Addressing delegates to the annual conference of the Cartus Relocation Agent Network (formerly Home Sale Network), which took place in London on 16 November, Peter Knight, of Estate Agency Events, presented findings from Property Academy’s Landlord Survey 2012, as Louise Whitson reports.

The findings suggest that many of those who let their homes are ‘accidental’, or ‘reluctant’, landlords – that is, they are letting because they cannot sell. People who are making a relocation move may well fall into this category.

Of the 2,610 landlords surveyed, 49% did not buy their property with the intention of letting it. Only 5% ran their lettings portfolio as their only business, and 46% said that letting was not their primary source of income.

Letting agencies were used by 54% of respondents to manage their properties. When appointing an agent, 31% visited the agent’s office, 29% the agent’s website, and 15% both the office and the website. A surprising 25% of respondents visited neither the agent’s office nor the website.

Corporate relocation is extremely strong, global trends volatile, and emerging markets of increasing importance to forward-thinking companies worldwide, according to Kevin Kelleher, president and chief executive of US-headquartered global relocation services provider Cartus. Louise Whitson reports.

Addressing delegates at the annual conference of the Cartus Relocation Agent Network (formerly Home Sale Network), held in London on 16 November, Mr Kelleher spoke of the ever-increasing pace of change. His view was that those involved in relocation must think carefully about how they managed change, in order to maximise opportunities and mitigate risks.

Representatives from some of Britain’s leading estate agencies came together at the annual conference of the Cartus Relocation Agent Network (formerly Home Sale Network) on 16 November, to share best practice and initiatives that could add value to the relocation process. Louise Whitson reports.

The network, whose members are independent firms assessed by global relocation services provider Cartus as being the best in their area, was set up in 1994. By helping to keep employees mobile, members provide a valuable service to relocatees, their families, and HR.

An impressive roster of speakers, who, between them, covered a wide range of topics, included:

Keynote speaker Patrick Foley, chief economist of Lloyds Banking Group, treated delegates attending the annual conference of the Cartus Relocation Agent Network (formerly Home Sale Network), which took place in London on 16 November, to a fascinating insight into current conditions in the global and UK economies and their impact on the UK property market. Louise Whitson has the details.

Having explained that, because of the continual revision of statistics, no one – not even the experts – fully understood how the economy worked, Mr Foley said that, although the UK’s recovery was currently weaker than following previous recessions, and the underlying trend was flat, the economy was, in his words, “past the worst”.

However, the high funding costs currently faced by banks were leading to limited lending capacity and high interest rates for mortgage customers, which affected the whole of the housing market.