Fixflo welcomes leading EICR providers to new contractor marketplace
Fixflo launches a brand new ‘contractor marketplace’ this week with leading property services companies, Prop Cert and Vibrant. Claiming to be the easiest way to find electricians for fixed wire tests, the new service enables agents to access reliable, qualified and affordable electricians directly within their Fixflo system.
The on-demand service lets users book a new EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) with just a few simple clicks and have an EICR completed within 5 days of a request. With Fixflo’s Contractor Marketplace, agents can source electricians for urgent EICRs across the UK, with weekend and evening appointments available to minimise access issues. The providers can also carry out the necessary remedial works right away or provide quotes if the cost of works will exceed the agent’s authorisation limit.
New electrical safety regulations require all rented homes in England to have a valid EICR by 1 April 2021. Despite the ongoing pandemic, the Government has not announced any extensions for the impending deadline. With just months to go, agents are advised to begin their compliance audit and phase their EICR appointments amidst the Covid-19 emergency to take into account delays caused by changing public health measures.
Unlocking Property Management
The great property freeze has lifted, with estate agents now allowed to open back up and property moves given the green light again. But as one of the first industries to reopen, how should letting agents prepare for the next phase of their COVID-19 response?
Staff
The first question many agents will be dealing with is how to unfurlough furloughed staff. There are no hard and fast rules. As agents navigate the new situation, it may be worth considering:
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The different skill-sets of your staff – which parts of your operation are on the front line may determine which of your staff should be brought back first.
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Some agents may choose to operate a ‘first-out-first-in’ policy and bringing back those members of staff that have been on furlough the longest.
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Assessing which of your staff may have children at home with nobody to care for them while schools are closed or those that may be more vulnerable make provisions for remote working where possible.(pregnant women or those with health concerns for example).
Agents Resilient to Revenue Loss but Section 21 Changes Risks Driving Out Landlords
The Fixflo Lettings Report 2019 has found that in spite of revenue loss affecting almost
every letting agent, many are more optimistic about the future compared to the year before.
The Report which was supported by The Property Ombudsman and 20+ industry bodies and
software providers including ARLA Propertymark, mydeposits, Tenancy Deposit Scheme
(TDS), Deposit Protection Service (DPS), Property Redress Scheme, Landlord Law Services
and MRI Software surveyed 443 letting agents and 223 landlords. 523 tenants were polled
by YouGov as part of this research.
Trip the Light Fantastic
On the 20th March 2019 the long waited Fitness for Human Habitation Bill comes into law, shining a new spotlight on conditions in tenanted properties. As most agents will know, the Bill leans heavily on the Human Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) and the 29 hazards it lists to illuminate what makes a property fit or unfit to live in – one of which is lighting.