The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Today´s guest Shimon Rudich is a prolific property investor who has used all of the different strategies and taught over 13,000 people to do the same. He also runs MS Law, a firm Kevin has personally used, for many years.

For this episode, Shimon focuses on creative financing strategies. In particular, the different ways you can use lease options, title-splitting and commercial to residential deals. Importantly, Shimon also explains how to avoid the most common issues with these more creative property investment strategies.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Using lease options avoids the need for a deposit, or a mortgage and avoids all kinds of legal fees.
• Lease options enable you to make money from a property as if it were already yours.
• Use short lease options to make money faster.
• Exercise your right to buy as soon as you can. 
• Don´t forget to exercise your right to buy on time. Surprisingly, a lot of people do forget to do so.
• Be realistic and fully understand what happens if the vendor or tenant breaks the contract.
• You must keep in touch with the vendor throughout the lease period. Shimon explains why not doing so can cost you a lot of money.
• Look for large properties with a staircase in the middle to convert into flats and use title-splitting.
• Title-splitting can be used for commercial conversions, which are still incredibly profitable. Especially when combined with SA.
• Win wins clinch deals fast.
• Always use proper joint venture agreements drawn up by a contract solicitor.

BEST MOMENTS

‘I have a vested interest that you are successful – I make money only if you are successful.’

‘The best way to get people (the vendor) to stay in touch is to incentivise them.’

‘If you are not closing deals every single month you are not doing something right.’

‘You can still make money from commercial conventions, even if you don't have any money. ’

GUEST RESOURCES

https://ms-law.co.uk/

Shimon@ms-law.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/shimon.rudich/

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Discovery Day Sign-Up Page - 

https://progressivepropertyreferral.com/serviced-accommodation-discovery-day/amb0676

The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast- https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-serviced-accommodation-property-podcast/id1436005279?mt=2

https://propertysoldier.co.uk/

Serviced Accommodation Success by Kevin Poneskis

Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T Kiyosaki

ABOUT THE HOST

Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising, and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans.

Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. 

CONTACT METHOD

https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier

kevin@propertysoldier.co.uk

This episode is Kevin´s initial reaction to the UK´s Spring Budget of 2024 and other reforms. Including the Renter´s Reform Bill, the abolition of section 24, changes to the furnished holiday let tax regime, new short-term rental regimes, enhanced fire safety standards, the Tour Operators Margin Schemes (TOMS) and more. Kevin explains why despite the changes, building and running a property portfolio is still an excellent business option, especially the various SA models.

Listen to find out how to navigate these changes and turn them to your advantage.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Changes to legislation, the market etc. are inevitable. No matter what that change is the answer is always to stay calm, adapt and carry on.
• Lots of people are put off by change, so will leave the sector, which creates more opportunities for those who persevere.
• Often, seemingly negative changes actually generate more opportunities e.g. SA went nuts during CoVid.
• There are always ways around things. New ways to do business.
• Most of the SA-related changes do not affect hotels or B&Bs.
• The rent to SA playing field just got better.
• More Buy to Let landlords are going to say yes to rent to SA.
• The VAT changes creates more opportunities.
• Commercial conversion to SA is not affected by the new legislation.

BEST MOMENTS

‘When more people pull out of the sector that just creates opportunities.’

‘The Renter´s Reform Bill is actually going to help serviced accommodation.’

‘Hysterical headlines are going to help.’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Discovery Day Sign-Up Page - 

https://progressivepropertyreferral.com/serviced-accommodation-discovery-day/amb0676

The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast- https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-serviced-accommodation-property-podcast/id1436005279?mt=2

https://propertysoldier.co.uk/

Serviced Accommodation Success by Kevin Poneskis

Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T Kiyosaki

ABOUT THE HOST

Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising, and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans.

Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. 

CONTACT METHOD

https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier

kevin@propertysoldier.co.uk

In this episode, the extremely experienced capital allowances surveyor explains how they can be used to make most property business models far more profitable. How to set things up so that you can legitimately earn money tax free.

He shares several use cases and covers sideways loss relief, land remediation relief, energy efficient enhancements and ensuring you use the allowance for the right area of your tax return. As well as how to maximise the £1 million per year of allowances that are available.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Capital Allowances enable you and JV partners to earn a lot of tax-free money.
• You need an expert. Not having one can be a very costly mistake.
• If you buy a property from someone who could have claimed capital allowances put the right clauses in the contract.
• Whenever you spend money on a property there is the chance to leverage capital allowances.
• You can claim up to £1 million per year.
• 10 years ago, HMRC stated that 96% of property transactions had not fully utilised the available tax relief.
• Capital allowances are an incredibly powerful way to close rent to SA deals.
• Kitchens, bathrooms, electrical systems and many more items are considered as plant and machinery which can be used for capital allowances.
• Capital allowances are great for improving cashflow and enabling you to legally trade tax free for long periods of time.
• In some cases, you can claim 150% tax relief.

BEST MOMENTS

‘You're allowed to claim the full replacement cost of all of that plant and machinery (e.g., kitchens) when you buy a second-hand property’

‘£28,000 of tax can be saved for every £100,000 of expenditure on your property.’

EPISODE RESOURCES

Email: ak@exactca.co.uk

Call: 0845 467 2765

Website: https://www.exactca.co.uk

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Discovery Day Sign Up Page - https://progressivepropertyreferral.com/serviced-accommodation-discovery-day/amb0676

The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast - https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-serviced-accommodation-property-podcast/id1436005279?mt=2

https://propertysoldier.co.uk/

Serviced Accommodation Success by Kevin Poneskis

Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T Kiyosaki

ABOUT THE HOST

Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising, and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans.

Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years.

CONTACT METHOD

https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/

kevin@propertysoldier.co.uk

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date.

Before you start developing any serviced accommodations, it’s best that you have a projection of costs you’ll be spending on. You don’t want to be taken aback with what will hit you in the face if you see the sums of what you need to pay.

So, in this episode of the Serviced Accommodation Podcast, Kevin helps you build your checklist of things you should be putting on the planning table especially when you’re doing your budgets. He also gives tips on how to approach your accountant, your insurance broker, and your assigned ‘meet and greet’ person. Everything you need to be buying and acquiring for your serviced accommodation property should be on his list too so make sure to tune in to not miss anything!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Ask your accountant how much it will cost you to run your serviced accommodation property. You don’t need to have an accountant based on your town. You can just outsource your accountant and let him do his work remotely.
• Get a quote on insurance – e.g. professional indemnity insurance, public liability insurance, etc.
• Furniture and soft-furnishing:
  • You could be buying the furniture yourself.
  • Or, if you’re doing a buy-to-let conversion and were provided with furniture, check if they’re of a good standard and then consider if you’re going to keep them.
  • Go to property forums and ask around who’s the most trusted supplier of furniture for serviced accommodation properties.
• Cleaning and laundry:
  • Start with maintaining the cleanliness of the SA twice a week depending on the bookings.
• Decide if you want someone to hire someone for the ‘meet and greet’ with your tenants or guests. Your meet and greet person can also show how the appliances and other things work in the SA.
• Research on what broadband and other subscription plans are you going to get.
• Factor in the taxes and business rates that you’ll be paying when you start and develop your SA.

BEST MOMENTS

• “Explain to your broker exactly what your business is going to look like and they will help you and advise you accordingly.”
• “The really really important thing about meet and greet is that your meet and greet person can show the guest how to do stuff.”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

• Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast #016: Sourcing Cleaners For Your Serviced Accommodations | iTunes | Omny | Stitcher

ABOUT THE HOST

Kevin Poneskis, also known as the Property Soldier, has been a full-time property investor and mentor since 2011. This happened after he served the army for 24 years. He spent majority of these years in the 29 Commando Regiment RA and finished his time in the army as a Regimental Sergeant Major. Even during his time in the army, Kevin was already building his property portfolio and educating himself everything about real estate investments.

Right now, he is writing his book Property Soldier, in which 100% of the profit from the book will go to homeless veterans, and hosting The Serviced Accommodation Podcast which educates people who want to explore and earn from serviced accommodation property investing.

CONTACT METHOD

• Kevin’s Facebook
• Kevin’s LinkedIn

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date.

House-keeping or cleaning is one of the most valued perks of why people choose serviced accommodations. So, if you’re aiming to be highly-rated on this aspect, then this episode is for you.

Today on the Serviced Accommodation Podcast, Kevin, your host, reads an excerpt on sourcing cleaner for your SA units from his soon-to-be-released book. Your cleaners are your allies, your business comrades, and the people who hold the fort whenever, so it’s okay to be nitty-gritty when you’re choosing one. Kevin shares great talking points you can adopt when interviewing prospects.

Aside from sourcing cleaners, we also talk about how to choose your linens, furniture, cushions and how to manage the laundry. Make sure to watch out for the book to learn more.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Cleaning your serviced accommodation units should be one of the top priorities. Source your cleaners that you’re willing to work with and can stay for months or a few years.
• Get to know the cleaners you’ll be hiring and choose someone who can grow with you. Trust your instincts when you’re deciding. If you’re having doubts before they even get started, then don’t push through so you won’t have any regrets in the future.
• When you’re interviewing your future cleaners, make sure to get their quotes and make sure you lay out what you expect from them. This is a business relationship also that you’re getting into, so it’s vital also that both sides are acquainted of their expectations.
  • Ask if they’re VAT-registered.
  • Ask if how many hours will they charge you for the cleaning.
• Establish what you want them to do when they clean your units. You can ask your cleaners to:
  • Check the guest key if it’s where it should be.
  • Check the heating, primarily if they are controlled from the inside of the unit.
  • Check for the inventory and damaged or missing items.
  • Take and send pictures of the unit before the cleaning is done.
  • Make sure everything is working (e.g. lights, appliances, telephone, etc.)
  • Replenish spare stocks.
• Linens and Laundry for your serviced accommodation units.
  • Use white hotel-standard linens. Add colour by cushions and throws.
  • Secure 3 sets of beddings per bed.
  •  

BEST MOMENTS

• “There’s plenty of money to be made with serviced accommodations and the cleaning of them should definitely be paid for out of the turnover. You shouldn’t be doing it yourself.”
• “There will undoubtedly be some initial problems that you need to work through with your cleaners, but as soon as you have entered in a business relationship with good people from the outset, they should not require too much effort.”

ABOUT THE HOST

Kevin Poneskis, also known as the Property Soldier, has been a full-time property investor and mentor since 2011. This happened after he served the army for 24 years. He spent majority of this year in the 29 Commando Regiment RA and finished his time in the army as a Regimental Sergeant Major. Even during his time in the army, Kevin was already building his property portfolio and educating himself everything about real estate investments.

Right now, he is writing his book Property Soldier, in which 100% of the profit from the book will go to homeless veterans, and hosting The Serviced Accommodation Podcast which educates people who want to explore and earn from serviced accommodation property investing.

CONTACT METHOD

• Kevin’s Facebook
• Kevin’s LinkedIn

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date.

In this episode, Kevin answers a range of questions from a Mentee who is moving from Buy to Let into Serviced Accommodation.

Kevin shares his extensive expertise and knowledge, so listen in and find the answers anyone moving into Serviced Accommodation needs.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Do you need to inform the lender if you want to change how a property is used?

When there is a mortgage on a property you have to seek the permission of the lender if you are going to change how it is used.

Most agents currently don’t understand what S.A. is, so how you ask for permission is key; making the request in a different way (e.g. can I change the usage of the property to furnished holiday lets?) can help agents understand and achieve a positive response.

A lenders primary concern is that the mortgage payments are being made.

If you change a property usage from HMO or Buy to Let to SA the insurance product will need to be changed to ensure appropriate cover is in place.

• What Capital allowances can be claimed?

Relief is awarded when your property has qualified as a furnished holiday let this involves the property being available for 210 days.  A good capital allowance surveyor would typically be able to get between 30% and 35% of total expenditure as a capital allowance.

• Will the property change usage category?

Most people operating SA are doing it with properties in the C3 residential category  

The class will be C1 if the property usage is closer to a guest house with varied people arriving at different times and significantly more parking and rubbish.

BEST MOMENTS

‘There are always grey areas’

‘The appeal for people to use SA is because it’s a self-contained property’

‘Where there are a number of SA units in a town there still won’t be enough’

‘SA operators are going to become very attractive’

‘if you are assessed for business rates you may qualify for business rates relief’

‘In any town or city, there is always a demand for good quality accommodation.’

‘If there are hotels in the city centre then it is an indicator that there is a demand for accommodation’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-serviced-accommodation-property-podcast/id1436005279?mt=2

ABOUT THE HOST

Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans.

Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years.

CONTACT METHOD

https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/

kevin@propertysoldier.co.uk

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date.

In this episode we have an amazing opportunity to gain an insight of the mentoring process in action. Kevin takes us through a mentoring session addressing how to start in SA as someone completely new. He uses his own knowledge and experience to provide a clear pathway into SA when renting from letting agents. An unmissable episode which demonstrates clearly the value of a skilled mentor.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Renting from letting agents

             Acquiring properties from letting agents is about properties that are good to go, 

             you can be in a position to move clients in very quickly.

• Traditional investment model

Buy a property involving deposit conveyancing, completing the refurbishment process then re financing to buy to let or an HMO. Lots of time and money involved in the traditional model.

• Renting from a letting agent bypasses all that so you could be showing in new guests the same day you get the keys.
• New to SA?

As someone new to SA it’s important to undertake steps to establish credibility and social proof.

Research – talk to hospitals, universities large companies in your area, speak to the person who deals with booking accommodation for visiting guests, employees, clients.

If you can get someone definitely interested you’ve got social proof that there is demand.

Make a website in advance of getting first units showing the type of rooms you are providing.

Try to hook up with other SA providers in the area

Air bnb easiest way to connect – if you’ve got client interest, they could take business until you have units.

• How to open the door with letting agents?

Will the landlord do a company let?

Initial question should always be will the landlord do a company let? – the letting agent will understand this and ask what are you going to use the property for.

Use your social proof when talking to the letting agent to help establish credibility and local knowledge

• Who will be at the property?

Letting agents will often think that they need this information as part of the right to rent checks. SA sits outside of the Housing Act and is a company let so there is no requirement a short-term tenancy agreement (which is for a minimum of 6 months)

• The company let agreement?

It is best to use the letting agents, company let agreement, but it will require some amendments, the most common being it’s not for your employees but your clients.

• Sourcing clients?

Always be honest about sourcing corporate clients through booking.com and Airbnb name drop clients who have already used these sites – its social proof most companies are interested in cutting costs through the use of SA and use booking.com and Air bnb to facilitate this. 

VALUABLE RESOURCES 

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-serviced-accommodation-property-podcast/id1436005279?mt=2

BEST MOMENTS

‘Get trained in SA and then you’ve got knowledge to use advice effectively’

‘Discovery days could be free – message Kevin’

‘Say to them before they raise it with you’

‘When speaking to letting agents name drop companies who you’ve spoken to’

‘If it was that easy everyone would be doing it’

‘Use your instinct depending on who you are speaking to’

ABOUT THE HOST

Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans.

Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years.

CONTACT METHOD

Facebook – Property soldier

Email – kevin@propertysoldier.co.uk

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date.

This episode is a fantastic presentation by Ray McLennan about how to raise finance. He provides an invaluable insight into the way lending is organised and most importantly how you can find the funding for your project. This podcast is a must for anyone in who is a serviced accommodation entrepreneur.

KEY TAKE AWAYS

• The most common complaints from developers:

1 Getting funding

2 Finding a surveyor who understands

3 Refinancing

If you can’t get it funded and its under-valued, then it’s a vicious circle

and a lenders default position will be no if they don’t understand it.

• Key to obtaining finance is:

Find valuers that understand 

Knowing what’s important to a lender or a JD partner is crucial

Knowing what you want to do

• The element of work required in serviced accommodation is repelling people

But anything worth having is hard work. Like anything there’s an easier way and a hard way.

• The hard way

Banks, brokers who don’t know serviced accommodation

valuers who don’t understand serviced accommodation

• The easy way

Get a valuation

Talk to a broker who knows serviced accommodation

Have an exit

• Raising money for finance ebbs and flows, Lenders go to wholesale market looking for a particular percentage you can put an application in, but they might not have cash at that point.

There are individuals and organisations who want to lend you the money and Angel Finance will facilitate that for you in the best way possible

• There are people out there who want to lend you money you just have to be able to find them

Funding stack – when you haven’t got any money, different interest rates for different parts of the funding will be applicable as you will be dealing with different lenders.

• You can get out there and look for your own JD partners

People with pensions could seek its transfer value and its possible to get together with others to raise finance in this way.

BEST MOMENTS

“They want to lend you the money and for you to do the work and they’ll charge you for the privilege”

“The life of a serviced accommodation person is like that of an entrepreneur “

“Exit – may have to finance to get up and running, then re-finance if you have that in advance, it is so much easier to get first part”

“We (Angel Finance) think we can help to raise alternative funding”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

How to raise Money Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/how-to-raise-money-podcast/id1370319813?mt=2

ABOUT THE HOST

Kevin Poneskis, also known as the Property Soldier, has been a full-time property investor and mentor since 2011. This happened after he served the army for 24 years. He spent a majority of these years in the 29 Commando Regiment RA and finished his time in the army as a Regimental Sergeant Major. Even during his time in the army, Kevin was already building his property portfolio and educating himself everything about real estate investments.

Right now, he is writing his book Property Soldier, in which 100% of the profit from the book will go to homeless veterans, and hosting The Serviced Accommodation Podcast which educates people who want to explore and earn from serviced accommodation property investing.

CONTACT METHOD

• Kevin’s Facebook
• Kevin’s LinkedIn

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date.

Welcome back to another episode of Serviced Accommodation with your host Kevin Poneskis. In this week’s episode, Kevin talks through the different options for guest access and guest reviews. Kevin talks through everything from why meet and greet can be a really effective way for guest access to how to respond effectively to bad reviews?

Key Takeaways

Logistics: How do your guests gain access to the property? With all these options below make sure you are giving your guests clear directions, and instructions for each option.

• Leave the keys with Key Nest a company which can facilitate the key collection process with partner garages or corner shops.
• More prestigious apartment blocks might have a concierge who you can come to an agreement with around giving the guests your keys, or introducing them to your property.
• Key lock or key safe which is a box outside of the property with a combination lock. You can issue the guests the appropriate code for the lock and they are able to let themselves into the property
• An electronic coded locking system is a more expensive option but can be more secure. You're able to issue the guests a code to gain access to the property. The code is then changed automatically when the guests check out of the property. This can be a more secure option rather than having to change the code manually with a key lock.  

Why meet and greet could be really effective for you? Meet and greet is where someone physically meets your guests at the property. There is no right or wrong way for guest access but this can be a really effective way of gaining access for your guests. Kevin outlined that for his properties he pays a meet and greet person £15 so there is that cost to this but many advantages as well. One of the key elements for creating an effective meet and greet process is creating clear instructions and checklists for the person to go through. It is also essential at this point to have a clear check-in time, usually before 9am, and then charging for a late check-in. Make sure you source the meet and greet staff from the local area so they live close to the property.

Advantages of the Meet and Greet method.

• The person can check if everything is ok with the property. Cleaners can sometimes make a mistake and this can be an extra backstop.
• Make sure the property is clean.
• It’s a process for discovering any problems before your guests arrive.
• Checking simple things like where the remote control is.
• That the heating is on the right setting.
• Is there any maintenance that needs to be done?
• To ensure that the guests have left the keys where you wanted them to be.
• They can show your guests how to use things like the central heating, the cooker, anything that could be potentially difficult to use.
• An important aspect is to ask your guests why they are in town? This then offers a chance to understand your guests visit and book any future business. You can offer a discount voucher for there next visit, booking directly through your website to avoid the OTA charge.

How To Deal With Bad Reviews. Guests are a lot less likely to leave bad reviews when they meet someone in person. Make sure you respond to all of your reviews both good and bad. Make sure you don’t sound aggressive and defensive in your response as this can put off future potential customers. A response to a bad review should repeat any positives the customer mentions, acknowledge any concerns and thank the guest for the feedback. Kevin reads through some good and bad example responses.

Best Moments

‘Good reviews make you money, bad reviews lose you money.’

‘Meet and greet gives you a more personal service.’

‘Make sure you ask your guests to leave a review.’

‘Make sure you respond to all your reviews good or bad.’

‘Your meet and greet person can check any cleaning or maintenance before the guests arrive.’

‘You’re not going to be able to please everyone, all of the time.’

Valuable Resources

Key Nest: https://keynest.com

ABOUT THE HOST

Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans.

Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of my Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years.

CONTACT METHOD

Facebook – Property soldier

Email – kevin@propertysoldier.co.uk

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date.

Welcome back to The Serviced Accommodation Podcast. In this special episode, Kevin interviews Co-founder of Progressive Property, best-selling author and property investing expert, Mark Homer. Kevin and Mark discuss the advantages of serviced accommodation and why it’s one of the most popular property strategies right now! Plus hear their take on Brexit and personal development.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

What changes to serviced accommodation (SA) regulations will we see in the future? There have been several recent changes to regulations of the HMO and SA property sector and there is likely to be more. After new innovations occur, we can expect a time lag in the introduction of associated regulations, but by five years’ time, there will be effective implementation of these new regulations. It’s therefore worth ensuring that you are in line with these regulations like fire safety, and room sizes.

How will Brexit affect trends with serviced accommodation? No one knows exactly what is going to happen with Brexit but the uncertainty has already affected the market. When there is certainty again, ideally when Britain leaves in March, things should look more positive and there might be a sudden rush to invest. Brexit is important for the property sector, but it’s more important to the manufacturing and direct trading industries.

Saturation of the serviced accommodation market? Someone, somewhere, always thinks that the market has become saturated. There might be quieter times in the summer but if your unit is better than the competition then the market takes care of itself. Even simple things like a lick of paint or lowering the rent can be effective methods to fill units in a quieter season.

How do I scale up my property business? Focusing on one geographic area can have real positives for growth. With that kind of focus, you’re able to get to know your local agents and landlords better, and your staff don’t have to travel as far between properties. This is much more effective than a more scattergun approach, leaving you to knowing a lot less than your competition.

How best to work with high net individuals. Often these individuals don’t want to and don’t have the local knowledge to run these businesses operationally. Doing stage work, improving your online presence, attending networking and auctions can be really effective ways of increasing your profile. Once you’ve done these kind of things over a couple of years high-net-worth individuals tend to find you.

Next best thing? VR (Virtual reality) is probably the next growth area especially helping consumers choose which unit to rent. In addition, Blockchain has some interesting applications to automating arduous processes, such as making the land registry process to make it quicker and easier.   

Personal Development. Both informal and formal mentoring can be incredibly effective personal development tools. Finding your peer group, other people doing similar things to you, can be a great way to share ideas and learn from each other.

BEST MOMENTS

‘Brexit is important but maybe more important for manufacturing or people directly trading’

‘You can save a lot more time and make a lot more money when you focus on one area’

‘What does your SA look like? How good is it? Whats its location? Matters more than Brexit.’

‘Take out all those non-incoming generation parts of your day.’

ABOUT THE HOST

Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans.

Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of my Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years.

CONTACT METHOD

Facebook – Property soldier

Email – kevin@propertysoldier.co.uk

ABOUT THE GUEST

Mark Homer is an entrepreneur investor.  He has worked with investment since he was 15 years old using the laws of wealth! He is a spreadsheet analyst with an impressive following from major publications including BBC Radio, The Wall Street Journal, The Independent, as well as co-authoring the UK’s best selling property books.  Mark has always looked for the best investment vehicle, and at the end of 2007 with Rob Moore the co-founder of Progressive Property his joint portfolio produced more profit than any of the other investments he’d tried in the last ten years, combined.

Facebook – Property soldier

CONTACT METHOD

Email: Markhomer@progressiveproperty.co.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markhomer1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markprogressive

Twitter: https://twitter.com/markprogressive