Landlord's Services

We are always striving to make life easier for our managed landlords

Portfolio Reviews

How well is your property portfolio performing? Would you like to chat through your plans for 2019 and beyond?

We can offer you a portfolio review meeting.  Working in conjunction with a financial advisor and wealth management expert, the review will allow you explore how to get the best out of your property investment and maximise returns.

Whether you have one, two or more properties, if you would like the opportunity to chat through your investment with local experts, do get in touch. Email info@belvoirandover.com or call us on 01264 366611

Virtual Viewing Service

We are thrilled to announce our Virtual Viewing Service - perfect for busy people or those living outside the area.

As long as you have some form of video calling facility (WhatsApp, FaceTime, Messenger video calling etc), the Belvoir team can show prospective buyers or tenants around properties  by using our Ipad to conduct a virtual tour.

As soon as a suitable new property comes on the market, we can arrange a virtual viewing and this will then help people decide whether it is worth booking a ‘real’ viewing. The virtual viewing can be totally interactive and we can answer questions and show any particular features in more detail.

Just give us a call on 01264 366611 to book. We look forward to showing you around!

Annual Tax Return

Also, did you know we can provide a tax return that can be emailed directly to your Accountant? There’s no charge for this email service, simply drop us an email and we can organise that for you.

If we don’t currently manage your property, come and talk to us to find out more. It might not be as expensive as you think!

STOP PRESS: BELVOIR ANDOVER wins top National Award !

We are delighted to announce that Belvoir Andover has won ‘Best in South’ award at the glitzy National Belvoir Awards held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in the East Midlands last Friday Night.

The business owners were on hand to collect the award which has recognised Andover as being ‘Best in South’. The south territory has some 20 offices within it including the largest office in the country!

Best in South Award 2014

Phil Pinkney said ‘We are absolutely delighted to have received this award which recognises the efforts made by the whole team to enhance and expand the services offered to both its clients and fellow franchisees. The introduction of selling property has seen the biggest level of interest and we do not intend to rest until the public knows how much better we are at that too!’

Greg Greatbatch said ‘We were not expecting this award which makes receiving it even more special. To be recognised as ‘Best in South’ really makes all the hard work our team has put in over the last 12 months, really worthwhile. We were up against stiff competition with the largest Belvoir in the country being in the same south region!’

This is the second consecutive year that Belvoir Andover has won an award at the annual gathering of over 160 offices at their annual conference.

Belvoir Andover acquired two local estate agents in 2013, being Redwoods and ClearMove. They also moved into their Flagship offices on Bridge Street and doubled their team. Lastly 2013 saw the introduction of selling property too and Belvoir quickly became the second largest agent for selling in Andover.

Daniel Tarrant & Phil Pinkney on the night

When asked about the incredible amount of change that has taken place for the Andover office in 2013 they commented:

Greg Greatbatch said ‘It is important for us to consolidate our progress of 2013 and ensure that our commitment to outstanding customer service remains strong. We have made a considerable investment over the past 12 months, which we believe was essential to maintain our undisputed ‘Leading in Lettings’ crown, but also adding the additional services of sales and mortgages that was missing from our previous business model’ 

Daniel Tarrant commented ‘It has been an exciting journey over the past year, partnering with the incredibly successful Greg and Phil who have achieved such a phenomenal success with their agent since I met them back in 2005. I have always aspired to be my own boss and in 2013 my dream became a reality. I am proud to be working with these two bringing all my experience in successfully selling property in my home town of Andover. Clearly there was a gap in the market for offering a much higher level of customer service in estate agency than the public were used to which has played a big part in our success’ 

Phil Pinkney said ‘We have been very focused on where our business needed to be in order to offer our clients continued stability, high levels of customer service and a range of services that were consistent with the needs and demands of our extensive client base’ 

Phil Pinkney & Greg Greatbatch on the night

When asked what plans the business owners had for 2014 they commented:

‘We have a variety of plans for 2014. All will further enhance the service level and diversity that has been implemented in 2013. We plan to build on the team success of last year but you will see some new faces as both Karen and Emma go on maternity leave’ says Phil Pinkney

‘Commercial property sales and lettings were introduced in the late part of 2013 which has seen an enormous amount of interest with a number of successful contracts exchanged with large blue chip companies. We are expecting to see more and more commercial advertising boards go up around Andover in the coming months’ said Greg Greatbatch

‘We simply need more property to satisfy the intense demand we are seeing for residential property and the surprisingly high level of buy to let demand. There has been an unprecedented level of new investors coming in to our offices this year and we are delighted to be helping these new landlords start to build their buy to let portfolios’  says Daniel Tarrant

Belvoir Andover continues to go from strength to strength and is recognised as the leading property specialist in Andover. If you have a property to sell or let, join the success story by choosing Belvoir for all your property needs. Call us on 01264 366611 or email: andover@belvoirandover.com

Belvoir has been an owner operated business since 1997 and is part of a national network of other like minded agents.

www.belvoirandover.com

AN EXPERT ‘BUY-TO-LET’ CHECKLIST FROM BELVOIR

Buying-To-Let - popularly hailed as an alternative to badly performing pension funds – was slowed down by a recession that squeezed mortgage deals and discouraged housing investment.

 

But a reviving market is now generating more attractive mortgages, stimulating property prices and generally raising rent levels again, says Phil Pinkney, director of one of the UK’s leading residential lettings specialists, Belvoir, which has an office in Andover.

"Advice for new Buy-To-Let investors can still be contradictory and confusing," he says. "Like most things if you’re Buying-To-Let, you need to do it right and when a considerable amount of your own money is involved it becomes absolutely critical."

That’s why Belvoir has prepared a definitive checklist for anyone wanting to make a success of an investment in residential rental property. 

It offers a selection of do’s and don’ts, "But", says Phil

"it’s only guidance – we prefer to sit down, face-to-face, with a new potential investor and offer more solid professional advice, since everyone’s circumstances and expectations are very different. "

 

BELVOIR’S ‘BUY-TO - LET’ CHECKLIST 

 

1. Research your market – the area, the people you want to rent to, the available property, the benefits and the risks – and keep up with letting industry news.
2. Choose your preferred tenant type. Students? Young professionals? Families?
3. Find the right property that will appeal to them – houses, flats, older properties, newer builds? Students may not need anything particularly stylish but a young professional might.



Phil Pinkney - Belvoir Director

4. Then pick the right area where they want to live – parents may want to be close to schools and shops; wage earners need to commute to work; students have to be near to their college or university. Look outside your own area if necessary.
5. If local crime statistics are available, take a look and bear them in mind.
6. Study the condition of any property you are interested in – from roof, guttering and windows on the outside to condensation, leaks and electrical wiring on the inside. Be conscious of fire risks.
7. Check whether extensions or conversions have met planning permission or building regulations.
8. Don’t accept the first mortgage offer you get. Shop around. Gather information. Compare.
9. Get the maths right – your investment might give a better return in some other way. How much is the right property going to cost? Is the rent you expect to get enough to cover the mortgage and give a profitable return? Does the potential capital growth add up to a good investment?
10. Talk to an independent lettings agent before you buy. Most mistakes involve either wrong location or wrong price paid for a property.
11. Don't be greedy – Buying-To-Let should be approached as a long-term investment, not a quick fix.
12. Be prepared for costs that can upset your calculations – ongoing maintenance, small and major repairs, advertising, future rate rises, mortgage costs, agents fees, tax, falling house values, periods when you can’t find tenants and the property is empty.
13. Get the right insurance cover – and that can include insuring yourself against tenants who fail to pay rent.
14. If you’re going to manage the let yourself, be prepared to sacrifice your evenings and weekends!
15. If this is likely to be more of a drain than you are prepared for, seek out a professional, fully accredited lettings agent who, for a fee, will look after your property, your interests and your tenants on your behalf.
16. As well as being completely up to date on legal, legislative and property industry issues, a local agent such as Belvoir will have expert knowledge of the best rates from local electricians, plumbers and so on, which in itself, can be worth a weight in gold. Belvoir local offices do not make any charge for pre-purchase advice, property visits or rental valuations.

"Above all, before you do anything, get professional advice ," says Phil.

"As the legendary, oil well fire-fighter, ‘Red’ Adair, once said: "If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait till you hire an amateur."!

 

For more information or to book an appointment with Phil or Natasha, please contact Belvoir Lettings on 01264 366611 or view more information on our website: http://www.belvoirandover.com/landlords.html

 

Three Words That Can Save The Day

Three words can make or break deposit disputes between landlords and tenants … inventory, inventory, inventory.

“Just as ‘location’ is a key word in buying a property, ‘inventory’ is a key word in renting it,” says Greg Greatbatch, Director of the country’s leading residential lettings specialist in Andover, Belvoir, which has an office on Winchester Street.

Disagreements over the condition of property, at the end of a tenancy, is a major reason for disputes arising over how much of the tenant’s deposit should be returned, because landlords often deduct the cost of cleaning, replacing or repairing household items, furniture and furnishings that tenants say were like that when they moved in.

“A good quality inventory with clear photographs - agreed, signed and dated by both landlord and tenant – can overcome all argument about the condition of a property and its contents,” says Greg who runs the Belvoir office on Winchester Street in Andover “What would otherwise be a matter of opinion becomes a matter of fact.”

“When you consider that, according to current Land Registry data, the average property price in Britain is now £225,000, it makes a lot of sense for landlords to protect their assets with a quality inventory. Professional lettings agents such as Belvoir are very experienced in carrying out a thorough and detailed inventory report – providing a solid assurance to landlords that their interests are well protected.”

There are other basic ways of making sure that relationships run smoothly.

When a tenancy starts, the landlord and tenant should each keep jointly signed tenancy agreements that set out terms, conditions, obligations and responsibilities on both sides. If a property in not fully managed and the landlord does not have an agent, they should both be present to go through the property, discuss any concerns and agree the inventory.

Tenants should also meet up with landlords or their agents for any periodic inspections during the tenancy – at least two or three times a year to ensure there are not any serious problems with the property.

Landlords should keep relevant invoices, bills, work records and household receipts as evidence of expenditure, whilst tenants should keep copies of household bills, since they should not be arranging for any works or alterations to a rented property without first consulting the landlord or agent.

And when the tenancy is over both parties should be present at the ‘check-out’ to discuss any problems and reach agreement over any deductions from the deposit.

“Accidents happen but so does normal wear and tear,” adds Greg “If both landlords and tenants stay realistic then many quarrels can be settled before there’s any need for the dispute resolution process.

“In fact there is another key factor in all this – it’s called ‘communication’. Done properly, it can save an awful lot of trouble.”

BELVOIR BACKS MACMILLAN CENTENARY APPEAL

Local property lettings specialist, Belvoir Andover, is throwing its weight behind a major fund raising push for cancer support charity, Macmillan, in 2011.

The Andover Belvoir office headed by Greg Greatbatch & Phil Pinkney on Winchester Street is amongst other offices in the national Belvoir network to pledge its support for 'We are Macmillan Cancer Support', as the charity celebrates its centenary this year.

“It‟s the first time that Belvoir has adopted a national charity and after very careful consideration, we decided to help Macmillan because of its fantastic work in supporting and improving the lives of people affected by cancer,” said Greg Greatbatch.

“Throughout the year we will be staging a series of events, promotions and other fundraising activities, both as Belvoir Andover and also in conjunction with the Macmillan Fundraising Team who stage a wide range of organised events throughout the entire country.”

“I hope that our landlord and tenant clients, suppliers and friends in our local community will join with our staff in raising as much money as we possibly can in 2011".

“Cancer affects so many people, one in three people in the UK will be diagnosed at some point in their lives and there are two million people currently living with cancer.
Macmillan is expert at providing practical, medical and financial support to cancer sufferers and their families,” he added.

Belvoir Andover director, Phil Pinkney, said that the company's charity drive will be launched with a 'Go Green Day' - Tuesday 1 February 2011.

“Towards the end of last year, Belvoir Central Office set up its own charity committee to look at ways in which as many of our offices as possible could support a charity with both a strong national and local community presence,“ said Phil.

“After extensive and thorough discussion amongst people drawn from all areas of the business, they reached the unanimous decision to back Macmillan because of the type of work it does and because its support of cancer victims, their carers, families and friends knows no bounds.

“Anyone can fall victim to cancer and when, unfortunately, some people do, Macmillan, through its years of expertise and excellent network of outreach workers and carers, helps relieve some of the emotional stresses and other practical problems.

“Every Belvoir office is at the heart of its local community and they will be reaching out to raise as much funding as possible throughout the coming year,” he added.

Gemma Shaw, fundraising manager at Macmillan said, “A huge and heartfelt thank you goes out to Belvoir for choosing Macmillan Cancer Support. The help Macmillan provides, from nurses to financial aid, is funded by generous donations from the public, so each and every penny raised through this partnership really will make a difference to those who are affected by cancer. We look forward to working with Belvoir and the Go Green day is a fantastic way to start!”

If you would like to assist Belvoir Andover Lettings with raising money for this worthy charity, please contact Greg Greatbatch from Belvoir greg.greatbatch@belvoirlettings.com or contact 01264 366611

Macmillan Website Article