Commenting on UKALA, Sue Hopson, Brand Standards Director from Martin & Co (UK) Ltd said:
“I was surprised to find an organisation like UKALA – not only does it promote good practice amongst letting agents but it also works in partnerships with landlords. As UKALA can now provide client money protection, we had no doubts about recommending them to our franchise owners. Martin & Co works with a variety of landlords on a daily basis throughout the UK and now, more than ever, they expect agents to belong to a professional outfit such as UKALA. We recognise that agents and landlords need to move in the same direction, influencing together the future of the lettings industry. As a member of UKALA, our Martin & Co agents will be able to meet directly with new landlords at local events and actively assist them by sharing our extensive knowledge of the lettings market in nearly 200 locations throughout the UK.”
“Pulling together as agents, professional bodies and Landlords seems an obvious move, yet it has taken until now for this to happen. We can’t wait to start working with UKALA and know that our relationship will be fortuitous to them, our agents and landlords alike.”
UKALA now provides member agents CMP Insurance cover, tax investigation insurance, key discounted products and services, such as tenant reference checks and EPCs, as well as access to an Advice Line and Online Library providing a wealth of guidance and information.
Through its links with the National Landlords Association, UKALA members also qualify for complimentary NLA recognised supplier status and are invited to attend the many NLA branch meetings held nationwide, providing a unique networking opportunity with potential clients.
Caroline Kenny, UKALA Executive commented:
“The industry reaction to the new UKALA proposition has been very encouraging, it’s really positive to find that even established agents, such as Martin & Co, are seeing real business benefit in membership. We’ve had a steady stream of enquires from small agents, right up to the larger chains.”
“We’re also working hard on improving our offering even further with agents in mind. For example, we hope to make a best practice AST available to members soon and will be running a workshop alongside my|deposits in April, providing guidance on how to avoid and deal with deposit disputes.”
