• Home
  • About
  • Clinic
  • Training
  • Tenants
  • Landlord Law

The Landlord Law Blog

From landlord and tenant lawyer Tessa Shepperson

  • Home
  • Posts
  • News & comment
  • Cases
  • Tenants
    • The Renters Guide Website
    • 15 Places for tenant help
  • Clinic
  • Series
    • Analysis
    • should law and justice be free
    • HMO Basics
    • Tenancy Agreements 33 days
    • Airbnb
    • Grounds for Eviction
    • Tips

Sarah Beeny – Notable Property Persons in their own words

October 7, 2010 by Tessa J Shepperson

Sarah BeenyI am really delighted to have Channel 4 property presenter Sarah Beeny as my NPP this week. Here is her story.

1. Please introduce yourself. Say a bit about yourself and your company

Hi, I’m Sarah Beeny – probably best known for presenting property shows on Channel 4 – usually whilst heavily pregnant.

I recently launched free to use www.tepilo.com, which is now a market leading private property website, changing the way we buy, sell and let houses. The company was recently voted one of the top 100 small businesses in the UK, top 100 startups and shortlisted for website of the year.

In 2005 we created the online dating website, www.mysinglefriend.com which has been a phenomenal success and hopefully changed the attitude to online dating in this country.

2. How did you first become involved in property?

My father was an architect and so I was around building sites all my childhood – I guess it’s in my blood.

I set up my own property development and investment companies when I was 24 along with my brother and my husband.

3. What do you think is your greatest achievement so far?

Apart from my children….improving lives and changing the way people think about things with the web – Mysinglefriend and Tepilo both do this. I love the process of taking a new project to market – it’s never easy, but fantastically satisfying if it all goes to plan.

4. Do you or your company have any exciting plans for the future?

Yes, things seem to be moving in all directions. Tepilo is constantly developing, but we have a big marketing campaign coming up, some apps launching and we’re working towards an overseas section to the site. There’s also a properties wanted section that’s nearly ready to go.

I have also been restoring a listed building in Yorkshire and there’s a new show out in November, I hope, following the restoration. We’re hoping to have this up and running as a wedding and events venue very soon.

5. What do you think are the greatest problems facing the private rented sector today?

Legislation that keeps coming in to overcomplicate things. It doesn’t make anything any easier. I think that we will see increasing demand for rented accommodation as people find it harder to get on the property ladder – so there needs to be a solid and robust system to handle this and protect both landlords and tenants – and actually the wider community.

Properties need to be safe to let and well maintained and there should be a body there to deal with complaints and arrange adequate training and knowledge.

6. What do you think are the greatest opportunities?

Short term or holiday lets are in much demand and give a greater return at the moment, but any residential let will soon see increased demand. There’s still a big housing shortage in this country, so there will be some drastic rethinking required.

As the sales are slightly slow at the moment in some areas, it should be a prime opportunity to get some great deals for buy to let landlords – even more so as first time buyers are struggling to find finance.

7. We have a new government. What would you like them to do for the private rented sector?

Stop legislating as though the landlord is the bad guy and accept that there are just as many if not more difficult tenants as landlords – encouraging long term commitment between landlord and tenant would give greater stability all round.

Education is also a must – there are a growing number of “accidental landlords” – who through no real fault of their own have ended up renting their properties and need information, advice and also protection.

8. Do you use social media (blogs, twitter, LinkedIn etc)? What place do you think it has in the future of the property industry?

Yes – in any industry social media is becoming very strong and powerful. I use Twitter quite a bit these days – follow me @tepilo or @sarahbeeny and we have a blog and Facebook page for Tepilo.

I think what makes it powerful – is once you have built up a trusted network, getting good advice is really quick. I can see the view that it may become the new search. If I wanted to find the best roofer in Oxford – a tweet is all it might take to get a few good recommendations back – much quicker and simpler than searching on Google.

9. What is the most important lesson you have learned during your time in property?

Never underestimate how much building work costs – it only makes it more painful in the long run. Proper planning, taking plenty of advice and working out an accurate budget will build the foundations of a successful project.

10. What advice would you have to someone thinking of entering the property industry today?

Get a good qualification that enables you to move around the industry whilst earning a good salary. Learning a trade can be really valuable and save you considerable money when it comes to renovating a property. Time in the industry will enable you to adopt your own way of doing things and find the best people to work with to achieve the best results.

*****
Many thanks for that Sarah. All your plans sound exciting but I am particularly looking forward to seeing the restoration show in November.

To find out more about Sarah see her web-site here.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Filed Under: News and comment Tagged With: Property People

Scroll down for the comments

IMPORTANT: Please check the date of the post above - remember, if it is an old post, the law may have changed since it was written.

You should always get independent legal advice before taking any action.

Notes on comments:

For personal landlord and tenant related problems, please use our >> Blog Clinic.
Note that we do not publish all comments, please >> click here to read our terms of use and comments policy. Comments close after three months.

Keep up with the news on Landlord Law blog!

To get posts sent direct to your email in box click here

About Tessa J Shepperson

Tessa is a specialist landlord & tenant lawyer and the creator of this site! She is a director of Landlord Law Services which runs Landlord Law and Easy Law Training.

« Landlords proposals for law reform
TRO Confidential : The case of the culinary horse »

“Interesting posts on residential landlord & tenant law and practice - in England & Wales UK”

Subscribe to the Landlord Law Blog by email

Never miss another post!

Sign up to our
>> daily updates

If you are new to the blog >> click here

Get Your Free Ebook:

Click to get your Free Ebook

>> Click Here for Your Free Copy

Featured Post

Tessa Shepperson

Why you need and how to get proper legal advice on landlord and tenant issues

Tessa’s Podcast

The Landlord and Lawyer Podcast

Worried about Insurance?

Landlord Law Insurance Mini-Course

Disclaimer

The purpose of this blog is to provide information, comment and discussion.

Although Tessa, or guest bloggers, may from time to time, give helpful comments to readers' questions, these can only be based on the information given by the reader in his or her comment, which may not contain all material facts.

Any comments or suggestions provided by Tessa or any guest bloggers should not, therefore be relied upon as a substitute for legal advice from a qualified lawyer regarding any actual legal issue or dispute.

Nothing on this website should be construed as legal advice or perceived as creating a lawyer-client relationship (apart from the Fast Track block clinic service - so far as the questioners only are concerned).

Please also note that any opinion expressed by a guest blogger is his or hers alone, and does not necessarily reflect the views of Tessa Shepperson, or the other writers on this blog.

Cookies

You can find out more about our use of 'cookies' on this website here.

Associated sites

Landlord Law Services
The Renters Guide
Eco Landlords
Your Law Store

Legal

Landlord Law Blog is © 2006 – 2021 Tessa Shepperson.

Note that Tessa is an introducer for Alan Boswell Insurance Brokers and will get a commission from sales made via links on this website.

© 2006–2022 Tessa Shepperson | Rainmaker Platform | Contact Page | Privacy | Log in

This website or its third-party tools use cookies which are necessary to its functioning and required to improve your experience. By clicking the consent button, you agree to allow the site to use, collect and/or store cookies.
I accept