In this winter issue we update you with news & regulation updates
Sales update
We launched the 24/25 letting year at the end of October this year. Our sales are slightly ahead on last year which is positive but the bigger news is that pipeline sales (contracts awaiting signature) are double the same period last year. We are hopeful that this will translate into a positive sales year.
As you may know Leicester has struggled in recent years since the pandemic and with DMU slipping down the university league table rankings which makes it harder for DMU to attract new students to study in Leicester. By comparison, UoL has improved its recruitment, and this is where we are seeing the biggest growth – UoL league table rankings.
Our sales team will be proactively working with all leads to let your property as soon as we can for the next academic year. If you have any questions about your property, please speak to our Sales Manager, Jake Lewis who will be able to help.
Landlord survey results
Thanks to all those who completed our recent survey, your feedback is important to us and we will be taking steps to improve our services and processes. We had a 33% response rate. The winner of the £100 Amazon voucher (A Stachow) was selected at random and has been emailed the voucher.
The feedback was very positive with some of the key highlights as follows:
Unsurprisingly, one thing that landlords did express concern about was the forthcoming Renters Reform Bill. We intend to follow up on the webinar that we did recently (see below) once the Bill becomes law as we believe that we will be able to support landlords with an innovative solution to the changes being proposed. More on that later.
Obviously there is room for some improvements so where the landlord has left their name and they have suggested improvements, we will be contacting them over the next few weeks to discuss this.
Change of service naming
We recently updated the naming of our premium landlord service so it is clearer for both students and landlords. The premium service is now called Sulets Leased Service. To compare all our landlord services & fees click here.
If you want more information on our Leased Service and guaranteed rent offer please click here.
Risk of installing induction hobs
Recently, we had a student view a property and asked us to confirm that it did not have an induction hob, as he had a pacemaker fitted and induction hobs can be dangerous.
This is not something we have ever heard of before, but induction hobs can interfere with the performance of pacemakers as they generate electromagnetic fields. Users are advised to stand at least 60cm away, which is obviously not convenient or safe for cooking. More information can be found at here.
In more general terms, pans with a magnetic base are needed for cooking on an induction hob, so it would not be practical to expect students to provide the correct pans and would probably be something you would need to provide yourselves if you decided to install an induction hob.
It would be worth bearing this information in mind when changing hobs, and may be a better idea to look at a ceramic hob instead.
Renters Reform Bill webinar
Earlier this month we hosted a webinar with legal expert David Smith to discuss how the Renters Reform Bill is likely to affect the student accommodation sector and PRS landlords. If you missed this and wish to watch in your own time, it can be viewed on our YouTube channel.
Xmas opening hours
We wanted to let you know Sulets will be closed for the Christmas period from 2pm on Fri 22nd Dec and will re-open at 9am on Tues 2nd Jan 2024.
We would like to wish all landlords a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. Thank you for your support this year. We look forward to working with you all in 2024 and beyond! 🎅