The HMO Podcast

Looking to finally start your own HMO business?

In today's episode, I'm joined by my good friend Craig Sullivan a.k.a. The Property Apprentice.

Craig is a hands-on property developer based in Medway (North Kent) who’s been investing in student HMOs for 15 years and has built a multi-million-pound property portfolio.

He has also built the largest Student HMO Lettings and Management Agency in Medway which not only manages his personal properties but local landlord’s stock too - they now have over 60 HMOs and over 250 Tenants.

So in this episode, Craig shared a lot about what it takes to build a successful HMO property business including:

• His goals for the year and how he categorises his goals
• How he started investing in HMOs
• His strategy and investment criteria
• The struggles of managing tenants
• What he likes about the student market
• How he leverages social media for his business
• Tips and advice for new property investors
• His forecast for the year ahead

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Got any questions? Ask us in The HMO Community Facebook Group or follow me on Instagram @andygraham.hmo for daily HMO tips and advice!

If you want to join my 1-2-1 mentoring program, you can enquire here.

New to HMOs? Join our exclusive community of HMO property investors at thehmoroadmap.co.uk for online training, group coaching, and resources to help you start, scale, and systemise your HMO business.

In this episode, we're shaking things up a bit on the show as I'm joined by Matt Lester.

Matt, a property investor and a member of The HMO Community, our thriving Facebook group, eagerly volunteered to participate in a mini mentoring session with me. He sent over three questions, and I'll do my best to provide valuable insights to help him with his HMO property business.

During the mentoring session, we tackled these questions:

• Are HMOs more challenging to execute in the South of England?
• What level of value uplift is required for the refinancing and scaling model to be effective?
• How can first-time investors obtain commercial valuations?
• What criteria should one consider when sourcing potential HMO areas?
• How can one determine if an area is family-friendly and unsuitable for HMOs based on council preferences?
• Do HMOs with seven or more occupants require seven parking spaces, or can proximity to transportation options suffice?
• Tips for approaching friends, friends of friends, and family members who might be suitable investors.

By addressing these questions, we aim to equip listeners with practical advice and strategies to start and scale their HMO property business.

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Please leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you find this episode useful.

Got any questions? Ask us in The HMO Community Facebook Group or follow me on Instagram @andygraham.hmo for daily HMO tips and advice!

If you want to join my 1-2-1 mentoring program, you can enquire here.

New to HMOs? Join The HMO Roadmap - an exclusive community and online learning platform for HMO property investors. As a member, you’ll get access to online training, group coaching, a deal stacker tool, case studies, contract templates and more resources to help you start, scale, and systemise your HMO business.

Are you prepared to enter a recession?

In this episode, we're going to talk about recession-proof strategies for HMO property investors. Now, I don't want to be known for scaremongering, but I want to ensure that I'm prepared if we do go into a recession. And let's be honest, things look a little bit dicey out there at the moment.

So today, I've got nine strategies that will help you navigate through a recession, if that is ultimately what happens.

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Please leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you find this episode useful.

Got any questions? Ask us in The HMO Community Facebook Group or follow me on Instagram @andygraham.hmo for daily HMO tips and advice!

If you want to join my 1-2-1 mentoring program, you can enquire here.

New to HMOs? Join The HMO Roadmap - an exclusive community and online learning platform for HMO property investors. As a member, you’ll get access to online training, group coaching, a deal stacker tool, case studies, contract templates and more resources to help you start, scale, and systemise your HMO business.

In this episode, we're excited to bring you another mini-mentoring session featuring Swarren Samra, a budding property investor.
Despite being relatively new to the field, Swarren has already accomplished an impressive feat: successfully transforming a 3-bedroom property into a 5-bedroom HMO tailored for working professionals. Currently, he's actively engaged in his second project. He shared three thought-provoking questions with us, and I’ll do my best to provide invaluable advice to support him in achieving his big goals.

During our mentoring session, Swarren raised the following questions:

• “I have 3 potential investors. One is looking at a joint venture partnership, another at an actual return on their investment. Finally, the third has requested an earn-and-learn type model. How do I structure these deals and what legal documents or considerations must be implemented to ensure each is satisfied with the outcome?”
• “When I am able to onboard an investor for a particular project, what are my options if the investor is adamant they want their money back early? How can these situations be handled, and have you experienced this before?”
• “I am working on 2 and 3-bedroom properties and converting them into 5 and 6-bedroom HMOs. I have a strong desire to move into larger properties and developments. What are the thought processes behind converting a large building into a 10 or 12-bedroom HMO Vs 4 or 5 flats? How do you differentiate which is the best way to go?”

By addressing these questions, our aim is to equip our listeners with practical advice and effective strategies they can implement to kickstart and expand their own HMO property businesses.
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Please leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you find this episode useful.

Got any questions? Ask us in The HMO Community Facebook Group or follow me on Instagram @andygraham.hmo for daily HMO tips and advice!

If you want to join my 1-2-1 mentoring program, you can enquire here.

New to HMOs? Join The HMO Roadmap - an exclusive community and online learning platform for HMO property investors. As a member, you’ll get access to online training, group coaching, a deal stacker tool, case studies, contract templates and more resources to help you start, scale, and systemise your HMO business.

How do you scale a HMO business from 0 to 1,500 rooms?

In this episode, I’m joined by Jordi Pasqualin, a former professional rugby player and now co-founder of BAM Capital. We talk about the unique business model of lease operators and discuss the challenges and misconceptions in the HMO industry.

Jordi also shares his insights and experience on scaling the business through acquisitions, logical planning approaches, and the sacrifices made along the way to achieve success in the property market.

Topics covered in this episode:

02:48 - Jordi's transition from rugby player to property investor

06:57 - Understanding how the lease operator model works

09:49 - Overcoming challenges and stigmas in the HMO industry

12:38 - The importance of mindset shifts in growing your business

20:39 - Realities of building a successful property business

24:28 - Managing evolving tenant needs and expectations

35:21 - Future challenges and opportunities in property management

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Did you find this episode useful? Please leave us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!

Got any questions? Join The HMO Community on Facebook!

Connect with me on Instagram or Linkedin for daily HMO tips and advice!

If you want to join my 1-2-1 mentoring program, you can enquire here.

Feeling overwhelmed and don’t know where to start? Join The HMO Roadmap on a Premium plan and get all-access to our award-winning library of 400+ resources to help you start, scale and systemise your HMO business. Get instant access here.