As one of Portsmouth’s oldest established firms, we have enjoyed a long and important relationship with Portsmouth Football Club.

Founder of the firm back in 1883, James Steele Chinneck, was also a director of the football club from 1938 to 1951 before becoming Chairman at the time of the second title win in 1950. 

He was famously photographed sat next to Field Marshal Montgomery at Fratton Park with Portsmouth FC’s championship winning side of 1948 to 1949.

Mr Chinneck was chairman of the club, while ‘Monty’ was president and still in his pomp after his decisive role in D-Day and the Allied victory in the Second World War.

The years under Mr Chinneck and Montgomery are remembered by many Portsmouth fans as the glory days. The club went on to claim the Division One title for a second consecutive season in 1949- 1950 as well as the Charity Shield in 1949.

“It’s such a great photograph and it still makes me feel proud when I see it,” said Neil Shaw, who runs the business today.

“The football club is so important to Portsmouth – it is the heartbeat of the city and our association goes back to what many see as a real high point for the club.

“When I look at that photograph I can see individuals whose families to this day we still act for – there is a huge amount of history between us.”

Over the years there have been many other links too – Mick Williams who helped to save the club when it nearly went into liquidation in 2012-13 is a client and Touchline Tony – the voice of Fratton Park – is a contractor Chinneck Shaw calls on for repairs. 

A keen player himself and an even more ardent football fan, Neil explained the close ties with the club remain to this day.

“For the past five years we have proudly sponsored a member of the women’s team and we are currently sponsoring defender Hayley Bridge,” he said.

Earlier this year when Chinneck Shaw were busy rebranding, they made sure to include a reference to the club they hold so dear.

“Over the years we’ve had many different connections and the ties are still as strong. When we had our recent re-brand, we made sure that the artwork in our meeting room reflected that strong association.

“The message in the flags reads ‘Play-up Pompey – the famous Pompey Chimes, ’” he added.

If recent times have taught us anything, it is that technology allows us to work with people quite literally all over the world at the click of a button.

Managing properties on behalf of owners is no exception and at Chinneck Shaw we have landlords based in some pretty far-flung places.

The furthest is New Zealand, with others based in Canada, Ireland, France, Spain, Malta, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Accounts Manager Shelley Morris-Green, explained: “Obviously the modern world we live in helps with the way we can communicate with them, it doesn’t matter with time zones as we can pick up their emails the next day.”

While technology is key, it comes down to relationships and trust.

“Our overseas landlords are content for us to make emergency decisions, if we ever have to, and trust that we will always do what’s right.

“This means we have happy tenants living in properties for longer and happy landlords who are being very well looked after, despite sometimes being on the other side of the world,” added Shelley.

Lifestyle has become a key consideration for people considering moving to our beautiful island city.

We want to share what is great about the place we love so dearly and we are inviting people making a difference in our city to tell us why they think Portsmouth and Southsea is so special.

Today we speak to the team who have just launched The Beach Club.

“Just look at that view. There’s something exciting happening on the water all the time whether it’s the Aircraft Carrier coming in or the latest cruise ship – there’s always something to see,” said Toby Woodfine.

Speaking from the terrace of their latest venture, The Beach Club, it is clear why Toby Woodfine Ian Clarke and Adam Glyde chose to transform the sadly neglected Mozzarella Joes and turn it into a new beachside destination.

The building itself on Clarence Esplanade has a funky maritime look and feel thanks to Neil Williams, the creative force behind The Bureau of Change. Work by local artists including Kevin Dean, Sadie Tierney and Pete Codling bring the walls to life.

And with a late licence until 2am, the aim is to create a relaxed beach vibe.

“We’ve created the sort of place that we would like to go with good wines, cocktails, beer, food and music.” said Toby.

They have a good track record so far with the popular Southsea Beach Cafe near Canoe Lake, Fisherman’s Kitchen and Broadway Coffee Roasters under their belt. 

“No other city has this space so close to the seafront,” said Adam.

“We love our location,” said Ian. “Whether it’s on the water or on Southsea Common there’s so much happening. Victorious Festival, the Great South Run will all be happening on our doorstep.”

Summing up what they think makes Southsea such a great place to live, Toby said: “Southsea is a really cool place – it’s like Brighton was 30 years ago. We’ve got so many artistic and creative people living here.”

“And we do seem to have our own micro-climate – it can be raining just down the motorway but the sun always seems to be shining here,” added Ian.

One of the many joys of living in Portsmouth is our proximity to the Isle of Wight and our rental team is lucky enough to look after a substantial number of properties there.

With a car hire scheme they can book in advance, the team hop on the hovercraft (the only public service like it in the world) and 10 minutes later they are in Ryde – the gateway to the Island.

Technology means they can manage much of the day to day activity without leaving their desk.

Properties can be marketed at the click of a button and thanks to our virtual tours, it is easier for prospective tenants to view virtually before visiting in person.

Existing tenants can pay rent online, report issues and speak to the team knowing there will always be a quick response.

Property Manager Joe Rocks explained: “With the easy links to the Island we can get over there quickly and at relatively short notice.”

We recently did an interview with Benny Read for the Chinneck Shaw newsletter about joining the team as an assistant property manager on the lettings team and visiting the Island to inspect properties has been a highlight so far.

“I’ve been involved in everything from inspections to inventories and I even got to visit the Isle of Wight recently to check out the property we manage over there,” he said.

Summing up Chinneck’s property management work on the Isle of Wight, Joe added: “It is no different to managing the properties we have in Portsmouth and Southsea, the distance is not a problem, we have a good team of contractors over there and we have been managing Island properties for over 20 years.”

From today (June 30) European Union, European Economic Area and Swiss citizens will need to use the government’s new ‘View and Prove’ online service to demonstrate their right to rent.

Landlords need to be aware of the changes and anyone who is from an EU country, the EEA or Switzerland and has successfully applied to the EU settlement scheme or for a UK visa will need to prove their right to rent.

Property Manager Joe Rocks, explained: “Tenants affected by the legislation need to login to the View and Prove service and follow the online advice to generate a share code.

“They need to share this along with their date of birth with their letting agent. We can then take this information and input into the government portal to confirm the tenant has the right to rent.”

The government’s guidance notes state that in future everyone will be able to register for a UK Visas and Immigration account (UKVI)  which will allow them to access the View and Prove service.

https://www.gov.uk/view-prove-immigration-status 

Staying up to date with the latest news from Chinneck Shaw and the local rental market is so much easier if you subscribe to our newsletter.

The Letter has undergone a refresh as part of our rebranding and we hope you will agree, it looks pretty smart and is a really great read.

The quarterly publication gets sent out to our landlords and property portfolio holders and Property Manager Joe Rocks explained there is a real mix of stories.

“We include the latest insights on everything from rental yields to rental property demands and show how Portsmouth and Southsea is compared to the rest of the country.

“And we share the latest news from the Chinneck Shaw team,” he said.

Assistant Property Manager Benny Read features in the current edition talking about how he is enjoying the best of both worlds – developing his property management skills, while progressing his career in football.

Benny explained:”I play for Havant in the National League South but during the pandemic we haven’t been playing so it has worked out very well that I have my role as an assistant property manager on the letting team.”

You can see the latest edition here on our website. If you would like to subscribe please contact shelley@chinneckshaw.co.uk and state whether you would prefer a digital copy or we can pop one in the post to you if you give her your address.

There’s never been a better time to sell your property …

You’ve probably heard that before but the latest figures show there’s no question about the positive nature of the current housing market.

Dataloft, the property market intelligence company, has reported a 26% increase in buyer demand since the beginning of the year and as soon as properties are going on the books, they are being snapped up.

Nationally statistics show 21.7 % of properties are selling within one week from coming to the market.

And we’ve seen 83.3% of the properties we marketed this month, resulting in sales agreed in just six days.

Manager Lizzie Burt, said: “Typically this time of year is always the selling season but the effects of the Stamp Duty holiday and the desire to create work spaces in the home, have led to even greater demand.

“If you are thinking about selling, now really is the time – and we would love to hear from you.”

From today (June 1) the minimum notice period for tenants facing possession notices has reduced from six months to four.

Further changes to so called section 8 notice periods (on the grounds of rent arrears) come into force on August 1 2021.

Property Manager Joe Rocks, said the change comes as the ban on evictions ends and experts are forecasting as many as one million people may now face eviction due to rent arrears.

“Since the pandemic started, no evictions have taken place so there is bound to be a back-log of legal actions.

“We are in the fortunate position that the majority of our tenants were able to continue to pay their rent or come to a satisfactory arrangement.

“As a result of the change, the government has updated the notices online. Any notices issued from today need to use the new notices and landlords need to be very careful as using the incorrect form will result in an eviction case being thrown out of court,” he said.

There are concerns nationally over the impact on tenants facing eviction and growing calls for the government to offer assistance.

Ben Beadle, chief executive of the NRLA, said: “As the private rented sector moves out of lockdown measures, the chancellor has failed to provide tenants with the support they need. This is especially the case for the majority of those in rent arrears who do not qualify for benefit support.

“Without urgent assistance, many tenants face the prospect of losing their home needlessly as landlords struggle to shoulder the cost of arrears. Affected tenants also potentially face the negative impact of damage to their credit scores.

“The government needs to develop a financial package which ensures that benefits cover the rents of those in receipt of them. For those who do not qualify for benefit support, an interest free, government guaranteed tenant hardship loan should be established, similar to those in Wales and Scotland.”

This week the Debt Respite Scheme, approved by Parliament in October 2020, has come into force.

The aim is to help people who are in debt, which includes rent arrears, to help better manage finances, seek professional debt service advice and reach sustainable solutions.

The Breathing Space Moratorium and Mental Health Crisis Moratorium) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 pauses enforcement action from creditors, such as letting agents and landlords, and freeze charges, fees and certain interest on qualifying debts for up to 60 days. 

There is also an alternative way into the scheme for people receiving mental health crisis treatment. A mental health crisis moratorium lasts as long as a person’s mental health crisis treatment, plus 30 days.

Property Manager, Joe Rocks, said: “This new piece of legislation is important and a good step for tenants or anybody suffering genuine hardship and struggling to keep up with their rent and bills. It is an opportunity to ring fence the debt and come up with a sensible plan to pay it back. 

“Landlords need to be careful of contacting any tenants who have set up a Breathing Space otherwise they will face penalties. It is important to have good procedures in place to not fall foul of the new law.

“They also need to be mindful of a small number of the tenants who may try to take advantage of this situation to avoid paying the rent. This new piece of legislation is another example of why it is important to employ the services of a good managing agent to ensure compliance and to keep abreast of ever changing legislation that affects the private rental sector.”

A Breathing Space moratorium can only be accessed once every 12 months, but there is no limit to the number of times that an individual can enter a mental health crisis moratorium.

We are rising to the green challenge by addressing our carbon footprint.

Having been established in 1883, we may have our roots in the past but we are very much looking to the future.

Director Neil Shaw, explained: “We believe we are the first estate agency in the region to nail our environmental colours to the mast.

“When the first lockdown happened and images of the bright blue waters at Southsea made national headlines, many of us became more aware of our own environment and the responsibility we all have to secure its future.

“It can be a bit overwhelming for businesses to know quite where to start so we are taking first steps to offset our carbon footprint with a number of initiatives.”

We are working with Carbon Footprint Ltd to analyse our carbon footprint, with the aim of offsetting and reducing the impact the business has on the environment.

Neil explained he had been particularly impressed by the work of the Package Free Larder in Elm Grove, Southsea’s first plastic free shop.

“We’ve really admired the messaging from the Package Free Larder team. They recently said you don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly, you need millions of people doing it imperfectly.

“We couldn’t agree more,” said Neil.

The Chinneck Shaw team has got behind the green initiative and come up with a whole range of ideas including removing single use plastics and making sure any printed items are fully recyclable.

“We will be looking at everything from the products we use to keep our office clean to planting bee bombs in our office garden to promote pollination.

“We will also be looking into running electric vehicles and we would love to plant a tree in our home city,” he added.