Agents Do Charity - so let us publicise your great wo...

With February around the corner and spring just about on the horizon (if you can see it for the driving rain and odd bit of snow) so our industry will be coming out of charity hibernation and once again doing great work for those in need.

Remember we’re here and keen to publicise what you do.

Just email us on press@estateagenttoday.co.uk so we can publicise you work.

That’s what this week’s charitable people have done - and we salute them...

TDS Charitable Foundation: The trustees of the TDS Charitable Foundation are seeking expressions of interest from organisations looking to establish a dedicated research centre for the private rented sector in England and Wales.

The Foundation works to advance education about housing rights and obligations in the private rented sector.

“Since we established the charity in 2013, we’ve been overwhelmed with organisations seeking funding for a whole range of projects, but it has become quite apparent that there is a real gap in proper research in the private rental sector. The trustees are concerned that there isn’t a dedicated centre for research and often when information is available, it appears in quite a fragmented way” explains Martin Partington, the foundation’s chair.

The TDS Charitable Foundation would be interested in receiving proposals for funding a feasibility study as to whether such a centre could be established for England and Wales.

The foundation also is currently welcoming bids for the next round of funding which is open until the end of March 2016. Organisations can download an application form and view the bidding criteria online at www.tdsfoundation.org.uk

Belvoir Bedford: The outstanding efforts of the Belvoir Bedford team prove that excellent customer service really can change lives.

Zoe and Nigel Bywater, who launched Belvoir Bedford 14 years ago, recently came to the aid of a devastated tenant, raising hundreds of pounds to help her replace gifts stolen by callous thieves just days before Christmas.

“Becky Clements is a single mum, who lives with her daughter and had just popped out to the shops for an hour. When she returned she discovered the house had been ransacked” says Zoe.

“There was considerable damage and the thieves took all her Christmas presents from under the tree, plus several electrical items including her daughter's IMac Pro, which she had saved up for months to buy. Both of them were devastated and very distressed.

“We quickly got a contractor out to board the house up and make it safe, but when we came in the next day the team all felt awful and decided to put the word out to local business colleagues to ask if they could help. The response was amazing and we raised £595 in cash, as well as receiving a voucher from a software provider and chocolates and pastries from our neighbour who runs a patisserie. We were delighted to be able to surprise Becky with all of this and it really restored her faith in human nature!”

Becky, who has rented the property from Belvoir for just over a year, says: “Discovering I had been burgled was horrendous. My 17-year old daughter Lucie and I were absolutely devastated and Christmas was ruined. Then I had a call from Belvoir to go into the office and when I found out what they had done I was speechless. I didn't know any of them and it was overwhelming. Belvoir Bedford gave us back the Christmas that thieves had taken away.”