Countrywide Residential Lettings: Letter Home

 Dean Webster, of Countrywide Residential Lettings, on a commitment to service

With a buoyant lettings market it’s hardly surprising that Dean Webster of Countrywide Residential Lettings wants to shout out about the company and the standard of service that they are committed to providing.

Dean has been working in lettings for the last two and a half years. Before that he had spent 17 years working in property sales. ‘‘I decided that it was time for a change and I wanted the challenge of a more competitive market and in many ways a more demanding one,” he says. “Right now we are offering new landlords our nought per cent challenge. If we cannot find a suitable tenant within four weeks of receiving their instruction then there will be no management fees of any subsequent let of that property for the first three months.

“Countrywide has been established for over 30 years. With that kind of track record we understand the high expectations of landlords and are always trying to exceed them. With tenants we have exactly the same approach. On either side of any deal we provide a real service; you will never feel like you are just another number.

“It’s also vitally important that we find exactly the right property for the right person. The right match is essential if we are to keep all parties happy. No one will feel that they will simply be given any old home to rent. And we cover all areas of the market too, from students to luxury long and shorter term lets. We also like to ensure that a property is ready for occupation. To that end we operate a breathing period of one week. No one can walk in and walk out with a set of keys.

“We have very strict criteria for both landlords and for tenants. Both have to reach a certain standard that we believe is acceptable.?We also deal with any issues that might arise head on; nothing gets put to one side.?We can deal with most issues immediately and within the branch, but we also have the strength of a large national organisation to back us up if we need it. And of course we are ARLA?bonded too and all clients’ deposits are securely held in TDS?deposit accounts.”

As a company, Countrywide offer landlords advice at the market appraisal stage. “We advise on how best to present a property to maximise the rental potential and also to have a smooth letting process,” Dean explains. “We like to troubleshoot potential problems.

“On either side of any deal we provide a real service; you will never feel like you are just another number”

“We offer all three levels of service to landlords: introductions, rent collection and a fully managed service. Currently we fully manage 92 properties.”
With frequently changing legislation the letting business is constantly training negotiators. “Lettings is more complex than sales and negotiators have far more legal information to absorb and skills to use.?You have to be very organised indeed.” James Williamson and Jonathan Long are Dean’s lettings negotiators and both undertake ongoing training to ensure they are at the top of the game.

“If you look after your tenants then they will look after your landlords’ properties,” Dean continues. “In the same breath, if a landlord looks after his property tenants are far more likely to treat it with respect. We do feedback comments to landlords after viewings so that they are aware of what expectations tenants have. And yes, we do turn down properties, especially where landords are reluctant to deal with issues like health and safety. We will also disinstruct if we feel that a landlord is not meeting the standards we set. We want return customers and not unhappy ones. And all our properties are given regular visits from our Property Manager Samantha Stevens.”

“We have built up a reliable list of maintenance contractors over the years,” Samantha says. “All are credit checked and there are certainly no cowboys.”
The current trend in letting is for unfurnished property, with Countrywide seeing very few furnished properties except for some in the student sector.

Countrywide Residential Lettings has a massive head office supporting them from their national base in Cheam. They give regional support and advice across the whole package. It is there that they manage landlords’ accounts. All the marketing?is done from Brighton but they are provided with promotional materials. “This allows us to target the market in an appropriate way, utilising local knowledge to our best advantage.”

Countrywide also offers specialist insurance for tenants and landords and have received special awards for these services. Overall there is a sense of professional pride at work here, with a commitment to offering a service at the top of the business and to building long-term relationships with their clients, landlords and tenants.

Countrywide Residential Lettings, 9 Queens Road, Brighton, BN1 3WA, 01273 329776, www.crldirect.co.uk