About Us
The Business – the background and our ethos
Solo Property Services’ is a residential property investment consultancy and letting agency, specialising in residential and student letting accommodation 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 23 years of property experience, the last 19 of which have been in Exeter. 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.
‘We want to offer a more bespoke service for our 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 we can advise our clients from a position of having put our money where our mouth is, which means not only hands on experience of the market but credibility, which is crucial in my opinion, especially when we are advising clients about investments which may be second only to their own home by way of capital value and upon which they are looking to rely for
consistent long term income. Our 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 comprises one property or many.’
Professionally, Oliver Hale is a personal 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 ‘Property Ombudsman’ scheme in respect of lettings and subscribe to ‘The Dispute Service’ (TDS) in respect of tenancy deposits held, under recent tenancy deposit legislation which became effective in April 2007. The Team – experienced and professional
The Team – experienced and professional
The Lettings department is ably run on a day to day basis by Lettings Manager Ben Ridley, who has over 7 years experience in the Exeter lettings market. Ben can advise on all aspects of the letting process and you will find him not only knowledgeable and professional but extremely easy to get on with.
Complementing Ben in the main Lettings Office are Negotiator Will Hellier and Administrators Elaine Ridley and Helen Farrow and, last but not least, assisting Oliver behind the scenes, is Business Administrator Laura Reeves.
All have been instrumental in not only maintaining but improving the high standards of service already on offer. We pride ourselves not only on the quality of advice we give but the excellent relationship we have with our clients and are confident you will find us professional yet personable and friendly.
The Office – accessible and prominent
Situated in the heart of the central Exeter business area, our office is conveniently located on the corner of Southernhay East and Barnfield Road (to the right of the Barnfield Theatre), only a stone’s throw from the smart new Princesshay Shopping Centre, within a couple of minutes level walk of the High Street and close to many of the city centre car parks. Occupying the ground floor, we have excellent window display space on both sides of the corner to prominently promote your properties to potential buyers.
If you are unable or do not need to visit us in person, we can also be contacted by telephone, email and fax. Any calls that we are unable to answer, either during the working day or out of hours, will be diverted to an answer service and, if required, we will then call you back at the earliest opportunity.
