Managing Director, Ian Wilson commented that every year is a record year, but that this year's growth is extraordinary. He said, "Despite modest gains in the letting industry overall, the integrity, professionalism and straight-talking, good advice of our franchisees is taking the business to new heights of success all round - both in terms of revenue and customer service.

"One of my greatest pleasures was to see our founder and Chairman, Richard Martin presenting awards to several of our new franchisees who, in their first year of trading have achieved incredible success. It seems only a few weeks ago that they were enquiring about the possibility of buying a Martin and Co franchise, and I am delighted that our training, ethos and methodology have once again worked in their favour."  

The event follows close on the heels of two recent major awards for the company itself - "Franchisor of the Year" and "Best Large Letting Chain", which can only help position Martin and Co as one of the most reliable and successful franchise operations in the UK.

The prestigious award was presented to Ian Wilson Managing Director of Martin & Co by media personality and journalist Phil Spencer of Channel 4's "Location, Location, Location", who said "these awards are particularly special, and a true reflection on excellence in customer service as they are the only awards in the industry which are voted for by the landlords themselves. They are not easily won, and require a letting agency to achieve a consistently high level of service to their clients over a 12 month period." Over 30,000 questionnaires were sent out to customers across the UK

Phil added, "It's fantastic to see agents getting the credit they deserve after all the negative press they receive. Throughout the property industry there is a constant need to improve customer service and these awards go along way to help agents focus on keeping clients happy.  He adds "After all the most powerful marketing tool for Agents is word of mouth so customer satisfaction is key."

On receiving the award, Ian Wilson said "It is a privilege to win such an award, and it is a tribute to the hard work, dedication, and passion of our staff, But more than that, it is a reflection of a blend of the proven system of which we are very proud, with our unswerving aim only to recruit, and help our franchisees recruit, the very best in the business - those who really care! In an industry where numerous sales-base estate agents have recently forayed into lettings, the award has clearly demonstrated that people prefer to work with a dedicated lettings specialist. I am especially pleased that it was our customers themselves who voted for us, and I'd like to thank all those who took the trouble to show their appreciation by taking part in the independent survey."

The sponsors of the 2009 event included Globrix, PSC, RICS, Estate Agent Today and The London Paper and the Awards were organised by Awards for Business Ltd.

(No strangers to awards success, Martin & Co also won Franchisor of the Year last November.)

Ian Wilson, MD of Martin & Co, which has over 160 letting offices nationally, said that many landlords and, shockingly, letting agencies still hold deposit monies themselves without complying with the Tenancy Deposit Protection regulations.

The regulations, introduced two years ago, provides for two types of scheme - custodial, where the landlord or their agent pays the tenant's deposit into a government-bonded account; and insurance-backed, where the landlord banks the money, with any potential loss only due to a dispute being covered by insurance.

However, both these options have major flaws in-so-far as the money is still handled by the landlord/agent directly, and can therefore be misappropriated, and the tenant may not know of their loss until they try to recoup their deposit at the end of the tenancy. Many tenants still remain unaware of the landlord's obligation to provide written confirmation of the scheme being used.

For example, if a tenant does not receive written confirmation of the deposit protection scheme used along with a reference number within 14 days of payment, the tenant has the option to take action against the landlord for non-compliance. As a consequence the landlord can potentially lose the right to serve a Section 21 Notice to evict the tenant for non-payment; anti-social behaviour etc. without a court order, and the tenant may even stay on at the end of the tenancy in some circumstances. Additionally, the tenant also gains the right to demand payment from the landlord equivalent to three times the deposit amount, in addition to the refund of the original amount paid. Expensive!

"Be it deliberate negligence or unwitting ignorance, landlords or their agents who do not lodge deposits properly and adhere to the rules are not only jeopardising tenants' money, but they are also exposing the landlord to harsh penalties which can devastate their return on investment," said Wilson.

"This remains most unsatisfactory as there is still a huge opportunity for abuse. The obvious solution is to clarify the rules and streamline them into one, well publicised process via a single scheme - and ideally one where the tenant can lodge their monies directly into a custodial account without any monies passing through the hands of the landlord or letting agent (many of whom are simply represented by a desk in the corner of an estate agency branch). The tenant would of course be provided with a certificate at the time of lodgement.

"In this way, there would be no missing money, no confusion as to how the scheme operates, no mystery about where the money will be held, no threat of an Agent or Landlord going under and taking the deposit with him, no more court action for non-protection of monies, no hassle of late deposits, and no shady third party bank accounts. Indeed, the government's original statement that tenants could sleep well at night knowing that their deposit monies are safe would then be accurate.

"At Martin & Co we are passionate about fairness, transparency and simplicity. Indeed, we are currently auditing all of our offices to ensure all landlords are aware of the regulations and that deposits are correctly held. As this weaker economy produces more rogues and business failures, we urge the Government to look quickly at the above solution to the current problem of tenant deposits. 

Martin & Co has over 13,000 deposits lodged with the DPS and a monetary value in excess of 10 million - making Martin & Co the DPS's largest client both in terms of volume of deposits and value, and this scheme has been a great success for our customers" commented Ian Wilson Managing Director of Martin & Co.

"However, we are concerned about the number of DIY landlords and amateur letting agents (mostly those which have recently been annexed to an estate agency to bolster falling sales revenues) who ignore, or are unaware of, the legislation. Landlords should know that if they do not provide confirmation that their tenant's money is formally protected under the scheme within fourteen days of accepting a deposit and to provide the tenant with compulsory information as prescribed by TDP legislation, the landlord can be liable for substantial penalties and also jeopardise their right to evict a problem tenant easily.

Ian added, "The issue was always whether tenants would get their deposit back at the end of their tenancy, and whether the landlord actually has the money to give back to the tenant.

"At Martin & Co we are committed to making it easy for landlords to comply with the increasing amount of mostly positive legislation that regulates the letting of a property. There is generally a low awareness of issues such as the important differences between the various tenancy deposit options and our role as a specialist letting agency is to clarify these, so that letting out, or renting, a property is as straightforward and secure as possible"    

Indeed, many other Martin & Co offices across Scotland are all reporting a very strong spring market. There appear to be several reasons for this activity, the most obvious being that many would-be buyers are simply not prepared to pay the prices still being asked by sellers who cannot afford to reduce further in this market. This has led to many people seriously considering renting as an attractive long-term alternative to buying, especially with the dearth of mortgages.

Supply has risen to meet this demand as well - on two counts. Firstly, professional buy-to-let investors are currently very active and are taking advantage of developers' reduced selling prices, "although we recommend that the best returns tend to come from more imaginative investments than a "magnolia two bed box," commented Nora.

Secondly, frustrated sellers are now deciding to let their property instead, and as these properties have been owner-occupied, they tend to be more homely than some wholly investment-based properties.

The Glasgow-South franchise owner, Jarvaid Haq has seen similar growth. He is passionate about the way in which Martin & Co branches work closely together across Scotland and says, "we find time and again that the consistency of the Martin & Co brand, from the prestigious high street offices to the sheer thoroughness of the tenant vetting process, detailed inventory control, advice to landlords, client money protection, well trained staff and influential professional affiliations, all combine to provide reassurance and security for those who are new to lettings."

Martin & Co clearly have Scotland covered, and being a strong franchise organisation, the company is a great example of how, during tougher times, a consistent high quality brand, a pro-active network and a proven system can combine well with an independent philosophy driven by the personal accountability of those franchise owners who actually own and manage the businesses they run - working together!

Martin & Co has 15 offices in Scotland including Aberdeen, Airdrie & Cumbernauld, Ayr, Dundee, Dunfermline, Edinburgh, Fife, Glasgow North, Glasgow South, Hamilton, Kilmarnock, Kirkcaldy, Livingstone & Falkirk, Paisley and Stirling.

"As properties fail to sell, we have seen a sizeable increase in the number of new (and sometimes reluctant) landlords entering the market. These are the very people who need protecting from the unscrupulous, uneducated or inexperienced letting agent who claims to be able to represent their best interests. However, there is also a corresponding increase in the number of estate agents entering the lettings arena as a way of bolstering their dwindling sales revenues - with potentially disastrous consequences. 

"Not only is the continual-service role of the letting agent surprisingly different to the quick-fix function of an estate agent, but there are also over 100 pieces of letting-related legislation in which to be conversant. Indeed, these are so critically important that the Martin and Co Training Academy has an extensive ongoing nationwide training programme for our franchisees and their staff (delivering "best practices"), as well as the 200 or so new staff we expect to recruit (using our internal recruitment team) during 2009 to cope with the 40% year on year growth of our business.

"Knowing how intensively letting agents need to train, and the pressure they are currently under to deliver ambitious results without compromising customer service excellence, it is not a job for the fainthearted. Landlords should be extra vigilant when choosing a letting agent. Martin & Co clients have peace of mind knowing they are dealing with a business that agrees to meet defined standards of customer care, and has a published complaints procedure."

Commenting on the publication, Jayne Codling, Marketing Manager for the network  said, "We trialed a newsletter for our clients last year entitled "What is happening to the UK Housing market?" which was met with an overwhelmingly positive response. It appears that landlords appreciate our head-on approach to the issues of the day, which other commentators possibly avoid as contentious."

"We are therefore committed to continuing to provide relevant and meaningful advice to anyone with an interest in letting issues. This is a specialist field, and many are jumping on the band-wagon. However, in view of the turmoil in the property market and increasingly complex legislation, we are passionate about ensuring that our clients receive only the very best, up-to-the-minute advice from trained letting professionals who are here for the long term."

"This newsletter will therefore be updated quarterly, and is available, free of charge, to all our clients. Contact your local Martin & Co office to request a copy."

The results of the competition are determined by research carried out amongst customers who are asked a series of questions about the service they have received from their agent.  Over 30,000 questionnaires were sent out to customers during the competition.  There were 9 Regional Categories - Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, North, Central, South West, Southern, South East and London. 

Mark Burdge Sales and Marketing Director is delighted with the announcement.  "This is the first entry for us at Martin & Co, so this a great achievement and the network has also been shortlisted for "The Best Lettings Chain" award so good news indeed."

The awards ceremony will take place in London on 8^th April. Phil Spencer, media personality and journalist who is perhaps best known as a co presenter on Channel 4's Location, Location and Re-location, Re-location will be presenting the awards.

Commenting on the awards, Phil said: "This is the 6^th year of the Estate Agent and Letting Agent Awards and I've increasingly enjoyed being part of the celebrations on each occasion. It's fantastic to see agents getting the credit they deserve after all the negative press they receive. Throughout the property industry there is a constant need to improve customer service and these awards go along way to help agents focus on keeping clients happy.  He adds "After all the most powerful marketing tool for Agents is word of mouth so customer satisfaction is key."

The sponsors of the 2009 event include Globrix, PSC, RICS, Estate Agent Today and The London Paper and the Awards are organised by Awards for Business Ltd.

"As the trend continues to swing away from property ownership towards lettings, so an apparently lucrative opportunity has arisen for some estate agents to shift their focus on to lettings as well" he said.

"This should raise alarm bells for landlords, especially those who are new to rentals and may be considering using the estate agent who is recommending that their sellers now rent, having failed to sell their property.

"Just like estate agency, anyone can open up a lettings business, although we are currently lobbying the government to introduce regulation to prevent this at the earliest opportunity. The difficulty arises as letting a property requires a very different knowledge base than sales, especially where ongoing management is concerned. There are also far more regulations to consider in terms of the practical aspects of the property, such as electrical safety, fire-retardant furniture, other health and safety aspects, maintenance, insurance, and multiple occupancy issues.

"Then there are the implications of creating a responsible yet binding tenancy. There is much regulation and many legal complications surrounding leases. Landlords will also be keen to ensure that they create a tenancy that provides protection for them, as well as considering the legal rights of the tenant. Issues would include tenancy deposit schemes, inventory creation, right of access, lease extensions, rent collection and default procedures, dispute resolution, etc."

"The reason why Martin & Co provides regular and extensive training for our franchise owners and their staff stems from a passion for getting it right for all parties, whilst aiming to deliver a quality of service that exceeds the requirements of the defined lettings standards set down by various bodies, such as NALS, and OEA. If your agent is not a member of at least one of these, then I would question their ability to act professionally in the best interests of all concerned. The stakes are simply too high" concludes Ian.

Mike commented, "York was our first office we opened and after only one year of of trading we won Martin & Co's Best Newcomer Award. 18 months later we expanded and opened a second office in Garforth, Leeds followed by Leeds City Centre. And not to be outdone these office too have both won Martin & Co awards.

"Sometimes we look round and we can't quite believe how things have developed. Our ten staff (working in all 3 offices) have been a real asset to our business and in particular Susie Smith (Lettings Manager) and her team for helping us to get to the position of one of the leading letting agents in York," Sue added

Mike also added, "We would also like to say thank you to our customers old and new - our clients have helped to get us to where we are now. Without them we wouldn't be where we are today and we are very grateful."