Over a Year of Empathy & Support
At the height of the pandemic last year, we saw an increase in some very difficult situations that letting agents and property managers had to deal with. This has continued to be the case in 2021 as the situations people face have continued to unravel.
We cannot remember a more difficult time that our clients have had to deal with. Pre-Pandemic, the most challenging situations were based around rent arrears and serious maintenance issues.
However, while wrestling with the change of business circumstances, there has also been a need to manage much more serious problems against a backdrop of ongoing challenges with mental health and social justice. Property managers and owner managers have been facing much more contentious issues. There has of course been a surge in substantial rent arrears because of the coronavirus, but there have been some incredibly difficult struggles tenants have been dealing with: -
Domestic Violence is at an all-time high. Letting agents have been liaising with the police who intervene, and injunctions are applied for to prevent the abuser from either harassing the victim or entering the family home.
In times of need, get the right Support for Your Lettings Business
It has been ten months and 3 days since the UK went into the first Lockdown and just over a year since Wuhan officially announced that Covid-19 existed - this novel Coronavirus which has caused chaos across the globe.
The shift in the way in which we live our lives has been unprecedented and the way we work has most definitely changed beyond belief. GLM has always been at the forefront of training and professional development, however, the last ten months has impacted not only the way we work - on-line delivery Versus Face-to-Face delivery, but the response to the needs of our clients.
Our client base is diverse, ranging from private landlord who self- manage big portfolios to local authorities, charities, trusts, franchisees and high street agents. All have something very key in common - they use our Advice Line, require support and guidance.
Being client focused is where it all begins - what are the requirements? How will they be fulfilled? How does our service assist with the day-to-day running of a lettings business?
Our Advice Line - a Source of Comfort during the Pandemic
The last seven months have been pivotal on so many levels, it really is difficult to know where to begin. We witnessed the country stop in its tracks in late March, as businesses, our clients transitioned from the office environment to WFH. A task which seems straightforward but not so; where do directors, MDs, office managers, negs, property managers and administrators begin with such a gargantuan undertaking? And yet, they did up until the 12th May when the housing market re-opened to the surprise of everyone working within the sector. What followed was a flurry of activity to get Covid-19 protocols in place for the safe re-opening of the sector, a soft-opening if you will do so many letting agents, estate agents, conveyancers, surveyors - tentatively venturing into unknown territory to be certain that health and safety came first.
Our Role
We, like everyone in business, have been affected by the virus. Our CEO, Susie became ill with virus on the day of the first Lockdown, a worrying time for us all, hoping she would make a swift recovery. Our face to face training was put on hold and with the support of Tony at Pixels and Puzzles, we moved seemlessly online, not just to train but provide clients with extremely important webinars, put together to guide letting agents through what must have felt like relentless changes to existing legislation. Susie came to the webinar party in mid-April when she was certain she could cope with the level of questions being asked; we remember after every webinar or training session, she needed a nap - post-Covid fatigue was a real thing.
In a New Era of Communication - Remember Your Landlords & Tenants
Populations across the world are adjusting to COVID-19, and with social distancing orders in place, finding new ways to communicate not only for businesses, but with family and friends, is paramount. The cultural shift has shown just how many letting agents are now using video conferencing software for the very first time.
As meetings, webinars, training take place in the new place of work, contact with the landlord and tenants remains incredibly important. The landlord needs to have an understanding of the work that is being done during this very difficult time. Whilst offices may be closed, the work still carries on. from collecting rents, liaising with tenants about “rent holidays” or discounted payments, preparing relevant paperwork to address the changes to contracts, navigating repairs and ensuring that any Statutory responsibilities are still dealt with. The workload for letting agents may have significantly increased as dealing with Covid-19 has meant a great deal of change in such a short period of time that no one has ever experienced before. What should letting agents be telling landlords and tenants?