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Chelton Brown 2012 Plans

Happy New Year!

I can't believe that we nearly at the end of January 2012 already and Christmas is all but a distant memory.

We started the year setting goals and planning what we were going to achieve in 2012. I think everyone does this, even if it is subconsciously, however, by writing them down and acting on them, they are far more likely to become reality. Communication is on the top of my priority list, by that I mean keeping in touch with you and making sure we give you the help and support you need, whether you are a Landlord, Tenant or simply interested in the property industry and may consider investing in the future.

We now have a facebook and Twitter account, Heather our Marketing Manager keeps these up to date with all that is happening within Chelton Brown and it would be great to hear from you via social media as well.

Please feel free to contact me personally sali.brown@cheltonbrown.co.uk if you feel we can help you or to make a suggestion as to how we can improve our communication. 
Sali Brown, Managing Director
 
2012 Chelton Brown departmental plans
 
Gill Wright, HR Director

2011 was a stable and rewarding year from my point of view as H R Director responsible for over 30 members of staff. I worked largely with development and training of our five managers to help develop strong team relationships and increase productivity throughout the business generally.

My main objective this year will to be to continue to support training of our staff, in particular the Technical Award in Residential Letting & Property Management and to retain and develop those members of staff that have now been with us for a number of years which include Tracey Sample 15 years service,  Anita Howson 8 years ,  Donna Copp 7 years and a number of staff that have now worked with us for more than 3 years.

I will strive to enrich the successful and experienced team we have and we will continue to work towards customer service improvements for the benefit of our clients.

Andrea Butterworth, Lettings Manager

Last year was an excellent year for the Lettings Department and as the market is buoyant at the moment we anticipate 2012 to continue in the same vein.

What has been more evident recently is that people are viewing a high number of properties before making a decision on which one they take. With so many properties to choose from, in the main we found it was the quality of the property that dictated the speed of the let, the rental income and equally as important, the way the tenant continues to look after the property.
 
Our focus for 2012 is to encourage our Landlords, with our help, to re-evaluate their properties as they become available for remarketing, to enable them to maximise the rent achievable and to make their property more appealing to prospective tenants. Our expertise is in knowing what viewers' expectations currently are and to make recommendations to our Landlords accordingly, thereby avoiding costly void periods. By working closely with our Landlords in the coming year, we are confident we can maintain our position as Northampton's premier Letting Agent.

Donna Copp, Manager of the Property Management Department

We will chase up the return of signed inventories and chasing of our outstanding works on a weekly basis. Property Management will use our texting facility to advise our tenants who we have instructed and to advise that they should expect a call.

In 2012 we will work hard with all other departments to ensure that communication between us is at is best. We hope to build on our fantastic customer service to our clients.

Sue Humphreys, Manager of the Administration Department
 
For 2012 the Admin Department will be concentrating on ensuring that the processes of re-letting your property and renewal of tenancies are carried out most efficiently.

For re-lets, when new tenants are found we aim to speed up tenant referencing and will process the applications through to our referencing company within 24 hours for their assessment. This will enable us to confirm the suitability of an applicant as early as possible.

At renewal of tenancy, we will evaluate the current rent and recommend a rent increase wherever appropriate to achieve the best possible rent for your property. We will advise you of this at least 2 months prior to the renewal date allowing time to confirm your intentions and for us to make arrangements with the tenants.

We aim to focus on ensuring that these processes are completed professionally at all times and providing the best service to our Landlords.

Edwina Lane, Client Account Manager

We had a successful 2011 in keeping arrears down. We have managed to keep a good tight control on this by introducing tighter referencing, Rent Protection and if need be tenants to pay six months upfront with a guarantor.

In addition, we are no longer taking Housing Benefit applicants.

We have managed to half the rent arrears since April 2011 and the percentage overall is between 6 and 8%. Obviously we would like to keep this target all the way through 2012. The national average is over 12% so we are very proud of our achievements.

Regarding Contractors payments we continue to work towards settling accounts within 30 days which creates positive working relationship and strong reliability with the contractors we use. 
 
These are just a few of the areas we are intending to work on.
 
Your comments and input on how we can improve our service are always welcome.

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