Buying a flat in Glasgow or Edinburgh from Malta, Dubai or Tunis means relying on people you will rarely meet. We take that risk off you by keeping one team accountable for the whole journey. The strategy, the search, the checks, the refurbishment management and the reporting are ours. Where a step needs a regulated firm or a trade, such as a solicitor, a mortgage broker, an accountant, a contractor or a letting agent, we bring in partners we have vetted and hold them to the same checkpoints on every project.
Who does what at each stage
| Stage | Who does it | What we check before it moves on |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Plan and finance | Us, with a partner mortgage broker and accountant where you need them | A written brief, signed off by you before any search starts |
| 2. Source and check | Us. Viewings by us or a partner we trust | A deal scorecard covering price, Home Report, works, purchase tax, rent and return. Only deals that pass reach you |
| 3. Buy | Us, with a partner Scottish solicitor | Purchase tax and fees built into your costing before an offer goes in |
| 4. Refurbish and certify | Us as project manager, with partner contractors and suppliers | Fixed scope and budget, stage photos, a signed snag list and the safety certificates |
| 5. Let and manage | Our partner letting agents, all on the Scottish Letting Agent Register | An agent scorecard on time to let, arrears and repairs |
| 6. Hold, report and exit | Us, with partners where a sale or refinance needs them | A quarterly owner report, in the same format every time |
We do not let or manage property ourselves, and we do not give mortgage, legal or tax advice. Those steps sit with regulated partners, and our job is to keep them to the timetable and the standard you are paying for.
How a partner earns a place with us
- Registered where the law requires it. Letting agents on the Scottish Letting Agent Register, solicitors regulated by the Law Society of Scotland, mortgage brokers authorised by the FCA, and accountants with a recognised professional body.
- Insured for the work they do. We ask to see it, not just hear about it.
- Proven on real jobs. We judge a firm on work we have watched it deliver, not on a brochure.
- Written prices and turnaround times. You know what each step costs and how long it should take before it starts.
- Reporting in our format. Every partner reports back to us the same way, so nothing gets lost between firms.
Most firms we speak to do not make the list. We would rather work with a few we trust than with many we have to chase.
Refurbishment: what you see while you are away
- Scope, budget and finish date agreed with you in writing before a contractor starts.
- Nothing extra done without your written go-ahead.
- Photos at strip-out, at first fix and at finish, so you can follow the job from home.
- A snag list walked and signed off before the letting agent takes over.
- Gas, electrical and alarm paperwork collected and filed with your property records.
- Works planned to the Repairing Standard, so the property can be let from day one.
The detail of how a job is scoped and priced is on our refurbishment project management page.
Letting agents: how we keep the standard up
We review each partner letting agent on four things: how long it takes to let a property, rent arrears, how quickly repairs are done and how clearly it reports. When an agent slips, we raise it with them straight away. If it does not improve, we stop introducing clients to them.
The agent charges from 12% of the monthly rent + VAT, under its own terms with you, which you see before you sign.
Your quarterly owner report
Once a property is let, you get one page per property every quarter, laid out the same way each time:
- Rent received and the costs paid out.
- The letting agent's notes on the tenancy and the property.
- Compliance dates coming up, such as gas safety, electrical checks and landlord registration.
- Rule changes in Scotland that affect you, such as rent control areas.
- Our view on rent reviews, refinancing or selling, when the time is right.
The report comes with our Hands-off turnkey package, and other clients can ask for it.
Common questions
Do you let or manage properties yourselves?
No. Letting and day-to-day management are always done by one of our partner letting agents, each on the Scottish Letting Agent Register, under the agent's own terms with you. We introduce you, set the standard we expect and stay your point of contact.
Can I use my own solicitor, broker or accountant?
Yes. If you already have a firm you trust, we work with them to the same timetable and the same checkpoints we would use with our own partners. You lose nothing on quality control by bringing your own adviser.
What happens if a partner gets something wrong?
You tell us, because we are your single point of contact, and we take it up with the partner and keep you informed until it is put right. Each partner remains responsible for its own work under its terms with you, and a partner that keeps falling short stops receiving introductions from us.
Tell us what you want your capital to do, and we will show you who would be on your team.
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