Comprehensive Report: Letting Activity, Laws, and Ethics Analysis

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of letting activities, encompassing various aspects of the business. Part 1 delves into different letting models (Let Only, Full Management, Advertise Only), relevant legislation (Data Protection Act, Equality Act 2010, Financial Regulation, Customer Protection Law, Distance Selling Regulation, and Mandatory redress scheme for Scotland), ethical considerations regarding discrimination, and the application of a SWOT analysis. It also explores cross-selling opportunities within the letting agency context. Part 2 focuses on reflective practice, detailing an activity involving tenant rent arrears management, the steps taken to resolve the issue, and areas for improvement. The report also discusses the organization's feedback mechanisms and how they contribute to enhancing performance. Overall, the report offers insights into the practical and ethical considerations within the letting industry, combining theoretical knowledge with real-world examples and reflective analysis.

Running head: LETTING ACTIVITY
Letting Activity
name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note

1LETTING ACTIVITY
Part 1
1. Let Only – The term is used in the case when the experienced property owners maintains
relationship with their tenants, collect rent and manage any property issue that might arise.
The role of the organisation in this case is limited to finding tenants for the property owner
(Homes4u.co.uk. 2017).
Full Management – Letting organizations plays the full time role of the property owner in
case of full management service where they carry out every single task for the property
owner (suttonkersh.co.uk 2017).
Advertise Only – Organisation on behalf of the owner will place advertise in all viable
means available in the location and the term continues until the owner finds suitable tenant or
buyer (letlord.co.uk 2017).
2. Data Protection Act – This Act is designed by the parliament of United Kingdom for
protecting private data saved on computers or organised in hard copies. The EU data
protection directive 1998 regulates the Act. It is now the responsibility of the organisation to
conform their activities to the Act and to the eight principles. The task carried out by the
organisation must be in compliance with the act. Failing in notifying the information
commissioner will result in an enforcement notice preventing the business from operating,
charging fines. Director of the organisation may also be criminally liable for non-compliance
(Legislation.gov.uk. 2017).
The Equality Act 2010 – The Act is to protect the people from discrimination in workplace
and in the society. It is the modification of anti-discrimination Act. The Act restricts the
organisation from discriminating the employee in any possible circumstances, hence giving
them opportunity to perform and have legitimate respect in the workplace. The organisation

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will be held responsible for violating the norms or even if they do nothing to stop a third
party from unwanted conduct (Legislation.gov.uk. 2017).
Financial Regulation – The organisations are bound by certain requirements, restriction and
guidelines, aiming to control the integrity of the financial system. It also extends to handling
of the clients’ money that is handled by the organisation (Davies and Green 2013). The
organisations must ensure the clarity in identification of client’s money from corporate
money. Any violence of the regulation will in imposition of significant fine on the
organisation.
Customer Protection Law – These laws are designed by the government to protect the rights
of customers and preventing the businesses from engaging in fraud practice. Customer
Protection Act makes businesses more liable and accountable to their clients not just the way
they produce, but also how they sell it. The details are to be shared maintaining clarity
regarding their products and services they are offering to the customers. Violation of this law
may impose a significant amount of fine to the government (Gov.uk. 2017).
Distance Selling Regulation – Customer Contracts Regulation replaces this regulation in
2014. Distance selling regulation bounded the sellers for providing proper information on the
product they are selling to the customers. All the terms and conditions of the selling has to be
communicated to the customer before purchasing. Company will be liable to compensate the
customers on violation of the regulation. Furthermore, they might have to pay significant fine
on violation or it can even cause shut down of the business (which.co.uk 2017).
Mandatory redress scheme for Scotland – The scheme asked the organisation involved in
letting property in Scotland to sign up to one of the three approved redress scheme by
October 2014 failing of which can result into fine of 5000 euro. It enabled the customers

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escalate complaints against the organisation if they feel discomfort of the service provided by
the company (Theprs.co.uk. 2017).
3. The landlord might have some form of disliking within themselves for particular
nationality or religion. However, he must also be aware of the business code of conducts and
aware of the discrimination Act set by the government to put aside all possible forms of
discrimination. Additional focus can be laid upon the business ethics in this particular case.
Firstly, the code of general obligation prevents the business from treating consumers
equally. Discrimination on the grounds of race or religion or nationality will be strictly
unlawful. The code will consider any discrimination that gives less favourable treatment due
to their nationality of religion (mybigredhouse.co.uk. 2017). The Equality Act 2010 further
finds the organisation or the employer criminal who have ahs indulged themselves in any
kind of discrimination in their business (Legislation.gov.uk. 2017). So it will be wise to bind
by the codes and laws regarding discrimination for avoiding any unpleasant situation.
Secondly, this action of discrimination will also violate the business ethics. It is
necessary for landlord to strictly follow the business ethics in terms of letting their house to
the tenants. This kind of discrimination will cause a considerable fall in the value. Moreover
the government can consider it as a ethical discrimination that can cause the landlord and the
organisation to pay a considerable fine to the government. Moreover, the administration will
count it as an offence under refusing the access to goods and services (mybigredhouse.co.uk.
2017).
However, the landlord is empowered with the complaint policies for sharing any issue
they find with the tenants. They can reflect their dissatisfaction regarding the clients in their
complaints which will be acknowledged within three working days. However the complaints

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should follow proper guideline within verbal and written complaints. The company will share
the review based on the investigation with the landlord within 15 working days.
The ideal ethical consideration and behaviour includes avoidance of discrimination.
Every staff should behave appropriately with their co-workers and clients according to the
prescribed manner. This prescription can be found in the Equality Act 2010 of United
Kingdom. Example of good ethical consideration and behaviour will also include the good
terms between the tenant and landlord. The principles of good ethical behaviours incorporate
honesty, respect, integrity, fairness and law abiding. All the stakeholders involved in process
of letting and renting should follow these proposed principles and behave accordingly to
avoid any as such allegation for ethical misconduct in relation to discrimination
(mybigredhouse.co.uk. 2017). For example, if a landlord and the letting organisation are
lending the propriety to the tenant, they should follow the same paperwork for a Pakistani
person compared to a person belonging from Germany.
4. SWOT
SWOT analysis tool is useful in gaining information on the internal and external
factors that may affect the product. The process incorporates the collection of the information
and analyse it in relation to the market condition. SWOT stands for Strength, Weakness,
Opportunity and Threat of a particular product in a given environment. Strengths factors are
those that give advantageous edge to the company in the market in relation to its competitors.
The landlord may seek the advantages the customers will receive buying his property.
Weakness is the identification of those factors that might make the customer thinks twice
before renting the house. The landlord should address these weaknesses before placing ads
for letting his property. Opportunity is the advantages the landlord has in relation to the
market. For example, it will be an opportunity for the landlord to gain extra profit if his

5LETTING ACTIVITY
property has a pool that is uncommon in that locality. Lastly, the threats are the unfavourable
situation that can play negative role in the process such as low demand for letting in a
particular market. The organisation should first look for strengths and weaknesses. They
should look into the resources, core compatibilities, function, and value of the property and
determine it is a strength or weakness for the company. Next is the opportunity and threat
which is basically the understanding of the external factors playing in the process. They can
perform pestel, competition, market change analysis for gaining insight. The benefits of using
this tool are to have a clear understanding of the internal and external environment,
identification of the future goals to generate maximum revenue (Suh 2014).
5. Cross Selling
Two types of Cross selling opportunities open for the letting agencies are Prospects
who already have a house and prospects that are searching for a house. The first type has
already rented a house from a different organisation in the locality but the organisation is
looking forward to get them with the organisation. Second one on the other is easier to deal
with as they are looking for a house to rent. The organisation needs separate approach in
convincing the potential customers.
The advantage of cross selling is that it generates increased sales. The customers are
accustomed with the quality service the agency offers and looking forward to purchase their
service.
Disadvantage on the other hand arises when the customers are offered with a number
of confusing options, Hence the agency requires to do a background study on the customers
to offer them the desired product (Yu, Patterson and de Ruyter 2015).
Part 2
1. Reflective Practice

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The concept is over simplified in present time. According to Fitzgerald as mentioned
in Thompson and Pascal (2012) refers to the active, dynamic, action-based and ethical skills
that helps in dealing with real time complex and difficult situation from the knowledge gather
over time. In simplified terms, it is the thinking or reflecting on the learning from experience,
where the individual has to consider the process of gaining experience and implement in the
next real world situation. It differs from casual thinking as it requires a conscious effort to
think about events and develop insight into them.
2. Activity Carried out
The task I carried out was the management of the tenant with rent arrears. In this case,
the tenant had an arrear of three consecutive months. This is due to the fact that the element
of responsibility had not been taken seriously. It is because the landlord showed relaxation
collecting payment on time and the course changed the circumstances.
The step that I took was to provide the tenant a statement of rental payments received
showing the arrears they and how they have arisen. This provided the tenant proper idea
about the arrear they have and amount they have to clear for breaching the gap. This action
proved to be useful this time and resolved the problem without facing any kind of trouble.
This is because the tenant did not have any monitory issues and the process of claiming hte
payment went smooth. However, I need to modify my skills in addressing similar future cases
(mybigredhouse.co.uk. 2017).
I will have to develop my accounting skills to keep track on the payment cleared by
the tenants. I will ensure the payments are made on a regular basis that will prevent the issues
from occurring in future. However, some clients may not have the financial capability to clear
their arrears. No amount of pressure will help in collecting the payments. The organisation
then has to make a court case for recovering the amount. It is necessary to involve the state

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before taking any legal action to maintain the business ethics. Moreover, I will also
encourage the landlord to collect their payment on time that will help me clearing future
issues from both sides. The tenants often find it as an opportunity if the landlords lack interest
in receiving their payment. Hence, I will encourage the landlords for preventing such issues
in future.
3. Feedback and improvement
Our organisation has a feedback portal where the customers, both landlords and
tenants, can post their comments and rate their level of satisfaction. Furthermore, the
company prepares a report on every task their employees perform identifying their strengths
and weaknesses. Basically, the organisation points out the areas I provided poor performance
which needs revision. I then identify the issues that went wrong in the process and search for
different angles for resolving them. I can recall two feedbacks that helped me in modification
of my practice. The first one was from a task dealing with ethical dilemma where the landlord
found my unsatisfactory as I failed in explaining the exact code of behavioural conduct. I
then revised my reading on ethical codes of business for better understanding the concept.
The second case was the feedback from the tenant where they are confused the choices I
provided them. Hence, I now undertake a thorough customer study before offering them the
types of property to the tenants.

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References
Davies, H. and Green, D., 2013. Global Financial Regulation: The Essential Guide (Now
with a Revised Introduction). John Wiley & Sons.
Gov.uk. 2017. Consumer rights - GOV.UK. [online] Available at:
https://www.gov.uk/consumer-protection-rights [Accessed 25 Oct. 2017].
Homes4u.co.uk. 2017. Let Only Tenants | Renting | Letting Agents | Property | homes4u.
[online] Available at: https://www.homes4u.co.uk/let-only-tenants [Accessed 25 Oct. 2017].
Legislation.gov.uk. 2017. Data Protection Act 1998. [online] Available at:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/29/contents [Accessed 25 Oct. 2017].
Legislation.gov.uk. 2017. Equality Act 2010. [online] Available at:
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Theprs.co.uk. 2017. Property Redress Scheme | Scottish Agents - Are you ready for
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