Apu approached us after hearing about our business through a recommendation on a Facebook group back in 2017.
Apu ended up purchasing two properties in Leeds which were sourced, purchased, refurbished and rented by Lifestyle Property People and we caught up with him to ask him about his investment journey.
Tell us about your property investment experience
Before investing with you guys, I had one BTL property in London – it is the property I used to live in, so I guess I was an accidental landlord.
Why did you want to expand your BTL portfolio?
In 2016, I had a heart attack that really made me question my own mortality. It came totally out of the blue and it got me thinking about what I could leave behind for my kids should the worst happen.
As well as leaving a legacy for your kids, was there anything else you wanted to achieve?
The heart attack shook me up a bit and put things into perspective: I wanted to focus more time on my kids. One of my sons has an ambition to be a professional goalkeeper and I’m doing all I can to help him achieve that dream: whether that’s driving him to football training after school or having a kickabout at the weekend or during the school holidays. He’s really talented but it’s quite difficult for an Asian boy to get into the professional football game.
It takes up a lot of my time and I wanted to diversify my income streams so I wasn’t so reliant on my day to day job and could make time to help him chase his dream. I’ve already got investments in the stock market and commodities, but the properties provide regular income – that’s what attracted me to investing in Leeds.
How has your upbringing influenced this decision?
When I was a kid, my parents (like most Asian parents) focused a lot on academia and pushed me to do well at school. I want to take a more flexible approach and help my kids to achieve non-academic goals – I want them to know that academia isn’t the only route to being successful.
What drew you to Lifestyle Property People?
I wanted to invest in more properties but I didn’t want any of the headache that comes with that. I was willing to pay for someone else to take that responsibility and just give me a ready-made investment that generates monthly income.
How are these two BTLs different from your other one?
As the properties are all the way in Leeds, it takes away a lot of the emotion and makes it purely an investment decision because I have never seen them! If they were closer I could pop round and meet the tenants, but this way I don’t have to get involved and it frees up my time to focus on my kids.
What will the property investments help you to achieve?
Over the short term, the investments give me more freedom to help my kids fulfil their dreams. In the long term, if they need some extra money down the line, I can always sell the properties – or if they do decide to move up to Leeds for university then they’ll have a place to stay.
What did you enjoy about the Lifestyle Property People approach?
What I liked the most was that the team didn’t just find me any old property in Leeds; they found me a property that suited my specific requirements, in 2 good areas, and did all the due diligence in terms of checking the local transport links and amenities. They even went above and beyond by negotiating a fantastic price for the properties: they didn’t need to do that, but that’s how you know that you can trust them.
What else makes the service stand out?
The constant professionalism – I was always kept in the loop with a constant stream of pictures, reports and information. I don’t think I ever had to chase them for an update.
What else makes the service stand out?
The constant professionalism – I was always kept in the loop with a constant stream of pictures, reports and information. I don’t think I ever had to chase them for an update.
The Numbers
3 words or phrases you would use to describe Lifestyle Property People?
- Professional
- Personable
- Attentive
Overall rating for Lifestyle Property People
8/10 – there is always room for improvement