Wendy Peterman

Wendy Peterman Hi I'm Wendy Peterman the Managing Director of Petermans Estate Agents, a family business since 1962.

Volunteer Mentor at Agents Together
Mental Health Carer St John's Ambulance

11/10/2026

There was never a plan for a sequel. There wasn't even a plan for the first book.

It all started with me telling stories to my grandchildren, and it's just grown and grown from there.

There was never a plan for a second book. There wasn't really a plan for the first one either.

It all started with me making up stories for my grandchildren, usually while they were eating their lunch.

Somewhere along the way those stories became a book, and now here I am, waiting on sketches for the next one.

What I love most is that the family keeps growing, and so does the cast. When I started there were two grandchildren.

Three of them have found their way into this story, and there are four of them now, so I suspect I'll be writing for a while yet.

To be honest, it doesn't feel like work. It's pure enjoyment, and I'm more excited about this story than I expected to be.

If you've got a grandparent who tells the best stories, maybe it's time someone wrote them down.

Data from the English Housing Survey shows that tenants are staying in rented homes for longer than they used to.That sh...
09/10/2026

Data from the English Housing Survey shows that tenants are staying in rented homes for longer than they used to.

That should change the way landlords think about both the properties they own and the tenants living in them.

If someone may stay for five, seven or even ten years, it stands to reason that comfort, maintenance, location and suitability for changing lifestyles all matter more.

In my latest article, I look at what longer-term renting could mean for landlords and property investors in Herne Hill.
https://lovehernehill.co.uk/tenants-are-renting-for-longer/

08/10/2026

There's one sign you need a holiday that beats all the others, and I'd bet most business owners know exactly which one it is.

I was asked to blind rank the signs it's time to book a break.
Five options, one at a time, no going back.
It sounds easy until you've used up your top spots and the obvious answer is still waiting.

I'll be honest, I'd reorder most of this list given another go.
Daydreaming about being somewhere else should probably have ranked higher, considering how much of my time I spend doing it, even when I've just got back.

But my number one wouldn't budge.
That one I'd stand by any day of the week.

Watch to see where everything landed, then tell me your number one.
If it's the same as mine, it might be time to book something.

06/10/2026

Over the last four months, at least half my time has gone on answering formal complaints that used to be a quick phone call.

I don't blame tenants for wanting to know their rights.

But when an AI tool tells someone to skip the conversation and go straight to a formal process, a simple repair turns into a paper exercise.

And at Peterman's, that paper lands on my desk, because I am the complaints procedure.

The landlords we manage for rarely see any of this. That's rather the point.

If you self-manage, though, it's you sitting at the laptop at midnight, piecing together dates, emails and contractor notes to prove you did the right thing.

To be honest, my advice is to keep your records as if someone will ask for them tomorrow. If you're not sure yours would stand up, I'm always happy to talk it through.

04/10/2026

💭 If I could give my younger self one piece of advice, it would be this: Trust yourself more.

When we're younger, it's very easy to get caught up in what everyone else thinks we should do.

Parents have opinions.
Teachers have opinions.
Friends have opinions.
Society certainly has opinions.

And before you know it, you're following a path that feels right for everyone else, but not necessarily for you.

Looking back, I'd tell younger Wendy to concentrate a little more at school 📚, talk a little less 😅, and most importantly, believe in herself.

I'd tell her to find the thing that excites her, stay consistent, and pursue it wholeheartedly.

Because a few years later, you'll often look back and think, "Why didn't I just do what I wanted to do in the first place?"

✨ Trust your instincts.
They're usually trying to tell you something important.

💬 What's one piece of advice you'd give your younger self?

Helping first-time buyers onto the property ladder? Absolutely.Building more homes? We need that too.But does that mean ...
02/10/2026

Helping first-time buyers onto the property ladder? Absolutely.
Building more homes? We need that too.

But does that mean the Government’s new Your First Home scheme is necessarily the right answer?

If support is concentrated on one section of the new-build market, there is a risk of pushing prices higher without doing enough to unlock the wider housing market.

Could helping first-time buyers purchase ordinary resale homes create more movement throughout the entire property chain instead?

Read Herne Hill Director Wendy Peterman’s thoughts on why helping buyers and stimulating housebuilding might be two problems requiring two different solutions.
https://lovehernehill.co.uk/first-time-buyers-need-help-but-is-labours-your-first-home-scheme-the-answer/

01/10/2026

💭 I still can’t quite believe I’m saying this… but I’m officially a published author.

The launch of Princess Rosa and the Underwater Surprise felt completely overwhelming in the best possible way.

Seeing the book in Paper Cat, a wonderful children’s bookshop in Herne Hill, made everything feel real. 📚✨

For anyone who hasn’t read it yet, the story is about friendship, support, and the adventures of Princess Rosa, Jack, and Fairy Sparkle.

There’s a magical kingdom, a cottage in the forest, a flower home in Elderflower Forest, and, in this story, a very special underwater adventure. 🌊👑🧚♀️

I won’t tell you any more than that, because you’ll have to read it.

This book began as stories for my granddaughter, and now it’s out in the world for other children, parents, and grandparents to enjoy together.

You can buy it from Paper Cat in Herne Hill, Amazon, or grandmastories.com.

💬 Who would you love to read this story with?

29/09/2026

🏡 The landlords who do best over the next few years won't be the ones reacting.
They'll be the ones preparing.

With the rental market evolving rapidly, now is the perfect time to step back and review how your property is managed.

Too many landlords only look at their processes when a problem appears.

By then, it's often much harder to fix.

The smarter approach is to review everything now:

📄 Documentation
📋 Compliance
📞 Communication
🎯 Your overall strategy

The new legislation has reduced the margin for error and increased the importance of getting things right from the beginning.

That's why preparation has become one of the most valuable tools a landlord can have.

A little time spent reviewing your processes today could save a great deal of stress tomorrow.

💬 Are you confident your current landlord strategy is built for today's market?

27/09/2026

✨ One of the quickest ways to build trust is simply to be consistent.

In business, consistency matters.

It's not just about doing the same job well every day.
It's about being consistent in how you treat people, how you communicate, and how you conduct yourself.

When people know what to expect from you, they feel comfortable.
And when they feel comfortable, trust naturally follows. 🤝

That said, I don't think consistency means pretending everything is perfect all the time.

Life happens.
Challenges happen.
Sometimes people are carrying things that affect their concentration, motivation, or ability to show up as their usual selves.

That's why I believe good leadership and good relationships require both accountability and understanding.

The goal isn't perfection.
It's creating an environment where people can be reliable whilst still being human. ❤️

💬 What's the first thing that helps you trust someone professionally?

How much time is managing your property portfolio actually taking?Recent research found that 68% of self-managing landlo...
25/09/2026

How much time is managing your property portfolio actually taking?

Recent research found that 68% of self-managing landlords spend at least 31 hours every month looking after their rental properties.
That’s getting close to a full working week for many people!

And it isn’t necessarily the big things consuming that time. Maintenance, tenant communication, paperwork, compliance... all those small jobs that need organising soon add up.

We know that self-managing works for some landlords.
But perhaps there comes a time when it is important to ask: what is your own time worth? And is managing everything yourself still the best use of it?

Read our latest article for a closer look.
https://lovehernehill.co.uk/self-managing-as-a-landlord-is-a-30-hour-a-month-job/

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Peterman & Co
London
SE249NE

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