Why do we keep our little black book under lock & key?
The Belvoir Tunbridge Wells Lettings Team have a database of local contractors that we call on to complete maintenance or repair tasks at our managed properties, or simply to advise on what needs to be done. These contacts are vital to our business and we work hard to maintain good relationship with all our contractors. Many of these have been built up over years and a mutual trust is in place – we trust them to do a great job on our behalf and they trust Belvoir that we will give them all the information they need to do a good job and pay them accordingly.
We ask tenants to agree to their details being shared with contractors as part of becoming a tenant, so they usually control when a contractor visits. If for whatever reason we could not get hold of a tenant to undertake a mandatory check (such as Gas Safety) then we could give them 24 hours’ notice that our contractor would enter the property.
Belvoir ensure contractors have appropriate insurance policies in place i.e. Public Liability insurance as well as any insurance specific to their trade. We also check they have appropriate and current certification for dealing with gas and electrical appliances. If we start dealing with a new contractor, we get some testimonials from satisfied clients and monitor the first few jobs very carefully to assess the quality of their work.
Working on behalf of our fully managed landlords with a reliable team of contractors means we can respond to calls from tenants with property maintenance issues and know we can help them. Our repair reporting system allows tenants to report problems at their convenience and requires a certain minimum level of information. Sometimes this means issues can be resolved by some basic trouble-shooting or over the phone meaning no cost to the landlord. If a visit is necessary then our contractors can endeavour to diagnose the problem ahead of time and have the right parts with them to resolve the issue on the first visit.
Our contractors often go the extra mile to resolve problems, whether that Is trying to resolve the issue at minimal cost to the landlord or minimising the impact on tenants particularly as the colder months approach and heating problems are inevitable.
Why would you want to deal with such issues on your own without a little black book full of the best names in the business? Let Belvoir take the strain out of managing your rental property.
Case Study
We were asked to take over the management of a lovely property as the previous agent had been found wanting. The tenants had left and there were various jobs to organise to get the property ready to relet – from electrics to carpets and cleaning to gardening. But the biggest job was that the fitted bedroom furniture had been dismantled and moved out of all the bedrooms, without the landlord’s permission, in order to create extra space to grow cannabis! Our wonderful contractor managed to solve the puzzle and put all the pieces back together in the right rooms, without any instructions, so the property was ready to present to a new tenant.
For a FREE and without obligation compliance review of your rental property portfolio call us on 01892 615333, email tunbridgewells@belvoir.co.uk or book into the calendar via this link https://tinyurl.com/y56y3xru
