Buy To Let Hunter is a fresh approach to investment property purchase and management – they recently sat down with one of their investors Melinda who lives abroad and uses BTLH services…

What were you hoping to achieve?
Asking Buy To Let Hunter to manage my flat in Richmond as a short term serviced accommodation made sense whilst I was spending time abroad. I wanted to keep my flat, to maintain a toe hold in London, but it was a purely commercial decision to sweat my assets whilst I choose to live somewhere else.

I didn’t think too much about traditional pensions during my working life; instead, I mostly invested in properties in the 80s and 90s where I could afford them and by default I now rely on that rental income in my retirement. BTLH can help you find the perfect pad to set up as a serviced apartment, too. 

Why did you choose BTLH?
The onset of Covid caused a dearth of options in the lettings market. The world has changed in rental terms. I spoke to the agents who used to handle my property and found their model no longer really fit for purpose, for me anyway. I needed shorter lets so I can come and go from time to time. The BTLH model is flexible and more cost effective for my needs. The old agents were proposing a 25% charge on any rental income and then a range of expenses that added up to £500-£600 for every letting! They were billing me for inventory and administrative costs which seemed to be in addition to the fees I was already paying. It’s one thing if you are having lets of a year or more, but it really didn’t make sense for the shorter term serviced accommodation model that I needed.

I was also unsure about the due diligence when the agents took references for my tenants as they always seemed to be outsourced – BTLH have a much more personal and less algorithmic approach! – the advantage of having a very small office!

So, Melinda, what has your experience been working with BTLH?
It’s been very good! Even from Switzerland where I was locked down up a mountain. A lot of my girlfriends who got in to “buy to let” are local so don’t need to rely as heavily on management as I do. I can trust BTLH to make the right decisions and it helps finance my lifestyle whilst retaining flexibility.

I feel the security of knowing I have a bolt hole but can’t afford to just leave the asset standing.

Fancy a bit of a nomad retirement like Melinda? Get in touch and the Buy to Let Hunter team can find you the perfect pad.

Call: 020 7550 9396 or hello@buytolethunter.com

For more information check out www.buytolethunter.com

Quadrant Road, Richmond, London, TW9 1DH