Lockdown diaries: ‘I keep telling people… doing viewings is irresponsible and dangerous’

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Steven Wayne MD of Benjamin Stevens Estate Agents explains why his firm is refusing to take people to see properties and how he views the crisis as an opportunity, not a threat.

People keep asking me, what will all this mean
for the future of your business? Will the property market ever bounce back from
this? However, the most common question I’m being asked is ‘Can I arrange a
viewing?’ It’s absolute madness!

Sure, I could take the view that by saying no,
it’s a potential sale or let that I’m losing out on, but Covid-19 and the hold
it’s taking over the UK, is bigger than that. Ultimately, health and safety must
come first.

I launched Benjamin Stevens Estate Agents 16 years ago in 2004.
Together with my amazing team of loyal staff, I have developed the business
which now consists of large sales (residential and commercial), lettings and property
management departments spread over three branches, as well as a large, well
established, Block Management practice.  

Since we shut the doors to are offices, and
therefore put a hold on any face to face viewings of any properties, I have
been running my business from home, single handed.

It taken me back to a time when I had first
started my business with no staff to worry about and having complete control over
everything. After 16 years and a team of 17 estate agents, eight block managers,
I’m back to just me, which is quite liberating

It’s a unique opportunity and one that I plan
to take full advantage of. Those agents who don’t do the same, simply won’t
survive this lockdown.  I want to use
this time to look at all aspects of the business and figure out how we could be
running things more effectively. I need to hit the ground running when we
reopen.

Some agents are still doing viewings. I think is irresponsible and dangerous, but I can testify, the calls keep coming in from people who want to view.  I just ask if they have seen the news lately?

What I am doing on a day to day basis is just
working to keep the rents coming in and dealing with all the daily enquiries
surrounding this.

Then, of course, there is then if the issue of
tenants phoning attempting to not paying their rent. Some have genuine reasons
and issues and to those people, we are here to help, but there are also a lot
of people trying to take advantage of the situation.

When I explain that they will still need to pay eventually, and that whilst their landlord will defer some of the rent, it’s not going to be free money, they suddenly change their tune.

Off the hook

My phone simply doesn’t stop. In the
background I have the screaming of my 6-week-old and 2-and-a-half-year-old, I
wonder how anyone works from home!  

It’s certainly not something I could do
forever, but we are trying to make it work. On the positive, this time with my family
is special, and the chance to take a real look at my business costs, is a once
in a lifetime opportunity.

I’m learning a hell of a lot already and my
business will be a very different place when we return.

I firmly believe there will be a real appetite
for people to move once everything gets back to normal. Perhaps not immediately,
but after a few weeks I think we will be in for a really busy end to the year The
only question is, can we getting going again before my wife murders me?!

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