If you are unsure on current advice, Wales is still in lockdown.

We understand from industry reports that The Housing Sectary has stated he is not yet ready to ease restrictions on home moving.

As a company, Williams & Goodwin The Property People Ltd are still reliant on guidance issued by the Ministry of Housing in March.

Williams & Goodwin The Property People now offers a virtual valuation service 

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the housing market is still moving; homeowners are still considering selling, and buyers are still searching for their perfect home. However, with the subsequent lockdown measures in place the property selling and buying process has had to adapt and become virtual. 

Melfyn Williams of WGTPP says that a new virtual valuation service was needed to continue providing sellers with an opinion on marketing prices without having to physically visit the property.  As a Member of The Guild of Property Professionals, we now have access to a virtual valuation service, an interactive platform that enables us to carry out a professional appraisals remotely. 

“During the lockdown good estate and lettings agents are evolving and coming up with innovative ways to ensure we can meet the needs of home movers in our area and allow the process to move forward in a way that protects all parties,” 

How does the virtual valuation service differ from other online valuation tools? 

The service allows someone thinking of selling or letting to carry out a meeting remotely to discuss the property and possible asking prices. 

“Unlike instant automated valuation tools, (which is also available on tppuk.com); the virtual valuation platform allows the team at Williams & Goodwin to collect as much information as possible from sellers to give a professional opinion of the property potential asking price range. In the virtual face-to-face meeting, Williams & Goodwin can discuss the services they provide, answer any questions clients have and will be able to give them a realistic price for the property, whether that is for sale or for let,” explains Melfyn Williams.

According to Tim Goodwin of WGTPP using the platform is simple. All a homeowner or landlord needs to do is complete a questionnaire and upload a short video and/or some photos of their property, as well as choose the best date and time for them to take a video call. 

“Based on the video, photos and information provided, we will be able to fully research the property and then conduct the face-to-face virtual meeting where we will be able to provide a realistic sales or rental price for the property. All at a time that is convenient for the homeowner or landlord. Following the meeting, we will send a detailed report on the property providing pricing expectations, much like any other valuation process,” he notes. “If the client decides they would like to go ahead, we are then able to start the process of marketing the property and conducting virtual viewings through our Virtual Viewing Tool.” 

Williams & Goodwin The Property Poeple have all the necessary tools and services in place to be able to go through the entire process remotely and find either a buyer or tenant for a property without there ever being any physical meetings.  

“No-one knows what the future holds or how people will interact with each other once restrictions are lifted. Potentially virtual valuations and viewings will continue to be a part of the ‘new normal’. If that is the case, we are ready to ensure that we can meet those needs and continue providing an excellent service to our customers; they are in safe hands with us,” Tim Goodwin concludes.

-ENDS-

Editors’ Notes

Williams & Goodwin The Property People have been selected as the local members for Anglesey & Gwynedd of The Guild of Property Professionals (The Guild) 

The Guild is a network of 800 of the best independent estate agents from across the UK. The Guild is a sign of professional excellence that agents can use to differentiate themselves from their competitors and assure clients that they will act with knowledge and integrity to achieve results, the three core values of The Guild. To allow agents to perform a superior service, The Guild offers marketing, business and technology services to its members.

The onus on landlords to provide energy efficient accommodation has once again stepped up a gear, now that part three of the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015 has come fully into effect. 

It is now (since 1^st April 2020) illegal for landlords to continue to let a property, or grant a new tenancy (including an extension or renewal), where the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is below band E - the minimum level of energy efficiency for private rented properties.

This regulation has applied since April 2018 but until now has not applied to existing tenancies. 

Implementation is of course another matter during these difficult times. Indeed, the Scottish government has already decided to postpone implementation for the time being. This is not necessarily a relaxation of intention to police the regulation, but more a requirement to redirect resources and support for vulnerable people during the Covid-19 crisis.  

However, at this time there is no suggestion that the regulation will be relaxed outside Scotland and landlords are strongly advised that if they have not already taken steps to comply (notice having first been issued in 2014) then they should do so as a matter of urgency. 

Of course, during lockdown, access to property can be an issue, and it is yet to be seen how local enforcement agencies will respond. Fortunately, for the majority of our landlords, this is a non-issue as their standards are, in most case, higher than the minimum EPC requirement in any event! We seem to attract the good guys! 

We make it our business to keep fully abreast of the increasingly complex field of PRS regulation, so if you’d like any help or advice about your legal obligations as a landlord, then please don’t hesitate to contact us on 01248 724040. It would be our pleasure to assist.