Dockside Property Services (E14)

News	October 2007 - Issue 4

Hello and welcome to Dockside Property Services 2007 “baby-boom” newsletter, so called for reasons which will become clear later! As usual this gives us the opportunity of writing to each of our valued clients, to thank you for your continued patronage and to present to you a brief overview of local market conditions, together with any developments that are likely to be of interest in the future.

Since we last wrote to you, the property market has seen various changes on both legislative and economic levels. In fact it seems as though every time we have sat down to write this news letter some new change or important matter has come to the forefront.

On the legislative side, the Tenancy Deposit Scheme has been fully introduced, Home Information Packs have finally started, Houses in Multiple Occupation licenses have become mandatory and the 2004 Housing Act was amended to include Health and Safety and Environmental issues. As you can imagine keeping abreast of these changes is a fairly arduous ordeal yet immensely important. Staff training continues to be high on our agenda and is vital in order that the high standards of service you expect from us are maintained and enhanced. Please feel free to contact a member of our team if you have any questions relating to the new laws.

The property market has proven to be a real roller coaster ride this year. The rental market has enjoyed steadily increasing levels of demand throughout the year in both London and Kent. Tenants continue to be fussy largely because they are able to be so; the quality of rental property has certainly increased over the last three years and long gone are the days of simply being able to let any property. Property programmes have become immensely popular and fortunately most landlords heed the time honoured advice of decorating their properties in a neutral colour scheme. Our tenants are a professional bunch, they realise what has happened and have become increasingly demanding; the key to letting your flat promptly in this market is to price it competitively and make sure it looks its best, especially important for those of you with older properties.

The sales market has had an even more tremulous ride. Prices continued to rocket during the first two quarters of the year. Then came the massive sub-prime issues in the States and the press followed with their headlines predicting doom and gloom for the UK property market. These factors combined with the predicted interest rate increases to drastically slow down certain areas within our remit. The E14 area seems worse hit with the higher end of the market feeling the slow down the most. Properties below £250,000 are still selling well however and the Royal Docks and Beckton areas are starting to figure quite dominantly in the radar of people who otherwise would not consider them. In the Medway towns the market remains strong with the Rochester office recording a record month in September.

Our Rochester branch has now been open for 18 months. The Dockside brand has been very well received within the Medway area and our combination of fusing cutting edge technology with good old fashioned values has certainly struck a chord with our Kent clients. Local agents are now approaching us for help with their current instructions. Our coverage in local papers has been excellent due to the hard work put in by the team. Over the last six months, Jennifer, Vicki and Sam and the team have handed out house-shaped cookies at two different festivals held in the High Street and completed a fun run in aid of Cancer Research and raised over £2500.

We now have over 500 properties now under management and there seems to be a never-ending requirement for repairs. Our computer system is coping well and we are reducing each month the average time it takes to get a job done.

Our contractors can deal with anything from the replacement of a fuse, heating repairs, decorating to providing double glazing all at most competitive prices. Please call to arrange a visit or quotation for any works you require.

Our web site has been completely re-designed and if you have not had the chance to look at it yet, please do so. All comments gratefully received!

The administration department continues to impress. Headed by Marlie Noriega they ensure rents are paid on time, repairs are carried out promptly and economically, tenancy contracts are extended and a whole myriad of other tasks are all completed efficiently to ensure the swift and pain-free management of your property.

And now for the promised baby-boomer news at the beginning of this news letter. Kaj Darby and his partner and Jonathan Bell and his wife both had a little girl at the beginning of the year, Jennifer Sanders and her husband were blessed with the same last October and Spencer Fortag and his wife had their third baby boy last November! The Dockside family continues to grow and we wish mummies, daddies and babies the best for the future.

Finally, we would like to thank you once again for your continued custom. It is our pleasure to serve you.

Our Docklands office