Who can you trust?

By Chris Chambers
30 Dec 2013

Would you entrust a cherished and valued item to someone that knows absolutely nothing about how to look after that item? Let's say it's a vintage car - you would want your chosen custodian to know when and where to take it for a service; how to top up the oil; make sure it is taxed and insured etc. You wouldn't dream of giving it to someone that didn't know or care about cars.

Well it seems to be a different story with houses. The boom in the rental market has led to a proliferation of property management and letting agents and in an unregulated industry this has meant an inevitable rise in the number of unscrupulous agents. And there are plenty of unwary landlords willingly handing over their properties to agents in exchange for low rates of commission and getting a poor service in return.

Landlord & Tenant law and the Housing Acts are complex subjects riddled with points of law waiting to trip up the uninitiated; the statutory requirements placed on a private landlord are not for the faint-hearted; houses need maintenance and an agent really needs to know about property in order to correctly diagnose problems and ensure he/she calls out the appropriate tradesman (eg; the boiler is leaking and the electrics have tripped off - is an electrician, plumber or gas engineer required??); tenants go into arrears and breach tenancy agreements; the list of pitfalls is long but a robust and knowledgeable agent will foresee and prevent many of these issues and will act quickly to safeguard a landlords interest.

So who can a landlord trust?

Firstly; look or ask for an agents fees - agency fees have come under the spotlight in recent months: lettings and property management have become known as the "Wild West" of the property industry due to countless examples of agents charging unfair fees, having hidden fees or not disclosing their fees up-front. Get this information; ask for their terms of business and make sure that you sign up to an agreement that, should you need to, you can get out of on reasonable terms.

Check if your chosen agent is a member of a redress scheme; the main one in the UK is The Property Ombudsman Scheme. Membership of this scheme shows that the agent is bound by a Code Of Practice and follows managerial and customer-focused standards and practices. Our firm Proudhouse Property Management is a member of this scheme.

Secondly, find an agent that is actually trained and qualified! The National Federation Of Property Professionals (NFOPP) oversee the education, examination and qualification for a range of services within the Property Industry - holders of their qualifications are then permitted to become members of various licensing/accreditation bodies. Membership of ARLA (Association of Residential Letting Agents) means that your agent has gained a minimum of a Level 3 qualification and is qualified to practice within the industry. It also means they are a member of a redress scheme. Furthermore, ARLA licensed-firms have had their accounting practices verified by an accountant, have client money protection and will have the appropriate indemnity insurance cover in place. Proudhouse Property Management provide lettings and management in Yeovil, Somerset and are ARLA members.

There are other bodies out there - most notably NALS - they provide redress, assurance and require agents to have client money protection in place. However, a landlord shouldn't just assume an agent is trained or qualified simply because there are some fancy looking logos in the agents window. Do your homework and ensure that, whether it is your cherished former home or a buy-to-let investment, your property is placed in safe hands.

Chris Chambers is a member of ARLA and owns and runs Proudhouse Property Management who provide lettings and management in Yeovil, Sherborne, Somerset, Dorset and the South West. Proudhouse Property Management also conduct energy assessments and Green Deal advice.

Regulation Of Letting Agents

Yesterday the Communities & Local Government Committee called for the regulation of letting agents. This move would empower the Office Of Fair Trading to ban agents that act unfairly or improperly. Proudhouse Property offer letting and management services to landlords in Yeovil, Sherborne, Dorset, Somerset and the South West. We have long been opposed to what can only be described as underhand and greedy charges made by some agents for all manner of reasons: setup fees with no tangible return for the landlord; eye-watering registration fees for tenants; fees for overseas landlords; renewal fees; administration fees; correspondence fees; finders fees; lock in fees if a landlord decides to dispense with an agent but retain the tenant; set thresholds below which agents have free reign to spend a landlords money without his/her prior approval... the list goes on - if you can think of it, some agent somewhere has charged for it! Sure, it can be argued that there is good reason to charge some of these fees but the basis for any contract is agreement... it is simply unfair to charge someone a fee which they are not aware of; sometimes the landlord only becomes aware of the fee when they check their bank account and see less money for a particular month than expected! It's a pretty disappointing experience - our ethos is not this.

Your property is your business - the rental fee is your income. We charge fair and reasonable fees that reflect the level of work that we put in. We are unique in having our own in-house domestic energy assessment and electrical services and provide that necessary certification, along with a Gas Safety Certificate, in return for our setup fee. We are a relatively new business and serve a niche market for members of the Armed Forces - we do not need to maintain or depend on archaic income streams that some of the more established agents have become dependent on. Our fees are available on request and also provided to potential landlords during our free initial consultation. We offer flexible services and a refreshing, honest and professional approach to landlords and tenants alike. We are working towards ARLA accreditation and landlords' money is held in our client accounting bank account with regular statements provided. Please contact us if you are need letting and management services from true property professionals in Yeovil, Sherborne, Somerset, Dorset and the South West.

Hot Dimmer Switch!

By Chris Chambers

Hot dimmer switch! Somebody asked me today why a particular dimmer switch in their house gets very hot. The IET wiring regulations allow non-metallic parts that are intended to be touched (but not hand-held) to be no hotter than 80deg C - so the hot dimmer switch could be normal. However, any appliance cannot withstand infinite energy passing through it thus a dimmer is rated to a maximum wattage eg 250W. So 8 x 40W GU10 lamps (in an array of downlighters for example) would exceed the capacity of a 250W switch. Prolonged heat in electrical parts can, over time, break down the insulation and ultimately cause dangerous shorting and potential fires. Check that you're not overloading your dimmer switches. Incidentally modern dimmers work in a very clever way - more about that some other time!

For more electrical information visit: www.wigglies.co.uk

Chris Chambers is the owner of Proudhouse Property LLP and Wigglies - Electrical Services. Creating and developing innovative homes in Somerset and South West England.

www.proudhouseproperty.co.uk

Every UK home will receive a free Smart Meter!

By Chris Chambers

Did you know that between 2014 and 2018 most homes within the UK will have a Smartmeter installed? This is just one of many measures and schemes in place by the Government in order to meet the legal requirement to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. The meters will replace your existing meter and will monitor your energy usage - you'll never have to read or send a reading to your supplier again as that will be automated via a mobile phone type signal. It should also provide you with detailed information about your homes energy usage and help you see where you can save energy.
 
The meter will be replaced by your electricity distributor - not a regular electrician but www.wigglies.co.uk and www.proudhouseproperty.co.uk can provide help and assistance with upgrading home electrics and advising. See the Gov link for more detail on Smart Meters. https://www.gov.uk/smart-meters-how-they-work

And one energy company is already supplying them! Click here

Domestic PV (Photovoltaics) systems

By Chris Chambers

Proudhouse Property and Wigglies - Electrical Services are very interested in the potential of PV systems. PV systems are now fairly common - the advantages, at first glance, seem to be very enticing: free electricity; reduced energy bills, and feed-in-tariffs paying the owner money! And of course, this renewable source of electricity is contributing to energy within the National Grid. But it is not as simple as that... is it?

 - The systems do not normally utilise the charging of batteries so electricity cannot be stored, which is not very convenient for when electricity is needed most, ie; evenings when the lights/TV/computers/kitchen appliances are all being used.

- The systems are fixed (to the roof normally) - the sun of course is moving constantly in both elevation and azimuth so the PV panels are rarely (if at all) receiving optimal insolation (see here for definition of insolation).

 - "Feeding-in" surplus electricity into the National Grid is doing the energy companies a huge favour and promoting the continued maintenance of a large-scale inherently inefficient national-grid system (remember, electricity generation in traditional power stations is only about 30% efficient due, mainly, to losses in transmission). Small scale systems and microgeneration are a far better idea for efficiency and redundancy - think of the chaos that occurs when the Nationl Grid infrastructure suffers major damage due to weather (or even a terrorist attack!!).

- The PV panels do little for the aesthetics of the property they're sited on - which is a bit disappointing for the properties that possibly have the most to gain fom energy efficiency such as old, historic, period properties (which are often enjoyed for their beauty). 

We reckon PV could be better - we've got some ideas but would love to hear from people that actually use it! So please comment.

Chris Chambers is the owner of Proudhouse Property - providing innovative and energy efficient homes in the South West, UK.

Inspiration from Austria

By Chris Chambers

I'm currently on a skiing holiday in Austria. It's snowing/whiteout conditions and whilst my friends are enjoying early Après Ski in the Moose Bar, St Anton, I'm back at the chalet still recovering from last nights drunken mayhem. It strikes me that as well as doing ski resorts really, really well the Austrians also do house construction pretty neatly. I can't see the roof tiles of our chalet as they're covered in snow but the roof timbers are really, really substantial (to take the weight of all that snow) and made from an engineered, laminated softwood by the looks of things. The outsides of the buildings are clad in shingles (cedar or larch possibly) - I'm going to presume that Germanic efficiency means the shingles are sourced from local forests. The front door is a heavy, metal, well fitting piece of engineering (no expanding and getting stuck in wet weather). The garage door where the skis are stored is a heavy timber double door affair that is supported on a rail/guide system (no sagging or not closing properly). The bottom of the door is clad and sheathed in what looks like copper to prevent the bottom of the door getting wet and rotting. The lock is fantastic - a really pleasing, solid handle and deadlock system... indoors things are just as neat although basic - this is a holiday let after all. The windows are all of timber constructions and of course double glazed. There is not a hint of uPVC in sight - anywhere in the resort.

Clearly, construction methods here have to withstand extremes of conditions, so the heavy duty aspects are understandable. But it is the sheer quality of components and attention to achieving longevity that is so impressive. It's all worth bearing in mind next time you ask your builder for a roof repair and he uses some lame uPVC barge board quickly nailed into some weedy rotten timbers that really should be replaced...

Chris Chambers is the owner of Proudhouse Property Management and Wigglies Electrical Services. Creating exciting and innovative homes.

www.wigglies.co.uk
www.proudhouseproperty.co.uk
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The devil is in the detail.

By Chris Chambers

An acquaintance of mine recently bought a property in Dorset - a nice 1950's semi in a nice market town. It needs a bit of love but it is what I would regard as a fairly standard refurb (get a skip, get a crowbar, remove everything, plaster, install new electrics/boiler/kitchen/bathroom, decorate, paint the front door, neaten up the garden... Done). Sounds straightforward but of course it isn't - the real skill is being able to co-ordinate tradesman, timescales, stay on budget and create a home at the same time. As a Part P registered business, Proudhouse Property and Wigglies Electrical Services have been employed as the electrical contractor and this project highlights the need for good project management - it is really important to have a firm grip on what needs to be done and when - are you happy to have new surface mounted electrical sockets installed in a utility room before the plasterers have visited? Similarly, if you have a plasterer visiting to skim a room then be careful with your preparation and arrange for who is going to do what - and plasterers will plaster around (and not behind) any obstacles so make sure that absolutely everything is off the walls - sockets, curtain rails, cupboards, architrave, skirting etc. The boiler fitter will want to make his life easy and fit the boiler where he can easily get a gas supply, vent, and electrical supply to the boiler as well as water pipes - so if that location is in the kitchen then will that work with the kitchen design? Would a bit more effort and time (and a bit more money probably) get the boiler to another location (such as the utility room) and be a worthwhile endeavour? Afterall, you'll use the kitchen many times a day - the boiler will hardly ever get interacted with so why locate it in your most used room if you don't have to? There are many more examples of little details that need to be thought through but won't be considered by the tradesman; it is a sad fact that the majority of tradesman are simply interested in completing what they've been asked to do and then getting paid - so good communication is key to getting it right! The tradesman, although arguably in a very experienced position to do so, will not do a lot of the thinking for you. My advice, having been in the clients shoes on many occasions, is to not congratulate yourself on rapid progress until you're 100% confident that the order of work is logical and the outcome is going to be something you're happy to live with - and if it's not then stop and rethink! The tradesman work for you, not the other way round. A good project manager, whether that's the home-owner or an employed professional, should help create a home, not merely manage a process of refurbishment.

I recently went back to the house concerned and my client has done a great job! A few headaches along the way but patience and a few re-visits from some of the not-so-helpful tradesman have all paid off.

Chris Chambers is the owner of Proudhouse Property Management and Wigglies Electrical Services. Creating exciting and innovative homes.

www.wigglies.co.uk
www.proudhouseproperty.co.uk
www.facebook.com/wigglies