Solo Property Services

The Business

‘Solo Property Services‘ is a residential property investment consultancy and letting agency, specialising in residential and student letting accommodation and property management and offering an individual and personal service to clients in Exeter and the surrounding area. Set up in November 2005, the business has quickly becoming established through success and word of mouth. Oliver Hale, the principal of the firm, is an experienced letting agent and estate agent, with over 20 years of property experience, the last 18 of which have been in Exeter, including almost 14 years developing and managing another of Exeter’s residential and student letting agencies from scratch. Additionally, and importantly - especially when it comes to advising clients on how to invest in and let property - Oliver is also a longstanding landlord himself, with experience of both residential and student letting, the latter an important sector of the market in what is a key University City.

‘Having developed a successful letting agency for my previous employer and having established my credentials accordingly, I was looking for a new challenge and an opportunity to mould my expertise to a more bespoke service for my clients, encompassing not just the basic letting and management of the properties themselves, but the whole process, from that initial kernel of ‘I’ve been thinking about buy-to-let’, catered for by a Consultancy service, to assisting in the purchase of a suitable property with an Acquisition Service, to the actual letting and management itself; and all points and associated services in-between.

‘As a landlord myself, I believe I can advise my clients from a position of having put my money where my mouth is, which means not only hands on experience of the market but credibility, which is crucial, in my opinion, when I am advising clients about investments which may be second only to their own home by way of capital value. My intention is to offer a premium and adaptable service at realistic rates to those clients looking for that something a little different and who are looking for an agent to trust with their letting portfolio, whether it be one property or many.

‘Similarly, I am seeking those clients who appreciate the more comprehensive service that I am able to offer and who are prepared to listen to sensible advice regarding all aspects of their investment, whether related to the property itself, the tenancy or investing in the market. I will also always endeavour to place quality above quantity, so whilst all potential new business will be considered on its merits, those looking for bucket shop lettings, bargain basement fees and those with substandard properties who are not prepared to invest in their improvement should respectfully seek an agent elsewhere. I intend to develop my business on the basis of reputation, not only personally but by the reputation of the properties that I deal with and therefore, by association, the clients that I act for. I have no doubt that my existing clients would concur with this ethos unreservedly and I believe that most potential clients would too.

‘If you believe that this approach is also for you and a refreshing change to what is all too frequently encountered in business, then please let me know and I will be delighted to discuss your requirements in more detail.’

With an office situated in the heart of the central Exeter business area, in Southernhay, Solo Property Services are conveniently located within a couple of minutes level walk of Exeter High Street and a stone’s throw from the smart new Princesshay Shopping Centre.

Professionally, Oliver Hale is a Member of the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) and the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) and as such abides by a strict code of conduct, as well as having to maintain professional insurances, including Professional Indemnity Insurance and Clients Money Protection Insurance. Separate clients’ accounts are also maintained and have to be audited. Additionally, membership of ARLA and the NAEA also ensures that we are kept abreast of the latest developments in the world of lettings, including case law, government legislation etc. Solo Property Services are also members of the Ombudman for Estate Agents scheme in respect of lettings and are members of The Dispute Service (TDS) in respect of the recent tenancy deposit legislation which became effective in April 2007.

Complementing Oliver in the office are Senior Lettings Negotiator, Ben Ridley; Lettings Negotiator, Gemma Cave, both of whom joined in late 2006, and Client Administrator Elaine Ridley, who joined in January 2009. All have been instrumental in not only maintaining but improving the high standards of service already on offer. We have also now been joined by Susannah Rowe, assisting Elaine in the client administration. Finally, we have Helen Webster, who assists Oliver with the business administration and clients accounts.

Administratively, we have taken on specialist lettings software from the market leaders in this field, CFP Software, to help ensure the efficiency and accuracy of all our documentation and accounts processing.

As you can see from all the above, serious consideration and investment in time and money has been given to ensure that the service delivered matches the rhetoric. We would like to extend an invitation to you therefore, to experience that service for yourself. For details of the services on offer, please click on the applicable link above or contact us.

About Exeter

The Cathedral City of Exeter, Devon’s capital, is an attractive and historic former Roman settlement located overlooking, and on the banks, of the River Exe, approximately 8 miles from the South Devon coast, where the Exe Estuary meets the English Channel. Although bombed heavily in the Second World War, there are still many period buildings throughout the city, with the impressive medieval Cathedral and surrounding ‘Cathedral Yard’ area the cultural and tourist centre point.

The High Street - pedestrianised except for local buses - and adjoining shopping precincts and centres offer a wide selection of both national and independent retail outlets, businesses and eating and drinking establishments. Land Securities have also recently completed a huge redevelopment of the Princesshay shopping precinct, which now offers a superb range of retail and food establishments, the vast majority new to Exeter, as well as residential city centre accommodation. Additionally, Exeter’s historic quayside provides not only an attractive area to walk and cycle, with cycle and pedestrian paths on the canal and riverside, but further shopping and eating opportunities, as well as hosting several of the city’s nightclubs. Exeter also comprises a number of distinct districts, e.g. Heavitree, Pinhoe, Whipton, St. Thomas, Alphington, St. Leonards, each with their own flavour and each offering local shopping amenities. A number of edge of town retail parks, industrial estates and business parks also offer further retail facilities, including major supermarkets, DIY stores, furniture stores and what is one of the largest concentrations of motor dealerships in Europe, on Marsh Barton Industrial Estate.

Leisure and sports facilities are also excellent, with 3 city centre cinemas, nightclubs, a huge selection of pubs and restaurants, the excellent and well regarded Victoria and Albert Memorial Museum, the Phoenix arts centre, the Northcott Theatre, a central library, 2 swimming pools, various leisure centres, an Athletics stadium, Exeter City Football Club, Exeter Chiefs Rugby Club and Haldon Racecourse amongst others. Additionally, the Exe Estuary and South Devon coast provide numerous water sports opportunities as well as excellent beaches and coastal paths, and Dartmoor National Park, providing beautiful moorland scenery and walking, are all within easy reach.

Exeter also offers superb educational facilities, including state and private / public and the highly regarded Exeter University, which attracts large numbers of students from not only the UK but worldwide, adding to an increasingly diverse melting pot of people living in the city. Health facilities are also good with the Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Trust Hospital offering comprehensive NHS medical care. There is also a private Nuffield Hospital. GP’s and dentists surgeries are situated throughout the city and a vast array of specialist and complementary health practices are operating in the city as well.

Communication links with the rest of the country and indeed further afield are excellent, with the M5 motorway and A30 providing main road links, rail lines to both Paddington and Waterloo as well as many other destinations, the ferry port at Plymouth (about 1 hours drive) offering ferry services to northern France and Spain, and Exeter Airport offering an increasing range of destinations within and outside the UK, both scheduled (primarily with Flybe, who are based at Exeter and are probably the fastest growing airline in the UK at the moment) and charter flights. Bristol International Airport, just over an hours drive away offers destinations even further afield, including New York.

Exeter has not been voted the preferred place to live in the country, on more than one occasion, for nothing!

Useful Information

Please find below hyperlinks to various websites offering additional information that may be useful. Please note however, that this is only intended as an aid to obtaining information and should not be seen as an endorsement of any site by Solo Property Services. Similarly, we can accept no responsibility for any information contained within them.

Local Authorities
Devon County Council – http://www.devon.gov.uk/
Exeter City Council – http://exeter.gov.uk/
East Devon District Council – http://www.eastdevon.gov.uk/
Mid Devon District Council – http://www.middevon.gov.uk/
North Devon District Council – http://www.northdevon.gov.uk/
South Hams District Council – http://www.southhams.gov.uk/
Teignbridge District Council – http://www.teignbridge.gov.uk/
Torridge District Council – http://www.torridge.gov.uk/

Education
Schools – see local authorities
Exeter College – http://www.exe-coll.ac.uk/
Peninsula Medical School – http://www.pms.ac.uk/
Plymouth University – http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/
University of Exeter – http://www.ex.ac.uk/

Health
Doctors & Dentists – http://www.nhs.uk/
Exeter NHS Hospitals – http://www.rdehospital.nhs.uk/
Exeter Primary Care Trust – http://www.exeter-pct.nhs.uk/

Travel
Train timetables – http://nationalrail.co.uk/
National Express – http://www.nationalexpress.com/
Stagecoach – http://www.stagecoachbus.com/
Exeter bus information – www.exeter.gov.uk/tourism
Exeter Airport – http://www.exeter-airport.co.uk/

Employment
Local information website – http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/
Job Centre – http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/

General Information
Local information website – http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/
Tourist Information – www.exeter.gov.uk/tourism
Maps – http://www.multimap.com/
Postcodes – http://www.royalmail.com/