Student property enquiries surge 73% following portal revamp

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Student Lettings:

 AccommodationforStudents.com, the UK No.1 student accommodation search engine has had a 73% boost in student property enquiries following a complete revamp of their website.

AFS appointed Code Computerlove to deliver the website upgrade. The newly re-launched interactive site is now far easier and faster for students and landlords to navigate, view properties and make enquiries both on desktop and mobile. It is also currently one of the fastest ever property portals on the web, with page download speeds of 0.8 seconds.

Started in 2000, AccommodationforStudents.com was the first student accommodation search engine. It quickly became established as the market leader with well over 100,000 properties. However, being originally built in classic ASP (active server pages) meant that changing and upgrading it, to ensure its future versatility and longevity, was always going to be a costly exercise.

Determined to make it happen, entrepreneur and Director of AFS, Simon Thompson, bought out his business partner William Berry one year ago, then succeeded in getting a loan from The North West Fund, which gave him the much-needed capital to re-invest in the business’ core asset – the website.

He comments: “This re-launch has been a long-time in planning. We have considered every aspect of the website and its functionality to make it as appealing for landlords and letting agents, and as simple for students, as possible.

In terms of new features, students can now see blended search results. Previously students had to visit different areas of the website to see different types of properties. Now they can search and compare the options like for like.

For landlords and agents, the key benefit is better visual representation of their properties leading to more enquiries, which is clearly working given the boost of activity. Coming soon will also be automated property feeds for letting agents and optional rent collection services for landlords.�

Rob Jones from Code Computerlove added: “The site has been transformed taking an iterative approach, focusing on key user journeys and interactions – areas delivering the most value and testing every release so that we were confident that the site was delivering exceptional results from the start of the roll out process. In addition to the hugely impressive increase in enquiries, bounce rate has also dropped by almost half and conversion is up.â€�

Simon set up Accommodationforstudents.com in 2000 after experiencing first-hand the difficulties in finding suitable student accommodation.  Today, the site is visited by more than 3 million students every year and advertises properties for 32,000 UK private landlords, 1,200 letting agents and more than 500 private halls of residence.

AFS also employs over 50 students on a part time basis and recently moved to new offices in the heart of the Northern Quarter in Manchester, where it has access to top digital talent and 99,000 students across four universities.

About Accommodation for Students
www.accommodationforstudents.com is the World No.1 Student Accommodation Search Engine. AFS features at the top of search engines, hosts more content than any other student accommodation website and is currently one of the fastest ever property portals, with page download speeds of 0.8 seconds.

Accommodation for Students was founded in June 2000 by two university students who experienced first-hand the difficulties with finding student accommodation. It quickly became established as the market leader with well over 100,000 properties.

Our aim is to help students find the best available accommodation available within the least amount of time. Unlike other student accommodation websites, all the properties featured on the AFS website are available to let and its database is up to date.

Today, www.accommodationforstudents.com is visited by more than 3 million students every year and advertises properties for 23,000 landlords, 1,800 letting agents and more than 500 private halls of residence. AFS also employs over 50 students on a part time basis.

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‘To let’ boards to be banned in these areas of Leicester

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Leicester City Council has announced that some landlords and letting agents in the city will be banned from displaying to let boards from this summer. Some addresses in the Windermere, Hazel, Clarendon Park, Greenhill, West End, Ashleigh Road and West End conservation area parts of the city will be covered by the ban, which will come […]

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Wales fee ban a step closer

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Plans to ban letting agents charging fees to tenants are a step closer, as the Welsh Government introduced a Bill proposing the fee ban to the Welsh Assembly on Monday. Under the proposals, letting agents and landlords in Wales will be banned from charging tenants fees. According to the Welsh Government, the Renting Homes (Fees […]

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Schools out for summer-SEVEN tips for student landlords

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For thousands of students across the country, term has ended and they will be preparing to move out of their student accommodation. As a landlord, there is advice that you could be giving to your tenants BEFORE they move out of the property, as well as things to consider if the property is going to […]

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What Does “Washing Out CGT” On Incorporation Actually Mean?

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A common question I am asked by landlords who are considering incorporation of their property rental business is “what does washing out Capital Gains Tax “CGT” on incorporation actually mean?”.

I will explain this first using an analogy

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AIIC urges caution on letting with pets

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Pets in Lets:

With more tenants renting for longer and as a lifestyle choice it is inevitable that more families and more tenants with pets will be looking to rent for the long-term.

The most recent English Housing Survey published in January this year shows that private renting now amounts to 20% of all households and in London it is now the is the largest housing tenure. It also shows that 27% of tenants involved in this annual survey had been renting for 10 or more years.

Both families and pets create more wear and tear on a property so this is something that landlords need to factor into their business model.

Long-term lets have the advantage that there are fewer void periods, and fewer tenant changes which is always a hassle for landlords, but it is likely that more work will be needed when eventually there is a change of tenant. This might range from a professional clean and tidy up of the décor, to a complete refurb.

Technically, landlords cannot refuse to allow pets in the property, and the longer the stay the more likely it is that pets may be introduced. However, it is perfectly reasonable for landlords to require permission to keep pets, and this should be built into every tenancy agreement. The landlord can legitimately refuse to allow unsuitable animals. For instance a large dog in a small flat.

According to the Association of Independent Inventory Clerks (AIIC) as reported by propertywire.com landlords need to use caution when allowing pets in their properties. Although taking tenants with pets will widen the pool of prospective tenants, in what is now a highly competitive market, wear and tear is definitely an issue to be considered.

The AIIC advice is that landlords should take the necessary precautions to protect themselves, their investments and their profits.

A separate pet agreement is a useful tool to ensure that the tenants are well aware of their responsibilities with pets. Things such as injections, exercise routines, noise and neighbour considerations, damage that can be caused, all weigh heavily on the landlord if these things are not adhered to.

Additionally, making sure you are covered by a comprehensive insurance policy which takes pets into account (possibly at a higher premium), taking an additional deposit amount, and specifying a professional clean at the end of the tenancy at all important precautions.

Pets, some much more than others, can potentially cause quite a bit of damage inside a property, particularly leaving odours, which can be difficult if not impossible to remove without changing such things as carpets.

Taking a higher deposits to cover these additional risks is a sensible precaution, but as there’s a Bill currently passing through Parliament which is likely to cap deposits at six weeks’ rent, the landlord’s hands are likely to be tied on this in the future.

With the passage of the Tenant Fees Bill landlords will need to rely on the one concession in this bill which will give some recompense in the event of damage; that is the breach of contract clause, which will allow claims for things which breach the tenancy agreement.

Perhaps one of the most important tools in the landlord’s armoury to assist with any damage claims is a good inventory, and using an independent inventory clerk to do the inventory, giving you a completely independent assessment, is even better.

If you want peace of mind it’s important to consider all these eventualities beforehand and be prepared for the worst.

Find a comprehensive list of UK Inventory Clerks here

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