Flats & Apartments to Rent and for Sale in Birmingham

Return Of The Corporate Let

Posted: 2nd December 2011 / No Comments

In recent years and for far too long, the lesser-spotted ‘Corporate Let’ was hiding in the undergrowth, furtively scratching around for bargains but rarely showing its face long enough to follow through on taking a tenancy.

 However, we’re pretty sure that these elusive creatures must have been feverishly pro-creating, because in the last two months alone we have spotted, secured and signed up no less than 16 of them.

We think this can only mean positive things not just for the local lettings market but for the wider economy too. The corporate tenant went to ground at around the same time as the global economy took a nosedive, but this recent sharp upturn in company lets must mean recruitment, growth and a renewed confidence from firms who are once again willing to fund properties for their staff and put their names against the liability. And long may it continue!

Tom and Laura’s Handy Hints

Posted: 2nd December 2011 / No Comments

Since we’re all looking forward to a few days off over Christmas just as much as everyone else, please don’t forget some of our top tips for looking after your pad in winter… 

Mice – these little tinkers want your roof over their heads, so keep your surfaces clear of food, your bins regularly emptied and properly disposed of, and be sure to get rid of crumbs and anything else which might tempt them to visit. 

Boilers – make sure your header tank is topped up, your timer is correctly set and keep checking for any strange noises or flashing lights which indicate problems. Even engineers have Christmas dinner, so let’s try not to bother them if at all possible! 

Heaters / condensation – when it’s cold out but warm inside, you’re bound to get some condensation which can lead to mould. It’s up to you to keep any window vents open to help stop this, but also to mop up any puddles as best you can and be sure to open a window properly if you’re drying washing. Just don’t leave that window open and go out – you never know who might try and pinch those gifts from under your tree…!

Washer/dryers – if at first it won’t succeed, check and empty the filter!

Follow Us, Like Us, Get Rewarded!

Posted: 2nd December 2011 / No Comments

We’ve realised that not everyone wants to hear about all the same things, all of the time when it comes to social media. That’s why we’re separating out our various Facebook and Twitter accounts so that people can choose the most relevant streams to follow.  

To keep up to date with the team, general news and competitions, be sure to ‘like’ FleetMilne Residential on Facebook and follow @tweetmilne on Twitter. And as soon as we hit 1000 likes on Facebook, we’ll be dishing out a case of wine to one lucky ‘liker’… 

For news of all the latest offers and rewards for being a valued customer, try @treatmilne on Twitter and ‘like’ Treatmilne on Facebook. 

If posh property is your thing, it’s easy – check out our Posh Property Facebook page or follow @poshproperty. 

And finally on Twitter, if you’re in the market for somewhere new to live, why not follow @new_lettings and @new_sales.

There’s a mouse in the house!

Posted: 1st November 2011 / No Comments

As the cold weather takes hold, us humans are not the only ones affected. It’s at this time of year that our little furry mice friends decide that, like us, they would rather be indoors in the warm – and this may mean they’ve got their eyes on your property!

Due to the way most city centre apartments are built, it’s not that difficult for an enterprising mouse and his mates to find their way from the car park, up the communal risers and telecoms cupboards and into your home. However, there are some simple tips you can follow to make your pad just a little less attractive than others – follow these and you should be free from unwanted company:

• NEVER leave food out overnight and be sure to clear up any spillages, food remnants and crumbs straight away;
• Keep open food (eg rice, cereals) either stored in tupperware containers or ensure that the boxes or packets are in a high cupboard away from prying whiskers;
• Empty your bin frequently and NEVER leave it on the floor or outside your front door overnight – take it straight to the communal bins.

They may sound like obvious bits of advice, but trust us when we say that we’ve seen evidence of all of the above being ignored whenever our tenants have called to report a mouse in the house!

The market according to Mark

Posted: 21st October 2011 / No Comments

Our senior lettings specialist Mark Scandrett takes a look at the market he works in, and notices some interesting recent trends…

Welcome to another Friday, and I thought a brief overview of the lettings market would be a good way to sign off the week…

The last three months have been a record-breakingly (is that a word?!) busy period for lettings. We are offering an extremely fast turn around for our landlords, keeping void periods to a bare minimum and therefore maximising the income from their investments.

There has been a tangible feeling of panic amongst tenants this year as the stock levels throughout the city started to dwindle away. We have had several occurrences where tenants simply wanted to reserve an apartment immediately, sometimes even without a viewing taking place! All in all, if you are thinking of investing in the city then now is a better time than any to get involved. Definitely time to strike while the iron is hot!

November should remain busy going by previous years’ figures, so we are preparing for another bumper month of people looking to move in and get settled before the festive season kicks in.

The problem this leaves us with is that we are almost completely out of stock to rent! We have let the lion’s share of our lettings portfolio and we have even had to turn people away where we are unable to meet their requirements. We are in desperate need of new apartments to let, so if you have any properties with other agents still yet to be filled, or if you have something coming up soon, please get in touch with me.

We can fill the property quickly and most likely at a higher rent than you’ve been recently accustomed to. It also goes without saying that if you know someone else who is not currently a FleetMilne client, we would be happy to talk to them!  So please feel free to forward this information on to them.

Here’s to the continued strength of the lettings market going forward, and have a great weekend!

Mark

Events On The Horizon

Posted: 5th October 2011 / No Comments

It seems that the autumn always brings with it a flurry of events, and this year is no exception. Following our sponsorship of the quarterly Residential Agents Club drinks at Metro last Thursday, we thought we would give you a rundown of where you might find our people flying the FleetMilne flag this month:

12/10/11 – Birmingham Post Business Awards at the ICC. We’ve been short-listed in the Property, Regeneration and Estate Management category – wish us luck!

15/10/11 – City Socialising lunch at Handmade Burger Co. in Brindleyplace, hosted by our very own Lucy Johnson – for more information click here www.citysocialising.com

20/10/11 – Birmingham Future Mix and Meet with 2011 Birmingham Young Professional of the Year Hilary Allen at Bank in Brindleyplace.

20/10/11 – RICS Pub Golf, an annual and notoriously heavy night of bar hopping, point scoring and general antics; make sure you book the next day off!

27/10/11 – Birmingham Future Halloween Ball at The Botanical Gardens.

Date TBC – Graduate ‘Welcome to Birmingham’ Event, an annual civic welcome to the new intake held at Town Hall, which FleetMilne have been sponsoring since 2008.