In advance of our upcoming Property Surgery on Saturday 14th January (9.30am – 4.00pm), Phil Wardle, Sales Manager at GO Property Services gives his views on the outlook for 2012.

At the end of the 2011, homeowners across the UK were pleased to hear that mortgage lender, Nationwide, reported a ‘surprisingly resilient’ year on year increase of 1.1% across the UK, pushing the average house price up to £163,822. 9 out of 13 UK regions reported house price increases in 2011, with the East Midlands, seeing a 0.6% increase.     

Simon Rubinsohn, chief economist at the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), recently emphasized that house price valuations are likely to continue to be supported by a shortage of supply. He commented that ‘the lack of supply in the market is likely to prevent any house price declines. As a result of this, the lettings market will remain firm which means that rents are likely to increase further, albeit at a slower pace than in 2011’.

In Nottinghamshire, the limited stock of housing means demand for property is likely to remain strong throughout the year.  With this in mind, at GO Property, we think house prices in Nottingham will continue to remain steady throughout the year.  Our landlords are likely to see rent increase gains as demand remains strong, particularly for well presented, centrally located properties.

If you want to discuss selling or letting your property in 2012, give me a call at the office on 0845 226 0345 or come and see us at our Property Surgery which is being held at the office on Saturday 14th January between 9.30am and 4.00pm.

We are pleased to announce that the business of GO Lettings Leeds has been transferred Hudson Moody Wass with immediate effect.

GO Property Services would like to thank all our customers in Leeds that we have worked with over the past 4 years, but we have taken the decision to concentrate on our core business in Nottingham.

Hudson Moody Wass are also ARLA Licensed Agents and we are confident that the business has been transferred to a company of integrity.

Tenants can be assured that all deposits held by GO Property Services in Leeds will be transferred to Hudson Moody Wass who use the same Tenancy Deposit Scheme.

For more information Hudson Moody Wass can be reached on 0113 245 7887, or visit their website here www.hmwass.co.uk.

EXCELLENT CAREER OPPORTUNITY. GO Property Services are expanding and need to recruit a TRAINEE PROPERTY MANAGER in our Nottingham Office. 

We hire for attitude over qualifications, and though experience in lettings is desirable, it is not essential.  You must, however, be able to demonstrate an ability to deliver a high level of customer service. The position would ideally suit a well organised communicator with a working knowledge of the local area.

The role will include:
Dealing with tenancy applications, liaising with landlords and tenants, arranging maintenance and conducting viewings and property inspections in the city and surroundings areas.

Key Requirements
At least one years full-time previous work experience.
Confident outgoing personality with strong communication skills
Good problem solving skills
Integrity
Good keyboard skills, including the use of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook)
Car ownership and a full clean driving licence are essential
Flexible working hours

GO Offer
Comprehensive training leading to professional qualification
Contributory Company Pension (after qualifying period)
5 weeks paid holiday + your birthday off.
Company mobile phone
Salary circa £12,000 - £14,000 + bonus after training, depending on experience.

If you would like to be considered for the position, please send your CV and covering letter describing your previous experience and why you think you are the right person for the job to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Or find out more by dropping in to us here at:
2b-4b Hucknall Road
Nottingham
NG5 1AB

GO Property Services are Estate Agents & Letting Agents in Nottingham & Leeds. We are members of ARLA & the NAEA and have a reputation for providing a high quality service that is competitively priced.

Nottingham City Council today launched a consultation on the introduction of planning requirements for homes shared by 3 or more unrelated tenants. Local authorities were given powers by central government in 2010 and the consultation will run until 27th April 2011.

In an era of rising rents, these changes to legislation will not be good news for tenants already struggling to find affordable accommodation. Inevitably, some will be forced onto the black market as more and more landlords move away from, already scarce, shared accommodation. After reportedly failing to locate and licence hundreds of current HMO’s, the City Councils choice of taking on a huge potential new workload with little or no benefit to the council tax payer may leave some people confused as to the point of the exercise?

The proposed changes will come into force in 2012 if the consultation finds that there is a need.

Interested parties can find out more and get involved in the consultation here

According to a report by The Deposit Protection Service (DPS), the custodial tenancy deposit protection scheme accredited by the Government, void periods between landlords, who market properties directly ,differ from those who use Letting Agents

It was found that on average, letting agents ensure that the void period on a property is kept to within two weeks on 63% of properties compared to only 38% for those marketed by landlords directly.

It’s been estimated that the cost to landlords of rental voids is more than £3billion a year. Jonathan Detheridge, Managing Director of Go Lettings, said ‘though some landlords market their properties effectively, landlords who advertise on their own, do not have access to the breath of distribution available to the letting agent, Rightmove, FindaProperty and Zoopla to name but a few. With demand out-stripping supply, there is simply no excuse for allowing properties to remain empty and not earning an income. Because we re-market properties as soon as notice is received, many of our clients are used to the perfect scenario - no void at all - with a new tenant moving in the day after the previous one moves out. This system allows our landlords to get the very best return for their investment property. Those landlords with property to rent in Nottingham or Leeds advertising themselves should give us a call to see the difference we can make.  We operate a no-let no-fee policy, so we don’t charge our landlords to advertise their property – it’s a win-win’.

To read the DPS report in more detail, please click here

A reduced supply of rental property and the increased demand of tenants is starting to see rental prices increase according to the RICS residential lettings survey published today.

Following on from our article in January demand for City Centre apartments remains very strong with void periods now all but non existent and recent University application numbers suggesting a stronger market than ever this summer. "The shortage in supply is being compounded by reluctant landlords selling-up and exiting the market now that house sales are slowly starting to pick-up. We are also finding that unlike recent years there is a shortage of new rental property coming onto the market as the lending criteria is now so tough that there are very few new  landlords entering the field " commented Jonathan Detheridge  from GO Property Services.

Tenants are advised to look early and choose quickly if they see something they really like.

See the full RICS Residential Lettings Survey here

After the usual dip in demand for property over the Christmas and New Year period, it is apparent that the demand for rental property is increasing with every week. An exceptionally cold January didn’t stop a 50% increase in viewings year on year. February saw GO Property move in 50% more tenants year on year, with rental levels holding firm and in some instances increasing slightly.

The supply of property in the rental sector appears to have dried up over the past 6 months, which means demand is coming back into line with supply and resulting in stabilising rental levels. These early signs indicate that 2010 could prove to be a far better year for the landlord. There is one thing, however, that we can be sure of - the property market remains volatile and it would be a bold person who said they can predict its development.