Belvoir, a founder member of SAFEagent, is waving the flag for SAFEagent Awareness Week, which runs from 12th to 18th May 2014.
SAFEagent is a national Government approved campaign which is supported by numerous organisations including Citizens Advice Bureaux, Shelter, Crisis and The Property Ombudsman. It was created in 2011 ‘by the industry, for the industry’ with the aim to increase industry regulation and highlight the importance of choosing a letting agent that offers a Client Money Protection (CMP) Scheme.
“Landlords and tenants often make their decisions based on cost but I would urge everyone to make a stand against rogue agents by checking that the agent they use can provide details of the organisation they are regulated by and confirm that they are covered by a CMP scheme,” says Dorian Gonsalves, Belvoir director of commercial and franchising.
“If your agent cannot provide this assurance then the question you need to ask is – why not?”“I am thrilled to offer Belvoir’s support to SAFEagent Awareness Week, which strives to improve landlord and tenant confidence in the private rented sector.
“National SAFEagent Awareness Week is dedicated to highlighting the risks to consumers of using agents who are not part of CMP Schemes and alerting them to ways in which these risks can be avoided. The best way to do this is to ensure that landlords and tenants only sign up to letting agents carrying the SAFEagent logo.”
John Midgley, chair of the SAFEagent steering group, said: “SAFEagent Awareness Week is the ideal opportunity to remind landlords and tenants of the importance of identifying agents who offer financial protection and the campaign has made giant strides in doing so since its launch in 2011.
“There are still far too many letting agents who do not belong to a recognised body or scheme and it’s important to remind people to do everything they can to ensure their money is sufficiently protected.
“Letting agents who sign up to become a SAFEagent are also reassuring consumers that they subscribe to a defined code of practice and are members of recognised professional bodies or accreditation schemes.”
There are now around 3,000 SAFEagent offices nationwide, demonstrating their commitment to protecting landlords’ and tenants’ finances through CMP schemes. SAFEagents are easily recognisable through the SAFEagent logo and mark which is clearly displayed and marketed by those agents in the scheme.
To find a SAFEagent in your area visit www.safeagents.co.uk
