PARTNERSHIP
TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO REPUTABLE INSTALLERS
22nd July 2014
Landlords looking to carry out home improvements and repairs on their rental properties can now search with confidence for reputable and expert tradespeople through a new partnership announced today between TrustMark, the Government-endorsed quality mark for tradesmen and Endsleigh, an independent intermediary specialising in the provision of insurance and financial products
The initiative will also boost access for TrustMark-registered glaziers and window installers to the lucrative home repair, maintenance and improvement (RMI) market in the private rented sector, estimated by Endsleigh to be worth about £1.25 billion a year.
A survey by Endsleigh of nearly 1,500 landlords found it is not uncommon for a landlord to spend up to £1,000 in repair and maintenance in a year. Landlords without letting agents were more than twice as likely to pay out extra cash for big jobs costing between £1,000 and £2,000.
The new partnership will encourage Endsleigh’s landlord and letting agent customers to use TrustMark’s 14,500 registered firms, giving them greater confidence that the work will be carried out by high quality trusted professionals working to government-endorsed standards.
Recent trends illustrate that many landlords have busy day jobs, without prior property management experience, and often have to rely on reliable local experts in the industry to help.
Marcus Latchford, Endsleigh’s Lettings and Landlords Manager, said:
“It can be difficult to juggle everyday life while also managing a rental property. Our research showed us that landlords can end up paying out substantially more than they need to for the maintenance and upkeep of their property if it’s not managed effectively. Endsleigh has been supporting landlords and tenants for 25 years and our partnership with TrustMark is a great example of how we continually grow our commitment.
“Not only can we offer landlords the chance to reduce their risk through thorough tenant referencing checks to ensure their potential tenants are suitable, or by offering insurance for events unique to landlords, but we can now recommend the TrustMark brand to all landlords to raise awareness of using trusted and reliable tradesmen to ensure that they and their tenants are protected.”
Liz Male, Chairman of TrustMark, says:
“We are always looking for better ways to increase the visibility of TrustMark so we are delighted that our partnership with Endsleigh will not only help landlords to make more informed decisions when hiring tradespeople to improve or repair their rental properties, but it will also open up stronger business opportunities for the many excellent tradesmen and women registered with TrustMark.
“Landlords need our support. People find themselves acting as landlords for a number of reasons nowadays – whether through inheritance or as an investment – and they often go into it without a clear understanding of the regular maintenance and upkeeprental properties need.
“We hope that more landlords will now recognise the importance of using quality and reputable firms to help protect their most valuable assets. TrustMark is a national quality badge that tradespeople can show to landlords, proving that they have been properly assessed and inspected and will work to Government-endorsed standards.”
TrustMark will be sharing the knowledge and expertise of their registered firms by providing useful information and top tips to be shared with landlords and letting agents through Endsleigh’s Talk Lettings’ Hub - a site designed to provide landlords and letting agents with useful, up to the minute information surrounding the industry, from legal and regulatory requirements to useful guides for landlords which they can also share with tenants. All articles are produced by Endsleigh’s Letting experts and professional partners.
www.trustmark.org.uk
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