Belvoir Sheffield Joins Other Franchises To Help Britain’s Private Landlords Fill Their Empty Properties
As figures reveal that in 2012 over one million perfectly hospitable homes will lie vacant, with 350,000 being empty for over 6 months, Belvoir Sheffield, the leading letting agent in Sheffield is joining forces with the other Belvoir offices to assist private landlords in bringing their properties back into use.
Experts call the phenomenon of homes lying empty, ‘Britain’s Ghost City’, and with over two million families on waiting lists for social housing it is one of the country’s greatest social travesties.
Despite the government developing a strategy for bringing empty properties back into use (which includes a £100 million fund), many experts believe it does not go far enough. Channel 4 TV programme “The Great British Property Scandal” recentlyaddressed the issue in a bid to raise awareness, devolve centralised property legislation and increase access to finance for landlords in need of assistance.
Architect and TV presenter George Clarke led the charge. He said of the problem: “What I have seen has convinced me more than ever that urgent change is needed – and we can’t just leave it to the government and councils to sort out our empty homes problem.”
Rick Flay, Director at Belvoir Sheffield, who offer a wide range of property to rent in Sheffield, said: “Channel 4 was absolutely correct in labelling this situation ascandal. Empty housing levels should never have been allowed to get so high andthe measures taken so far to alleviate the problem have bore little fruit. We welcome the allocation of government funds but as a private enterprise we realise the crucial role we can play in the process.”
Nearly 90% of Britain’s empty homes are privately owned and Belvoir Sheffield, along with the other franchises, deals with private landlords every day of the week. The problem with a lot of the properties they see is that they need to be brought up to a rentable standard and the landlords simply don’t have the expertise or the money to fund the work.
“Finance is the biggest issue but it is not the only issue,” added Rick, whose letting agency on Campo Lane in Sheffield, specialises in providing flats to let in Sheffield.
“Some landlords are hesitant because they have little experience of the lettings process whilstothers have had bad experiences with tenants, contractors and rogue letting agents. At Belvoir we have the expertise to put their minds at ease.”
As well as giving financial advice, local Belvoir offices can give landlords support when it comes to finding the right contractors and tenants. In some cases they will even project manage renovations from start to finish.
Rick added: “In Sheffield we’ve seen a huge rise in demand for high quality rental accommodation in Sheffield, demand is far outstripping supply and project managing empty house renovations has proved a popular service with landlords as well as a pro-active way of getting more properties onto the open market.”
Belvoir’s project management services, offered to landlords with empty homes, can include:
- Property audit –A full audit of the property identifies the areas needing attention and offers the landlord a number of options for investment based on practicality, desirability and cost.
- Contractor recommendations –Belvoir Sheffield have a database of preferred suppliers as well as guide prices for work being carried out whichcan be shared with landlord clients.
- Project management of refurbishment – Once the landlord is aware of the options available they are also offered a competitive rate for project management from start to finish. An experienced member of staff will regularly visit the site and liaise with the contractors before providing status reports.
- Finding & referencing tenants – Belvoir guarantees to find and reference suitable tenants within a short fixed period. When necessary, a guarantor is also provided, as is rental insurance for the term of the tenancy.
- Full management – Once refurbishments are complete, landlords are offered full property management for the duration of the tenancy. This includes collecting the rent and accounting monthly, regular inspections of the property, advice on repairs needed and help with insurance and taxes.
“What we have found is that our services take all the stress and anxiety out of the process of a refurbishment, We’re also finding that once people go through the process with us they trust us with other services so we’ve noticed an increase in business all round. We encourage all of our offices to respond quickly to changes in the market and on the issue of unlocking the potential of empty homes we have led the way. The company will continue to support any scheme which increases the levels of quality rental accommodation on the market.”, added Rick.
To find out how Belvoir Sheffield can help fill your empty property please contact Rick on 08452 60 40 90
Belvoir Lettings Agency Sheffield is the One Stop Specialists for Lettings including Property Management, Tenant Find, Investment and Wealth Management Advice, Fit-outs and Renovations, Furniture Packs and Investment Property Insurances and Mortgages.
