Member Article

Estate agent flies the flag for Yorkshire with double award win

An independent Yorkshire estate agency has struck double gold in the residential property industry’s “Oscars”.

Linley & Simpson’s specialist Land and New Home team was crowned the best in the UK, while the company also clinched the title of Property Management Department of the Year.

The achievements marked a rare double for the agency at the awards, which are organised by The Negotiator magazine and now in their 12th year.

Director of Land and New Homes, David Waddington, and Head of Property Maintenance, Luke Gibson, were presented with their trophies by the comedian, actor and TV presenter Tom Allen, star of The Apprentice: You’re Fired! and Bake Off: The Professionals and An Extra Slice.

The Land and New Homes team went one better than its silver award last year by winning gold for the raft of initiatives it has designed to support Yorkshire developers in the marketing and sale of their properties.

Launched only five years ago with just a single member of staff and six properties, the department now employs a growing team of sixand has seen its new home sales portfolio increase to over 300, with more than double that number in the pipeline.

Linley & Simpson’s 18-strong Property Management Department looks after the maintenance of more than 9,000 rented homes across Yorkshire and the Humber, coordinating more than 20,000 repairs and safety checks every year.

It impressed judges with the way it had embraced technology and broken new ground by creating its own version of an air-traffic control system for the letting sector, ensuring repairs are handled as speedily and smoothly as possible.

They also praised the way the team responded round-the-clock to the heavy snowfall and plunging temperatures when the Beast from the East gripped Yorkshire earlier this year.

In that three-week period, it carried out an unprecedented number of emergencies, including 1,819 repairs, 211 boiler problems, 95 heating faults, over 250 leak and water issues, and 40 out-of-hours call-outs.

Chief Executive of Linley & Simpson, Will Linley,said: “These are the property industry’s most prestigious national awards and we were thrilled to return to Yorkshire with a brace of them – a rare feat.

“Thanks to some amazing team efforts, we were proud to fly the flag for the talent that exists here in the county, and triumph against some of the biggest names on the High Street nationally.”

The agency narrowly missed out on the hat-trick of awards, when our shortlisted bid to become Community Champion for the second year in a row was pipped at the post.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by richard chew .