Tag Archives: Housing

Mia Rees, Public Affairs and Research Manager, The Wallich, Ricky Purdy, Director of Residential Lettings, Dawsons, Suzy Davies AM, Harry McKeown, South West Wales Regional Manager, The Wallich, and Joanne Summerfield Talbot, Director of Residential Sales, Dawsons.
Charitable Events, Dawsons

Suzy Davies AM praises Dawsons Property’s work to tackle homelessness

Dawsons Property has welcomed Suzy Davies AM to their branch at 11 Walter Road, Swansea to hear about their collaboration with homelessness charity The Wallich.

Dawsons has worked in partnership with The Wallich in Swansea for more than 10 years, helping to secure private rental accommodation for service users.

As part of Dawsons’ 25th Anniversary last year it selected The Wallich as its charity of the year, raising funds throughout the year and most notably during Clash of the Corporates in October 2016 – which it won by raising over £3,200 through events including a curry night with raffles, auctions and a series of games.

Other fundraising activities throughout the year, including a mud assault challenge, dress down day and collection tins, helped them raise a total of £4588.37 for The Wallich.

After hearing about the collaboration between Dawsons and The Wallich, Suzy Davies AM said:

“Huge congratulations to Dawsons for their amazing year of fundraising for the Wallich. It sounds like fun but it’s important we all see local businesses being part of solving local problems. It’s not all about the fundraising: it’s about working with the Wallich to prevent homelessness providing practical help, through these bonds, to someone who needs a stable home.”

Harry McKeown, Area Manager South West Wales at The Wallich, added: “It has been a pleasure to talk to Suzy Davies AM about our work with Dawsons and the challenges faced by homeless people in Swansea.

“Dawsons have been an excellent partner through their fundraising and support for homeless people to move into sustainable accommodation in the area with bonds.

“We run several services in Swansea from supporting rough sleepers to get off the streets in to accommodation to collaboration with the local authority to support people into the private rented sector.”

Joanne Summerfield-Talbot, Dawsons’ Director of Residential Sales, said: “Our 130 staff really bought into it from the outset. Everyone has thrown themselves into it and we are thrilled with the amount raised.

“It will go towards bonds to help clients access their first properties in the Swansea area.”

Caption: L-R  Mia Rees, Public Affairs and Research Manager, The Wallich, Ricky Purdy, Director of Residential Lettings, Dawsons, Suzy Davies AM, Harry McKeown, South West Wales Regional Manager, The Wallich, and Joanne Summerfield Talbot, Director of Residential Sales, Dawsons.

Ian Bateman, Commercial Insurance Director at Eastside Insurance Services, with Ricky Purdy, Director of Dawsons residential lettings
Dawsons, Landlords, Lettings

Dawsons collaborating with Eastside Insurance to benefit landlords

Dawsons and Eastside Insurance Services have launched a collaboration that will make the lives of private landlords a lot simpler.

Whether landlords own one property or portfolio of rental properties, it is vital their assets remain protected with property owners’ insurance, for the building and its contents should a property be let on a furnished basis.

Dawsons, who manage and secure tenants for many landlords, decided to join forces with the local and growing insurance company Eastside Insurance.

Ricky Purdy, Director of Dawsons residential lettings, said the partnership with Eastside would be mutually beneficial.

“We are very much looking forward to working alongside Eastside, who we know are a well-established and respected local company,” he said.

“We know Eastside offer market leading services, so it’s great that we can provide this reassurance to our clients having built a relationship as two local brands, recently celebrating milestones of service to our community and further afield.

“Being able to provide these further services to our landlords, be those with one property or several, gives continuity, reassurance and always a local point of contact. These are key for Dawsons, and reflect the services we already offer our clients.

“We are both confident that this new relationship will flourish, and we are collectively looking forward to working as one and providing another service to meet our clients understandably high expectations.”

Lynda Fisher, Account Handler at Eastside, said: “We are really excited to be working alongside Dawsons, and are confident it will be a great success from the outset.

“Dawsons and ourselves have been working closely over recent months in preparation for the launch of this service. The relationship is blossoming and we know that our mutual services are tried and tested so we can provide the best possible service to landlords.”

CAPTION: L-R Ian Bateman, Commercial Insurance Director at Eastside Insurance Services, with Ricky Purdy, Director of Dawsons residential lettings

Dawsons celebrating its Relocation Agent Network award
Awards, Dawsons, Relocation

Dawsons named as best agent in South Wales by Relocation Agent Network

Dawsons Property is delighted to have been announced as Relocation Agent Network’s 2016 Best Agent in South Wales.

The leading estate agent award was revealed at the Network’s National Conference, held at the Sofitel Hotel and Conference Centre, Heathrow, an event hosted by comedian Miles Jupp.

“We are delighted to be named as the South Wales’s best Relocation Agent Network (RAN) member. This award recognises the fantastic team we have here at Dawsons and shows our customers that we are one of South Wales’s leading estate agents,” said Dawsons Senior Partner Chris Hope.

“Over the past couple of years we have been very active in training our staff as RAN agents and it has given our business an extra dimension being able to offer our customers a UK-wide relocation service.”

The annual prize gives the winning Network member the title of ‘Best Agent in the South Wales Region’ and is awarded on a number of criteria measuring the agent’s overall contribution to Relocation Agent Network, their ability to achieve customer satisfaction and a proven record of helping relocating buyers move in and out of the area.

Richard Tucker, Relocation Agent Network’s Managing Director, said: “Congratulations to all the team at Dawsons. Their commitment to outstanding customer service, innovative business initiatives and our Network principles means that this award is thoroughly deserved.”

Caption: L-R Miles Jupp, Chris Hope, Senior Partner at Dawsons, Joanne Summerfield-Talbot, Director of Residential Sales at Dawsons, Ricky Purdy, Director of Residential Lettings, and Richard Tucker Relocation Agent Network’s Managing Director

 

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Auctions

Dawsons hammer home the success of auctions

This year has been a hugely successful year for Dawsons Auctions! Whether you are looking to sell a property with potential or purchase that perfect project property an auction could be for you.

In the past year Dawsons has been taking project properties and selling them to the highest bidder with great results.

An increased demand for both vendors and purchasers has been proved in the yearly results. In the past 12 months Dawsons Auctions has been hugely successful – 91% of properties on the auction book sold! At the last auction on 7th October, 94% of properties sold.

For a vendor looking for a speedy sale and certainty that a buyer won’t pull out auctions are the way to go. Once the hammer falls, the buyer puts down a 10% deposit and is given one month to pay the 90% of the cost.

Auction is also the perfect environment for buyers who are looking for a project property that they can then live in, convert for a rental income, or fix and re-sell.

“Buying a house or flat at a property auction is a much more transparent way to buy a house. You’ll see other bids as they are made, rather than having to take the estate agent’s word for it,” said Julie Lawry of Dawsons Auctions.

With the last auction for 2015 just finished, Dawsons Auctions has no intention of slowing down next year. To find out what all the excitement is about join us for next auction in 2016, 24th February at 3:00pm at the Swansea Marriott Hotel.

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Dawsons

Tax changes to buy-to-let – how it will affect landlords

In the first all-Conservative budget since 1997, the Chancellor, George Osborne, announced the amount of tax relief that landlords will be able to claim on the interest of their mortgage payments will be reduced.

The changes mean property investors who currently claim top rates of tax relief of 40% and 45% will only be able to claim relief in the future at the basic rate of tax, currently 20%. Here David Treharne of Mortgage Advice Bureau discusses how this will affect landlords.

What is tax relief?

Tax relief is something that allows you to pay less tax so you can account for money you need to spend on things like expenses. It can also allow you to get tax repaid in other ways, such as straight into a personal pension.

As landlords, as your buy-to-let properties are classed as self-employed businesses, you are currently able to get tax relief and deduct some of your running costs from your taxable profit, so long as they are allowable expenses.

How will the tax rates change?

Under the new rules, landlords will not be able to deduct the cost of the interest on their mortgage from their rental income.

For example, currently, if your property earns £20,000 per year and the interest-only mortgage costs £13,000 per year, you will pay tax on the £7,000 profit. If you currently pay the higher 40% tax rate, this means you will pay £2,800 in tax per year.

Under the same circumstances in 2020, however, the full rental income of £20,000 will be taxable by 40%, if you fall under this tax bracket, meaning, after taking away the new basic-rate tax relief of 20% on your interest-only mortgage payment of £13,000 (20% of £13,000 = £2,600), you are left to pay £5,400 per year – an increase of 93%.

That sounds confusing. Will these changes be implemented over time to give landlords chance to adjust?

The withdrawal of the higher-rate reliefs will be phased in over a period of four years, in order to help landlords adjust to the lower relief level, and nothing will happen until April 2017.

It will then be implemented in four stages:

Stage one
From April 6th 2017, the higher-rate tax relief can still be claimed on the first 75% of your mortgage interest costs. The remaining 25% will have the basic rate of tax relief applied.

Stage two
From April 6th 2018, the amount of tax relief you can claim at the higher rates will drop to 50% of your mortgage interest costs. The remaining 50% will have the basic rate of tax relief applied.

Stage three
From April 6th 2018, the higher-rate tax relief can only be applied to 25% of your mortgage interest costs. The remaining 75% will be at the basic rate.

Stage four
From April 6th 2020, you will only be able to claim tax relief at the basic rate level.

If you have any furnished holiday lets, this restriction will not apply.

These changes will be published and are expected to be passed in the 2015 Summer Finance Bill.

How can you assess the impact these changes will have on you? 

There is still time for landlords to forward-plan so they do not have to suddenly increase rents. For any landlords currently investing in property, or considering expanding their portfolio, it is wise to speak to an independent mortgage adviser to discuss these changes. It is also worth talking to a property tax expert to see if there are any other tax breaks you could take advantage of.

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Dawsons

Dawsons shortlisted for award as Best Agent in South Wales

Leading estate agent Dawsons has been shortlisted by Relocation Agent Network, a national network of selected estate agents, for the 2015 Best Agent Award in the South Wales Region.

The winner will be announced at a black tie evening awards dinner held at the Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel, London on Friday, November 13th –an event being hosted by comedian Tim Vine.

The nomination comes on the back of Dawsons being crowned ‘Sunday Times Rental agent of the Year’.

“We are delighted to be shortlisted for Relocation Agent Network’s Best Agent Regional Award. It really does highlight the team’s effort, commitment and enthusiasm over the past 12 months,” said Dawsons Senior Director Chris Hope.

Relocation Agent Network’s 2015 Best Agent South Wales Region Award is an annual prize for the agent that has consistently made the best overall contribution to the Network throughout the year and offers nominees the chance to become the Network’s ‘Best Network Agent in the South Wales Region’.

To reach this stage of the award programme, agents must demonstrate excellent customer service, innovative business initiatives and a commitment to the Relocation Agent Network principles.

Richard Tucker, Relocation Agent Network’s Managing Director commented: “As a network of selected estate agents, made up of 16 regions across England, Scotland and Wales, our regional awards recognise those agents that truly demonstrate outstanding customer service and innovative business initiatives. Congratulations to Dawsons for their well deserved nomination.”

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Dawsons

Leading South Wales estate agency earns national recognition

Dawsons is celebrating after winning a national estate agents award for outstanding customer service.

Their Mumbles office has been singled out from 1,500 estate agents to be named UK estate agent of the week by Rateragent.

The two staff members who were singled out for outstanding customer service were lettings negotiators Rhodri Francis-Hopkins and Sammantha James.

“This great recognition once again reaffirms the level of customer service and client satisfaction we strive to achieve,” said Ricky Purdy, Director of Lettings at Dawsons.

“Our customers have taken time out of their busy days to acknowledge the service, the branch they have dealt with and importantly the individual staff members.

“We really do appreciate this. Its great to see our consistency of service levels is meeting the high expectations of our clients.

“This UK agent of the week together with other recent accolades is very much what we aim to replicate during the remainder of this year and the start of 2016.”

Rateragent is Tripadvisor equivalent for estate agents for the UK. It is based on the quality of service and positive reviews received from both landlords and tenants.

“I am really please to have received the recognition, and that our landlords and tenants are taking time to post reviews. We have a great group at our office, and the awards are a result of our team effort,” said Sammantha.

Rhodri added: “It was a great surprise receiving the award. It really wasn’t expected, but it is something I am very proud of.”

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