Daniel Evans
Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
The key here is not whether a list exists, as there is an extensive one available from essential reading which categorises nearly every item you can think of into clear life expectancies, toilet brushes being in the consumable category:
The real question is whether it is universally accepted by those who make the decisions around deposits, property managers, landlords and arbitrators.
The answer there being no and in some instances for good reason…
It is hard to specifically create a list which is definitive and applies to all items.
A good quality carpet will last longer than a cheap one, a Le Cruset casserole dish will survive longer than a Wilkinson’s one in most instances, besides which there are factors in some places outside of the determination of a fixed life expectancy which is why its so hard to create this list and have people use it….level and type of occupancy etc
The document linked though provides a very sensible place to start working from and as a base for your decisions and has helped me on many occasions back up a clerk’s decision when a client disagrees.
My personal view has remained the same all the way through that the more precautions you take the better….
In relation to inspections the best approach is to maintain your own standards by maintaining the use of masks, gloves and sanitiser
Then in terms of the tenants maintain clear distance and ask them to ventilate
More often I’ve found it is the tenants who are most uncomfortable in these circumstances so the more we do to put their mind at ease, the more we can ask for in return
Make sure your expectations are all outlined at the point of booking as well
We’ve had some very accommodating tenants who provide access, give us a brief overview of their maintenance concerns then take themselves off (with or without the dog) for a walk for 20 minutes
As @Rowley Waters suggests if you aren’t comfortable then don’t proceed, however with regards to inspections most agents have outsourced these in the last 12 months due to their own safety concerns so you will need to consider from a commercial perspective the potential risks of ruling them out on the same basis
I’m surprised at your experience here Matthew as over the last couple of years I’ve found customer service to be one of their strengths
Try using the online support chat box or phone them I’ve found if I need to expedite things
Also to respond to the original post about training…..
We are looking at ways to offer more CPD training courses the only problem being is the time resources required to create them
The software providers can invest larger sums into training development than we can because they use it as a funnel to market and get new customers on board who have great margins and long custom life values.
If there are any particular courses people would like to see we are always happy to hear suggestions though and if you would like to assist by developing or creating content then please do get in touch with me or central office
KR
Daniel (Chair)Workstreams is indeed both an opportunity and a threat, depending on the uptake from private clients to it which at present hasn’t been massive throughput
It is a function which I’m guessing will grow over time the only question is how much and how beneficial this is to the inventory companies using the software.
But any software company that markets to agents and inventory companies is potentially a threat, especially if combined with inventory training, as in reality agents present a much larger opportunity if you consider they will sign contracts for software more readily and have the added proposition of giving them tools to manage midterm inspections as well.
The most common use so far has been holiday cover by smaller agents with an internal clerk but it does also get used around the busier periods on an ad hoc basis by a limited number of companies.
KR
Daniel (Chair)What kind of volume of typing do you need Lawrence?
RND are one of the larger supplies and are very reliable but if you only have limited needs there are smaller organisations who may be able to offer you a cheaper deal but they generally don’t have the same capacity as RND
KR
Daniel (Chair)This has to be looked at in the round….what is the client worth to you and how much are they asking you to pay?
If you refuse to pay the bill will you lose the client?
We recently were put on hold by a large client because I was reluctant to pay for them to drop some keys off to a tenant which had been dropped back to branch because the tenant was late (they argued the clerk should have waited longer)
£127.50 + VAT for a 30 min drop off by one of their internal maintenance team, which by the way was significantly more than they were paying for the check in in the first place!
In the end we had to pay the bill or lose the client, so we paid the bill……it wasn’t the first and it won’t be the last.
It is very easy as an inventory clerk to be defensive over your liability, and in many cases you will be right, however being right doesn’t always make the best business sense so consider how you deal with this situation, the same as any other complaint in a very careful manner.
We work in a fickle industry where in majority we have no contracts in place, and we’re only ever potentially one bad job or one argument over a key away from losing a client.
Properties are long term investments for most landlords and the average tenancy is still around 2 years so you will likely see many properties time and time again so balance the costs accordingly
KR
Daniel (Chair)The funny thing is with these midterm inspections is my main suspicion is that agents don’t want the hassle of the additional risk management of visiting multiple tenanted properties on a daily basis and returning to an office environment as well. It puts the whole business at risk potentially from their side.
It is hard to dictate all tenants to vacate the property as many now work from home, plus it is advantageous to meet tenants in most instances as they can assist you by informing you or any maintenance issues, which will dramatically speed the time taken up.
Where people have furloughed staff and reduced administrative roles in the last 18 months many companies did develop backlogs of these inspections which many still haven’t cleared.
The key is clear communication with the tenants and management of the COVID threat dependent on your circumstances or those of your staff.
Whilst not mandated any longer, it would still seem to mitigate the risk more if you require at least the clerk to use a mask and gloves and regularly santise as well.
KR
Daniel (Chair)As Debbie has said the requirement of their prescribed information which outlines the terms of the deposit protection will require the landlord to submit any proposed deductions within 10 days of the end date of tenancy.
Whether the landlord sensibly decides to use an inventory to make these proposed deductions is not mandated. They are within their right to make the proposals in the absence of any document.
The key is doing so within 10 days which in this case they apparently have not so my advice to the tenants would be to refer the matter to the relevant deposit protection scheme they were registered with at the start of the tenancy and as outlined on their prescribed information which is normally attached to the tenancy agreement.
KR
Daniel (Chair)As with most things inventories there are no clear cut defined requirements for pictures, only best practice advice which would be to include the date and timestamps if possible.
Experience tells me that it is always the grey areas tenants and landlords end up arguing over which require an arbitrator to resolve, and in the absence of date and timestamps it allows a tenant to dispute the validity of any pictures submitted to an arbitration.
I’m not sure arbitrators will go to the forensic levels of reviewing meta-data but this can be altered to some extent, particularly if taken with a digital camera.
As Rowley initially asks the question is also whether pictures embedded within reports are automatically assumed to have been taken on the date of the report in the absence of date stamps. Again my assumption would be yes unless challenged by the tenants.
Its the same as any case where you are arguing the facts in life, the more substantial the evidence, the harder it becomes for somebody to argue against you. And with tenants and landlords becoming more aware of how to deal with deposit disputes, the agent is the one who will potentially lose a client worth significant amounts of money in fees if something goes wrong, so my advice is search for ways to add the date stamps it is possible to do in many ways whether using self made documents or PDF files or working on software.
Its one of those things that once done will just become another added feature of your reports, and you’ll probably find if one client finds value in it then there will be more out there that also do….
KR
Daniel (Chair)I’d say the best advice here if in doubt is check with your insurance company if you would be covered?
I’d suggest not as the use of a ladder would imply working at height which most insurance policies won’t include as a standard, in fact it usually incurs a fairly high tariff if included.
The other factor raised by others which is important is the lone working policy, the risk of somebody hurting or injuring themselves and being unable to call for assistance automatically seems like a red flag to me on a risk assessment basis.
We had a situation recently where the only way to access a gas meter was down a steep muddy bank over a small wall and then inside a cupboard, the clerk quite rightly in my opinion reported it as unsafe to access and made a note of the reasons, so it is not just lofts etc we should avoid in the pursuit of meter readings in particular, it is any unsafe situation which may wind up with unwanted results!
KR
Daniel (Chair)As a default the emails are copied into the chair email address for monitoring purposes only, and to give some idea of the usage level of the find a clerk portal which we want to expand the usage of by private landlords and agents in the long run.
We also regularly get companies using the portal for spamming multiple companies and this is monitored and we can then contact the suppliers or companies asking them to cease their activity
For many reasons without a third party systems administrator these emails are copied to one of the mailboxes, at this time the chair email address.
They are not responded to or replied to by me unless in the interests of the Association.
KR
Daniel (Chair)Hi Clare
Its not one of the platforms I’ve reviewed extensively but I do have an ex-employee who works for them if you need any information?
KR
DanielWe now offer an inspection course which is available on the main website which will take you through all these bits and pieces related to midterm inspections
I’m also in agreement with Stef on the communications side with tenants, there is a limit to how much effort we should be making to gain access as a third party contractor before referring the matter back for the consideration of the agent.