A Surrey Letting Agent with a difference
I am often asked why SurreyLets is different. To answer this, I need to explain a little letting’s history first and tell you more about me.
Let me introduce myself, I am Sally Asling. I own and manage SurreyLets with help from a great team of support staff and we are in our 7th year. I have worked in this industry all of my working life, in these 23 years I have seen the industry go through dramatic change. In the early 1990’s when letting for the first time was commercially gaining a momentum and “Buy To Let” was leading the market through to today where we have an industry that is very different. I recall that there was not that much legislation in the early 1990’s, and certainly very little regulation for Agents.
This may have been around two decades ago – a lot has changed. We are now governed by regulations and law enforcement, have a public redress system in place and it appears every week new legislation gets through. Still, it could have been worse - Labour could have gained power in the 2015 elections which would have seen really dramatic change and potentially a deepening housing crisis.
I sometimes reflect on how the industry has changed, and how it perhaps still hasn't. We have more legislation to protect the consumer, but what about the practices within a letting agency? Where is the money being invested? .
For many larger corporate companies, it is my opinion that the balance at some point tipped and Letting’s became a little too much focused on front line sales. Lettings became a money making machine and less of an ongoing dedication to service and support. Companies separated the paperwork from the sales people and created letting’s negotiators who were target driven, but knew little about the legislation or contract law. The back office staff often great administrators, but lacked in expertise. I spent considerable time in my career dealing with “Customer Service Issues” and top of the list of faults was internal communication. The offer was not always put through correctly, details were missing that became a problem further into the tenancy. As ARLA courses became more expensive, not everyone did them. Many branch staff would have no industry qualifications, sometimes each branch with just one member with a basic foundation knowledge. As the industry grew further some companies departmentalised accounts / property management / renewals etc and clients had several numbers to call for points of contact often spanning the length of the UK if not overseas! Whilst sales soared, service slipped. The administration centre roles employed untrained people often starting a career and placed them in charge of managing clients property. This is not the case with every agent, there are some agents that are larger and have retained the balance, there are some who have not.
Corporations in the mainstream are closed, controlling and selective. Over the past decade we have again seen the rise of the Individual, the consumer is demanding that personal service is bought back, they want to know who they are dealing with and they want that person to be an expert in their field, not a one trick pony. Consumers don’t want to be “sold to”, they want to have information so they can make informed decisions, they want to form a relationship with a person who they trust and have a mutually beneficial relationship.
So, why is SurreyLets different? Its different because I believe I know what the consumer expects. When our phones ring, you speak to an individual. You don't have a lengthy list of options and departments, or a sales message or some dodgy music before you finally reach a human. I have experience that cannot be gained from sitting an exam, its something that grows, a developed-over-time gut feeling, it means I know the game, knows what works and when sometimes we have to walk away. There are over 100 pieces of legislation that have been digested into everyday speak and even more invaluable are the thousands of scenarios I have practically dealt with. Anyone can learn, experience has to be gained. I can see what is wrong with the industry, and therefore have built my business on what I believe is right. I am an individual member of ARLA and SurreyLets is a member body, because I believe that the industry should be regulated and the consumer should know that their agent has client money protection, insurance and are conforming to a code of conduct. We are members of The Property Ombudsman, we believe in transparency, honesty and accountability.
Above all I believe that we have to bring back good, honest personal service, we need to bring back the basics of being available and caring about what we do and caring about each other as people first and foremost. Its not solely about doing lots of deals without a second thought and most of all, not running away when things go wrong. This industry has its pitfalls that are sometimes unavoidable, but being able to help my clients through that is something I will do. I may not have a magic wand, but my knowledge, experience willingness to listen and help is what makes SurreyLets different.
SurreyLets (is our name)
Understanding People, Understanding Property (that's its aim!)