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Thursday, July 07, 2016

A Landlord Case Study - LetMe

Following the introduction of LetMe Corporate via Property Hawk, Dean Thompson of LMC is pleased to offer the first in a series of blog articles, drawn from real life experiences of existing customers….

This is a case study of a private landlord renting their property through LetMe, a revolutionary new online agency that offers 12 months’ rent upfront, as well as a condition guarantee and a full management package. 

LetMe has recently started offering free and unrestricted listing on Rightmove and Zoopla for all landlords.

Steve King is a Business Development Manager from Bournemouth. He owns one property in the town centre and has been using LetMe’s full management service for almost a year. A change in family circumstances led to Steve becoming a landlord, “When my wife and I found out we were having a child we decided to move to a bigger place. Rather than sell the property we took some equity out and let it instead.”

Taking his first steps into the world of property investment, Steve encountered some problems when renting his property privately; “I let my property, for a short period of time, to someone that worked in the same office as me. That was somewhat difficult, I saw them every day, so any minor issue they had they would always want to speak to me.”

When Steve discovered LetMe he was pleasantly surprised by how simple, efficient and ‘stress free’ the process was. Within a few weeks of signing up, the property had been let, and tenants had moved in. He decided to use LetMe rather than any other agent because of the 12 months’ rent upfront guarantee. He said, “The key thing from my side is that I don’t need to worry about whether or not I’m going to receive the rent each month. At the time I actually needed a lump sum of cash so it was useful to have.”

Steve also found the certainty of the property condition guarantee was a weight off his mind. 

“Even if the tenants were to trash the place or have a big party or something, it’s still going to be put back to the condition it was in when you first let the property.” 

This risk-free approach means that Steve has decided he will definitely be renewing his contract with LetMe in a few months’ time. 

With the recent changes to stamp duty Steve has decided not to expand his sideline business right now, but he said that he would like to aquire another buy-to-let property at some point in the future. 

He said, “I see property as a good investment, and as something to buy and hold onto for the future, especially now that I have a family.”

The advice Steve has for any prospective buy-to-let landlords is to buy a low maintenance property. 

He said, “The main mistake I made from a buy-to-let perspective was that I bought a character property, an old Victorian house, so it just meant there was inevitably more maintenance than there is on a new build. So if I was going to buy again, as a bespoke buy-to-let investment, it would probably be a more modern building that didn’t need constant attention.”

The tenants who are renting Steve’s property are also delighted with the service they have received with LetMe. 

Steve explained that their decision to move to Bournemouth was very last minute; 

“They moved down from Scotland. They decided to move on a Saturday, got here on the Monday and they had moved into the property a week later so it was a very quick turnaround for them.” 

Happy in the knowledge that his tenants are pleased, and that his investment is safe, Steve says that he would happily recommend LetMe to friends and family who are looking to let their own properties.

Dean and the professional team at LetMe Corporate are happy to answer any questions you may have about the service or indeed when you are ready to send your first property. Please CLICK HERE and complete the contact form and one of the team will contact you swiftly to walk you through the process.

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