Merry Christmas from Belvoir!

Its Christmas at Belvoir and we wanted to say

Thank you to our tenants for the rents that you pay

Be safe this winter, make sure windows are closed

No keys left in sight and no presents left exposed

The office is closed from Friday the 21^st December

There are some important things for you to remember

Property maintenance is key, and definitely not slack

Be sure to check emergency numbers in your welcome pack

Electricians, plumbers and handy men too

All are available to come to your rescue

Be careful of Christmas lights, and fat down the sink

Unplug and unblock and make time for more drinks

If your going away, leave heating on low

Otherwise pipes will freeze and burst from the snow

Every day we will check messages on the phone

Be sure, as our priority, you are never alone

So enjoy the festivities, eat, drink and be merry

Mince pies and chocolates and maybe a small sherry

We will see you in January, on the 2^nd to be clear

From all of us here, a very happy new year!

Maintenance of your rental property

We understand that keeping on top of your property maintenance is important, if something breaks, stops working or needs replacing due to tenant wear and tear it is our job to sort this as quickly and as stress free as possible.

Our Property manager Sue Harvey is available on phone and email for all of your maintenance queries. We also have Fix-flo, our online maintenance portal which can be used to report maintenance issues at any time. Details of this can be found in your welcome packs.

We have a very trusted team of professional contractors who we work closely with that are available out of hours for any maintenance emergencies:


Chris Berry & Sons - Mobile Locksmith - http://www.locksmithsleamingtonspa.co.uk/

Founded in 2008, Chris runs a family business who are at your service 24 hours a day offering a variety of services at competitive prices.

S&J Electrical - https://sj-electrical.org.uk/

S&J offer quality electrical services for homeowners ans businesses in the Warwickshire area providing fresh, original and unique ideas to suit each individual.


Gastech - Karl and his team are available for all of your plumbing and heating needs including bathroom suites, cooker/hob installation, gas safety certificates, showers and thermostats



We also like to pass on some top tips to our tenants when moving in and maintaining your rental property:

• Damp and mould - please remember to keep your property ventilated and do not dry clothes on radiators, especially over the winter months when properties are more susceptible. 

• Over the colder months we have a lot of calls regarding frozen waste pipes, please try pouring boiling water on the outside waste pipe first before calling us or our contractors to avoid call out charges to the landlord/tenants

• As per your tenancy agreement (clauses 4.2 & 4.3) please note it is the tenants responsibility to: keep the property and Landlord’s machinery and equipment clean and tidy and in good and tenantable condition, repair and decorative order, replace bulbs, keep the garden maintained and grass cut, keep all windows clean and test windows and smoke alarms weekly to make sure they are functional, if they are not please call us immediately and we will sort this same day for you.

• re pressurising your boiler - to re pressurise your boiler you will need to find the filling loop, this is a silver braided hose with 1 or maybe 2 isolation valves. Turn the black tap or taps very slowly until you can see the black needle start to move. Once black needle has reached red needle or 1 bar, turn black cap off. 

Please note, on properties that are managed by your landlord, please contact them for any maintenance enquiries

Home away from home!

Its that time of year again... a new term, new student accommodation and more freshers hangovers than you can count!

As our students embark on their new chapter, our Student team here at Belvoir are here to support every individual and make the move in process as smooth as possible.

It might seem silly to discuss your accommodation for next year before moving in this year but its really important to jump in quickly to avoid any disappointments. Our student property list for 2019 will be released mid - end October and properties are snapped up very quickly within 3-4 weeks. If you have an idea of the sort of accommodation you would like and have a set group of friends you would like to live with please do not hesitate to contact Sylvia or Mia sooner rather than later!

Students are now collecting their keys ready for the start of their new chapter. Please ensure that before arriving to the office the following have been completed:

•  Tenancy agreement signed by everyone including all tenants and their guarantors. By law we     cannot hand over any keys until this is complete.

•  Right to rent checks have all been completed, again by law we must see your passport before you move in, please bring these with you to the office.

• First instalment of rent is paid by everyone. Please ensure this is paid as a group using the reference numbers provided by our student team. 

We are a family run business who think of our students as individuals. You are not just a number to us and we value you considerably .

If you have any queries please so not hesitate to contact our Student Manager Sylvia or our Student Coordinator Mia on:

01926 422251

Don't forget to like our student Instagram page!

https://www.instagram.com/belvoirstudentsleamingtonspa/ 

Be reference ready!

Here at Belvoir Leamington Spa we aim to make the moving process as simple and hassle free for our tenants as possible.

The key is preparation, are you ready to be referenced and do you have the documents available to us to process this. The more organised you are the quicker your application is processed and completed ready for move in. We use an external company called Let Alliance who deal with applications and collect suitable references on your behalf, these will include a credit check and may include contacting previous landlords, employers and accountants where necessary. The more information provided to them the better.

What documents are needed from you?

ID - With every tenant application we will need to see suitable ID documentation. This may be by way of Passport or if you do not own a Passport we will require another form of ID including full or provisional driving license, European ID card, firearms/shotgun certificate, police warrant card or a forces ID card. Please note a birth certificate is not suitable proof of identification.


Rent to income ratio

A suitable tenant will need to be earning 30 x the rent amount per year in order to qualify for the property. There is also an option to pay 6 months rent upfront in some circumstances.

Proof of residency

While Let Alliance may ask for various other documents such as bank statements, we will also need 2 x proofs of address provided before you collect your keys. These can be in the form of a utility bill (not a mobile phone bill), bank/ building society statement, mortgage statement, council tax bill or credit card statement to name just a few.

Guarantors

If you are under 21, a student or only working part time its important to expect that you may be asked to provide a guarantor. Suitable guarantors must be resident in the UK, hold a UK bank account and must meet the rent to income ratio calculation, which in this case, is 36 x the rent share of the tenant. A guarantor may also be needed if you have been self employed less than 2 years, or if you are in temporary/fixed term contract employment.

CCJ's, Bankruptcy and IVA's

Its important to remember that we try to help as many tenants as possible, even with unfortunate credit situations. If a tenant has multiple CCJs then the application will automatically decline. If the CCJ's are declared and satisfied at less than £5000 then this is acceptable with a guarantor, if they are £300 or less and satisfied, acceptable for the tenancy.

We pride ourselves in helping our tenants get "the green tick" from Let Alliance no matter what their circumstances and work closely with them to cover all scenarios.

Please do not hesitate to contact us on 01926 422251 with any further enquiries.

Johnny Hollywood!

Recent reports show that tenants can spend up to 60 hours finding a suitable property.

Here at Belvoir we pride ourselves on individuality and have had great success with our virtual viewings. Virtual viewings allow prospective tenants to be able to view the property from the comfort of their own home or work place without the hassle of booking an appointment in work hours. For working professionals, having time off for viewings is not always possible and so this is the perfect way to get a feel for a potential new home.

Our virtual viewings are conducted by our Director John and son Conor using our GoPro and external mic and are extremely successful. Belvoir Leamington Spa houses many professional employees of Jaguar Landrover, Aston Martin and IBM to name just a few, many of which come from over seas and are not always available to view properties in the UK. We have had excellent feedback from our landlords who have had void periods reduced due to properties being snapped up as soon as the video is released.

Detailed videos such as these make more effective use of our time as agents increasing the conversion rate from the viewing to the property being let agreed/SSTC to eliminate tenants/buyers who's criteria is not matched.

Virtual viewings have boosted our website traffic and we are currently up to 23,500 views on YouTube channel, check out the links below!

Sales (The old Library) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqWurpYrfYo&t=365s

Lettings (Leopold house) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amxjizuytdE&t=3s

Lettings (Little Trace Avenue) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czzNYydSMI0

A Mans Best Friend

Being a dog loving office, here at Belvoir we understand how important it can be to take your pets with you when you move home. We also understand that sometimes tenants feel they have to "jump through hoops" in order to achieve this.

Meet Ralph! Ralph is the newest member of our team and spends most days helping us out in the office. Other activities include sunbathing on the sofa, greeting tenants and barking at the postman!

With 54 million people in the UK having pets its no surprise that we come across quite a few potential tenants who don't want to leave them behind while renting. We have a few top tips to consider when looking for a property to suit.

• Be honest - when starting your property search it is important for us to know all the facts. These include what type of pet, breed, age, whether he or she is house trained and a brief background. We can then put this forward to the landlord, the more details we know the better. A reference from a previous landlord can also help.

• Pet deposit - Some landlords will insist on a pet deposit of £200. On vacating the property, the tenant will show that carpets on all levels have been professionally steam cleaned by a professional company to remove all animal hairs and odours.

• If you have already moved in to your property and decide you may like a pet, please do check with your landlord or agent before purchasing. Failure to do so can mean you are in breach of your tenancy agreement.

• Take time off - Moving house can be stressful for your pets especially dogs and can lead to adverse behaviour such as excessive barking and chewing. Taking a few days off to settle them in can be very beneficial in the long run.

A study by Dogs Trust showed that 53% of UK landlords are willing to rent to tenants with pets given the right circumstances, so if you're having problems give us a call on 01926 422251 and we will do our very best to accommodate you.

Good luck with your search! 

Welcome to Belvoir...

You could say that us at Belvoir, Leamington Spa are somewhat unique, with an office full of fun and laughter we have a few hidden treasures up our sleeve. Its not every day that you walk in to an office to be greeted with 2 resident bikes, Tommy the Vespa and Merlin the Harley Davidson as well as a fully stocked prosecco fridge (strictly for Fridays of course!) and a business owner with a somewhat whacky dress sense!

John and Sue Warburton bought the business 5 years ago and after a great deal of hard work, are proud to have been awarded numerous awards including silver at West Midlands agency of the year 2015, gold in franchise of the year in 2016 and silver as best single agency in the midlands at the Sunday times and The Times 2016. With Sue on the board for BID Leamington, we are proactive in supporting local businesses as well as working closely with Myton Hospice and sponsoring the law society at Warwick University.

A day in the life of us at Belvoir will usually consist of John reminiscing about his ex dream boy dance routines from 25 years ago, numerous dog visits, lots of coffee, and making silly boomerang videos for our office watsapp group…and that’s just Monday!

So whether you are a landlord, tenant, student or looking to buy or sell your home, feel free to pop by and speak to our very talented team. 

Keep up to date with future blog posts on our Facebook and Instagram pages

https://www.facebook.com/BelvoirLeamingtonSpa/

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https://www.belvoir.co.uk/offices/leamington-spa