Breaking Property News – 08/09/2023

September 8, 2023

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.

 

NRLA acquires James Kent’s Safe2

Apologies James, I definitely owe you a pizza for my tardiness in getting this good news story out there. For anyone who has not heard in these difficult times, that great businesses still get to the winning post, here is your case study. Founder of Safe2 James Kent at a very tender age has managed to get from MVP to exit. Well he still will be very much be welded to that driving seat, and with the added help of Ben Beadle CEO of NARLA and the supporting team no doubt will be scaling things up at speed.

Set out below is the official NARLA press release, and I am sure that everyone who knows both Ben & James will see that this a strategic tie up that is a true win for both.

PRESS RELEASE – London September 2023.

‘Private landlords will find it easier to ensure rental properties meet all required standards thanks to investment in new services by the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA). The NRLA has purchased Safe2, a provider of all forms of property safety certification. It provides landlords with a single service to ensure gas, electrical safety and energy performance certificates are up to date.

When a safety check determines that a property has not met legal minimum standards, Safe2 can provide a quote for whatever remedial work might need to be undertaken to address any outstanding issues. Where they rectify the problem, they will re-test the relevant system free of charge. Aside from these benefits, NRLA members will also be entitled to a five per cent discount when using any of Safe2’s services.

Read the article in full

Five ways to secure your first home

With rent prices skyrocketing to the highest rates seen in a decade, it’s no surprise that many around the country will be crunching the numbers to find out whether they can afford to buy their own home. Buying a home has clear fiscal benefits – Halifax’s latest Owning vs Renting review found out that homeowners are on average £500 better off annually than renters.

For many young homeowners, setting foot on the ladder can be a daunting task. Navigating the housing market for the first time, saving for a deposit and securing a mortgage can all feel overwhelming, but with the right advice, it can pay dividends.

Tzana Webster, Director of Property Sales at Watermans, Edinburgh property valuation experts, explores the different options available to first-time buyers to take some of the pressure off when securing your first home. border.

‘100% Mortgages One recent development taking the market by storm is the arrival of the no deposit mortgage. This allows buyers to put pen-to-paper without having to save for years provided they meet the following criteria:

Read the article in full

Zoopla and Alto partners with Ventrica improving customer support

Following the launch in May of a strategic partnership with Ventrica – an award-winning, omnichannel customer service and support expert – to transform its customer support function, Zoopla today reveals that 100% of their outstanding customer support tickets have been resolved in the last 90 days.

Maximising Ventrica’s world-class systems, technology, and expertise, the partnership has reduced call abandonment by 75% and increased tickets resolved within five hours by 50% benefiting a wide range of software customers (Alto, Jupix, CFP Winman), agents, and housebuilders, as well as consumers who are looking for their next home. With clear progress made on key metrics in the last three months, the partnership remains laser-focused on delivering added benefits to all software and Zoopla customers by the end of 2023.

This includes: Sharing customer-centric KPIs with all customers next month (October) focused on improved response times and satisfaction to ensure it remains a high priority. Maintaining a zero backlog of customer support tickets, leading to faster resolution times for all customers.

Read the article in full

Andrew Stanton

CEO & Founder Proptech-PR. Proptech Real Estate Influencer, Executive Editor of Estate Agent Networking. Leading PR consultancy in Proptech & Real Estate.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Construction Skills Mission Board (CSMB) shows the Government has a plan

The Construction Skills Mission Board (CSMB) held its first board meeting today (26 June 2025), where it set out a roadmap for recruiting 100,000 more construction workers a year by the end of Parliament. Richard Beresford, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Builders (NFB), said: “The Construction Skills Mission Board (CSMB) is a recognition…
Read More →
Paint Stripper Tools
Estate Agent Talk

5 Strategies to Optimise Your Warehouse for Real Estate

The term fixer-upper can mean many things, from ‘slap some paint on the walls and it looks brand new’ to ‘will this building collapse if we open the front door?’ Indeed, in the dicey world of commercial property acquisition, each warehouse you buy will probably fall into both camps. Thinking about the viability of warehouses…
Read More →
Breaking News

HMOs sell for up to 50% above market average

New research from Excellion Capital, the boutique debt advisory and investment firm, reveals that HMOs sell for as much as 50% above the average house price, further increasing their investment potential after it was revealed that HMOs also create rental yields of up to 12.5%. After previous research from Excellion Capital recently showed that the…
Read More →
Breaking News

UK buyers struggle while 50,000 homes sit empty

As the UK housing crisis deepens, new analysis by Open Property Group exposes a worrying surge in so-called “zombie homes”- properties that sit unoccupied and deteriorating while millions struggle to access affordable housing. Key insights: 50,000+ long-term vacant homes in England alone 23,000+ of these have been empty for more than two years Estimated £13.6…
Read More →
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 26/06/25

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   The UK is Europe’s second most distressed market despite headline GDP growth Retail and Consumers Goods has emerged as the most distressed sector in Europe, with distress levels now the highest since the global financial crisis, according to the latest Weil European Distress Index (WEDI). The…
Read More →
AI in estate agency letting agency property
Breaking News

Over half of lettings agents have no plans to adopt AI

The latest industry insight from Inventory Base has revealed a cautious approach to artificial intelligence (AI) among UK letting agents, with over half (53%) of agencies stating they have no plans to adopt AI or automation in their operations. A new survey of UK letting agents, commissioned by Inventory Base* assessed current adoption levels of…
Read More →