Response to COVID-19 pandemic
Just Lets have closed the physical offices at Church Road, Hove in line with Government advice.
However, the company continues to operate via mobile communication and while it is far from “business as usual”, we continue to manage tenancies & properties, collect rents and pay on to landlords. Any calls to 01273 208020 are diverting to a mobile number and these calls will be either answered or messages responded to.
Some tenants have contacted us saying that they are experiencing, or can foresee that they will experience, difficulty meeting their rent while the crisis continues. Some have asked what Just Lets’ position on rent payment holidays is. The answer is that there is no set response to this : each tenancy is in fact a unique contract between Tenant and Landlord. If any tenant is concerned about their ability to pay rent, we would ask them to email us (roger@justlets.co.uk) being as specific as they can about their current employment and income position and proposals for rental payments. We note that, in very general terms, employees should be receiving 80% of their previous salary and that seemingly freelancers will receive 80% of previously declared income, albeit in June.
It is also worth noting that much has been made in the media about “mortgage holidays” for landlords. The detail of this will vary from bank to bank, but in any event it is proving difficult in many cases for landlords to speak with their mortgage providers. It would appear that some lenders are willing to defer mortgage payments until a later date, but it must be noted that missed or reduced payments will have to be made up later ; in other words their debt will roll over. Also, please bear in mind that mortgages are just one expense of running a tenancy.
In some cases it appears students have returned to family accommodation for the Easter break and are unlikely to return to their Brighton rented accommodation anytime soon. However, these contracts have not been cancelled and the tenancy agreements remain in place.
Maintenance works are still being instructed and completed, complying with current guidance of course. In some cases materials are proving difficult to obtain, however. We will, therefore, continue to provide services on a best endeavours basis, but non-emergency works may take some time.,
We understand that this is a particularly stressful time for everyone and we will do whatever we are able to keep tenancies running smoothly, with everybody’s safety at the forefront of our actions.
We hope that everybody stays safe at this time.
The team at Just Lets, 30th March 2020