Benefits of joining Unipol
Unipol is a charity and is the central point for students looking for housing in the private sector in Bradford. We have a central office, located in the hub in the Richmond Building in the centre of the university campus.
Unipol centralises all private sector vacancies on its website. All students at educational institutions in Bradford have access to web facilities. The office also has a number of computer terminals for use by the public. Property owners are also free to use these facilities. The office provides help and assistance to students in finding houses and also can provide advice to property owners who join the Unipol Code.
Last year over 76,000 web searches were carried out and the Unipol Bradford website received 3,567,467 hits from 26,776 hosts. The website is accessible to students from all over the world, 24 hours a day. The site carried details of over 2,000 bed spaces to help the 4,000 students who live in the private sector.
Owners using Unipol's services pay a single fee to display details of their property. For this they get a full colour entry on our website, together with a free external photograph taken of their property. With the online service for owners (please see below), owners can now attach 8 additional internal photographs to each advert. Photographs of properties are now an important part of the letting process. This idea of a ‘virtual tour’ of the property has become a very important part of how students select which properties to view. Unipol recommends that owners make full use of this facility.
All owners are sent a copy of their Web entry for checking and publicity purposes.
Special services exist for those letting a room in their house and further details are available from Unipol. These owners are permitted to respond to enquiries through the Student to Student noticeboard.
Further special services exist for private halls of residence (over 25 students in one building) and owners can use a special section of the Web site to display internal and external photographs of the complex. Fees for this service are individually negotiated. If you would like to enquire on how to advertise your larger development please contact the bureau by email: info@bradford.unipol.org.uk
What you get from using Unipol
- Comprehensive use of the whole service for a single annual fee, including amending and re-advertising of properties or rooms as required;
- Advice and assistance from Unipol's staff and use of the Bureau;
- Full colour web display of your properties including a photograph;
- Access to all of Unipol's information on tenancies, deposits and repairs;
- Being invited to special events and an annual briefing to tell you what is happening in the student property market (restrictions apply);
- Access to all the students using Unipol's service;
- Use of the online facility for entering adverts, making amendments and adding internal photographs.
The Unipol Code
The Unipol Code is recognised by Bradford Council, students, the university and college in Bradford as setting a professional minimum standard which rented properties should meet. The students' unions and university write to their students every year recommending them only to rent Code properties.
Owners voluntarily join the Code and agree to meet a minimum set of standards.
Over 50% of Unipol's property owners have joined the Code and recent research in Bradford has shown that it plays an important part of the house selection process by students. Almost all houses let on a 52 week basis are in the Code.
Owners only need to join the Code every three years.
Code members get a number of special services:
- Code properties are displayed ahead of other properties on the Web with a blue banding showing the Code logo;
- Invitations to special "Code only" events such as the briefing on market trends in December of each year
- Code publicity and merchandise for you to distribute to your tenants
- Input into the owners consultative group
- Discounts on licensing
- the member of staff responsible for the Unipol Code in bradford, Jason Crowley, is happy to talk to, and advise owners on Code matters.
Cost
The annual registration fees vary according to the size of your portfolio. If you are joining the Unipol Code it is important for Unipol to have details of all the properties you are advertising.
Owners pay an annual fee, this year the fee covers 11th February 2013 to 10th February 2014. Current fee levels are available on request. If there is any aspect of the fees that you do not understand - ring and ask. Owners fees cover 30% of the cost of the service.
Registering with Unipol
Simply fill in the registration forms and a property details form for each property. Call the office if you need more forms or print some from the website.
Unipol On-Line
You are able to enter your own properties on the web "online" and make changes and add photographs of the inside of your property. Your username will be the first 4 letter or your surname or company name (the company name takes precedence) and your owner registration number. To obtain a password send an email to Unipol at info@bradford.unipol.org.uk stating your name, company name and owner registration number. Unipol will enable your account so that you can use the system online and will email you a password. Please keep your username and password secure. To access the online site please click here.
To change your password enter the system and go to the index tab marked registration. Click Edit Details and then enter your new password in the two boxes then Click Accept. Your new password will be confirmed to you by email. For more information on how to use this service please download the user guide.
Once a property is taken then let us know by completing a Property Taken form, give us a call or email info@bradford.unipol.org.uk.
