Accredited Letting Agency
Our team are constantly challenged and supported to improve. Training and mentoring are part of our culture and, judging by the feedback we receive from our landlords and tenants, it shines through in the standard of our service. Accreditations independently validate the strength of our people and our service.
Here are some of the accreditations which we’re most proud of:
We Invest in People – Platinum
In February 2023 we were delighted to become the first specialist letting agency in the UK to achieve Platinum accreditation against the We Invest in People framework by Investors in People.
Investors in People work with companies around the world to help them create a supportive and fulfilling environment for their teams. To date over 50,000 companies have been assessed against the framework, with around 5% assessed at the highest level of platinum.
Western Lettings were originally assessed at Gold against the We Invest in People framework in 2019. Since then everyone on the team has worked hard to embed our core purpose of Making Renting Better in every aspect of our service. A culture of continuous improvement is firmly ingrained in the company. If something doesn’t feel right, it is discussed openly. When a consensus is reached on a better way, it is implemented as soon as practicable.
We are determined to have a positive impact on the lives of everyone we encounter. This includes employees, customers, and suppliers. We support our local community and take deliberate action to protect the environment.
The working environment is supportive, open, and trusting. Staff morale is measured and tracked using regular anonymous surveys and the results are shared with everyone on the team. Indicators of job satisfaction are high. People feel valued and well-rewarded.
Customers feel the benefit of this supportive culture immediately. They report high levels of satisfaction. Any complaints are discussed among the team and invariably result in rapid and effective improvements, which are communicated to everyone involved.
It is worth noting that we are not involved in an experiment in benevolence. Profit is essential for any business to invest and grow. At Western Lettings, our ethical and transparent culture has resulted in a virtuous cycle of happy employees providing outstanding service to appreciative clients, with profitable results.
ARLA
ARLA (Association of Residential Letting Agents) is the UK’s foremost professional and regulatory body for letting agents. By using an ARLA accredited agent, consumers have peace of mind their agent will provide a professional service and their money is safeguarded by client money protection. Member agents are required to hold professional qualifications and undergo stringent annual client money audits.
For the accounting rules of our company’s client money protection provider, please visit the Propertymark website.
Carbon Neutral Organisation
We wanted to do our bit to tackle the biggest challenge of our time, so we became carbon neutral accredited in October 2020. Our car fleet has been all-electric since December 2021 and we now have paperless onboarding for tenants and landlords. Many small initiatives are constantly being rolled out to help reduce our footprint. Examples include:
- A bike to work scheme
- Low energy LED office lighting
- Automated power cycling of monitors out of hours
- Programmable heating system to ensure minimum wasted energy
We Invest in Wellbeing – Gold
Western Lettings was accredited with We Invest in Wellbeing in April 2022 at Gold standard. Wellbeing relates to all aspects of working life: the quality and safety of the workplace, how people feel about their work and the culture they experience at work.
The assessment involved surveys and interviews with everyone on the team. Investors in People, who run the scheme, measure performance against a standard framework including social, physical and psychological aspects of wellbeing.
According to Investors in People, achieving Gold level in the assessment means that a good wellbeing strategy is in place and supported by everyone. Also, there’s evidence it’s having a positive effect.
Living Wage Employer
Western Lettings has been accredited as a Living Wage Employer.
The Real Living Wage is the only UK wage rate calculated according to the cost of living. Employers choose to pay the real Living Wage on a voluntary basis, recognising the value of their workers and ensuring that a hard day’s work receives a fair day’s pay.