Teignbridge District Council Property Agent Rating Scheme

We are delighted to have been adjudged as having achieved a Platinum rating in a new initiative recently from...

We are delighted to have been adjudged as having achieved a Platinum rating in a new initiative recently from Teignbridge District Council.

Designed to provide reassurance for landlords and tenants, the Teignbridge District Council Property Agent Rating Scheme (PARS) inspects and awards letting agents in its jurisdiction with a rating, based on their standard of service, code of practise and compliance with all letting-related legislation.

The scheme involves Teignbridge District Council Housing Officers visiting businesses and assessing working practices as well as checking information on web sites and providing expertise and training. The checks are very comprehensive, but they are all aimed at ensuring that agents who advertise properties to let in the district meet the PARS minimum Bronze standard.

There are four ratings, ranging from Bronze to Platinum. Bronze is identified as ‘good’ and means the agent meets all current letting-related legislation. Achieving a Silver rating means the agent also offers good practice; Gold rated agents go the extra mile offering enhanced service; and Platinum agents are also members of a regulatory body, such as ARLA (Association of Residential Letting Agents).

Woods has achieved a Platinum rating – the highest possible award. The Woods office in Newton Abbot lets property across Teignbridge, but its working practices and service levels are mirrored in its lettings team at Woods Bryce Baker in Preston, Paignton. Between the two offices, the first-rate lettings department lets and manages a portfolio of hundreds of properties throughout not just Teignbridge, but across Torbay and Totnes in the South Hams too.

The offices now proudly display their PARS Platinum window stickers and certificates.

Woods lettings manager, Angie Richards, said: “We very much welcome PARS and we’re thrilled and very proud to have been awarded a Platinum rating in the scheme. With letting-related legislation becoming ever more complex, it is important for both landlords and tenants to have an understanding of their rights and responsibilities, and vital that landlords choose a reliable, trustworthy and honourable agent to act in both theirs and their tenants’ best interests.”

She went onto recommend “That by using a PARS highly-rated agent, landlords and tenants in Teignbridge can be reassured that their asset/home is being appropriately and professionally managed.”

There is thought to be around 11,000 homes in the private rented sector in the Teignbridge area alone, representing around 18% of total housing across the district. Many landlords feel that selecting a letting agent is a lottery. PARS will help to alleviate those concerns, while improving conditions and safety for tenants.

For more information on the scheme, visit teignbridge.gov.uk/pars.