Rounding up the year with some impressive feats!

As 2019 draws to a close, I wanted to go back and revisit some of base’s achievements & ‘best bits’ from the year (and believe me, there were many!). Here at base, there never seems to be a dull moment. So, let’s sit back and see what has been happening in 2019 and what 2020 has in store…

Back in May, base property specialist’s celebrated a humble 15 years of trading. That’s right – 15 years of being on a mission to improve industry standards, giving landlords and tenants the service they deserve and revolutionising what it means to be an independent letting agent. As stated in my previous blog about base’s 15^th birthday, An & Kristjan started base with just two desks, two laptops & a burning desire to ‘do it right’. To take a look at how base is recognised throughout the industry now is a far cry from the small and humble beginnings it had. Again – a well-deserved congratulations to the heads of the base family!

Throughout 2019 we had a total of 6 best ever months, with August taking the crown for the best ever month in the trading history of base! It is no secret that the summer time at base can take the form of a military operation, but, I think the team can agree we thrive on that. An & Kristjan celebrated this team success with an outing to Swingers *ahem* a mini golf venue, set in an old underground bunker. Team nights out never fail to entertain and the bosses never fail to thank all for their hard work!

As a result of 6 best ever months, base is set to close the year with a growth of around 12%! With sales shrinking, this represents an increase of around 16% in our letting operations. Now, as business grows, so does our team.

Base are now a team of 6! We welcomed Tristan Gage into the base family in September this year. He originally started his journey in a modelling agency in Manchester, soon moving into the big smoke to start new ventures. After a short time working the freelance photography scene, Tristan joined base as a junior administrator for something with a little more structure. Tristan is a perfect addition to the family and has adapted fast to the ‘base’ way (although we do not endorse his 3 Lucozade a day habit!).

Annually we begin reviewing all of our processes, procedures & offerings. We do this to ensure all avenues are straight forward, fuss-free & efficient. On that note, we are now introducing inspections that will be carried out by our handyman. This will mean on site fixing of minor maintenance whilst attending inspections. The aim of this is to reduce handyman call out fees to our landlords for odd jobs & have a quicker resolution for tenants.

Additionally, we are excited to have newly formed a trial partnership with Product Care utilising their ‘repair or replace’ service. This will hopefully not only reduce time between replacing appliances, but will give our property management a clear insight into the right avenue when something breaks down.

In terms of maximising our offerings, it is no secret that we LOVE to adopt PropTech in everything we can. Base will continue to innovate with the embedding of The Depositary- the end of tenancy platform developed by us to revolutionise the end of tenancy process that will be rolled out to agents nationwide in 2020.

As we continue to evolve, so does our awards table! Base took home 3 more ESTAS Awards- which included our 4th consecutive UK award- the first agent in the history the awards to win a UK awards at 4 events! We also made the shortlist at the UKPA Awards (UK PropTech Association) alongside some huge organisations such as British Land and The NHS! Whilst we didn’t take home an award, we were incredibly made up to be up against some of the country’s giants! Looking ahead for 2020 - can we do the big one and bring home a UK award for a 5th consecutive year!?

So, here it is, the end of 2019 – an amazing year. A massive thank you to all of our landlords, tenants & suppliers who have been our biggest advocates over the years. Base truly would not be the same without you. So without further ado, have an amazing Christmas & a very Happy New Year from all at base HQ!

Base will be closing from Friday 20^th December 2019 and will be reopening again on Monday 6^th January 2020.