Service H5

Handholding service for UK buy to let, investment and other UK property acquisition

Like other handholding services we provide this is all about empowering and supporting you in your quest to buy UK property and use it profitably.

The first part of the page is a general discussion on handholding services and further down is specific information on the H5 service

Introduction to handholding services

The handholding services are an executive service like the H3 finding service, and makes use of the same experts and our whole range of club contacts. It is designed to empower you rather than undertake a task and to be an on-demand service, so you can make as little or as much use as you want of it.

Handholding as the name suggests involves being available to you, and talking through projects with you so as to minimize the chance of you making mistakes. It is a form of consultancy, but designed not to do a job for you, but to empower you to do it yourself. So it, in part teaches you techniques or skills, and in part is a sounding board for you to try out your ideas or plans with, as well as a source of knowledge. If you feel you want your adviser to go to a meeting with you or check something out for you then he will.

There is a distinct difference between undertaking a task for you and empowering you to do it yourself. With the first you will, in the future, also need to use a service, while with the second you gain the skills to undertake it yourself. The amount of handholding you may feel you need will vary from one person to another, and this is an on demand service so you choose when you want handholding. You make all your decisions, he is there just to advise you and to make sure you are aware of options that perhaps you have not considered.

Take for example a property finding operation for 'buy to let', you might decide you need help to define your needs and know where to look, then feel confident to go looking at properties on your own, coming back for more handholding when you think you have found the ideal property and want to check out the plan ahead from there. From this meeting you progress well, until an unexpected problem arises and you need to talk it over, not again using the service until you decide to sell the property and then looking at how you could get the maximum return on it.

Using the finding services requires a registration fee for the service, which includes the first meeting of up to half a day at the directors home and office in the Cotswold's, you can be picked up from and returned to Cheltenham railway station if you want to travel by train. Beyond this you are charged on a an hourly basis, with a minimum billing on any call of 15 minutes, plus if you want him to go anywhere else in the UK the time involved  plus a mileage charge. Any other costs you want him to incur are covered at cost by you. The fees vary from one of the handholding services to another in line with the cost of keeping the knowledge required up to date.

There are three handholding services in this group, and two more from the service menu, 

• Handholding overseas property 
• Handholding UK buy to let, this can include the sourcing or property right through to eventually selling a property
• Handholding UK self build

If during the first meeting, you decide instead of the handholding service to use the H3 service then the initial registration for the handholding service is credited in full towards the first stage of the H3 fees.

Other handholding services in relation to selling and business management are on separate pages available from the main services page.

H5 - Handholding UK buy to let

The idea of a handholding service started with UK buy to let property, where some members suggested that although reasonably confident to get involved they would really love to have an experienced person with them to check everything out and point out any expensive mistakes before they made them. This service has been developed to fill this need but also been expanded to include other needs that may arise.

We would not class it as a consultancy service, quite simply as it does not attempt to tell you what you should do, but to make sure you are aware of the facts and have considered various options before making your own decision. Like other handholding services the club provides its all about empowering you rather than just selling you a service.

Given this, you may feel more confident to go and purchase UK property, and more than anything, just need a person with the knowledge and experience to talk over your projects with. You may also feel that a wider knowledge of acquisition methods may open up more opportunities and allow you to  both move faster and find a property at a lower price.

The question often asked is why have an initial meeting, why not go directly to look at properties. We feel that rather then rushing straight in its worth exploring your objectives and the various ways of meeting them. It maybe that there are other options, areas or methods you have not considered. We also need to gauge the level of experience and knowledge that you have so as to know at what level to support you. 

Take a look at the H4 service, the overseas search handholding to understand more fully the differences between handholding and the H3 Executive Service that uses the same resources. The H3 service can, in a limited number of cases, be used to search for UK property so also consider if this might be better to use than this service, the charging structure for finding UK properties is lower than for finding USA properties as there is not so much expensive traveling and other costs, and more that you can follow up on yourself. In a similar way you will find that the UK experience obtained was cheaper to acquire and is cheaper to keep up to date than the USA, so this H5 UK buy to let handholding service has a lower pricing structure than the H4 handholding service for overseas property.

Booking the H5 service

First email or call and check that more clients can be taken on, on this service at this time. Also get the address and details of who to make the registration fee payable. Post this in, with a note including your name, address, telephone number, and stating that the fee enclosed is for registration on the H5 service. Once your cheque has been cleared you will be called and a mutually convenient date arranged. If the first meting is urgent there are ways to arrange things faster, involving the payment of cash for the registration fee directly to a local bank near you, we will tell you the bank and account number and can detect the payment has been made on line.

There is no small print, or contract you have to sign before attending, and at the first meeting you will just sign a letter agreeing to the fee structure and agreeing to pay all bills within 14 days.

At the first meeting

Remember if you wish to come by rail, you can be collected and returned  (usually in a Jaguar Sovereign) from Cheltenham station.

The first meeting is all about finding out what you want to achieve, why, your level of current knowledge and skills, and identifying with you a plan of action that will allow you to move rapidly ahead. Its a chance to identify what help you will need and how this is best met.  The definition of your search is then worked out or options explored that will allow you to firm this up later. Beyond this depending on your wishes, needs, and the plan agreed, you may be shown new skills, discuss a wide range of topics, or get straight into defining what you can go and see. This meeting can last up to 3 hours, but you may find that all that you want to have achieved is done in less time or that its just too intense and that you have as much as you can sensibly take in at the meeting.

This meeting can start at any level you like, for example you may just know you want to invest in property but not know where, or you may have a definite area you have already decided upon, or anything in between.

If your interest turns out to be UK or  USA property it may be that on seeing all that is involved, and considering the cost of doing the search, you decide that the H3 service would be better for you. The meeting can accomplish the first meeting for the H3 service and the registration fee be converted over to pay a part of the first payment on this service instead.

Should you decide that its the H4 (overseas property) service that you really want, you can upgrade to this at the first meeting by paying the difference in registration and then going onto its charge structure.