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Published: 30 March 2020

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Good Afternoon,

Following advice from the UK Government we have now closed our office and the David Plaister Ltd team will be working from home to ensure that our service continues to operate as normal, where we can.

Please see the below information outlining the procedures for our lettings department over the coming weeks:

Move In’s

We have been informed that currently we cannot carry out any ‘move in’s’ so for anyone who is currently having referencing checks carried out, once referencing is complete, the process will be put on hold until such time as we are able to confirm a ‘move in’ date for them, in accordance with government guidelines. The property will, of course, continue to be ‘held’ for them.

Maintenance

In order for us to comply with this new government advice, only emergency maintenance and repair tasks can be dealt with. These include boiler failure, heating and water failure or leaks, and failure of an oven or refrigerator. Routine maintenance and repair matters cannot be dealt with at this time but should be reported by email as normal to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or please call us on our normal office number 01934 815 053. We will, of course, ensure any non-urgent maintenance issues are dealt with promptly as soon as the government advice changes and we / our contractors are allowed to attend to non-emergency matters.

Please note that there may be further restrictions on a contractor attending an emergency if you or a member of your household is self-isolating or has been diagnosed with Covid-19. In these circumstances we may be able to provide other short term solutions such as supplying portable heaters in the case of the failure of a central heating boiler.

In any event in the circumstances where a contractor attends your property you should wherever possible remain in a separate room from the Contractor and at all times ensure that you remain 2 meters apart.

The current advice we have received is that it is still appropriate for annual Gas and Electrical testing to take place in the circumstances that neither you nor anybody in your household is either self- isolating or has been diagnosed with Covid-19. Our team / contractors will contact you if your property is due for such an inspection to make the necessary arrangements.

If you have any queries at all please do not hesitate to pick up the phone or send us an email.

We thank you for your patience and your continued support and will continue to update you on the matter.

Kind regards,

David Plaister Ltd.

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Published: 24 March 2020

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Following advice from the UK Government we have now closed our office and the David Plaister Ltd team will be working from home to ensure that our service continues to operate as normal, where we can. 

Please see the below information outlining the procedures for our sales department over the coming weeks: 

 Viewings / Valuations

In accordance with government instructions, we will not be carrying out any face to face appointments, viewings or valuations until further notice. However, we have prepared a range of virtual viewings for our available stock and are still more than happy to answer enquiries so please do continue to email or call us with your queries. If you are interested in a certain property and would like us to notify you once we are able to conduct viewings again, please do let us know. If you would like us to carry out a valuation we are more than happy to do so over FaceTime or Skype.

 New Instructions

Unfortunately we will not be able to visit any property to create sales particulars to prepare a property for marketing until advised otherwise by the Government. However, if you would like us to market your property please do get in touch as we are able to actively promote your property digitally, via certain marketing strategies. 

Sales Progression

The DPL sales progression team are now set up to work from home so any sales updates and progression will continue as normal. Please call or email us in the usual way and we will respond as quickly as we possibly can. 

Keys

Upon sales completions, DPL will contact you to arrange for keys to be handed over. 

If you have any queries at all please do not hesitate to pick up the phone or send us an email. 

We thank you for your patience and your continued support and will continue to update you on the matter. 

Details

Published: 13 March 2020

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Good Afternoon,

We've been actively monitoring the situation with regard to the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Our top priority is to ensure the welfare of our employees whilst also ensuring that we will continue to maintain the level of service that our vendors, landlords, buyers and tenants have come to expect from us.

At the moment, it is business as normal for DPL. However, we are taking steps to mitigate the impact of the changing situation in-line with guidance from UK authorities. This includes a provision for as many employees as possible to work from home if and when required. We are regularly monitoring the situation and will update you in due course should there be unavoidable changes to our service.

Many thanks, 

DPL Team. 

Details

Published: 15 November 2019

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Property expert David Plaister says that in addition to millennials, the number of renters aged 50 and over has reached a record high.

Analysis of Countrywide branch data by Hamptons International found over-50s accounted for 15 per cent of rented households so far this year, up from 11 per cent in 2012 when the data was first recorded.

Almost a third of this group are pensioners, Hamptons International said.

The agent estimates that over-50s rented 791,580 homes this year, 61 per cent more than in 2012 and 8.2 per cent more than last year.

As a result, it says, this group will pay £9.2bn in rent this year, up from £5.1bn in 2012 and £8.5bn in 2018.

It means that £1 in every £7 paid by tenants in Great Britain now comes from a tenant aged over 50, compared with £1 in every £9 in 2012.

The highest proportion of these renters is in the south-east at 19 per cent, followed by 16 per cent in the south-west and north-west.

The east of England, London and Yorkshire & Humber (11 per cent) had the lowest proportion of tenants aged 50 and over.

Across all age groups, the agent said average rents on new lets rose 2.6 per cent annually in May to £977 per month, mainly driven by rises in the south.

Aneisha Beveridge, head of research at Hamptons International, said: “The number of over-50s renting in Great Britain has reached a record high.

“With younger generations much less likely to be home owners, tenants are getting older, and an ever-more diverse group of people are calling the rented sector home.”

David added: “One of the main problems in this section of the market is simply a gross lack of properties available which are suitable for retirement and therefore living lifestyle options are few.”  

Average rental prices