14^th May 2020

Responding to lockdown - the next steps

Following the announcement made by the Prime Minister on 10 May, many businesses will be planning their way to return to their new form of normality as the economy is brought back slowly back to life. At Award Property we've been completely focused throughout the recent period on continuing to provide the first-class support that our landlords and tenants need to help them though these difficult times. Apart from the change to home working and cessation of property inspections and personal viewings, things have been very much business as normal for our team.

Over recent weeks we've assisted tenants with finding access to financial support where needed, helped landlords maximise the exposure of their available properties in the changed marketplace, and continued to arrange for essential compliance activities and urgent maintenance to be carried out in a safe manner. We're grateful to our client landlords and tenants for their understanding and co-operation in helping us to keep their property assets and tenancies in good order.

In addition, we've been able to assist people who have needed to relocate during the lockdown period and have helped them complete their move in a way that ensures the safety of all parties. We've been providing virtual and video viewings of vacant properties via a range of platforms, and these may well become permanent features in our future property marketing toolkit.

The government has announced this week that letting agents are able to reopen as part of the phased easing of restrictions on businesses. This is to be welcomed, and the revisions to the regulations are pretty clear that most functions can now resume, taking account of course of the guidance in respect of safe working practices and social distancing. Indeed, all operations should be conducted in a way that is ‘Covid secure’.

At Award Property we will, for now, continue to operate in a way that places the safety and welfare of our staff, clients and suppliers at the forefront of everything we do. While we will not yet be returning to our office, we continue to be fully available via phone and email. We're now able to conduct personal viewings and appraisals/valuations at properties (alongside the option of video and virtual viewings). But for the time being we'll restrict personal attendance for appraisals and viewings to vacant homes, and we do not intend yet to re-commence visits to occupied properties other than for urgent or compliance matters (after consultation with and respecting tenants' views). Our biggest wish is that everyone stays safe.

Andrew Ward, owner of Award Property, comments: ‘As one of the leading letting agents in Cambridge we're genuinely regarded as a five-star service provider, and this is due to our focus on quality service, client communication and value for money. In uncertain times, the assurance and reliability delivered by our expert property team provides confidence for landlords and tenants that their interests are being well looked after.’

Award Property Management are letting agents in Cambridge, so if you’re looking for property investment advice, considering changing your managing agent or looking for a new home, why not get in touch? Give us a call on 01223 253703 or 01954 718660, or complete our enquiry form. We’d love to hear from you!