INSURANCE Volumes soar for LIS
The volume of tenant references carried out by Let Insurance Services in the year to
February 2011, its third year of trading, has soared by an astonishing 40 per cent. The 2010-2011 success
comes on the back of a strong lettings market and the increased availability of Buy to Let mortgages, which was up by 12 per cent by the end of last year. An associated increase in
rent and legal protection insurance reflects the continuing rise in problems experienced over rent payments. The industry has seen an increase in the number of possession claims and this, together with the closure of a number of county courts, can only mean that there is potential for delays in
TENANCY DEPOSITS Mydeposits’ membership rises
Mydeposits has seen a big increase in the number of new members signing up to the tenancy deposit scheme following a highly successful £10 winter sale. The sale, during
December and January, saw over 3,100 landlords taking advantage of an offer to join at the reduced price. Eddie Hooker, (right) Chief Executive, Mydeposits, commented, “It’s great to see so many landlords coming onboard during our first ever sale, ready to take advantage of the excellent service we offer at Mydeposits. “They represent
the largest number
of new members to join my|deposits since September 2007, when tenancy deposit protection schemes were just starting up. All our new members will benefit from being able to control the deposit and hand it back to the tenant immediately at the end of the tenancy. If there is a disagreement over the amount of the deposit to be returned, any
dispute can be resolved with our free and impartial dispute resolution service. “Mydeposits has
protected more than £955 million worth of deposits on behalf of over 1.73 million tenants since the scheme started in April 2007. We recently
protected our one millionth deposit.”
‘£955m held in deposits for
1.73m tenants.’
The Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) and The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) have agreed to work together in areas of mutual interest within the private rented sector. These include political
lobbying, where both bodies have a commitment to raising the standards in the private rented sector.
ARLA has its licensing
possession hearings. Identity fraud has also risen,
along with fraudulent tenancy applications from potential tenants moving from property to property with no intention of keeping up with the rent. Said Michael Portman, MD,
“We have been able to take full advantage of today’s perverse market conditions where the market is buoyant but the risks have increased. As a result, agents are switching to a company providing personal service to back up web-based speed and efficiency. Although today’s lettings market is strong, economic conditions are leading to great uncertainty at every level and good referencing and the correct insurance cover has risen much higher on the agenda for agents and their landlords.”
CONGRATULATIONS Barbon’s Oscars at the waxworks
Barbon Insurance Group recently announced the winners of its Olympic Super Champion Awards or ‘BOSCAs’ at a sparkling Oscar- style ceremony held at Madame Tussauds in London. HomeLet, currently Barbon’s top
performing business, won the BOSCA for ‘Business of the Year’. It was a double win for the lettings and tenant referencing specialist with employee Sarah Day taking the ‘People’ category as well as scooping the Overall 2010 BOSCA Champion prize of an all expenses trip to Hollywood. John Boyle, HomeLet’s MD said, “Winning this award tops off a fantastic 12 months for HomeLet and proves we have some real
ORGANISATIONS RLA and ARLA to collaborate
scheme and RLA its accredited landlord’s scheme. Co-operation could also include research, where at present both bodies produce complementary statistical information on the sector. Both organisations stress that there are other areas where common interests can be best achieved by working together. But it is also acknowledged that equally there are areas of difference, and as this does not represent anything more than “working together for mutual benefit”, both organisations will remain totally independent.
PROPERTYdrum MARCH 2011 49
stars within the business. Special congratulations go to Sarah, but I also want to thank the entire team in Lincoln for their hard work, enthusiasm and continued commitment to innovation and success. Here’s to another brilliant year!” Farr’s Rebecca Freeman won the
‘Employee of the Year’ category whilst Michelle Burton took ‘Business Support Star of the Year’ for her role within the HR department. Martin Oliver, Barbon’s CEO says, “The BOSCAs was our No 1 recognition event for staff and it didn’t disappoint. It was a fantastic night and made me feel incredibly proud to run Barbon.”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68