Lettings Award Judges Report

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The 2010 Judges’ Report

Sponsored by:

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Contents

Messages

2

Lettings Agency of the Year 2010

3

Best Single Office Lettings Agency

5

Best Small Lettings Agency

6

Best Medium Lettings Agency

7

Best Large Lettings Agency

9

Best Luxury Lettings Agency

10

Best Lettings Franchise

12

Best Customer Service

14

Best Technology & Online

16

Best Property Management

19

Best Marketing

20

Best Training & Development

23

Best Innovation

24

Outstanding Contribution to the Lettings Industry

26

Thank you to the Judges

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A message from the organisers I have gone on record with a prediction that our industry will move from “sales and lettings”to “lettings and sales.”

Some feel this has already happened, others that they are equally important – either way, lettings is no longer the poor relation.

The Estate Agency of the Year Awards are the longest running and most highly regarded accolades in the industry.

Each year the event has grown in both numbers attending and stature, so much so that now we have introduced another first for the industry – Lettings LIVE which culminates in The Lettings Agency of the Year Awards.

I’m delighted to announce that we have entered into a long term arrangement with The Sunday Times and The Times to be our media partners for both award events and winners will receive significant exposure with editorial coverage and 30 advertisements in The Sunday Times ‘Home’and The Times ‘Bricks & Mortar’supplements.

We also are very grateful to receive support from The Property Ombudsman, NFOPP and for the Lettings Agency of the Year Awards from ARLA specifically. They join us in championing and promoting best practice.

Peter Knight Chairman, Estate Agency Events

Without our sponsors this event would not be possible and I’m particularly grateful to Simon Duce of ARPM for being the lead awards sponsor. I’d also like to recognise all our other sponsors, Virgin Media, One Property Place, Moneypenny, Rentright, LIVE Letting Exchange, Homelet and The Bu2iness.com.

On to the awards for 2010 where once again the bar has been raised further with the highest quality of entries ever. I don’t attend the judges meetings or get involved with the process in any way but I do know just how hard it has been this year and that some entries which might have won an award a few years ago will now struggle to even be shortlisted. The judges advise that they were taken aback by the sheer quality, breadth of services and professionalism demonstrated by many entrants and have stated that in their opinion tenants and landlords now have more choice than ever in terms of customer service standards and passionate, helpful and trained staff.

The judging process continues to be refined and improved including a number of “mystery shopping enquiries” which caused some entries to succeed or be removed from contention.

I’d like to personally thank Christopher Hamer, The Property Ombudsman, for again being our awards Chairman.

Christopher doesn’t judge himself but oversees the whole process to ensure fair play and impartiality. I’m also very grateful to our judges this year, whose collective experience and knowledge of the industry is second to none. The judges invest a huge amount of time interviewing every single entrant as well as reviewing all the written submissions and we really appreciate their huge contribution.

I’d also like to thank Sophie Williams, our Event Director, Ann-Marie O’Neil and the rest of the team for their sterling efforts in producing this event and dealing with several hundred lettings agents which I’m sure you will appreciate is no easy task!

Finally, I would like to thank every single one of you for your support. Unfortunately you can’t all be winners but in my mind you are without doubt the leaders of the industry.

Peter Knight Estate Agency Events

A message from the Chairman of the Judges Over the last two years there has been a trend in individuals renting rather than buying the roof over their heads. This move has placed a greater spotlight on the lettings industry with more and more agents finding tenants and managing properties on behalf of landlords. It s important therefore that there are clear standards of customer service and consistency in approach across the sector so that landlords and tenants can be confident they will be treated fairly.

The opportunity to win an award encourages agents to display a commitment to customer service, to innovation and general best practice; and whilst not every entrant can win, it has to be a positive that so many firms are able to demonstrate that their focus is on good business, good for them and importantly good for the consumer.

Christopher J Hamer The Property Ombudsman

My role in these awards as always is to ensure that the judges have been consistent in their approach to determining the winners and that the individual judge’s recommendations are properly tested in the judging panel. I also ensure that any actual or potential conflict of interest is addressed such that the objectivity of the exercise is not compromised.

A list of judges appears elsewhere in this report. Each judge brought particular experience and knowledge and I thank them for their application to the task.

Christopher J Hamer The Property Ombudsman

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Sponsored by

The award for Lettings Agency of the Year 2010

OVERALL WINNER

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

Northfields Having started Northfields with a team of two at only 24 years old, Managing Director Richard Palfreeman has spent the last twenty years taking his business from strength to strength.

He believes that commitment to their team is the secret of Northfields success and the judges found that for an agency of their size, Northfields investment in their staff training, technology and innovation is truly impressive. Richard and the rest of the management team take the view that the staff are the biggest asset their business has and they act on this accordingly, committed to building long term relationships with their team and employing local people with local knowledge with the end result that the staff retention rate and average length of employment is inspiring. This approach has been proven to work as tenants and vendors comment on the exceptional knowledge, dedication and enthusiasm of the team.

The energy and integrity of this agency starts at the top and is filtered down to the staff, a culture which is apparent to the customer with the statistics speaking for themselves; 86% of business comes from personal recommendation and 18% of their landlords have been with Northfields for over a decade. 60% of properties are let within 24 hours. Impressive.

The lettings teams invest equal time in both landlord and tenant and have implemented innovative ideas and approaches to assist both. Excellent communication is key to this business and is shown through every relationship they undertake.

For prospective tenants they take on a ‘tour guide’ role, issuing helpful local guides, maps and information to assist the tenants in making the right choice of rental property. For landlords they offer investment advice and portfolio management alongside all the more usual services. A service which has proved popular is an annual meeting between the directors and every managed landlord which contributes heavily to the excellent relationship and open dialogue between the two sides. They have also introduced an automatic emailing system that informs landlords of any activity on their accounts in real time.

Northfields are well known as one of the leading agencies in their area and this reputation has been built on a solid foundation. The team is fully involved in local causes and charities both through fundraising and hands-on participation in events. They clearly feel it is vital to contribute personal time to local causes as well as via corporate channels and can be regularly found volunteering and participating on projects for the charities they support.

Richard and the senior management showed that they take innovation and technology seriously and credit their business growth to their willingness and enthusiasm for new media through which they have made their brand and reputation stronger than ever.

They have worked extensively on building a ‘Northfields community’ using social media, regular market updates and an “ask the expert” section on their website. With a strong understanding of how these mediums work, they utilise them cleverly to demonstrate their expert knowledge and understanding of lettings to their customers with tangible results.

The business has seen a revenue increase of 30% and the pride the team feel about opening a fifth branch next month clearly demonstrated to the judges that the approach they are taking to the business is a successful one. A very well deserved award for an agency that has consistently shown its merits year after year.

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Why you should choose ARPM

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To enhance your business today call us or visit our website and discover the full range of services we provide:

01923 775 705 www.arpm.co.uk

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Sponsored by

The award for Best Single Office Lettings Agency

SINGLE OFFICE LETTINGS AGENCY

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

SINGLE OFFICE LETTINGS AGENCY

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

SINGLE OFFICE LETTINGS AGENCY

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

W. A. Ellis Since taking up residence in Brompton Road over 130 years ago, W. A. Ellis has proven themselves to be without doubt one of the foremost lettings agencies in London. It was apparent from their submission and interview that they take pride in their reputation as a thoroughly professional and well respected agency and their attention to detail was clearly demonstrated throughout. Their lettings team demonstrate a breadth of knowledge and understanding of their market that is truly impressive and the fact that the majority of them have worked there for over 10 years speaks volumes about the values and culture of the company. Directors are fully involved in the day to day running of the business and remain on the frontline of agency. This attitude of leading by example filters down to the rest of the team and their communication and interaction is second to none. Fully compliant and with an emphasis on courtesy, knowledge and honesty, W. A. Ellis is a truly impressive lettings agency that fully deserves the gold award.

Cambridge Residential Cambridge Residential is a highly focused and motivated agency who has spent over a decade surpassing the expectations of both themselves and their customers. They continually strive for excellence and are passionate about the service they provide to vendors and landlords. The team receives excellent training to perfect the basics with the result that innovative ideas and initiatives are based on a strong foundation and they can deliver what they promise. With this in mind, they invest heavily in technology to provide the most efficient service possible and couple good use of automated services with a personal and knowledgeable service offering. They have continued to profit and grow their business which is testimony to the hard work and dedication of their team.

They measure their results carefully which enables them to offer an accurate picture to potential customers as to the successes of their business. An excellent agency.

Pennington

Sheffield Residential

Shortlisted in 2009 and 2008 for the high standard of their lettings offering, Pennington have upped their game over the last year which has resulted in a well deserved bronze award.

Established over 20 years ago, their knowledge and expertise has enabled them to show resilience in a difficult market and they have continued to invest, recently launching a new website and improving their technology to aid the landlord/tenant relationship. Set up as a family business, they have held onto these values whilst expanding their service offerings to become one of the leading property companies in Suffolk with highly trained, motivated team. One to watch.

Sheffield Residential operate in a specific market meaning they have unrivalled knowledge and presence in their area of operation. Their team are forward thinking and proactive, tailoring their services to ensure they deal with the specific needs of vendors and landlords.

Whether dealing with multi million pound portfolios or landlords with one property, all customers are assured of receiving the same excellent service. The directors are extremely hands-on and demonstrate great belief and pride in their team. They have recently invested in a new website which is both dynamic and interactive and provides a valuable source of free information for all their clients. Their motto is “Reliable, Reputable and Recommended� and the judges found this was entrenched in the values of the company. Excellent.

Shortlisted: Claire Lloyd Properties, Maxine Lester Residential Lettings

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Sponsored by

The award for Best Small Lettings Agency

SMALL LETTINGS AGENCY

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

Northfields Northfields is a smaller agency with standards and investment that rival many of its larger competitors.

Continuously demonstrating an ability to punch well above its weight, Northfields has once again impressed the judging panel with its innovative marketing campaigns, dedication to training and knowledge and involvement in the local area with a CSR policy that is second to none. The comprehensive training programme incorporates external business coaches, mystery shopping, mentoring and job swaps, an approach which ensures their staff are not only motivated and energised but excel in their roles. They embrace new technology and use it to maximise the benefit to the customer. An above average revenue increase over the past year proves their approach works and we are pleased to award them the gold.

Fitz-Gibbon SMALL LETTINGS AGENCY

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

SMALL LETTINGS AGENCY

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

Fitz-Gibbon’s entry impressed the judges across the board. Not only did they clearly demonstrate their expert knowledge but they also proved they deserved the silver through their innovative marketing campaigns, focus on outstanding systems and processes and tailored services for all lettings customers. With the ability and expertise to market properties to a global audience, the majority of business comes via personal recommendation, encouraging huge customer loyalty and they are proven experts in their field. Not only are the staff highly skilled but they are encouraged from the top to hone and improve their skills through a top notch training programme. One of their key areas of focus is to spend time with landlords and tenants in the first instance, an approach which enables them to ascertain and act on the needs of their customers.

Lenwell Property Services Lenwell Property Services has maintained the excellent standards highlighted last year to retain the silver award for the 2nd year running.

The judges found that the team is totally focused on increasing their already high standards for lettings and property management; particularly impressive was the fact that they have worked towards achieving quality standard ISO9000 with the British Standards Institute, the first agent to do so. They take an innovative approach to efficient systems and processes in order to maximise the time staff can spend on frontline and face to face activities and their comprehensive website contains a wealth of information for both experienced landlords and tenants and those who are new to lettings.

Lenwell has continued to profit and grow over the past year, a fact clearly demonstrated through their expansion via acquisitions of other local agencies. An excellent agency.

Greene & Co This serially successful agency has once again impressed with an outstanding entry that highlighted their achievements and carefully maintained standards. The directors lead from the top and can be found on the frontline dealing with clients, including the MD’s contact details on all stationery. They describe themselves as being “addicted” to staff training and improvement as they believe that not only does this benefit landlords and tenants but also the team. This is proven to work by the high staff retention and the excellent testimonials from customers. Their retention rate of landlords also backs this up as a proven approach. Once again we congratulate Greene & Co. on their superlative business approach. Well done.

Shortlisted: Jon Hallett, Newman Residential Lettings

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Sponsored by

The award for Best Medium Lettings Agency

MEDIUM LETTINGS AGENCY

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

MEDIUM LETTINGS AGENCY

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

MEDIUM LETTINGS AGENCY

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

Edmund Cude Since opening their doors as a lettings agent nearly 200 years ago, the expertise of Edmund Cude cannot be disputed. Bronze winners last year, their entry and interview so impressed the panel this year that we are thrilled to give them a well deserved gold award. Their business ethos is fully integrated between the staff, landlords and tenants ensuring excellent communication and strong relationships. They believe strongly in continuous improvement and all staff are taking qualifications including the admin team who are training to become licensed paralegals. They keep as many of their services as possible in-house, including maintenance and photography to give them optimum control over quality standards. An ability to marry traditional standards with heavy investment in new technology has enabled them to increase revenue by over 25% and recently open a new office.

Edmund Cude sets a fantastic example of how to run an efficient and aspirational lettings business.

Truly impressive.

Finders Keepers Finders Keepers understands the importance of being fully aware of every aspect of the business in order to be able to improve standards and no other agency matched their attention to recording KPI’s.

The result of this is increased profits and business expansion. Having opened nearly 40 years ago as an acquisition service, they expanded into property management following client requests and have adhered to this philosophy of expansion and following client feedback ever since. Offering a vast range of services, Finders Keepers truly is a “one stop shop” for lettings services, all of which are of an exceptional standard. Well respected in the local area, they are strongly committed to helping local causes both in terms of fundraising and hands on involvement. A fantastic all round agency who work to their strengths.

Romans With over 20 years experience Romans is an innovative and forward thinking agency which continually strives to exceed its own standards for the benefit of the client. They believe that a great foundation for their business is excellent staff and with this in mind they seek to offer their employees a career, not simply a job with the end result that the majority of the lettings team have been with Romans for over ten years. Their award winning website is informative and easily navigated with a wealth of information including Romans TV which shows a range of informative and personalised videos. Their branding is strong and they combine this with extensive and well thought out marketing campaigns across a variety of mediums. Romans is a slick, modern agency with open and honest values. Congratulations on the bronze award.

Shortlisted: Goodchilds, IMS Lettings

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ARPM

ARPM Inventory service is a breath of fresh air for leading agents The new ARPM Inventor service has been widely welcomed by leading agents across the country as providing a real improvement on their existing inventory management service.

Agents who now use the service regularly point to the key differences in the ARPM service that provide true added value to a lettings manager.

The first of these is ARPM’s uniformed staff, each of whom carry ID which gives significant peace of mind to the tenant. Every clerk is covered by public liability insurance and CRB checked and each is fully trained in using the very latest inventory software.

Agents have found that the ARPM service saves significant time and administration as each ARPM inventory clerk ensures the inventory is signed by the tenant saving the agent the hassle of managing this process themselves.

Adding photographs as an integral part of part of the service and not charging extra for them has also been well received with many agents commenting on how useful a photograph can be in confirming the condition of any property.

Robert Clark at Aitchisons is happy to endorse the ARPM service “At Aitchisons we’ve been using ARPM for inventories for a while and we are very pleased with the complete service. The staff are professional, polite and efficient and the reports are very impressive. The inclusion of photographs is a great confirmation of the condition of the property. No longer having to send the reports to the tenants is such a time saver! And last but not least your competitive price list is often a lot cheaper than our local companies.”

Asked why he felt his service had been so well received, Simon Duce points to a number of factors: “There are many inventory clerks/companies offering their services to the market so it was vital that the ARPM service offered a real commercial difference. We had to ensure that we combined the highest levels of customer service and market knowledge with the latest technology and still price our service competitively.

“We provide unique services such as white labelled inventories, an incentive ‘pay back’ scheme for agents and an admin service to deliver fully signed and agreed inventories. Combine this with our trained inventory staff, ARLA status and full understanding of the tenancy deposit laws, we believe we are pretty much the perfect inventory partner.”

Simon Duce and his team have also added a hitherto unseen flexiblility to their inventory service with agents being able to book an inventory 24 hours a day or indeed to have the whole service provided under a white label allowing the agent to brand the service as their own.

ARPM brings fresh approach to the lettings market ARPM is now firmly established as the largest company in the UK offering specialist outsourced tenancy administration and property management services exclusively to estate and letting agents. Its success has been built on taking a bold new approach to lettings management and offering agents throughout the country a new alternative model that delivers all of the positive benefits of running a successful lettings practice without the costs and overheads traditionally associated with such a venture.

The ARPM service challenges the accepted wisdoms of how to manage a lettings portfolio and offers a pioneering new approach to estate agents seeking to enter the lettings market or refine their existing offer.

The ARPM service allows estate agents to concentrate on the front end of the lettings process: the valuation, marketing and viewing whilst ARPM will complete the tenancy administration and property management. It allows any agent considering launching a lettings service to add a valuable source of additional income to their business. Agents who find themselves constantly dealing with rent arrears and maintenance problems can, by using the ARPM service, concentrate on winning new business. ARPM can also help those agents who want to take on more managed properties but do not have staff capacity, resources or office space and those seeking to reduce their property management costs without compromising on service to their clients.

Crucially ARPM has no conflicting front-office lettings function ensuring that all the company’s customer agents do not feel threatened by a possible loss of business to the outsourced specialist.

Simon Duce is adamant that ARPM must be seen as offering an opportunity and not a potential threat to any partner agent: “Every agent is rightly protective of the customer base they have built up. By not offering any front-office function of our own we can guarantee our agency partners that we are just that – long term mutually benefiting partners. However good our service to the landlords and tenants we provide no future threat to the business of our agents.

“ARPM clients – from established independents to the multi branch estate agents and franchised networks – rely on our seamless back office solutions to provide a professional lettings department, whether for a single agency or a national network. It’s the service everyone can count on.”

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Sponsored by

The award for Best Large Lettings Agency

LARGE LETTINGS AGENCY

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

LARGE LETTINGS AGENCY

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

LARGE LETTINGS AGENCY

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

Chesterton Humberts Chesterton Humberts stands out as an excellent agency which has quietly taken its brand from strength to strength since merging together last year. With a combined experience of over 300 years, the combined knowledge and expertise of Chesterton and Humberts is as impressive as you would expect. As a large agency with offices across three continents, they still manage to offer a personalised service and a commitment to maintaining a ‘family’ atmosphere amongst the staff. Everything they do is with a view to honouring their mission statement and it is apparent that there is complete buy-in from the team who offer fluency in over 15 languages, enabling unrivalled communication with customers. The well thought out service offerings cover all possible rental options for tenants and with landlord retention at over 80% this is clearly an ethos that works well for all parties. They place great importance on having fun whilst working and the staff retention rates and client feedback would suggest this attitude works. Chesterton Humberts is an agency to aspire to.

Chancellors Described by the judges as, “dazzling”, Chancellors innovative services are truly impressive. It was completely apparent that every aspect of their business has been well thought out both as a single aspect and in terms of how each area will affect the others. The end result of this approach is a fully integrated business plan. Their IT is outstanding and they have paid great attention to automating as many procedures as possible to prevent human error and to free up the staff to work on personal interaction and services. Every step of the rental process for both landlords and tenants has been carefully considered with assorted guides for customers available in brochure format on their website.

A nice touch is also the ability for landlords to ‘reverse search’ for potential tenants who are looking for properties like theirs. A shining example of a great all round agency.

Your Move Your Move has built their business on a strong foundation enabling them to continue to grow through the downturn and they have also managed growth well through acquisition. They have developed their recruitment and training and place great emphasis on personal development for their staff which is impressive in such a large business. As a mixture of their own and franchised offices they run an extremely tight ship ensuring consistency in standards across their lettings business and the importance they place on compliance, training, legislation and knowledge is well communicated to all staff and managed accordingly. Systems and processes are highly robust and customers nationwide can be confident when using Your Move.

Shortlisted: Andrews & Partners, Foxtons

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Sponsored by

The award for Best Luxury Lettings

F LUXURY LETTINGS

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

W. A. Ellis An extremely professional and accomplished agency, W. A. Ellis showed the judges they genuinely give an exceptional service to all their landlords and tenants via exemplary communication channels, highly trained, expert staff and comprehensive marketing. They are market leaders in luxury lettings and in recent times, not only have they established one of the highest rental yields at the top end of the market but have also increased the business they do for many of the central London landed estates, including winning a sole agency contract for 70 properties in an exclusive area of Knightsbridge. There is a large team looking after lettings ensuring that both tenants and landlords enjoy a personalised service and it was extremely apparent to the judges that the team at W. A. Ellis really care about what they do.

R u p • • • •

“V a LUXURY LETTINGS

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

LUXURY LETTINGS

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

Chesterton Humberts Chesterton Humberts exude a quiet confidence in their luxury lettings which can be attributed to their success in this area through revenue growth, rental yields and stock levels. With the backing and support of the larger group, the luxury lettings department works in a boutique and bespoke way in order to service the needs of a select client base. Last year saw them achieving the highest revenue ever and they also let some of the highest value rentals in the area; no mean feat in their key areas of Knightsbridge and Mayfair. A point of difference was their emphasis on building strong relationships with embassies and corporate contacts which aids them in marketing their properties and services to tenants and landlords who in turn feel confident in the service they will receive.

“It a

“T p

D u

Fleetmilne Residential Since opening 6 years ago, Fleetmilne has worked hard to become one of the foremost and well respected agencies in Birmingham and subsequently Bristol. Their knowledge of their local area is unsurpassed and they enjoy a strong market position. The team is encouraged to actively participate in local networking events to maximise the awareness of their lettings offerings via business and corporate channels with most tenants coming via corporate contacts. Two recent achievements include securing an exclusive contract with West Bromwich Albion FC to source rental properties for their players and Fleetmilne holds the record for the highest achieved monthly rent in Birmingham.

The ratio of let-to-managed properties is exemplary and it was apparent that the team is led from the top in every aspect of agency life.

113080 C

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21/5/10 15:14:19

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Sponsored by

The award for Best Lettings Agency Franchise

LETTINGS AGENCY FRANCHISE

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

LETTINGS AGENCY FRANCHISE

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

LETTINGS AGENCY FRANCHISE

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

Belvoir Property Management Belvoir is one of the largest franchise operations in the country and one of the few specialising solely in lettings. They have stringent standards for franchisees to adhere to and high quality individuals are only accepted after demonstrating their drive to succeed and their potential to make substantial returns for the Group. Belvoir has grown their business across all key areas significantly despite the difficult market and they intend to continue this trend by adding an additional 20 franchisees this year.

The support franchisees can expect to receive is exemplary, not only from the outset but continuously throughout their time with Belvoir. To illustrate the importance that Belvoir place on continuous professional development, they have recently increased their training budget for franchise owners.

New franchisees participate in a 3 week residential induction then have the choice of over 50 additional modules, webinars and lessons. Their business formula is proven to work and we are delighted to award Belvoir Property Management the gold.

Your Move The Your Move lettings franchise model is tried and tested and they are one of the leaders in this field.

Franchisees are offered joint branding alongside an established high street name and the opportunity to become part of one of the UK’s largest lettings agency businesses with all the benefits that brings.

Your Move proved they understand the needs of franchisees and ensure they match this with a strong support system that benefits both the franchise owner and the Group. A central team specialise in assisting franchisees with all systems and processes such as banking, rent arrears and compliance which enables the owner to concentrate on developing and growing the business. A territory model is adhered to ensuring exclusivity for branches. Once again Your Move has demonstrated that their attention to policies and systems benefits the group, the franchisees and more importantly, the customer. Outstanding.

Xperience Xperience is one of the most established franchises in the country. An in-depth vetting process ensure selected candidates are of the highest calibre; the confidence in the abilities of their owners has enabled Xperience to give franchisees autonomy over their business. There is no management fee during the first year of trading in order to allow owners to maximise their cashflow, something the Group believe is crucial in the first 12 months of trading. Franchisees benefit from a host of discounted rates and training is provided free of charge on a wide variety of subjects which are changed according to market conditions. The judges were particularly impressed by an initiative over the last 12 months to give all staff access to and training for social networking sites and the benefits of blogging to increase their profile. Xperience has proven with this award that they aren’t resting on their laurels and are striving to build on their own high standards.

Shortlisted: Goodchilds

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Sponsored by

The award for Best Customer Service

CUSTOMER SERVICE

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

CUSTOMER SERVICE

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

CUSTOMER SERVICE

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

Lenwell Property Services It is a delight to award the gold award to Lenwell Property Services who proved at every stage of their entry that they are passionate about promising and delivering exemplary customer care. Their systems and processes are impressive and it is apparent that each has been designed to make the customer experience fantastic. An excellent online system for rent collection and statements has been implemented as well as an intelligent telephone system that automatically directs callers to the most appropriate department. Their customer service guarantee offers financial compensation should they fail to deliver on their promised service standards, a policy that doesn’t have to be implemented very often! Their confidence in their service standards is backed up by their achievement of quality standard ISO9000 with the British Standards Institute; as part of this they are audited twice annually and can act on feedback accordingly to maintain their excellent standards.

W. A. Ellis

Your Move

W. A. Ellis operate in the niche market that is top end London lettings, working for some of the largest estates in London. With this remit, their customer service strategy and implementation has to reflect the demands of the clients they deal with and they achieve this entirely.

Testimony to this is that one client last year handed them his portfolio of 250 properties because he, “knew they’d be in good hands”.

The team has mopeds to enable them to travel around London as easily and quickly as possible, covering a wide area of the city centre and a dedicated QMS officer carries out random checks on tenancy files to ensure legislation is adhered to with all systems and processes followed to the letter. Excellent relationships and contacts with the local press allows the team to comment on changes in the market and legislation updates which has cemented their reputation as local experts. An outstanding business that deserves the silver award.

Your Move is a shining example of how larger agencies can use their size to implement excellent customer service standards and not allow them to slip. The judges were hugely impressed by the systems and processes in place to ensure tenants and landlords receive consistent standards and products across the UK. Much of the compliance and legislation issues have been automated using fail safe systems so tenants and landlords are completely confident they fulfill their legal obligation and compliance.

When expanding their lettings offering, staff were fully trained to deal with the front end of lettings whilst a centralised back end system was introduced to manage all contractual and maintenance aspects. This approach saw turnover increase by £4,000,000 and a reduction in complaints. Communication is key and customers can be assured of reaching someone 24/7; a recent campaign to alert all clients to a change in scheme was so effective there were no queries about the changes by the second week of the campaign. Your Move is the example of how to deliver a great service across a large network of branches.

Fitz-Gibbon Fitz-Gibbon demonstrate a fully integrated approach to their customer service offerings, understanding how the relationship between management, staff and customers can benefit all parties and ultimately enhance the business. Particularly impressive was an initiative whereby they utilise local educational consultants; an idea that has proved invaluable for overseas clients and relocation agencies. Their staff retention and average length of service is higher than in most agencies meaning a consistent and committed level of service for clients. Not content to rest on their laurels, new initiatives are constantly considered and introduced including a new tailored letting service for both the student and relocation markets. Very impressive.

Shortlisted: Northfields

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Sponsored by

The award for Best Technology & Online

m TECHNOLOGY & ONLINE

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

TECHNOLOGY & ONLINE

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

TECHNOLOGY & ONLINE

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

Lenwell Property Services Lenwell Property Services demonstrated an enthusiastic and passionate approach to their website and online offering alongside an excellent understanding of how these mediums can be utilised for the advantage of the clients and the business. They take a systematic and considered approach to social media and blogging with all staff confident in their ability to use these for maximum benefit. Recent introductions include a new way to handle post and a redesigned website will be launched soon with innovative map based search tools. It is clear that use of technology by Lenwell enhances an already excellent service offering: they are fully aware of how to embrace the best in new technology to build on their customer service standards and strong relationships with tenants, landlords and new clients.

Romans The benefits of Romans approach to their technology and online presence is clear with a 45% growth in profit over the last year. There is a clear understanding of the benefits of their online presence across the entire staff from the directors to the junior negotiators and they are able to communicate these well to their clients. Great pride is taken in their website as this has been shown time and again to be the first point of contact for customers so there is great emphasis on ensuring this is attractive, informative and easily navigated. Heavy investment in technology has saved money in the long term by automating systems where possible resulting in a higher profit margin and an increase in managed properties. Excellent reporting systems are coupled with online communications and clever use of social media meaning Romans has seen tangible results from intelligent and efficient use of technology.

Your Move Your Move has proved once again that it is an industry leader in its use of technology and online media and the bronze award is fully deserved. They constantly refine and reinvent their systems to maximise efficiency for their business and to reflect the needs and feedback from their clients.

Following their acquisition of Halifax, they rolled out their lettings system across the 200 new branches with minimal problems which meant they could quickly ensure transparency and consistency of service across the board. SEO is taken seriously with the result that they have a full time employee to deal solely with this. A bespoke software system ensures data and statistics are reported on exactly as required which can only be a good thing for customers. At each stage of the customer journey, they can be assured the team at Your Move are continually checking on service levels and compliance.

Shortlisted: Martyn Gerrard

" sof and I is and

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now includes property management & accounting thebu2iness.com is now the only 100% web based software product to include fully integrated Sales, Lettings, Property Management & Accounting in one single product

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"I have used a whole range of other software’s, GMW, Encore, Expert Agent and I can honestly say that thebu2iness.com is the best. It’s the most user friendly and the features mean that our software can work as fast as we are."

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"If you are in the process of looking for a true all-in-one technology solution which networks your offices, removes the need for servers and allows instant sharing of information across all your business discplines, come and talk to us at thebu2iness.com "

"We are extremely pleased with the results from the implementation of 'thebu2iness.com' as it has helped enormously to integrate and streamline our offices to make our business run more effectively and be more informative of our local market across the company"

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One Property Place

One Property Place A new sponsor for this year’s awards is outsourced property management service, One Property Place.co.uk.

Cheshire based One Property Place.co.uk is from the same team behind The National EPC Company, the UK’s leading provider of energy performance certificates to estate agents nationwide.

Utilising a wealth of property experience and bespoke property management software, One Property Place.co.uk can now offer lettings agents the choice of a comprehensive outsourced property management service or a ‘buy-as-you-go’ menu of property products and services.

The concept is a simple one and, according to managing director Annmarie Blomfield, will take away the hassle of property management from agents allowing them to concentrate on developing their business whilst maintaining a management income.

Annmarie explains: “One Property Place.co.uk enables letting agents to offer their clients a full property management service without the day to day hassles associated with maintenance and mandatory inspections and certificates.

“Letting agents simply upload their property details onto our secure software which becomes a centralised management hub. The software automatically alerts agents, or landlords depending on the level of service required, when mandatory inspections are due on individual properties via SMS messaging or email. Inspections are carried out by professionals from the One Property Place.co.uk approved panel and all certificates and reports are filed on the system free of charge.

“With the comprehensive management service, tenants and landlords are able to report maintenance issues and take advantage of a 24-hour emergency contact line. One Property Place.co.uk will quote for all maintenance and repairs and appoint a trusted contractor to carry out the work on approval. Agents can charge a mark up and also earn commission based on the work carried out.”

One Property Place.co.uk charges just £15 per property per month for comprehensive management, including the out of hours emergency contact, and agents can use free white label software, allowing landlords access to see property details.

Alternatively, agents can use a buy-as-you-go service and just purchase products and services as and when required. This includes inventories, EPCs, PAT testing, rent guarantee and deposit insurance and credit checks, along with gas and electrical inspections and associated remedial works.

One Property Place.co.uk also offers a telephone or online rent collection service, removing yet another time consuming activity from agents.

So what are the benefits of agents outsourcing to One Property Place.co.uk? Annmarie believes it is the centralised management hub; the economies of scale afforded by centralised buying power and the extensive panel of nationwide suppliers. Annmarie says: “Letting agents can continue to charge clients a monthly management fee without having to carry out all the associated time consuming administration. No longer will agency staff be required to be contactable 24 hours a day and agents can set their own fees for products and services, making a mark up on the competitive quotes we will supply.

“Furthermore, we will pay agents a commission on the work One Property Place.co.uk undertakes on their behalf, opening up a new revenue income stream. We will also allow agents to upload their preferred contractors onto our panel for peace of mind.”

For more information visit the One Property Place.co.uk stand at today’s event or call Annmarie Blomfield on 0845 626 2255. To see the full list of services and to create an account free of charge visit www.onepropertyplace.co.uk

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Sponsored by

The award for Best Property Management

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

Foxtons In terms of their property management, Foxtons impressed the judges with their business growth, stringent training programme and focus on customer needs. It is apparent that Foxtons is extremely process driven with very tight controls and it is this control that ensures consistency across all branches and staff. This concentration on systems and processes works for the business with 99% of rent collected on time and a healthy business growth. They are strong believers in excellence in their staff and each team member is required to undergo stringent and lengthy training prior to appointment to ensure they are fully conversant in every aspect of property management for both tenants and landlords. Property Managers are allocated an appropriate level of properties to ensure a personalised and consistent service for clients and professional standards on all key disciplines are carefully monitored to ensure values are maintained. Foxtons knows where its strengths lie and this gold award is well deserved.

Finders Keepers

Northfields

Finders Keepers demonstrate an attention to detail which enables them to work with high quality tenants and landlords. The fact that they moved into property management following client requests speaks volumes as to the excellent reputation of their staff and business and the judges were impressed by the figures for Finders Keepers; 80% of properties are fully managed and 94% landlord retention rate with only 0.63% lost to their competitors. Clients are assured they can reach a representative of Finders Keepers at all times (including midnight on New Year’s Eve) for any maintenance issues and it was apparent that the entire staff are passionate about the company and strive to provide the best possible service for their clients. The detail on the check-out notes was impressive and clients are allocated a designated property manager enabling all involved to build a strong relationship and enjoy exemplary communication.

Northfields culture has seen them work hard to ensure high levels of consistency and service across the basics. This approach has left them free to innovate and their superior range of services and professionalism has shown clients that Northfields property management offering is top rate. Their referral rate is unrivalled in their locations and the training and reporting undertaken has ensured a low dispute rate and high retention of landlords and tenants. Their Landlord Saving Club initiative is an interesting proposition and the lettings team at Northfields spend time networking with local tradesman with the end result that property maintenance is carried out by trusted local businesses who adhere to Northfields’ high standards.

Scott Fraser Shortlisted for Best Small Lettings in 2009, it is apparent that the team at Scott Fraser has endeavored to improve their already high standards over the past year and we are pleased to award them a well deserved bronze for their property management standards. The passion for services is clear and every aspect of their property management system demonstrates this desire to ensure a top notch service for tenants and landlords. A personalised service with transparent management for clients is matched against an excellent use of technology meaning that the entire team is well versed in any issue the client may be facing, even if their personal manager is unavailable. Scott Fraser’s attention to detail and passion to please is impressive.

Shortlisted: Edmund Cude, Thornley Groves

19

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Sponsored by

The award for Best Marketing

MARKETING

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

MARKETING

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

MARKETING

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

Northfields Northfields “Red Carpet” campaign enjoyed success because it was based around their central philosophy of treating their clients as VIP’s who deserve red carpet treatment. Not only was the campaign impressive, well thought and memorable but it reflected the company’s true values and has resulted in greater loyalty between the company and its clients. The focus and execution of this initiative bought excellent returns to the business and the management ensured they measured all aspects of the campaign from increase in instructions to customer reviews so they were able to exactly pinpoint the sources of new business from the campaign and the exact return on investment.

The judges found this campaign to be a shining example of how to put an idea into practice for great benefits.

Young London Young London is proud of the fact that it consistently tries to look at all aspects of agency with fresh eyes and offer innovative services and products accordingly. This campaign was started with a very clear remit of generating additional lettings instructions through direct and dynamic communications to clearly targeted landlords. The team at Young London set out strict criteria for targets and also identified the results they wanted, both medium and long term. This sniper-style approach impressed the judges with the end results speaking for themselves in terms of increased instructions, revenue and awareness of Young London as an expert in their area. A mixture of clever communications and personal contact, supported by an innovative social networking enterprise, stood out for the judges as a campaign which has utilised all mediums available and combined them cleverly to impress and wow their target audience with unrivalled results.

Putterills Putterills executed a slick campaign based around attracting potential customers to an information day they were hosting. Not only was the aim for the day to attract new customers but also to illustrate to existing clients that Putterills aren’t resting on their laurels and continue to educate themselves to ensure their team are experts in lettings and compliance, knowledge which can only be beneficial for all involved. The judges were impressed by the quality, execution, publicity and feedback surrounding this event and it was these results that have transformed this event into an award winning marketing campaign. The profile of the speakers involved was exemplary and they provided real value to delegates. Unsurprisingly, the Putterills Landlords and Investors Seminar led to a significant upturn in new business and simultaneously communicated the brand values of Putterills to their audience, the hallmark of any successful marketing campaign.

Shortlisted: Premier Places, Your Move

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21

Rentright.co.uk

Since July 2004 Rentright has been a strong supporter of the rental market and is delighted to be a proud sponsor of the 2010 Letting Awards.

First launched as a lettings directory, Rentright is now one of the fastest growing property portals dedicated to lettings. In December 2009, with the financial support of a corporate investor, Rentright.co.uk was able to go through a transformation to become the ultimate rental property portal.

The new look Rentright.co.uk offers the ability for agents to provide landlords with high quality listings offering a unique visualisation of their properties through a number of unique features, including: • A photo carousel providing the option to display an unlimited number of photos • Incorporation of Google Street view • Facility to upload YouTube videos • Ability to share properties via Social Media and email • Powerful Agent profile pages capturing agent information with links to agent websites enabling greater brand awareness, links to all properties and phone tracking ability.

Unlike the majority of portals we recognise that your audience’s habits have changed. Therefore rather then using interruption marketing methods, through the utilisation of Twitter, Facebook and other social media tools, we talk directly to your audience through their social universe.

Already gaining media interest is Rentright’s incorporation of a Rental Property Indexes (RRPI) function, utilising property data from across the Rentright website to provide real time data for the average prices of rental property for a particular region. The function also provides the option to narrow down the RRPI by the number of bedrooms and the type of properties for every town throughout the UK.

Partnerships with Nestoria and Trovit further increase your property portfolio’s exposure across the internet with data appearing on high profile websites, such as The Telegraph, The Independent, Channel 4, and AOL. ComScore has reported month on month growth in traffic to Rentright.co.uk with traffic increased by 123.36% in March 2010, compared to the previous month and a further increase in April by 16%. Comstats for February and March also showed that visitors to the Rentright website were spending a much greater time on the site than those visiting other portals such as LettingSearch and Globrix.

The feedback from our Agents currently listing on the website has been very positive, with many receiving a significantly high number of high quality enquiries, with a high return on investment. But don’t just take our word for it, read what some of our agents have to say about us: “Advertising our rental properties with Rentright has impacted on our revenue by increasing the number of enquiries we receive from professional tenants.”

Lanes Rentals Ltd MK4 1GA “Just a short note to let you know that we are receiving a good number of enquiries from the Rentright portal and unlike many of your competitors they are of a high quality which has already resulted in lets.”

Alan Francis MK9 2AE

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Sponsored by

The award for Best Training & Development

TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

Romans Romans is completely committed to training and developing their staff to the point they employ a dedicated Training & Compliance Officer. With a clearly defined and well communicated development path for employees, the training programme is completely adhered to from the outset starting with a six week induction and 'buddy' system. The emphasis is on promoting the benefits of training from the top and they have high levels of licensed staff. Employees participate in monthly one-to-one appraisals to set out key objectives which are then followed up and reviewed at the next meeting with league tables completed weekly. This passion and belief in continuous professional development is coupled with excellent incentive and reward schemes for staff; this year 20 high performing team members are being taken on safari. Communication and teamwork is apparent with all staff buying in to the Romans philosophy and striving to constantly improve. An inspiring model.

Your Move Once again, Your Move has clearly shown they offer their employees a career path with many opportunities and a defined progression. There is a palpable desire to encourage the team to work their way up through the ranks and an excellent Management Development Programme encourages junior staff to progress to management and partnerships with a considered focus on continuous professional development for more senior managers and directors. All training is monitored and logged with dedicated training staff across the UK as well as external consultants.

They offer clear incentives and rewards schemes for enthusiastic staff with paid study leave and legal training available, both of which have proven to motivate the team and encourage them to strive to improve and expand their own knowledge and excellence.

Northfields For a relatively small firm with four offices, Northfields has a very clear and inspiring training and development programme. Successful in this category last year, they showed the judges that training and development is a core focus for the business and the panel were impressed by the breadth and content of opportunities to learn. They employ external trainers and really appear to encourage personal development from their employees with success and understanding measured through in-house exams, appraisals and mentoring. Employees are also supported in learning outside of their day to day role, including sabbaticals where appropriate, and it was clear that this approach makes the team feel really valued and results in well rounded, content and knowledgeable staff.

Shortlisted: Chesterton Humberts

23

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Sponsored by

The award for Best Innovation

INNOVATION

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

INNOVATION

LETTINGS AGENCY of the

YEAR 2010

Orchard & Shipman Operating as a fully diversified property services company, Orchard & Shipman has focused specifically on growing the social housing management aspect of their business. The benefits of operating within this niche market are clear: company growth has increased exponentially over the past 8 years, not least in part to the respect they have garnered by focusing on a tenant group which has not generally been engaged with by the vast majority of lettings agents. Moving into this area was a strategic move and this innovative, entrepreneurial and diversified business model has helped increase the activities of the company and resulted in huge respect for the business from the public and local government.

Confidence in Orchard & Shipman’s approach to saving public costs whilst improving outcomes for tenants and landlords has resulted in this agency being one of only two private companies to receive Housing Management Accreditation from the Homes and Communities Agency. A fantastic example of how a great innovation can drive a business model for the benefit of clients and staff.

Milton Ashbury Milton Ashbury impressed the judges with a range of innovative ideas that set them apart from the competition. Demonstrating an understanding of how good ideas that are well implemented can benefit business, they highlighted a range of revenue streams that provide solutions and address some of the more difficult issues faced by tenants and landlords. For first time renters, Milton Ashbury don’t charge initially for deposits or agency fees and also offer help with moving, utilities and appliances. In return, tenants pay a market rent plus extra for the above services meaning tenants only have one monthly payment and one point of contact. A “try before you buy” rental scheme helps reluctant landlords who can’t sell their properties and those struggling to get a mortgage by offering money back should renters subsequently buy the property they’re renting. Milton Ashbury stood out as deserving of the silver award due to the number of innovative ideas they have managed to implement that bring real advantages for tenants and landlords who may be struggling with more traditional models of lettings. Aspirational.

Shortlisted: Thomas & Rose

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The award for Outstanding Contribution to the Lettings Industry

John Hards With over 30 years industry experience, John Hards, Managing Director of Countrywide Residential Lettings, is a worthy recipient of this award.

Since qualifying as a chartered surveyor in his twenties, John joined Countrywide Residential Lettings in 1981 and has spent his career not only transforming the business into the largest lettings agency in the UK but also seeking to improve and develop the standards and services of the lettings industry as a whole.

When John joined Countrywide there were only 23 lettings branches, which seemingly operated independently of each other. CRL is now the UK’s largest letting agency, due in no small part to an infrastructure created and implemented by John.

Following the implementation of the 1988 Housing Act, John understood that this would be the start of a regulated lettings industry and with this in mind set out to ensure Countrywide would be able to support the tenets of this Act on a national basis. CRL now has more than 200 branches offering a comprehensive range of property services to over 50,000 landlords and tenants, an impressive transformation.

John Hards

In addition to his role at Countrywide, John has dedicated many years to wider industry developments; he is a long-serving Director for the Association of Residential Lettings Agents & NFoPP. a fellow of RICS and a certified auctioneer.

Throughout his 30 years in the industry, John has demonstrated an exemplary commitment and dedication to the improving of industry standards. He has been directly involved in a number of innovative schemes which have helped create the professional, regulated lettings industry we have today.

A founding director of the Tenancy Deposit Scheme for Regulated Agents, John was also a Director of the Tenancy Dispute Service and he was behind the creation of the UK’s first specialist insurance products designed especially for Landlords. It now seems impossible that the Lettings industry operated without these products and services in place and it is due in no small part to John’s passion for constant improvement of standards from compliance to innovation and transparency to accountability.

We are pleased to recognise and reward John’s dedication and achievement.

Sponsored by

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Thank you to the Judges

The Estate Agency Events team would like to say a huge thank you to this year’s Panel of Judges:

Chairman of the Judges Christopher Hamer – The Property Ombudsman

Panel of Judges Nick Leeming – Commercial Director, Zoopla Simon Duce – Managing Director, ARPM Lucy Morton – President ARLA Julian O’Dell – Industry Trainer, TM Training & Development Julie Twist – Managing Director, Julie Twist Properties Julie Westby – Lettings Specialist Marveen Smith – Principal, Painsmith Annmarie Blomfield – Managing Director, One Property Place Peter Chapman – Industry Trainer, TM Training & Development John Boyle – Managing Director, Homelet Charlie Wright – Founder & Architect, the bu2iness.com

We are delighted to announce that registration is now open for the 2010 Estate Agency of the Year Awards in association with The Sunday Times and The Times.

For more information and to register please visit www.estateagencyawards.com

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Leadership Training and Consultancy

If you train hard, you'll be hard to beat.

Congratulations to all the winners.

The Academy Leadership Group consists of some of the most successful independent sales and lettings agencies in the UK. With regular meetings and access to exclusive research and training, members learn how to turn a good business into a great business.

To apply to join this very exclusive group, please visit:

estateagencyacademy.co.uk/leadership or call 01372 370889

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Get social from just

ÂŁ99 per month Many landlords are using Twitter, Facebook and other online communities to keep up to date with news and views on the lettings market.

Phoenix Social Media Service provides regular and relevant content to your own branded blog and social media profiles, helping to ensure that your social media presence is up to date and interesting.

To find out how we can help you use social media as a successful business generation tool, please call:

01372 372372

phoenixplc.com

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To view the list of successful agents please visit the winners’ website at: www.lettingsawards.com

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The Sunday Times reaches over 3.1 million readers.

The Times, over 1.6 million. In other words, your ad could be seen by more high-end rental prospects than you ever thought possible.

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Friday May 28 2010

Home Interior Ideas

Property Near Me

Dream Home

Hamptons International

Zillow Real Estate

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Mortgage Calculator

The Times

Capitalise on architectsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; unfinished business Page 8

A new lease Tamzin of life for Outhwaiteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s designs on an tired, old furniture extension Page 15 Page 9

Space for rent with unbelievable views.

To discover an advertising solution to suit your budget, call the property team on 020 7481 1986 or email propertyads@newsint.co.uk

lution all the 1986 co.uk

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Organised by:

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Supported by:

The Chapel, Reigate Road, Leatherhead, Surrey KT22 8RA 01372 370837 info@estateagencyevents.com www.estateagencyevents.com