No Letting Go have entered the ESTAS for 2020, and now we need you to cast your votes!

The ESTAS Customer Service Awards are one of the biggest events in any property professional’s calendar. Celebrating exceptional customer service across the property sector, from estate agents to conveyancers and industry suppliers, the ESTAS help companies like ours maintain a high standard of care.

Here’s more about the awards and how you can get involved;

Update: No Letting Go Shortlisted for ESTAS Awards

We’d like to thank you all for your support over the last few months, your votes really made a difference as we are proud to announce that No Letting Go have been shortlisted for the ESTAS awards as a supplier to the Letting industry.

The No Letting Go team will be attending the awards dinner this May, so check our social media channels for updates.

What are the ESTAS?

The annual ESTAS awards take place in Spring and Autumn, attracting the top players in the UK’s property and lettings industry.

The purpose of the awards programme is to celebrate excellent customer service and recognise the companies going above and beyond for their clients.

How Does it Work?

Once a company has signed up to the ESTAS programme, they are then open to receive feedback from their clients and customers.

The awards are based purely on feedback from customers, ensuring honesty and transparency in the voting process. All reviews and votes will be verified by the ESTAS group.

Once all reviews and votes are counted and compared across the other property companies in the running, the winners are celebrated at the prestigious ESTAS awards ceremony.

The ESTAS Awards Ceremony

Over 1000 guests gather for the ESTAS Estate & Letting Agent Awards in May where property TV personality, Phil Spencer presents the award.

The ESTAS conveyancer awards are held in October.

Why Should I Vote?

For landlords and property professionals, reviewing the companies you work with will help improve overall customer service in the industry.

By providing honest feedback from clients and customers, the platform encourages agencies in the property industry to constantly improve their customer care. The official ESTAS stamp means that all feedback is authorised and regulated.

At No Letting Go, keeping track of our performance only makes us want to strive for more and provide the best services for our clients.

For prospective tenants, the home moving process can be stressful and complicated without a little help from the right places. The ESTAS provide a platform for honest feedback, helping you find trusted professionals. This gives you the peace of mind you need that your chosen property professionals are up to scratch.

Why No Letting Go?

At No Letting Go, we’re dedicated to providing the best customer service for our clients and customers. Across all of our branches throughout the UK, our franchisees receive extensive training in how to deliver our services and put the customer at the heart of everything they do.

Here’s a little reminder about the services we provide;

Professional Inventory Services

We offer a professional, unbiased property inventory service to help settle disputes through effective negotiation and provide the evidence needed for end of tenancy deposit claims. Using the very latest technology and audit tracking, our reports act as your compliance manager, including relevant health and safety checks.

 

Health and Safety Reports

Health and safety reports include Smoke and C0 reports, HHSRS and Legionella risk assessment.

Mid-Term Reports and Inspections

Reports and inspections ensure tenants are meeting their contractual obligations. They also check the wear and tear of a property and assess the satisfaction of tenants.

Pre-Check Outs

Our pre-check out service ensures that tenants are aware of how the property is expected to be returned at the end of the tenancy. This helps to prevent disputes before issues arise.

Open House Viewings

We can provide and facilitate property viewings on the landlord or estate agent’s behalf.

UK Branches

We have over 65 No Letting Go offices throughout the UK lead by dedicated franchisees with excellent knowledge of the local property market.

At local level, we pride ourselves in the turnaround time of our services. We achieve better or equal returns of our reports with our service level agreement time over 98.4% of the time.

Real Time Support

We offer real-time support for landlords and property professionals via a live and online support centre to get you the help you need instantly.

Latest Property Technology

We use the latest in property inventory systems to collect, prepare, report and manage information. The Kaptur system is designed for busy property professionals, helping to streamline your workload.

Previous Awards and Recognition

We’re proud to be Lettings Supplier of the Year 2016 and Best Inventory Supplier 2009 award winners. We’re also accredited by Safe Contractor, the British Franchise Association (BFA), Property Redress Scheme (PRS) and are regulated by Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA:PropertyMark).

Supporting No Letting Go

No Letting Go have an exceptional record for reliability, quality and professionalism. We have had less than 0.001% of reports losing a dispute since we started (as reported to us) and had no reported full lost cases as a result of using the complete No Letting Go service.

But don’t just take our word for it! Head over to our website where you can find customer testimonials and a full list of our property management services.

If you’ve worked with us or used any of our services, we’d love some feedback! Vote in the ESTAS awards 2020 to get your voice heard!

Ending a tenancy can be awkward for both tenants and property professionals. Dealing with tenancy deposit returns, outstanding rent and resolving disputes can take time and a lot of effort. So, how can tenants and landlords alike ensure the end of tenancy goes smoothly?

No Letting Go’s chief operations officer, Lisa Williamson recently joined Richard Blanco on his podcast ‘Inside Property’ to discuss the types of issues that can arise and how to resolve them through unbiased, end of tenancy services.

Lisa was joined by Suzy Hershman, head of dispute resolution at My Deposits, and Al McClenahan, the director of Justice4Tenants to get a full picture from all sides of the story.

Here is a roundup of the key insights that came out of the programme;

Start as You Mean to End

Lisa’s top tip on ending a tenancy well is to determine a clear position from the start. The way to do this is through a well thought out inventory including detailed but concise information, clear photographs and a comprehensive list of contents and condition.

Creating a tenancy format which is easy to read by both parties is essential for avoiding confusion at the end of the tenancy.

Another tip for landlords from Lisa is to ensure that tenants sign the inventory report to avoid deduction disputes during check out.

 

An Unbiased Outlook is Key

One question that arose in the podcast was whether landlords should create their own inventory reports.

While it’s completely fair for a landlord to perform their own survey, they run the risk of using emotional language which can be interpreted in different ways.

This is where an independent inventory service can resolve issues. No Letting Go inventory reports include a glossary of terms to determine the condition and cleanliness of items in the property. For example, rather than a landlord using the word ‘immaculate’ to describe a piece of furniture which could come across as biased or open to interpretation, instead ‘professionally clean’ is a clearly explained term in the NLG glossary.

Another benefit of using a professional, unbiased property inventory service is that in the case of a dispute over deposit returns, judicators can clearly understand the benchmarks.

 

Are Pre-Check Out Meetings A Good Idea?

As an active landlord himself, Richard highlighted the benefit of arranging pre-check out meetings with tenants to go over what is expected of them during the moving out process.

This all sounds well and good, but the question is, who will pay for it? Landlords and tenants may be reluctant to fork out this extra cost, but it could save money further down the line.

Alternatively, providing tenants with an end of tenancy letter detailing all the tasks that need to be completed before moving out is a great way to prevent confusion over where responsibilities lie. This can include the date and time of the key handover and what needs to be cleaned.

 

End of Tenancy Property Cleaning

As the head of dispute resolution at My Deposit, Suzie Hershman has a lot of experience dealing with the common issues affecting landlords and tenants during the checkout process.

According to Suzie, cleaning comes top of the list when it comes to end of tenancy disputes.

The resolution is simple. Start with an inventory report which plainly states the condition of the property and how it is expected to be maintained. For example, if the property has a garden, the inventory needs to clearly state that the grass needs to be cut or the paving de-weeded and power washed before leaving the property.

Other issues that can arise include whose responsibility it is for window cleaning and whether professional carpet cleaning needs to be undertaken.

The main rule of thumb for tenants, is that the property needs to be returned in the original state as at the start of the tenancy. This may involve hiring an end of tenancy cleaning service (make sure you keep the receipt as evidence) or giving the property a thorough clean yourself. Either way, ensure you leave on the last day of your tenancy confident everything looks the same as it did when you moved in!

Fair wear and tear can be a bit of a grey area when it comes to cleaning. Suzie recommends that landlords should think of the items in their property as having a lifespan. A carpet or decor has an average lifespan of 5 years, which needs to be taken into consideration during the checkout report.

 

Managing the Landlord-Tenant Relationship

According to Al from Justice4Tenants, the main reason for the breakdown of the landlord- tenant relationship at the end of a tenancy is disputes over deposit deductions.

Al attributed this to poor inventories which leave too much room for interpretation and miscommunication, which is more common when landlords create their own.

Another common reason for strained relationships is when tenants are in arrears at the end of the tenancy agreement. To minimise conflict, Al recommends that tenants are as open and communicative with their landlord about their financial difficulties to help landlords remain understanding until the issue can be resolved.

However, when landlords view their role purely from an investment perspective and ignore the human side of the relationship, this is when disputes are likely to arise. The lesson? Landlords who are more understanding and willing to negotiate are likely to have better relationships with their tenants, resulting in a smoother parting.

 

How Will the Letting Agency Fee Ban Effect End of Tenancy?

There has been much discussion over what changes the letting agency fee ban will bring to the industry. However, for now, Lisa doesn’t see much change to the way check out reports will be processed.

Currently, landlords usually pay for the inventory, and for either check-in or check-out services while the tenant pays for the other. This means there is only one cost that needs to be recuperated by landlords.

According to Lisa, most landlords and tenants can see the advantages of having these services managed by independent professionals.

 

Unbiased End of Tenancy Services from No Letting Go

To ensure the end of a tenancy goes as smoothly as possible and you retain a positive relationship throughout, using an independent property service can help resolve issues and disputes before they arise.

No Letting Go provides all the documentation needed at the start and end of a tenancy to determine how much money is deducted from the deposit. Using the latest technology, No Letting Go can advise against fair wear and tear and create reports to ensure you are fully compliant with regulations.

To see the full list of services on offer, head to the No Letting Go services page.

International Women’s Day is held on the 8th March each year with the aim of re-addressing gender imbalances and recognising the achievements of women across the globe.

With International Women’s Day campaigns kicking off this week, what better time to celebrate some of the most successful female franchisees in the No Letting Go network?

Many of our successful No Letting Go branches across the UK are run by women. We spoke to some of these flourishing branch owners to get their insights into their experiences as women in the property industry.

Celebrating the achievements of women in property and lettings, we’re turning the spotlight onto No Letting Go’s most successful female franchisees.

International Women’s Day History

Before we dive in, here’s a brief history of the development of the day.

The International Women’s Day movement is growing from strength to strength each year.

The movement took its first steps back in 1909 in the US with the first National Woman’s Day, inspired by working women’s protests against poor conditions in the garment industry.

The first International Women’s day took place in 1911 and was celebrated by over a million women and men demanding women’s right to vote, to hold public office and to end discrimination at work.

It was 1975 when the United Nations implemented a recognised International Women’s Day to be marked on the 8th March each year. The International Women’s Day 2019 theme is all about “balance for better”. The idea behind this slogan is to foster a more equal gender balance around the world.

Women in Property

With the recent focus in the media on the gender pay gap, it was revealed that women working for estate agents and consultancies can earn up to 58% less than their male counterparts. These pay gap figures are above the national average, indicating that something needs to be done to ensure more women are filling senior roles.

According to the National Association of Estate Agents, 3 in 4 salespeople are men, however lettings is a more female dominated sector.

Thankfully, businesses are beginning to introduce flexible working and put more effort into re-balancing their hiring processes. The Bisnow property site’s ‘51 most influential women in UK real estate’ also points to women making waves in the industry.

No Letting Go is proud to champion successful women in property. We interviewed some of the most successful female No Letting Go franchise owners for their perspective on the industry;

Rachel Farr, No Letting Go Bath

Rachel purchased the No Letting Go Bath franchise in 2014, and by 2016, was already delivering 200 property reports every month.

Rachel and the rest of the Bath team have a reputation in the area for reliability, quality and excellent customer service.

How did you get into the property business?

‘I started working as a property/refurbishment manager doing up buy to lets for clients living and working abroad. I was in procurement and marketing for many years before moving into property’.

What do you consider to be the greatest success in your property career?

‘Growing and managing a business whilst having two small children and through two pregnancies.’

What do you attribute this success to?

‘A great business partner and building good client relationships.’

Do you have any female career role models?

‘Anyone who is a working mum and who manages to juggle everyday life and run a successful business in any industry.’

What’s your favourite thing about your job?

‘A good work-life balance, no day is the same and I get to meet new people’.

What are your future career plans?

‘To build and grow the business we have by taking on more employees to offer a greater range of services.’

Rachel’s impressive list of accolades include; No letting Go Best Regional Office, Busiest Office, Customer Service, Franchisee of the Year and a nomination for the Woman Franchisee 2017 EWIF awards.

Alison Hardy, No Letting Go Swindon

Alison Hardy became a No Letting Go franchise owner along with her husband over eight years ago. Since then, the pair have been busy winning their own clients and building their business in the Swindon area.

What has been the biggest success of your property career?

‘Winning all our own clients, having one of the lowest percentages of national contract work, and winning marketing and customers service awards from No Letting Go.’

Alison attributes this success to; ‘immense pride in the No Letting Go brand, a lot of flexibility, adaptability, resilience and hard work’.

What has been the greatest challenge?

‘Getting into agents that use local competition or do the work themselves and maintaining motivation with lower paid national contract work which is driven by volume sales across the whole network of offices.’

Have you ever felt any advantages or disadvantages to being a woman in the property industry?

‘None whatsoever. Especially compared to previous career roles in large organisations.’

Do you have any female career role models?

‘I have had many over the years and like to think that I have used the experience of working with such positive role models to empower me to be a little bit of each of them… and at least the best I can be!’

Do you think there is an equal gender balance in the industry?

‘Yes. But in relation to the structure/ranks they sit in is a very different answer. But that is an observation of the Lettings Industry as a whole and in no way a reflection of our franchise business which, of course, is equal as we [Alison and her husband] are joint business partners.’

What do you think needs to change in the property industry?

‘Greater understanding from the government, more mandatory regulation, compliance standards and best practice that brands like NLG can deliver on. These expectations would improve the recognition of what we do and it’s key relevance in the process for agents, landlords and tenants alike.’

What is your favourite thing about your job?

‘Being responsible for generating our own workload, a portfolio of clients and building something ourselves (albeit with the backing of a proven brand identity). Also, the sheer diversity of properties we attend. We can be in a rambling country farmhouse with outbuildings and paddocks and then on through some gorgeous countryside to a swanky penthouse or urban apartment in the same few hours. No two days are ever the same which is exactly the same when it comes to our agent clients, landlords and tenants so it’s a great mix for the property mad and if you are a people person all rolled into one!’

Has the property industry changed since you started?

‘Yes. More people want to rent, more agents want to do things properly, everyone wants contractors to do things for as little as possible. The government is trying to bring in changes that are causing increases in rent and lack of affordability on a monthly basis rather than via fees charged in the first place.’

Alison and her husband are currently in the second stint of a five-year franchisee renewal cycle and are considering their options for the future.

Virginia Chrapowski, No Letting Go Edinburgh

Virginia became the owner of the No Letting Go Edinburgh branch along with her husband when looking for a way to escape her busy job and make a living in preparation for their retirement.

After a tricky first year, the business is moving in the right direction and seeing some great successes.

How did you get into the property industry?

‘Myself and my husband both wanted to leave our previous roles and work for ourselves. I previously worked in the Scottish ambulance service as a paramedic which was a very physical job, requiring me to work night shifts. The No Letting Go franchise opportunity was something we could both do together. We visited the Aberdeen franchise show, did lots of investigative work and eventually decided on No Letting Go due to lower start up costs and great support.’

What has been the biggest success of your property career?

‘We did well last year. Every time we win a new account we celebrate with a bottle of bubbly!’

What has been the greatest challenge?

‘Learning to run a business and keeping accounts as this was a big career change. Our next big challenge will come in May when all the students leave and we have to manage hundreds of properties in less than two weeks. Interviewing and taking on part-time clerks has been another challenge, although I have previous teaching experience which made this easier.’

Have you ever felt any advantages or disadvantages to being a woman in the property industry?

‘No, not particularly. Especially compared to previous roles I’ve had where I worked in a more archaic, masculine environment.’

Do you think there is an equal gender balance in the industry?

‘I’m not sure about the industry as a whole, but I seem to work with more women agents.’

Do you have any female career role models?

‘My family has a very strong work ethic. My daughter is very hard working, that’s just how we were brought up, I hope I’ve passed that onto my children.’

What is your favourite thing about your job?

‘I like the admin side of working in the office, something I wish I had more time to do!’

Virginia and her husband have no plans to throw in the towel for the foreseeable future, aiming to keep building the business until they reach the age of 70 (at least).

Claire Parfitt, No Letting Go Portsmouth

Claire Parfitt of No Letting Go, Portsmouth purchased a No Letting Go franchise with her husband in 2017.

How did you get into the property industry?

‘After graduating I moved to London and worked in the recruitment sector for a while before taking a job as an inventory clerk for a large estate agent. After a few years my husband and I moved from London to Hampshire and I continued to work as an inventory clerk but in house for a local estate agent and then self-employed, working for a few small inventory companies. My children were young at the time and I worked part time to fit in with their needs.’

What do you attribute your success to?

‘I had 13 previous years’ experience in the industry and a good local knowledge having worked for local agents. I also worked for the previous owners of the franchise for 3 years prior to us taking over. My experience has been combined with my husband’s experience outside of the industry.’

What has been your greatest challenge at work?

‘Currently the greatest challenge is recruiting and training suitable staff’.

Have you noticed any advantages or disadvantages of being a woman in the property industry?

‘Having children can impact the job roles a woman may consider as not all roles are easily adaptable to family life.’

Do you think there is an equal gender balance in the industry?

‘Yes, generally, although working part time around family life may affect sales target roles within the industry.’

What’s your favourite thing about your job?

‘Being my own boss.’

Has the property industry changed since you started?

‘When the tenancy deposit scheme was introduced in 2007 it meant that more landlords were using proper inventory companies to complete their inventories which increased business. The increase in online estate agents has changed the dynamic of the industry and high street agents are having to adapt to compete.’

A Franchise with No Letting Go

From the successful female franchisees we spoke to, juggling work and family life was the main issue faced by women. However, each franchise owner asserted that they felt little to no disadvantage to being a woman in the industry with No Letting Go.

Is a franchise for you?

Franchising allows you to hit the ground running by offering tailored training and support. You don’t need any previous industry experience as No Letting Go provide everything you need to get started, as well as the backing of a well-established and trusted brand.

If you’re interested in joining the No Letting Go franchise network, request an information pack or call back to find out more.

No Letting Go is expanding. With over 65 branches spread across the UK, we are always striving to be the first stop for the nation’s property reporting needs.

Our professional property inventory services are now reaching further afield, with two new offices recently opening in Hertford and Basingstoke. Let us introduce you to the newest members of the No Letting Go team.

No Letting Go Hertford

The new branch of No Letting Go in Hertford, Hertfordshire is being headed up by Moira Hendrick. Moira is an experienced property reporting specialist with a great local knowledge of the property market in the surrounding area. Coming from a background of customer service, administration and management, Moira is well practiced in providing an excellent service for her clients.

When searching for a property franchise opportunity, Moira came across the No Letting Go scheme. According to Moira; “No Letting Go stood out because of reputation, low start up costs and support”. She is looking forward to building her business with the help of her experienced clerk, Danny.

The Hertford team pride themselves on going the extra mile for customers, accommodating last minute bookings whenever they can. They welcome any property agent or landlord to get in touch.

Contact: [email protected]
07950 007 004

No Letting Go Basingstoke

The new No Letting Go Basingstoke office in Hampshire is run by married couple Rob and Margaret Rymill. While the pair have followed very different career paths, their knowledge of the local area has put them in a fantastic position to lead this branch. Rob has a background in the electronics industry in sales and marketing, while Margaret has spent her career teaching 3-6 year olds in a range of settings.

Both Rob and Margaret hope to spend the next 12 months developing their knowledge of the industry to establish No Letting Go as a centre for property management in the Basingstoke area.

Contact: [email protected]
07957 187 268 / 07538 111 718

What is a Property Franchise?

Franchising is the process of buying a ready-made start-up, allowing franchisees to launch their own businesses with the added support and security of a well-known company behind them. A franchise with No Letting Go offers training, branding and the expert knowledge to get your business off on the right foot.

Our Property Management Services

No Letting Go provide a range of professional, unbiased services to help property professionals, lettings agents and landlords manage their investments.

From Legionella risk assessments and CO reports to right to rent checks and vacant property inspections – No Letting Go are here to guarantee no stone is left unturned.

We specialise in property inventory management for which we provide a comprehensive written and photographic report of all items within a property. Using the latest technology to ensure landlords and their representatives recover all costs against tenant deposits, No Letting Go provides a trusted service.

To find out how No Letting Go could help, browse our list of property management services today.

No Letting Go are proud to support the Association of Independent Inventory Clerks (AIIC) in their bid for mandatory inventories for all private residential tenancies. An independent inventory ensures there’s no room for ambiguity during the check-in and check-out procedures – this dramatically reduces the number of deposit disputes.

Evidence of Fulfilled Landlord Obligations

We would like to go a step further. There are some health and safety requirements no landlord can ignore! We feel inventories should be combined with compliance reporting. A detailed inventory at the start and end of a tenancy can act as a crucial document which acts as evidence of a landlord fulfilling their health and safety obligations.

The report could also work as evidence of a landlord complying with:

  • Smoke and carbon monoxide alarm regulations 2015
  • Fire and furnishing safety regulations 1988

A Duty of Care

Nick Lyons, CEO of No Letting Go spoke to Landlord Today regarding the topic:

“Independent inventory providers have a duty of care to protect the interests of both landlords and tenants alike. The government has introduced legislation to protect tenants but with no real effective means to monitor it.

“The introduction of a compulsory combined inventory and compliance report for all let properties compiled by trained, independent professionals will help ensure that landlords meet their legal responsibilities and assist the government and trading standards to police the landlord’s requirement to protect tenants.”

Why Is the Petition Important?

The petition is being put forward by the AIIC. This is to encourage the government to introduce mandatory inventory reporting as part of its ongoing plans to increase regulation in the Private Rented Sector.

The AIIC sees mandatory independent inventory reporting as the next step from the 2007 introduction of compulsory tenancy deposit protection. This is because there’s not been additional legislation concerning the documents or evidence needed to resolve deposit disputes.

Danny Zane, joint chair of the AIIC explains:

“With this in mind, regulating independent inventories really is a no-brainer for the government. An independent and professionally compiled inventory offers protection to both tenants and landlord and can prove invaluable in the event of a tenancy deposit dispute.”

Irrelevant of whether mandatory independent inventory reporting becomes a legal requirement, there is still an abundance of benefits for landlords, letting agents and tenants. An independent body like No Letting Go can take the hassle and strain out of the process while dramatically cutting down on disputes. Find out more about how we can help your inventory process here.

Here at No Letting Go, we’re always looking to expand and strengthen our national coverage. This is why we’re excited to announce the opening of four new franchisee offices. Let us introduce you to the new members of our team.

Sam Wilkinson Open a No Letting Go Office in Preston

With a strong background in property sales, Sam Wilkinson has previously worked with an established estate agency. Originally from Kent, Sam relocated to the North West a number of years ago due to family work commitments.

With her property experience, Sam saw an opportunity for setting up her own inventory business. On her hunt for the perfect inventory software to support her business, she found us. “I came across No Letting Go while looking into their Kaptur software, I was so impressed with their business processes that I decided to join the company”. We couldn’t be happier to have Sam on board in the North West.

John Farrell Open a No Letting Go Office in Uxbridge

John Farrell, from Ealing, enjoyed a long and fruitful career in teaching. John developed a strong interest in property investment. Already a hands-on landlord, he began his search for business opportunities in the property market. This is where he encountered No Letting Go.

“The rental market is such a strong market, I really wanted to find a business opportunity that serviced this industry. No Letting Go has a proven track record as a national brand. It was an easy decision for me to build a business with the No Letting Go team.”

Claire and Martin Parfitt Open a No Letting Go Office in Southampton

Claire and Martin Parfitt, current owners of the Portsmouth office have expanded into neighbouring Southampton. Claire has worked as an inventory professional with large agents and No Letting Go for the last 13 years.

Martin has recently moved from his position as a Facilities Manager to aide Claire in establishing the business. “We are really excited about our expansion plans into Southampton, there are many excellent letting agents in the area in addition to a high level of student lets”.

Tammy and Peter Edwards Open a No Letting Go Office in Peterborough

This month, Tammy and Peter Edwards will be opening an office in Peterborough. After searching for a service business opportunity in the property sector, the couple opted to work with No Letting Go. Extensive research into property inventory businesses led them to us.

“We were really impressed with No Letting Go’s technology, marketing and the Head Office team have been very supportive too. We are really looking forward to working with Lettings Agents and Landlords in the Peterborough area”.

If you’re looking for a lucrative, independent and flexible career in the booming UK property sector, we want to hear from you. Find out how to become a No Letting Go franchisee here.

We are very proud to announce yet another success in franchisee Rachel Farr’s career with No Letting Go. Rachel has been handpicked as a finalist for the Woman Franchisee 2017 EWIF Awards. Being shortlisted for this prestigious award comes only months after she won the NLG franchisee awards for Best Regional Office, Busiest Office, Customer Service and Franchisee of the Year. Here’s her story so far.

The Beginnings

Rachel initially purchased the Bath franchise in 2014. Originally attracted to the reporting technology, Rachel saw an NLG franchise as an opportunity to step into a management role and quickly grow her business.

By 2016 Rachel was running the top performing office for No Letting Go, delivering over 200 property reports every month. She quickly saw the growth she was craving as her team soon grew to five members. Rachel developed her own mentoring and quality checking programme on top of that already provided by Head Office. This reiterated the core values of No Letting Go, and delivered a service that’s consistent, reliable and accountable.

A Motivated Team

Rachel’s ongoing care and attention to the service her team provides has led to a consistent and motivated team. Something which isn’t easy for solo workers to achieve. Each individual working for Rachel knows exactly what’s expected from them and are confident in her ability to guide them through any issues they encounter.

Each of Rachel’s team is self-employed. This adds an additional responsibility to her position. She must ensure each member has a consistent workload to support themselves. Rachel understands these needs and as a result ensures everyone supplies the very best level of customer service.

Business Development

Rachel takes an impressive approach to business development. In 2016, she completed a database of every letting agent within a 50 mile radius. She also maintains regular contact with all members of this database. This not only boosts NLG brand awareness massively but has led to an impressive reputation in the area. Being widely acknowledged for her reliability and quality, Rachel’s business development actions have led to a 39% increase in active clients in a year. The majority of which came from letting agent recommendations.

No Letting Go Development

Rachel’s key approach to business development doesn’t only stop with her personal ventures. She has also been a key player in regional improvements. She works closely with her three neighbouring franchises to support each other, share ideas and attend regional conferences. She has also worked with NLG Head Office to aid in the ongoing development of our technology. Rachel not only invests her time to understand her customers but does the same with her team and business too.

Family Life

All this is made even more impressive when hearing that Rachel welcomed her second baby into the world last year. Working through her pregnancy, Rachel continued to strive for building her business, reputation and team. Moreover, four members of her team also have to juggle their work with young families making their achievements even more remarkable.

The EWIF Awards

The EWIF Award ceremony will be held on Tuesday 16th May 2017. We will be sure to notify you if Rachel wins the Woman Franchisee Award. Everyone at No Letting Go wishes her the very best of luck.

If you’re interested in mirroring Rachel’s success and getting involved in a No Letting Go franchise, we want to hear from you. You can find out more about becoming a franchisee here.

Kaptur is the latest mobile software released by No Letting Go. It provides quick, easy and compliant software for residential letting agents to complete compliance reporting in house. The system is unique in that it also gives the client the ability to outsource to a network of professionals as and when they wish. The software can provide different report formats for different uses, is workflow driven saving time and cost for clients and has a comprehensive editing and management suite to ensure reports are managed effectively.

The software is currently used by all No Letting Go offices, some external inventory clerks and residential letting agents throughout the UK. The system is also integrated into key suppliers such as Fixflo.

The opportunity for Kaptur is in the residential lettings market, residential sales market, block management and commercial property markets. No Letting Go see Kaptur as a partner to help save costs and develop efficiencies and as a tool to help generate stronger relationships with the market that will help grow all sides of the business. It is also an entry point tool for new markets and is by its very nature, very scalable.

This is an excellent opportunity to be part of a great new product that you can make your own.

Scope of the Role

The role is to initially establish Kaptur as one of the key mobile compliance/inventory software providers by selling the solution to potential agency clients. Using existing contacts, the No Letting Go franchise network and your own existing or developed relationships, you will sell the service to meet your targets. This will initially involve following up on leads, completing online demos, setting and managing trials, carrying out face to face client meetings but you will be expected to carry out industry presentations, source and develop partnerships and manage these to a profitable outcome.

Whilst the software is already being used by the market, January 2017 sees the release of the IOS version of the software with several new enhancements for the android versions. Your role is to build on the successful launch of the software by developing existing and new accounts and developing long term relationships, building a strong pipeline.

You will be required to deliver projected revenue and deliver on other key performance indicators related to the ongoing growth of the business. The role will require you to work closely with the CEO, Marketing Manager, Customer Support Teams and the No Letting Go franchisee network.

Target Markets: Business-to-Business Residential and Commercial Property Management Market, PRS, Student Market.

Key Accountabilities

Key Performance Indicators:

  • Monthly Revenue
  • Client Retention
  • Franchisee Kaptur revenue
  • Activity (demos, trials)
  • Number of new clients
  • Growth of existing accounts
  • Source and develop new partners
  • Marketing Manage costs of service delivery

As the key sales person, you will also play an active role in the development of the brand. This will involve business development including:

  • Developing and rolling out national marketing campaigns for your target markets working with the marketing department.
  • Identifying opportunities for campaigns, services, and distribution channels that will lead to an increase in sales.
  • Working with nominated franchisees to deliver on budgeted growth targets, maintain communication and increase profitability for all parties
  • Set up meetings between client decision maker and key franchisees and/or management team.
  • Managing and nurturing the client relationship team to ensure the highest productivity whilst keeping motivation levels high.
  • Submitting monthly progress reports and ensure accuracy of all data (pricing, invoicing etc.).
  • Attend all shows/seminars/conferences.
  • Attend some regional franchise meetings.
  • Monitor daily and weekly deliverables.

Personal Attributes

This person needs to be a self-starter, disciplined and very driven to meet targets, someone that can work well with people and get the best from them.

The key initial requirements of this role will be for a person with an excellent telephone manner, who can quickly build rapport with a prospect quickly and be viewed as knowledgeable and trustworthy. In addition, it is essential that they are organised and administratively competent.

The successful applicant will be required to learn the fundamentals of the inventory business with respects to SaaS.

Requirements

The candidate is likely to come from either a property, property services or software services/licensing background with a good understanding of SaaS. Will have a proven sales track record at all levels, excellent communicator both internally and externally, excellent telephone skills and able to represent the company at the highest levels.

The successful candidate will be one who can show that they can work from the bottom up, make sales and develop new business accounts for the long term. We are looking for the candidate to be passionate and enthusiastic, wanting the service to be a success.

Induction and Training

A detailed induction programme will be compiled involving all parties involved. This will include IT support, Marketing and Management.

Reporting Line

Initially to CEO and Marketing Manager.
Salary: £25k + commission, OTE £35k + company package.
Offices are based in Swanley (National travel will be required)
Office hours are 09.00-17.30 Mon-Fri

How to Apply

To apply, email your CV to [email protected].

Rachel Farr is already on the path to growing her franchise business in Bath. Having joined the No Letting Go team just a few months ago, Rachel is already expanding her business with the help of two inventory clerks.

Rachel originally ran her own inventory company in Bristol and came across No Letting Go whilst on a Property Inventory Management training course. Here she explains why she decided to switch from working independently to being part of the No Letting Go franchise network: “In short it was No Letting Go’s systems that impressed me so much” she recalls.

Online Inventory Tools to Make Life More Manageable

“Whilst I was still running my own business I started to do some work with No Letting Go as an affiliate working on some of the company’s national contracts in the Bristol area where I was based at the time. Letting Agents want easy access to their inventories and online systems are the obvious solution. I was using a simple online inventory tool to generate inventory reports and log photography which worked okay but once I’d started to work with No Letting Go’s system I knew I had found a superior system; I found the software so user-friendly I knew it would make my life more manageable, that I would be able work more efficiently freeing up valuable time to grow my business. In the end it was an easy decision really.”

Rachel and her family took the opportunity to relocate to Bath, “I am loving being my own boss and with the additional backing and support of the No Letting Go team I have the best of both worlds,” she added. “I enjoy the variety, every day is different and the freedom to manage my own time and the flexibility that I have as a result is wonderful.”

Become a No Letting Go Franchisee

If you feel inspired by Rachel’s story then don’t hesitate to get in touch with a friendly member of our team on 01322 555 128. We can provide you with all the information you need regarding franchise packages and how you can become a successful ‘No Letting Go’ franchisee just like Rachel. Take the first steps and contact No Letting Go today.

We are very pleased to announce that we have been accredited with the Bronze award for Supplier of the Year in The Times and Sunday Times Lettings Agency of the Year 2016 Awards. This is an honour as we were not only competing with inventory businesses but with all types of suppliers including compliance, maintenance and software companies.

This award is the only one of its kind which focuses solely on Lettings. We have been commended in this category for offering an exceptional standard of inventories and reports to both agents and property management companies alike. Those who carry out our reports have been hailed as ‘highly qualified and reliable’ while the reports themselves are praised for their capability of being able to endure extensive inspection.

Stopping Disputes at Their Source

The rate of disputes over our reports is virtually non-existent. This is a direct result of our training academy which has also been applauded for its proactive approach to dismantling the opportunity for disputes at their source. Our training academy offers residential courses on inventory management and a mentoring scheme which has been set up by our highly experienced Training Director.

Don’t just take our word for it

Client feedback has proven that the vast majority of our clients agree with all statements. We have scored exceptionally well on referrals and our ability to understand what our clients want to achieve for their landlords and tenants.

If you want to find out for yourself why our service is so highly revered, don’t hesitate to get into contact with us here.