leeds tenants federation interview
Hi Richard. How did you get started in the business of providing homes for rent?
Richard Willis
I started out as an electrician (accepted on princess trust enterprise scheme) and in 1986 set up my own business ( became niceic approved electrical contractor in 1987).
(Iworked 7 days a week to build a good client base and reputation to be reliable, always had to work hard whilst been at school working in farming community with adults from age of 11 years onwards evenings/weekends which grounded my work ethics for being a hard working reliable/sensible person, high standards were always expected this was normal practice, my working life after thiese experiences were just an extension of basically all i had ever known)
In 1988 i bought a small two bedroom house, renovated it and advertised it for rent as a shared house. The demand highlighted the need for quality accommodation. So i decided to purchase another, much larger house in Beeston. I converted this into a six bedroom shared house. I then continued to buy, renovate and rent properties. In 1991 i gave up my electrical contractor business to concentrate on refurbishing and renting properties in Leeds ( i would work week days on the electrical contracting business in york maintaining customers expectations then evenings/weekends would work on the properties for myself burning work at both ends).
Can you tell us about your portfolio of properties?
Richard Willis
We currently have 220 properties in Leeds. LS9, LS10, LS11 and LS13. We also have 35 in Hull. The properties in Hull came about because I was a preferred landlord for Safe Haven Yorkshire in Leeds. This is a charity agency that provides housing for asylum seekers and they had gained a contract to work in Hull and approached me to provide the houses.
That is a lot properties Richard! How do you find the time to carry out day to day management on your own?
Richard Willis
I have employees carrying out day to day work for me currently (even though I am currently working around 80 hours per week myself to keep pushing forward you must make large sacrifices on your lifestyle) I like to concentrate on renovating properties. I have a manager dealing with day to day management who works out of an office in Beeston.
I also have an admin assistant and a repairs team. 20 years ago I tried do it all myself but found I was working 24/7 and I couldn’t cope. I was turning clients away!
You mentioned housing asylum seekers. What other tenants do you have? Do you take people on benefits?
Richard Willis
I am happy to house anyone so long as they abide by the tenancy conditions and be good neighbours. In fact when I first started out it was a steep learning curve. My tenants included people in employment, students and homeless people with drug or alcohol dependency issues. In 2012 we were awarded the emergency accommodation contract with Leeds City Council. This means we can house people who have declared themselves homeless with Leeds City Council. You have to be an accredited landlord to achieve this.
To become accredited, landlords and their properties need to meet certain requirements. Property management and condition of property have standards that must be met. The aims of this scheme are to encourage, acknowledge and promote good standards of property management and conditions within privately rented accommodation. Leeds City Council work with landlords who fall just short of the expected standard, helping them to meet the requirements of the scheme.
We do ask tenants for references, carry out interviews and ask for proof of income.
Are you worried about the introduction of Universal Credit?
Richard Willis
Very worried. We currently have 161 housing benefit claimants. 160 have their rent paid direct to me. When UC comes to Leeds are all of these people going to prioritise paying rent? I know many will but the last thing I want to do is go to court and evict people, especially vulnerable people. I believe providing good quality accommodation is essential to a stable life. I do try help out tenants with benefit claims. They can come into the office and use our phone to speak with the DWP, Job Centre or anyone else in relation to work or housing.
Leeds Tenants Federation was then shown round an occupied property. It was one house converted into 4 self contained flats. Two shared a kitchen and bathroom and the two others had their own kitchen and bathroom.
They were all in good condition and well maintained. Most importantly the tenants were very happy with their home and landlord.
It’s good to see that some private landlords appreciate the need to provide quality accommodation to all sections of society. Maintaining a good tenant/landlord relationship is beneficial to everyone.
WE HAVE A 24/7 365 DAYS A YEAR SUPPORT/MAINTENANCE CONTACT SERVICE WHICH MAINTAINS AN VERY STANDARD FOR ALL OR CLIENTS
WE PROVIDE/ASSIST WITH SUPPORT SERVICE TO THE MOST VULNERABLE IN WEST YORKSHIRE/HUMBERSIDE AREAS
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At RD Willis Properties, we are committed to providing safe, secure, and quality accommodation solutions across the private rented sector.