It’s no secret that management has always been the backbone of what we do. It’s how we started, it’s what we’re known for, and for a long while, it’s what kept the lights on. Over the past five years, we built a solid, comfortable portfolio — a mix of blocks, HMOs, and long-standing landlord relationships that gave us real stability.
But something started to change. Slowly at first, then all at once.
In the last couple of years, landlords have been shifting their focus. More of them want guaranteed rent, not traditional management. And the kinds of properties we used to manage — the blocks, the HMOs, the bread-and-butter stuff — are being snapped up by guaranteed rent operators, often with promises that sound too good to be true.
It’s been a humbling experience, if I’m honest. There were times we didn’t know what was going on. We lost clients to companies that seemed to come out of nowhere — some of them running things in ways that made us raise an eyebrow (or two).
So we took a step back. Looked at the landscape. Asked ourselves: what’s next?
And the answer came from a direction we didn’t expect — local authorities and government contracts. We’ve started positioning ourselves to work directly with councils, focusing on nightly lets and guaranteed rent through official channels. It’s early days, but we’ve brought on a new team member dedicated to this full-time, and we’re already seeing traction. The portfolio’s growing again, and it feels like we’re back on the front foot.
Now, here’s the part we have to acknowledge — while government-backed rent schemes have helped create stability for many landlords and tenants, they’ve also changed the dynamics of the market. In some cases, these subsidies can indirectly push rents higher and make things more challenging for private tenants. It’s a complex situation — one that shows how deeply interconnected the public and private housing sectors have become.
So yes — we’re adapting. We’re building relationships with councils, exploring new models, and doing what we’ve always done best: managing property properly. The landscape might be shifting, but we’re still standing on solid ground — and that’s because we’ve learned how to move with it.
