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Purplebricks has mystery shopped over 280 letting agencies across UK

Hybrid agency Purplebricks has given details of a mystery shopping exercise it has undertaken across over 280 letting agencies throughout the UK.

 

Richard Jacques has told The Property Investor’s Blog on the Property Solvers website that the hybrid recently carried out a mystery shop of 284 agencies and found the average fee for admin and referencing was £257 per tenant for a standard rental agreement for one property. 

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Jacques says his company - which charges a flat fee of £118.80 per tenant and does not levy renewal charges - offers “a much fairer pricing structure for landlords” as well.

 

The director also explains that the firm’s Local Lettings Experts - their rental sector equivalents of sales-focussed Local Property Experts - are all trained to ARLA standards and “have operated in their local areas for a number of years.”

 

In addition Jacques says “they offer the best possible guidance to local landlords on price, legislation and tenant suitability.”

 

He says Purplebricks’ approach to rental valuations involves reviewing three core areas - local comparables, historic lets and tenant demand. 

“All lettings properties are marketed via the Purplebricks website, Rightmove and Zoopla and are sent out to our extensive internal database of tenants to maximise interest and let success. Viewings are conducted by our local experts, who discuss the required stages and offer support and advice to tenants. Tenancies are progressed by our-in house tenancy team, with contracts being signed via DocuSign” he tells the blog.

The rest of his interview includes details of how Purplebricks’ clients handle evictions and receive repair and management services. You can see it here.

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    I mystery shopped Purple Bricks and had my house valued. Their local property expert lived 30 miles away. You couldn't make it up!

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    Are Purple Bricks paying for these free adverts?

  • Matt Williams

    A rather desperate article.

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    I mystery shopped purple bricks...I might be bias but he was late with no call, he gave me his pitch and didn't even mention what the value of my home might be...and there was no follow up. I would change property expert to 'order taker' for sure.

    Can I have some space to write an article please?

  • Robert Ulph

    I also mystery shopped Purple bricks and got the LOCAL expert value my house he was from 60 miles away and had never been to my town before. In my town I can get a local agent for £500 plus vat, so there is no need to have PB in our area. The only thing they have on the High street is they are cheaper but when this is eroded what do you have? Another cheap way to put your property on the portals. It doesn't work when the market begins to get tougher. PB carry on as you are because I don't have any issue with your model as its flawed, but they know this and will sell up before the bubble bursts and leave it to the real experts who have seen it through good and bad times and will be in 20 years time. I doubt PB will be without a massive model change.

  • Benjamin Willmore

    So I can actually give factual evidence on this as the best test on PB was... I rented a property through them, yes my market research on a competitor has no boundaries.
    The registering and booking viewings was great, it was so easy and smooth. I booked my viewing direct with the landlord which did make me feel a bit iffy as it's their home.
    I made an offer online and chased to see when it would be accepted. This I hated as no personal contact at all. Felt a bit weird constantly refreshing my emails in the hope it was done. Wanted a person to get in touch and talk to me but no one did. I called my local expert, he was in the pub, wetting the baby's head with his friends and said he doesn't do lettings call headoffice
    Right to rent was done, online!! Yes my partners passport was emailed to their referencing company, . I refused to give mine and guess what they still passed me, said to the landlord he's salary is great so just go with him. Thanks PB 😂
    I called up one day, they thought I was the landlord and told me everything about me, no security checks. The landlord called and they thought she was my other half. Which is when we discovered the comments about just go with him..
    We both complained.
    The landlord was not told about the deposit process, she did not know about the gas safety, nor was she aware of the inventory process, it was the first time she rented a property. PB didn't educate her. Luck for her I sorted it, if not well I would be a very happy tenant suing the landlord. So I wrote to PB.
    Anyone from PB reads this and wants to defend it, please type my name into your software. Read the complaint and then accept that the above is true.

  • Benjamin Willmore

    But credit where its due, they were worth £250m, today thats now £784.7m nice work PB

  • Paul Singleton

    Why don't 280 estate agents mystery shop Purple Bricks? I'm sure they would get fed up of wasting their time but in fairness they have wasted the time of 280 other agents. Where we are having an issue with them is when we need info on a chain, they do not have the faintest idea what they are doing and often going sold whereas it is shaky at best.

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