!

The Willows Project provides horticultural, agricultural and nature-based day activities on a working organic farm a few miles from Leamington Spa. They work with a range of excluded groups and individuals, including people with mental health problems, learning disabilities, long-term illnesses, addiction recovery and disaffected young people. Through practical, land-based activity sessions they successfully help people to develop new skills, build confidence and connect with nature.

Caroline and Anthony Kempster also attended Jo Cameron’s Achievers Academy for Women (AAW) awards evening which was raising funds for The Philippine Community Fund (PFC) www.p-c-f.org/ and raised over £500 for this incredible charity aiming to end child labour. PCF’s mission is to improve the quality of life for impoverished Filipino communities, to bring stability and realisable potential through sustainable education, nutrition, health and community advocacy programmes, as well as livelihood training, regardless of religion, race or political boundaries.

Caroline was delighted to win a prize in the PCF fundraising draw of a gift voucher of golf lessons with PGA Professional Julian Mellor at the Julian Mellor Golf School in Warwick www.julianmellorgolfschool.co.uk … so watch out on the fairways of Warwick!

The week ended with a £25 premium bond prize was won by Caroline – what a wonderful week of winning!

The rental market is seems to be almost recession proof as a growing number of people cannot afford to buy their own home. Here are some recent key facts:

• The latest census results show that from 2001 to 2011 the proportion of UK households in the private rented sector has risen from 12% to 18% (1)
• 9% of tenants prefer the flexibility of renting and a further 9% say they can afford to rent properties they could not buy (2)
• Property investors are coming back into the market and buy-to-let continues to be a safe investment with property prices almost stagnant, interest rates remaining low, and average annual total returns of 6.4% expected over the next 5 years (3)
• Additionally, the latest figures from Rightmove (the UK’s number one property website) show that UK rents have risen by 13.6% since 2009, and they predict a further increase in rents of 2% in 2013. 
• Rightmove also found that 24% of tenants said they expect to become a landlord in the future, and 9% of tenants said they are a landlord already actively renting out a property

(1) Guardian article by Tom Smith, January 2013
(2) National Landlords Association, May 2012
(3) Sunday Times article by Anna Mikhailova, November 2012
 

In recent years, the Government’s Rent a Room scheme has become more popular than ever before. The scheme, which lets landlords earn up to £4,250 a year, can provide a tax-free benefit for private landlords looking to let out a single room or an entire floor within their property.

We’ve noticed a trend towards resident landlords who continue to live in their property while letting a room, or several rooms, to a tenant or lodger. With times being as they are, money is often tight and many tenants are beginning to see the benefit of taking on an inclusive rent package such as this, which more often than not will include heating, electricity and other amenities such as Wi-Fi and TV licence.

Here at The Letting People we’ve been approached by several home-owners looking to take on a tenant with most looking to put together an inclusive package for lodgers, designed to include the cost of gas, electric, water, and other items.  It seems that both landlords and tenants get the best from this alternative living arrangement. Landlords are content in the fact that they can put a spare room to work and gain tax free income, while tenants enjoy having their landlord close by to deal with any household problems which may arise.

If you are looking to become a resident landlord, you need to consider several factors before taking on a tenant. And it’s important to take into account your needs, as well as theirs. As a live-in landlord you’ll be living in close proximity, so compatibility is essential.

It’s also a good idea to think about the communal provisions which will need to be in place. As well as utility bills, you’ll need to think about laundry facilities, parking, use of an additional television or even rules about occasional guests – for both yourself and your tenant.

We offer our landlords full referencing of their prospective tenant using an insurance company, and preparation of a specialist tenancy agreement.  For more information about becoming a resident landlord, talk to your local branch of The Letting People.

In this Landlord Spotlight, we are delighted to feature Jill Wall – our once first-time landlord now turned investment property developer.

The Letting People have been working with Jill since 2002, when she first contacted us to arrange for an appraisal of her house in Harbury. Jill was just preparing for her wedding and looking forward to moving into her new home with her husband-to-be.

Jill says “Becoming a first-time landlord gave me an insight into what prospective tenants wanted and needed to make a successful tenancy and I soon learned that having my property managed with The Letting People enabled me to get on with my new family life, and enjoy holidays to the full. I’ve also found that the best way to make any letting work is to be very flexible, build the tenant’s trust, and recognise the fact that the property is now the tenant’s home.”

Over 10 years and several tenancies later, the house is still let with The Letting People!

Little did we know that Jill was to catch the property investment bug. In 2009 she contacted us again to find another tenant for a stunning conversion she had quietly worked on for several months – turning a tired old bungalow into a spectacular, contemporary home with designer wallpapers and fittings, a superb high specification kitchen, and a beautiful extension.

Jill says “Buying and letting the bungalow was like turning an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan and this has now become my passion.” By talking through Jill’s aspirations for the refurbished bungalow, targeted advertising, and careful referencing through an insurance company, The Letting People were able to find Jill the ‘perfect’ tenants.

Four years’ later these tenants (a lovely professional couple) have become great friends with their landlord and they now often meet up with Jill and her family for events, parties and barbeques. The tenants love the bungalow so much they have continued to make improvements to it (with Jill’s permission) and really make it into their home.

In the future Jill dreams of finding another ‘ugly duckling’ in the form of a large period property she can wave her magic wand over, and restore to its former glory. This, she hopes, would become her primary residence as well as housing a tenant or two! The Letting People will be delighted to continue to work with her to support her to realise this dream and to meet all of her aspirations. We truly believe that Jill is the next Sarah Beeny!