NEIL RYDER TALKS TO LOCAL LANDLORD, JOHANN ROWAN, ABOUT HOW HIS EXPERIENCE SO FAR WITH PHILIP JAMES STUDENT LETTINGS HAS GONE DOWN…
Philip James prides themselves on providing their clients with the highest level of customer service. With more than 15 years’ experience within student lettings they truly understand the unique lettings market.
They are comfortable taking over the management of properties mid-tenancy so there’s no need to wait until all your tenancies have ended to switch agent.
They won’t hit you with any unexpected charges or upfront fees if you decide to switch to them mid-tenancy.
If you would like to know more about what Philip James could do for you either as a tenant or a landlord, then give Neil Ryder, manager at Philip James Partnership, a call on 0161 434 5007 or email at neil.ryder@philipjames.co.uk
Neil Ryder talks to Johann Rowan to discuss the reasons why he chose Philip James to manage his student lettings for him.
So what’s your background with the property market?
Well, I bought my first student property towards the end of my first year at university. I bought it at auction back in 2004 and lived in it with seven friends for two years.
After university I released its equity in order to buy my second – very run-down – property in 2006, once I had graduated, and I invited six of my friends to live there with me.
Since these initial purchases, and getting onto the property ladder, I have been fortunate enough to be able to continue to invest in property.
I have mainly focused on run-down, BMV properties, which are in great locations, and I have grown my portfolio. I now have a total 54 student bedrooms spread over my 10 properties.
Why did you decide you needed to appoint an agent?
I decided to move away from Manchester a few years ago in 2011 and before I left I made the decision to fully self-manage my 54 tenants from a distance, which as you can imagine definitely had it’s challenges.
I was just about managing to stay on top of things, but had no time to work on building my portfolio any further. Then, after our second child was born last year, we made the decision to get a managing agent, which we had been putting off.
And this was the best decision we’ve made, it’s made a world of difference – I’m definitely not looking back.
So far, what has your experience been like with Philip James?
If I’m honest I thought that because we changed the management half way through a tenancy I was expecting there to be some issues, teething problems really. But I was pleasantly surprised by how smooth and easy the transition was.
One of the properties I handed over to Philip James had substantial rent arrears, which were increasing month-by-month. The arrears team were fantastic and started working with the tenants immediately. Their firm approach has meant that all the arrears have now been caught up and I am confident their no-nonsense approach will prevent future arrears building up.
The biggest revelation has been just how much my stress levels have been reduced. I hadn’t realised quite how much of my time and energy had been spent on sorting out issues. I can now concentrate on increasing my investments and enjoying free time with my growing family.
We’ve had all our properties let for the next academic year by Philip James and so we have the security of knowing we have rent coming in all the way until July 2018. On top of this, with the fully managed service, I have peace of mind knowing that the properties will be looked after well during this time with a minimal amount of input from myself.