“There is even more pent up demand”: Agent Insights Series: An Interview with Celyn Evans from James Douglas

At Resooma, we’re committed to delivering the best advice on rental properties and updates on the industry. As part of our new Agent Insights Series, we sat down with Celyn Evans, Business Support Manager for James Douglas Sales and Lettings for her expert view on Cardiff’s property industry. James Douglas specialises in sales, lettings, and student accommodation, as well as buy to let, and commercial properties. With 8 years of experience in the property industry, Celyn is our industry expert on Cardiff and its market trends. 

Cardiff’s property market has seen a boom during the pandemic. Where average house prices increased over 2021 in Wales to £184,000 (13.3%), according to the Office for National Statistics’s (ONS) UK House Price Index in May 2021. Similarly, in ONS’s Index of Private Housing Rental Prices, UK, private rental prices rose by 1.5% in Wales within the 12 months to June 2021.

Our first Agent Insights interview covers Cardiff’s property industry, with Celyn’s expert views on tenant demand and changes to managing and letting property during the pandemic. We even talk about her preference for face-to-face meetings over Zoom! 

Agent Insights Series, an interview with Celyn Evans from James Douglas

Celyn, thank you so much for taking the time out to speak with me today for the Agent Insights Series. To start us off, do you want to tell me a bit about yourself and your background?

Yes, of course. I’m the Business Support Manager for a group of property-related companies, who operate as James Douglas, our estate and letting agency side, Seraph Property Management, our residential and block management company. Clockwork, our property maintenance and refurbishment company and our newly acquired Estate Agency in Newport, Nuttall Parker.

I look after all the online and offline marketing, company brands, as well as recruitment, HR, auditing and compliance! I have been in the property industry for 8 years and joined James Douglas back in 2017. I’m qualified in Lettings and Residential Property Management NFOPP Level 3, and I completed my ILM Level 5 Management and Leadership course last year in lockdown.

That’s brilliant. It’s great that professionals like yourself are still constantly looking to grow and further their skills. Has James Douglas seen a similar growth?

The company has grown from strength to strength with multiple acquisitions and over 60 employees within the businesses. James Douglas has a full overview of the industry as the company also benefits from an industry-leading representative, Douglas Haig (who is our Managing Director). He is a non-executive director for the NRLA and represents over 80,000 landlords across the UK. He also regularly lobbies in government on Housing matters.

Fantastic. I imagine you guys are well-informed about industry changes. That brings me to my next question for you. What does tenant demand look like in cities like Cardiff? 

Tenant demand is extremely high at this point in the year. The summer months are always most popular for home moves as this falls in line with the academic year. We have hundreds of properties moving out over the summer, so it’s all hands on deck! Most universities and metropolitan cities will be experiencing a similar sort of busy season.

So, has there been any notable changes with tenant demand with the pandemic as our backdrop?

Due to COVID, I would say that there is even more pent up demand. People want to tailor their homes after the pandemic’s effect on them. For example, either down-sizing, being on furlough, looking for a place with outdoor space or a room for a study to accommodate the increase in home-working. Equally, due to COVID, we have also seen an increase in renewals. Tenants are enjoying the flexibility of renting a property and are looking to stay put due to the additional restrictions faced with moving home.

We’re seeing a big increase in people preferring renting over home-ownership, especially with young professionals, which I find interesting. Though, a lot of renters have been struggling to pay rent and have found themselves in arrears. How have you been tackling the issue of rent arrears, and has it affected James Douglas at all? 

We have a proactive approach to rent arrears and always try to keep the line of communication open between ourselves and tenants. We have lots of ways to be able to support tenants who may be experiencing financial difficulties. Our sister company, Seraph, was one of the first agents in Wales to help a tenant successfully apply and be in receipt of the Tenant Saver Loan scheme, where tenants can apply for a low-interest loan to help pay back any arrears.

These are some great initiatives. I recently wrote an article on rent arrears and their change in legislation, and advice for agents and landlords on how to handle them. Do you have any advice for tenants or agents and landlords for those in arrears?

My advice to tenants is to communicate with your agent or landlord as soon as you start to struggle to pay your rent. Dealing with arrears face-on proves hugely beneficial, as tenants may not be aware of the support out there for them.

There’s been a lot of changes in the industry. How has COVID-19 changed the way you manage and let properties, and do you think any changes will stick? 

I think one COVID-19’s few benefits is how it has propelled several industries into new technological and efficient ways of working. It has certainly proved we can all work effectively from home (although we prefer to be in the office!). 

In terms of how we let and manage properties, we have adopted lots of ‘PropTech’ tools. We’ve online viewings, live streaming virtual open houses, online meetings and property management software like electronic signatures and online forms. We were doing some of these already, but it’s really forced the business to streamline its efficiency across the board. It’s great to see our staff, tenants and landlords all benefitting from these changes, which are all here to stay. Although, I still prefer a face-to-face meeting to a Zoom!

Finally, I want to finish off by asking what your predictions in the rental market are for the rest of 2021 and going into 2022? 

We are partnered with the University of South Wales and have our ‘Student Living by James Douglas’ office based on the Treforest campus. Unfortunately, the pandemic has forced this to close. However, for 2021/2022, I believe we will see a more ‘regular’ student market from September this year. As the UK hopes to breathe a little normality, I think we’ll see previous trends come back to the market.

I also think that the standard of the properties will continue to rise. As I mentioned earlier, with more people home-working, I believe renters want to ‘make a house a home’. The lockdown periods have allowed lots of landlords and tenants to get repairs done and update their properties. So, I hope to see more of these come to the market next year.

You can find Celyn through her LinkedIn, or if you’re interested in James Douglas and their affiliated companies, check out their websites as linked above!