Important update concerning Covid-19 and our working practices.
Following the advice from the Government concerning the Covid-19 pandemic, I have made the decision today that as of Monday 23rd March 2020, the office will be closed to clients and the general public. My team will be working remotely until we are advised otherwise. I have had to implement some changes to ensure continuity of the service you have become accustomed to. As this is uncharted territory, changes may have to be made as the situation unfolds over the next few weeks & months ahead.
You should still call us on 023 9273 5863 and you will be given a series of choices, but please be aware in most cases, your call will be diverted to a colleague’s mobile. We are all available on email:
louise.hopkins@belvoir.co.uk (Repairs/maintenance, move outs & deposit returns)
Sally.pattenden@belvoir.co.uk (General enquiries, new business, Sales & lettings)
joseph.salvia@belvoir.co.uk (Property sales, Letting enquiries, general queries)
helen.bennett@belvoir.co.uk (Tenancy finance & payments, complex queries, service of notices etc)
Yvonne.hopkins@belvoir.co.uk (Tenancy renewals, Rent increases, Utility bill queries)
Any urgent queries that you have outside of office hours can be emailed through to me personally on: samantha.bateman@belvoir.co.uk
Properties available to let
If you have a property that is currently being advertised for Let it will still remain on the market and we will still be carrying out viewings as long as we are able to, but they will be carried out by my Staff using caution. We may ask that if you live in the property, that you leave during the time we are conducting the viewing and the same principle will be used if a Tenant lives there and the property is being re-let.
We intend to visit your property (If it’s available for let) to complete a video tour so it can be used for virtual viewings if applicants are unable to physically come and view the property. We will be contacting you soon to arrange this to take place as soon as possible. We ask that you allow us to do this whilst you are not in the property or you stay in a different room whilst we are filming; It will take no more than 20 minutes for us to complete. You may wish to complete the video yourself if you do not want us to come to your property and you can send us a shareable link that we can display with the property advert.
Rent payments
We expect Tenants to pay their rent as normal, but we are also prepared for some Tenants to ask for time to pay as a result of an event out of their control: This could be as a result of being laid off at work as some companies are and will continue to make cutbacks in this challenging climate.
My advice, (if this scenario becomes a reality) is for you to allow us to negotiate with the Tenant, we can look at them paying a lower fixed amount and then agree to a payment plan going forward. If you have a mortgage to pay, it may be an idea to contact your lender now to discuss the possibility of a mortgage payment holiday and prepare yourself for the worse- case scenario of not receiving full rental payment for a few months. The guidelines from the Government at present are if that there are any cases of arrears due to Covid-19 will not result in the Courts issuing an eviction order to the Tenants. We will keep up to date as the guidance feeds through to us on this. The Government are working on a plan to enable those who find themselves out of work to claim universal credit quicker than the current 5- week timescale (if they are entitled).
Most Belvoir Landlords already have their rent protected with us when they opted in for the Rent Warranty policy we offered. If your tenants fall in to hardship, your rent will still be paid.
Maintenance issues
We will be advising Tenants in let properties not to report non urgent maintenance issues, as we have to be understanding of Contractors who may not be able to attend or may refuse to attend due to the possible risks to health. Urgent maintenance issues and other issues that cannot be left will be dealt with accordingly with the workforce we have available to us.
There is no guidance yet from the Government in regard to legally required safety checks that cannot be completed in the instance that Tenants do not allow access into their homes from third party contractors OR if contractors refuse to go into the property due to health & safety concerns. We are hoping that the Government adopt a sensible approach to this and will make allowances for when safety certificates run over the expiry dates.
Property inspections & tenants moving in & out.
We have a plan of action to still be able to effectively complete move in appointments and final inspections.
All mid term inspections have been postponed, these will be reinstated as soon as my team feel it is safe to do so and your tenants feel comfortable with us visiting their homes.
I am adapting our way of working to ensure the safety of my team, their families and for the safety of you and your families and for that of the Tenants too. The situation is fluid and is changing all the time and our working practices will be reviewed regularly to ensure that we are following the advice issued by the Government.
Business will continue as normally as it can in these unprecedented times, and I would like to thank you in advance for your continued support.
With best wishes
Samantha Bateman
Managing Director
