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<\/p>\nYears ago, I warned applicants to avoid dealing with anyone who wanted to charge them for the privilege of viewing a property. Now, with the looming ban on tenant fees, I\u2019m not so sure. The ban will cause disruption and potential job losses across the lettings sector, and the plain fact is that there\u2019s a cost to viewings. If you do a very basic calculation to figure out the sums involved, I\u2019d be surprised if it comes in at less than \u00a325 each time. For some areas of the country, it will be much, much higher. Can you pass the costs on? Let\u2019s look at the context.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Most applicants will have no idea how many \u2018no shows\u2019 you experience. They won\u2019t have considered the overheads associated with getting a qualified, professional and insured member of staff to meet them at an agreed time and place. And, if they\u2019re unlucky enough to have been left hanging around by the late arrival of an agent \u2013 or worse a \u2018no show\u2019 from an agent \u2013\u00a0they won\u2019t be impressed by the idea of paying to view. (Most believe, by the way, that the landlord should foot the bill.)<\/p>\n
Now, you may argue that properly qualifying an applicant \u2013 and not booking a viewing just for the sake of it \u2013 is a skill all professional negotiators need, and generally speaking, I\u2019d agree. However, we\u2019ve all experienced turning up to a viewing, having confirmed with a pre-call earlier in the day, just to get ghosted by the applicant, who you never hear from again. It\u2019s incredibly frustrating, but it\u2019s part of the job, albeit a harsh lesson in the importance of a sharp booking process.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s think, now, about what happens when the fees ban is implemented? If you could refine your viewing processes to get a better hit rate\u00a0and<\/em>\u00a0reduce wasted time, you\u2019d want to do that, wouldn\u2019t you?<\/p>\n Now, of course, the aim of the fees ban is to make renting fairer and easier for tenants. I\u2019m not suggesting undermining that principle with sky-high, pre-tenancy costs, but I do believe there could be demand for a range of\u00a0optional<\/em>\u00a0services for applicants.<\/p>\n As an example, if you\u2019ve shopped online, you\u2019ll know that prime delivery slots cost more. Everyone accepts this and chooses the best option for them. Wouldn\u2019t it be reasonable to apply this model to your business and to your negotiators\u2019 time? If you can only commit to eight viewings on a Saturday, why not consider a premium service which guarantees a weekend slot? Pre-referenced applicants would also make your qualifying much easier and reduce the instances of \u2018forgotten\u2019 CCJs and the like.<\/p>\n I\u2019m confident that many applicants would happily pay a small, optional fee to have benefits such as flexible viewing or priority access to new properties. Provided these are exactly that \u2013 optional \u2013 I do not see them contravening the draft bill in its current form. Caution is necessary, however. The bill prohibits most payments \u201cas a condition of arranging the grant, renewal or continuance of a tenancy\u201d with only limited exceptions. There\u2019s a long road to travel before the bill is finalised, and until we know the final wording, posts like this can only be speculation.<\/p>\n In the meantime, it is, of course, business as usual. If you would like to discuss how we can help you navigate the ever-changing lettings landscape, let\u2019s talk.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Years ago, I warned applicants to avoid dealing with anyone who wanted to charge them for the privilege of viewing a property. Now, with the looming ban on tenant fees, I\u2019m not so sure. The ban will cause disruption and potential job losses across the lettings sector, and the plain fact is that there\u2019s a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11204,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nLearning from online retail<\/h2>\n