LETTINGS AGENCY 2012 - OVERALL WINNER

Oxford-based Finders Keepers offers a range of lettings services, from lettings and property management, student letting and property management, search and acquisition, building and refurbishment and contract furnish and interior design. But it isn't its extensive service offering that impressed this year's judges, but its uniqueness in employing staff on a fixed pay basis, rather than on commission, which helps staff focus on attracting quality tenants. Judges were also impressed with the agency's policy of assigning office managers with property portfolios to manage, which allows quality service standards to be generated at the top of the business and filtered down to all staff members within their teams.
All staff are based in offices local to the properties they manage, rather than management issues being dealt with by a call centre, which the agency believes helps staff to build long-lasting client relationships. Property refurbishment projects can be undertaken in-house and managed to coincide with re-let dates, maximising the efficiency of the management service and minimsing the risk of void periods. All services, from check-ins to property inspections, are managed in-house, rather than outsourced, which the agency believes it is obliged to do given the importance of the tasks at hand.
The firm's 24/7 emergency line is manned by its own staff on a rotation basis, to help deal with issues in a timely and cost-effective manner. Client accountants are deployed in each office to manage landlord payments, retentions and contractor payments. This, together with its robust systems and tight credit control, enables the agency to boast an incredibly low number of tenancies that end in deposit dispute (0.15% of 3,341 tenancies), as well as the fact that 99.27% of rents are collected and paid on time. Finders Keepers prides itself on its staff's extensive knowledge of the market, which is why the firm invests heavily in staff training, and why each staff member has a bespoke annual training plan. An impressive 69% of eligible staff have passed the NFoPP Technical Award in Residential Letting and Property Management in the past 24 months. Its commitment to staff explains staff members' loyalty, with 90% of its office managers having been with the business for more than 10 years.
Judges loved the level of detail on the agency's website, which includes listings of the 10 closest gyms to each property, school catchment areas, navigator guides showing the best bars, walks and sports clubs in the area, and renting FAQ guides in 10 languages. Client testimonials wax lyrical about Finders Keepers exceptional service standards and its helpful and friendly staff, who never falter to go the extra mile. Its comprehensive lettings and property management service has enabled the agency to grow income by 4.3% and profit by 4% in the last 12 months alone, and produced a profit margin of 18.1%. Judges agreed that this agency's vast range of services, incredible attention to detail and exceptional customer service make it the clear overall winner of the 2012 Lettings Agency of the Year Awards.

Best UK Medium Lettings Agency

This Oxford-based agency's service offering is supported by fully-trained staff and a tight control of services, such as check-ins, check-outs and property inspections. Judges praised its policy of avoiding staff commission to help optimise tenant quality, as well as its decision to have its 24/7 emergency service manned by its own staff, rather than outsourcing them, to help deal with issues in a timely manner. Robust systems mean that just 0.15% of tenancies currently end up in deposit dispute and 99.27% of rents are collected and paid on time. Finders Keepers prides itself on its staff's market nous, hence its investment in staff training. Judges particularly loved the level of detail on the agency's website, which includes renting FAQ guides in 10 languages.
No job is too great for this agency, which is a clear winner of yet another award category at this year's awards.

GOLD - Best Medium Central Lettings Agency

Judges agreed that Finders Keepers deserved this award hands down. The panel loved the fact that staff aren't paid commission, so the focus of the agency is all about getting the right quality business. Staff are so confident about their market nous that they have no hesitation in advising landlord clients about refurbishment work required on their property. This was the case with a recent landlord case, where a staff member recommended the upgrade of a kitchen. When the landlord finally agreed to the upgrade, they saw a 17.7% uplift in rent. Judges also praised a tenancy offer of 50% off the agency's application fee if a tenant rents another Finders Keepers property. The agency's retention rates for managed properties is 91.3%, with its managed occupancy rate 99.98% in February, so its numbers speak volumes about the quality of the firm's service standards. Its technology is also head and shoulders above the rest, with its website as much a resource for the local area as it is a property search tool. Above all, judges praised the firm's 'paranoid and efficient processes', which ensure that the agency operates in a fully-compliant manner, operated by highly-proficient staff.

GOLD - Best Property Management Agency
(1000+ properties)

This Oxford-based lettings agency is in a league of its own when its comes to property management. It clearly goes above and beyond as a lettings specialist, managing all aspects of its service in-house to maintain exceptionally high levels of customer service. Property management is valued so highly by the agency that only staff who work within the property management division are entitled to company cars, because management wants them to be highly regarded, which is a policy they believe attracts a better calibre of staff. Attention to detail can be found in every aspect of this agency's business model, with free tenancy check-ins and check-out services available for tenants and highly-detailed property inspections, described by judges as more like mini-inventories, undertaken for every property managed – an approach the panel agreed should be the standard across the industry. The team believes in the ethos that happy tenant means happy landlord, and the numbers speak for themselves: the agency's deposit dispute rate is 0.15%. Judges also commended the agency's investment in staff training, which is reflected throughout the business.

GOLD - Best Innovation 2011

Finders Keepers implemented a truly innovative and new idea with spectacular results. Following a detailed survey of its tenants and enquiries, Finders Keepers found that families with school age children occupied over 85% of its properties with a higher rental yield, despite only representing 20% of tenants overall. Keen to harness more tenants of a similar demographic, Finders Keepers recognised the importance of school location in the decision making process of renting families. With this in mind the team plotted the precise catchment areas of all state and fee paying schools in their areas of operation (down to exact boundaries including taking into account exactly where
on the roads the boundaries end should the line fall in the middle of the street). This information
was then added as a search option to their website. Feedback from existing tenants is positive and Finders Keepers has seen an increase in web traffic and enquiry levels which has led to higher instruction levels. Impressive.

GOLD - Best Student Lettings 2011

This agency really knows its market and such is the importance of its student lettings offering on its business there is a separate dedicated department solely for this demographic. The marketing is just brilliant and 100% geared towards the target market of students whilst reflecting an awareness of the importance parents play in influencing potential rental properties. Partnerships with local businesses have culminated in sponsorships and local discount cards which are part of the welcome pack. There was clear evidence of the strong relationship this agency has with local colleges and universities and a strong work experience programme develops early relationships with local youths resulting in loyalty at the time when they need to let for further education. An ethos of bulk-buying items which are regularly broken keeps costs down and ensures prompt attention to repairs in properties and, bearing in mind the online capabilities and preferences of their tenants, Finders Keepers has developed excellent online systems for fault reporting, emergencies and useful information. The number of students who continue to let through this agency after completing their studies is indicative of an excellent offering.

SILVER - Best Technology & Online 2011

The judges felt Finders Keepers must have an ideas factory in one of their branches from which they dream up and deploy new technological solutions for problems which firms five times their size haven't yet appreciated exist. From their use of QR Squares to their Landlord Club Card, and from text confirmations to PDA usage for the tenant helpline, this is a firm which seeks an advantage for its business in the simplest of new IT solutions. It has introduced 80 new pieces of functionality on its website over the past 12 months and over 1,000 FAQ's can be accessed in 10 languages. 45% of Finders Keepers properties are let via the top three portals, and it was clear the company is aware of the value of its relationship with the portals, seeking to maintain a positive and productive relationship with them. The approach is proven to work and they deserve the silver.

SILVER - Medium Lettings Agency 2010
Finders Keepers understands the importance of being fully aware of every aspect of the business in order to be able to improve standards and no other agency matched their attention to recording KPI's. The result of this is increased profits and business expansion. Having opened nearly 40 years ago as an acquisition service, they expanded into property management following client requests and have adhered to this philosophy of expansion and following client feedback ever since. Offering a vast range of services, Finders Keepers truly is a "one stop shop" for lettings services, all of which are of an exceptional standard. Well respected in the local area, they are strongly committed to helping local causes both in terms of fundraising and hands on involvement. A fantastic all round agency who work to their strengths.