An estate agency has launched in Derbyshire with one of its aims being to reduce avoidable homelessness.

Amanda Jarvis-Doyle has spent more than 10 years working in property, either in investment and development or as an estate agent for other firms.

Now she has launched her own agency, Sabel and Co, which she says will focus on an area she feels passionate about.

“I’ve sold a lot of properties that were let out and the tenants were in situ,” said Jarvis-Doyle, who will run the online agency with business partner Elly Goodson.

“Estate agents often prefer to sell empty properties as it’s a simpler process, so the tenants are forced out of their homes, and some end up sofa-surfing or in temporary accommodation.

“In some cases, there is no need for that.”

Jarvis-Doyle, who is also director of Stepping Stones (Derby) Limited, an organisation which previously worked with charities to house clients who would otherwise be homeless, aims to use her experienvce to help the business thrive.

Sabel and Co will offer people a different experience of the buying and selling process, using an app which allows all parties to get real time updates about their properties.

“We want to be completely transparent during the whole process,” said Jarvis-Doyle.

“We use our app so that if a viewing takes place, if we receive a call of interest, or someone makes an offer, we log that the moment it happens and that goes straight onto the portal so the vendor can see what interest there has been and what we have done.”