A Flourishing Daisylets

Daisylets Maidstone would like to introduce you to our two newest members of staff – Shelley and Kerry. Shelley has been working with us since June and has recently taken on a larger role within the company, meaning she will now be working in our office on a daily basis. Kerry started at Daisylets in October and is settling in well, she is looking forward to learning and administering all aspects of the Daisylets workload.

Recent feedback from our landlords has been excellent, and we would like to share a testimonial with you which we received this week:

 

Hello Daisylets Maidstone,

We would like to express our thanks on your approach to everything, from our initial encounter through finding new tenants and completing arrangements in a thoroughly professional manner. As a first time landlord, we found your team most helpful at every stage of the process and would recommend your services to anyone thinking of letting out a property.

Kind Regards,

Tina Reynolds

It is always wonderful to receive comments from those who use our service, and we appreciate all feedback given.  We are thrilled to have both Shelley and Kerry on board and eager to make the most of our new structure to continue with and expand the professional and personal service we endeavour to provide our landlords.

 

If you would like to leave Daisylets Maidstone a review, then please feel free to visit our Facebook page here.

*Did you know about our loyalty reward scheme?*

Recommend a new landlord to us who successfully takes out a full-management service and you will benefit from a discounted rate for your next Daisylets service.

 

Mereworth School Summer Fair 2014

Daisylets Maidstone were proud to sponsor the Mereworth School Summer Fair on Saturday 14th June this year for the 3rd year running.  The rain held off and crowds were aplenty with lots of families enjoying the school’s annual summer day with a wide variety of entertainment for all including traditional dancing, coconut shy, pony rides, food stalls, face painting, crafts and bouncy castle!

Daisylets Maidstone – 1st, 2nd and 3rd!

Rightmove inform us this week that we are ranked number 1 out of agents in our area for properties that move quickest, 2nd for having properties that receive the most attention and 3rd for gaining the most new property.

So new any landlords out there not currently with us – feel free to join the party and give us a call today!

The Daisylets Dog!

Enjoying a bit of Cornish sunshine sitting by a pink chair in amongst the daisys – now that really is a Daisylets best friend!

Daisylets Maidstone Property Maintenance

Our recent addition, the Daisylets Property Maintenance mobile, certainly seems to be receiving plenty of attention in and around Maidstone  – our driver doesn’t seem to mind too much either!!

Daisylets Maintenance Surgery

NLA East London Meeting in Redbridge

Maintenance Surgery

Claire Empson, Managing Director, Daisylets

How well do you manage your maintenance and have you succeeded in putting together a reliable maintenance team? Do you ever feel ripped off by contractors and how good are you at identifying what kind of tradesman will be best suited for the job? How do you ensure the work is of good quality and should you ever just do it yourself? Clare Empson manages over 100 properties and won 2011 NLA Property Women Award. She offers her top tips and we invite you to share your experiences.

Hosted by Richard Blanco, NLA East London Representative

Thursday 20th September, 6.30pm for 7pm start to 9.30pm
Fairlop Waters, Forest Road, Barkingside, Essex IG6 3HN

Landlords need letting agents, survey reveals

See original article here

 

Daisylets Maidstone are No 2 out of 21 agents for new listings in the area!

Rightmove inform us this week that we are ranked number 2 out of 21 agents in our area for new instructions from Landlords.

This means we are 2nd in gaining the most new property out of all the agents in the surrounding area and are also currently ranked 2nd for having the most stock available.  Any potential landlords out there not currently with us – why not take advantage of all the extra tenant leads these properties will bring us, and contact us today!

Beware: the taxman only rings once…

We think this article from the Residential Landlords Association is one landlords should read, just in case…

“HMRC has made it clear that private landlords in some areas can expect a knock on the door in the coming weeks as it launches a special taskforce to investigate and recover up to £17m in unpaid taxes.

However, it is unclear what has prompted the investigation, and HMRC did not respond to our requests for clarification.

The initial announcement was confusing, as although it was headed ‘HMRC targets property rentals’ it referred to ‘transactions’ – a word more often used in property sales rather than lettings.

The announcement said: “A new taskforce to tackle tax evasion on property transactions was announced today by HMRC.”

The taskforce is initially focusing on private landlords in East Anglia, London, Leeds, York, Leicester, Nottingham, Lincoln, Durham and Sunderland, but could easily be extended to cover the whole country, warns accountants and business advice firm James Cowper.

Stephen Barratt, private client director at James Cowper, said: “Landlords can reasonably expect HMRC to gather information from across government departments, and many other sources including press and internet advertisements, universities and colleges.

“HMRC is also using increasingly sophisticated techniques to identify those who are not paying sufficient tax, and the chances of going undetected are rapidly vanishing.”

The firm believes that it is not just unpaid income tax that HMRC will be looking for, but unpaid VAT.

Many landlords providing temporary accommodation – perhaps to seasonal agricultural labourers, students or even homeless people – may not realise that VAT is chargeable on temporary accommodation as HMRC treats it in the same way as hotel or guest house accommodation.

Landlords may not be registered for VAT when they should be and so could face a back-dated VAT claim.

James Cowper offers this advice to those who individuals who believe they may have an outstanding tax liability:

• Do not approach HMRC directly without first speaking with your accountant or tax adviser. HMRC are increasingly tough negotiators, and without detailed knowledge of the tax system a larger tax bill and penalty than necessary could be charged.
• Do not ignore this clampdown. It is possible that HMRC is already aware of your financial details and so, having publicly drawn attention to this area, it is likely that future penalties might be higher.”

Hidden Boiler Flues – new regulations to comply to before end 2012

Important advice for landlords (and homeowners) who have flues which run in ceiling spaces or walls

Some properties, mainly flats and apartments, have been built with boiler flues which cannot be inspected because they are hidden behind walls or ceilings. The boiler flues that this information relates to are connected to room-sealed fan assisted boilers.  If you live in one of these homes then please read on for more information so you know what to do.

Gas Safe registered engineers need to be able to see the flue − which take fumes away from the boiler − as part of essential safety checks whenever the boiler is worked on. A flue in poor condition, combined with a boiler that is not working properly, could put you and your family in danger from carbon monoxide poisoning, which can cause death or serious injury.

If your boiler is situated on an outside wall, it is unlikely you have this type of flue. Alternatively, if your engineer can see all of the flue, you will not need to take any further action in relation to this matter.

If you do have a boiler where all, or part of, the flue cannot be seen, you, or your landlord, will need to arrange for inspection hatches to be fitted. This does not mean that your flue system is suddenly unsafe. As long as the boiler passes a series of safety checks − including having audible carbon monoxide alarms fitted − it can be used normally for the time being.

Carbon monoxide alarms are not an alternative to being able to see the flue and you will still need to have inspection hatches fitted. You have until 31 December 2012 for this work to be completed. It is recommended that inspection hatches are fitted as soon as you are able to do so. From 1 January 2013, any Gas Safe registered engineer will turn the boiler off, with your permission and formally advise you not to use it until inspection hatches have been fitted in appropriate places.

Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/safetybulletins/fluesinvoids.htm

If you believe this affects you and you are in a Daisylets managed property, please email us. We will be reviewing our properties in the next few months to accsertain which will need to have work done before the end of 2012 in order to to comply.

 

Daisylets App is here!

You can now download a Daisylets App for Android and iphone.

We have developed this App for free use on your mobile to help you find your next rental property.

With the Daisylets App you can:

1. Search for available properties based on your specific requirements by price, property type and location
2. Receive instant notifications of new instructions and price reductions
3. Request viewings of the properties you like
4. Receive full directions on the mobile to any of the properties
5. Request a rental valuation or your own property
6. Phone your nearest Daisylets branch
7. Email your nearest Daisylets branch
8. Calculate your rental affordability

The App is connected to our database of properties and is therefore always up to date with our instructions. Use the Search facility to find properties that meet your needs and use the App to communicate direct with us.

We have the ability to send Notifications direct to you via the App. This could for example be a notification about a special promotion we are running, a new instruction, a price reduction. These are valuable tools for you but you can choose to turn them on and off yourself by going to Settings in your mobile device and turning Notifications for the App on or off.

There are so many ways in which this App will help you get more out of your house hunting experience. We hope you enjoy it!

Daisylets Maidstone Legal4Landlords site launched

Daisylets Maidstone have teamed up with Legal4Landlords to bring you a three step eviction service with a flat fee.

There is no need to fear the rising costs of using traditional solicitors for eviction by using instead this three step, flat fee system. The whole process is dealt with by experts to get to the result you want.  Experienced landlords will know it’s all about serving the notice correctly so it doesn’t get thrown out when you do eventually get to court.

Legal4Landlords can obtain court dates within 48 hours of instruction and the date is likely to be within 28-35 days of instruction. That’s 4-6 weeks sooner than their main competitors. If you’ve ever been through the traditional paper based application then you will be aware of just how amazing this is!

Legal4Landlords also provide traditional insurance products for landlords and debt recovery, get a quote by clicking the banner above.

Britain’s Rent Generation

Britain is home to a generation of renters who are giving up on buying their own home, says a report that attracted major headlines.

The ‘Generation Rent’ report from the Halifax warns that, if attitudes become reality, the shape of Britain’s housing market will be fundamentally changed within a generation.

According to the research into the attitudes and behaviour of young people towards home ownership, 77% of all those who do not own a home still aspire to owning one.

However, despite this aspiration, nearly half of 20 to 45-year-olds say Britain is becoming more like Europe where renting is seen as the norm, and predict that Britain will become a nation of renters within the next generation.

Produced by the National Centre for Social Research, the report analysed the results of a survey of 8,000 20 to 45-year-olds and identified the emergence of ‘Generation Rent’: two-thirds (64%) of non-home owners who believe they have no prospect whatsoever of buying a home.

Source: RLA Landlord Newsletter: www.rla.org.uk

Announcing… Daisy Furnishings!

We now have a super new furniture website, whether it’s a new bed for a rental property, a luxury new sofa or a furniture pack for an entire house, we can help!

See www.daisyfurnishings.com

Free delivery and free installation, you can order and pay for the goods online too!

Daisylets Maidstone

 

Daisylets Maidstone is a dynamic and independent residential lettings agency and property management company based in and around Maidstone.

 

Daisylets was started in recognition that there is a need for a decent, honest company to manage landlords’ properties.

Partners Liz and David at Daisylets Maidstone have years of experience in letting their own property portfolios and have also been tenants in the past so know exactly what each side expects and needs from an agent, and more often than not, doesn’t actually get… for example they are happy to conduct evening and weekend viewings if required.

 

As management and lettings specialists we are fully focused on the priorities and needs of landlords and tenants, and unlike estate agents, our attention is not diverted by dealing with property sales and mortgages.

 

Daisylets Maidstone are not jack of all trades; you won’t be blinded by jargon, estate agent patter or sharp suits .. you just get a decent, honest service.

 

No hidden costs, no renewal fees – what we quote you now is what you pay.