In advance of our upcoming Property Surgery on Saturday 14th January (9.30am – 4.00pm), Phil Wardle, Sales Manager at GO Property Services gives his views on the outlook for 2012.

At the end of the 2011, homeowners across the UK were pleased to hear that mortgage lender, Nationwide, reported a ‘surprisingly resilient’ year on year increase of 1.1% across the UK, pushing the average house price up to £163,822. 9 out of 13 UK regions reported house price increases in 2011, with the East Midlands, seeing a 0.6% increase.     

Simon Rubinsohn, chief economist at the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), recently emphasized that house price valuations are likely to continue to be supported by a shortage of supply. He commented that ‘the lack of supply in the market is likely to prevent any house price declines. As a result of this, the lettings market will remain firm which means that rents are likely to increase further, albeit at a slower pace than in 2011’.

In Nottinghamshire, the limited stock of housing means demand for property is likely to remain strong throughout the year.  With this in mind, at GO Property, we think house prices in Nottingham will continue to remain steady throughout the year.  Our landlords are likely to see rent increase gains as demand remains strong, particularly for well presented, centrally located properties.

If you want to discuss selling or letting your property in 2012, give me a call at the office on 0845 226 0345 or come and see us at our Property Surgery which is being held at the office on Saturday 14th January between 9.30am and 4.00pm.

We are pleased to announce that the business of GO Lettings Leeds has been transferred Hudson Moody Wass with immediate effect.

GO Property Services would like to thank all our customers in Leeds that we have worked with over the past 4 years, but we have taken the decision to concentrate on our core business in Nottingham.

Hudson Moody Wass are also ARLA Licensed Agents and we are confident that the business has been transferred to a company of integrity.

Tenants can be assured that all deposits held by GO Property Services in Leeds will be transferred to Hudson Moody Wass who use the same Tenancy Deposit Scheme.

For more information Hudson Moody Wass can be reached on 0113 245 7887, or visit their website here www.hmwass.co.uk.

The strength of the current lettings market has been reported continuously in recent months and we are now seeing the return of buy to let from investors, who have seen the potential in putting their money into property at this time. In particular, foreign investors have shown an increased interest in UK property, although this has been more common in the South of the country. In a change to the initial ‘property boom’ though, is it now houses, as opposed to apartments, that are seen as the better option?

Natalie Evans, Property Manager at GO Lettings in Leeds, commented, “In Leeds we have Landlords with both apartments and houses and the year they bought these properties very much determines how profitable they are currently. Landlords buying property now are in a more fortunate position now that property prices have decreased and there’s an abundance of tenants getting in touch, but whether they go for a flat or a house is tending to depend on the individual landlord. In terms of apartments, Landlords need to take into consideration that there is a service charge for the management company looking after the development and they would need to abide by the terms of the lease. Apartments do tend to let for shorter periods of time too, but then the demand for City Centre apartments is very high, because people desire the convenience of not having to worry about travel time and costs and there’s a very romantic notion about living in a City Centre pad! Houses, on the other hand, tend to let for longer periods of time, and are often let unfurnished, and don’t have management fees or service charges, but then may not receive the same level of interest as apartments do when it comes to renting them out. When they do, they can offer better returns though.”

There’s no simple answer as to which is best, house or apartment, as it really depends on what the individual needs of the Landlord from their investment. Some may say that houses are the best bet as they can offer the higher returns, but others feel more confident about the speed of letting their property with the current popularity of city centre flats with young professionals. It’s worth all prospective landlords speaking to their letting agent about the individual areas they’re looking at though, as any good agent will be happy to provide advice and information to help them make an informed decision.

If you need advice on which property to go for in your area, call a GO Property Manager on 0845 226 0345.

Unlike much of Europe, it’s been a long standing tradition in the UK that one of our main goals in life is to own our own property.  In fact it was generally considered that people would live at home with their parents until they could afford to buy that first property they had always dreamed of. More recent years saw this tradition shift and people began renting property initially and then buying at a slightly later stage. This was mainly due to properties becoming more expensive, deposits going up and people wanting the flexibility to ‘try areas out’ before committing to buying a property there.

More recently, we have shifted again though and we are now seeing more and more people choosing renting over buying as a lifestyle option, due to that increased flexibility, with some people never seeing buying as an option in their future at all.  A recent survey, completed by Endsleigh, has shown that double the number of people in the UK are renting over buying  currently, with 45% preferring to rent as opposed to a mere 23% preferring to buy. Natalie Evans, Property Manager at GO Property Services in Leeds, has said of this shift, “It’s not really surprising that people now look to rent rather than buy, as deposits are much higher now, and the ability to get a mortgage has generally reduced. It’s not only the financial side of things that put people off buying though, as often people choose to rent through us to find out what areas of the city they prefer, for example, some people love City Centre, whereas others choose to move to the outskirts after a stint in the city, as they prefer the quieter nature of the smaller suburb. It’s great news for Landlords though, as they can feel more confident that they will get a tenant in quickly and potentially for a longer period.”

This increased demand for rental property has caused an increase in the number of letting agents, as well as competition to attract Landlords by existing agents. Therefore it has become more important for Landlords to ensure they are dealing with a reputable agent, who is ARLA accredited, in order to ensure they get the correct level of service.  The cheapest price doesn’t necessarily equate to the best service, so Landlords should do their homework first.  A good agent is likely to have testimonials to that effect, which are available for Landlords to see on their website.

Marketing and promotion is an important part of any company strategy if they want to stay ahead in business, but GO Properties in Leeds didn’t expect a small amount of promotion to have such a big impact so suddenly.

GO Property Services have been trading in Leeds since 2007 (formerly known as Lettings Direct) and have seen huge success in the Leeds lettings market ever since. As the majority of Letting agents will agree, the number of tenants currently outweighs the number of Landlords, so GO have been proactively making their name known in Leeds City Centre through some local advertising in the hope of attracting new Landlords. GO already have great testimonials to show their consistent levels of service and in addition to this have put together some great Landlord discount packages so it was an ideal time to get out and tell people about it. One of GO’s property managers has been out on to the streets of Leeds to hand out vouchers and free merchandise to the public and was amazed by the response! Natalie Evans reported that people were ‘forming a small queue at times to get hold of the vouchers and pens’. Since this marketing took place, the Leeds office has seen an upturn in the number of people getting in touch and at one point we were getting close to running out of city centre properties! Natalie said of the increase, ‘within the space of a few weeks, we seemed to have let almost everything, but thankfully it wasn’t long before more properties were back on the books, after receiving calls from Landlords who needed a tenant from us’.

GO Property Services plan to continue their marketing and promotional activity in both Leeds and Nottingham, given the success of this current campaign. Landlords looking to find out what the current offers available are, should call 0845 226 0345 to speak to a Property Manager.

Last week saw the very first national Gas Safety Week in the UK, encouraging Landlords and Homeowners alike to ensure that their gas appliances are functioning safely and have been serviced by fully qualified gas engineers.

Landlords and managing agents are responsible for ensuring the safety of their tenants and are required to have Gas Safety certificates completed on an annual basis. Not only is it essential that these checks are carried out, especially with the onset of the winter months, but also it is imperative that these certificates are completed by Gas Safe registered engineers. Natalie Evans, Property Manager at GO Property Services in Leeds, said of the initiative, “Gas Safety Week is a great reminder to us all about how important it is to ensure Gas Appliances have not only been checked, but also checked by someone fully qualified to do so. Gas Central Heating and things like gas hobs are often desired by tenants when they are looking for properties, but it’s easy to forget how dangerous they can be if not looked after properly. At GO we always ensure that our Gas Safety Certificates are completed and by contractors that we trust and we know are qualified to carry out the work.”

Gas Safety Week ran from September 12^th until September 18^th. For more information on this or your Gas Engineer, click here

EXCELLENT CAREER OPPORTUNITY. GO Property Services are expanding and need to recruit a TRAINEE PROPERTY MANAGER in our Nottingham Office. 

We hire for attitude over qualifications, and though experience in lettings is desirable, it is not essential.  You must, however, be able to demonstrate an ability to deliver a high level of customer service. The position would ideally suit a well organised communicator with a working knowledge of the local area.

The role will include:
Dealing with tenancy applications, liaising with landlords and tenants, arranging maintenance and conducting viewings and property inspections in the city and surroundings areas.

Key Requirements
At least one years full-time previous work experience.
Confident outgoing personality with strong communication skills
Good problem solving skills
Integrity
Good keyboard skills, including the use of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook)
Car ownership and a full clean driving licence are essential
Flexible working hours

GO Offer
Comprehensive training leading to professional qualification
Contributory Company Pension (after qualifying period)
5 weeks paid holiday + your birthday off.
Company mobile phone
Salary circa £12,000 - £14,000 + bonus after training, depending on experience.

If you would like to be considered for the position, please send your CV and covering letter describing your previous experience and why you think you are the right person for the job to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Or find out more by dropping in to us here at:
2b-4b Hucknall Road
Nottingham
NG5 1AB

GO Property Services are Estate Agents & Letting Agents in Nottingham & Leeds. We are members of ARLA & the NAEA and have a reputation for providing a high quality service that is competitively priced.

The Letting market is as buoyant as it has ever been and tenant demand is high. There's no better time for Landlords to think about moving agent if they aren't 100% happy with the service they are receiving.

To ease the transistion GO Property Services have put together a mouth-watering package to help landlords move to our highly commended Fully Managed service.