Lea Savage, landlord for 12 years

What is your name and how long have you been a landlord?

My name is Lea Savage, and I have been a landlord for 12 years.

What are the most important things you look for in a property management service?

Definitely confidence and trust.

As a landlord, I need to have the confidence the property manager will find the right tenant for my investment, and trust that they will keep up to date with the latest legislation, checks & certifications. It is about knowing that everything is taken care of, and that they have my best interests at heart.

I have always felt that my apropos agents were not merely concerned with finding a tenant: they cared about finding the right tenant for me and my property. It was not a numbers game, they worked at making the right match.

When did you first hear about apropos?

I first heard about apropos at the beginning of 2020, and when my property became vacant in September, I moved over to their platform.

What makes apropos different and how does it benefit you as a landlord?

I work in software, so for me the big difference is the apropos platform.

Through it, I could see if people had booked a viewing, how many viewings were scheduled, I could set the costs myself, I could decide what work to get done, etc..

All in all, with apropos, I had access to much more information, which was great. I definitely felt more in control.

What advice would you give to first time landlords looking for a property management service?

I would highly recommend going with a property management service. There is so much legislation, it would be easy to miss a step if you did it yourself. Also, as they usually search for property managers, you could miss out on prospective tenants. The cost is definitely worth it in the long term.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

What do you see as the biggest challenge landlords at the moment?

COVID-19.  In Edinburgh, the pandemic has really impacted the number of students renting flats and visitors using AirBnB.  This means there are a lot of vacant properties. As a result, it is a renters’ market right now. They have their choice of properties, so you need to make sure your property stands out.

What is your property prediction for 2021?

The hope is it goes back to where the market was in 2019, and some semblance of normality.

Country house or city apartment?

Country house

Trendy roof terrace or garden?

Garden

What is the favourite room in your home?

I did consider choosing the kitchen and the living room, but as I have two kids at home right now, I would have to say the bathroom as that’s where I relax and get a moment of peace.

Grand Designs or Location, Location, Location?

Location, Location, Location as I like all the helpful design tips. Grand Design ideas tend to be on a massive scale.

We're excited to announce that we're working on building a shiny new website for readers of Landlord Today! As part of this process, commenting on articles will be temporarily disabled. We look forward to sharing our new and improved Landlord Today website with you shortly!