The Property Management Programme

The Property Management Programme The Property Management Programme is here to help your property portfolio flourish under your own ma

Cheap property management is expensive.“Can you do it any cheaper? My current agent only charges 10%.”We hear this a lot...
23/03/2026

Cheap property management is expensive.

“Can you do it any cheaper? My current agent only charges 10%.”

We hear this a lot — and, in truth, those conversations rarely turn into long-term clients.

Interestingly, they usually come from landlords who are already experiencing problems:

- Difficult tenants

- Ongoing maintenance issues

- Late or inconsistent rent payments

And while it’s easy to blame the agent, there’s often a bigger picture.

Across nearly 200 tenancies, we currently have one problem case — the first in six years where we’ve had to consider eviction on a tenant we placed.

That’s not luck. That’s process.

When property is managed properly:

- Problem tenants are the exception, not the norm

- Recurring issues are prevented, not patched

- Payments are made on time, every time — no excuses

Where we see portfolios struggle, it’s usually due to:

- Cutting corners on refurbishments

- Choosing the cheapest contractors over the right ones

- Short-term savings over long-term thinking

We work differently.

We use high-quality trades, and we pay them properly — because good people don’t do great work for bargain prices.

We invest in a strong, accountable team — because property management is not a side task, it’s a system.

And we partner with landlords who understand that:

👉 The goal isn’t the cheapest management

👉 The goal is reliable, low-stress, long-term performance

Managing property — whether HMOs or family homes — requires everyone pulling in the same direction.

When that happens, it works.

After nearly 15 years, it’s a bit like conducting an orchestra — and when it’s done right, the results speak for themselves.

If you’re looking for hands-off, properly managed property investment, we should probably have a conversation.

Ain't this the truth!
23/03/2026

Ain't this the truth!

20/03/2026

When the problem isn’t yours to pay For:

Most landlords accept that maintenance is part of the job. Roofs fail. Boilers break. Damp appears.

But every so often, we come across a different type of issue—one that isn’t caused by time or tenants…

👉 It’s caused by how the property was built or refurbished in the first place.

These are known as "latent defects"—problems that were there all along but only become visible months or even years later.

⚖️ When poor workmanship becomes a legal issue

Under the Defective Premises Act 1972, anyone carrying out building work has a duty to ensure that:

- The work is done in a professional manner
- Proper materials are used
- The property is fit for habitation

If that standard isn’t met, responsibility doesn’t automatically sit with the landlord.

In some cases, the builder—or more importantly, their insurance—may be liable.

A Scenario we see all too often:

A landlord refurbishes a property. It looks modern, well-finished, and ready to let.

Then, within 12–24 months damp begins appearing across external walls, mould becomes a recurring issue, tenants raise health concerns, flooring or plasterwork starts to deteriorate.

At first glance, it looks like a maintenance issue. But upon closer inspection, the root cause is often:

👉 Inadequate ventilation
👉 Poor insulation detailing
👉 Incorrect installation of materials

In other words—the job was never done properly.

💡 Why this matters

Many landlords simply absorb the cost of putting things right.
But where defects are linked to workmanship, it's not only the case that there might there be a valid claim, but also, the cost may be recoverable.

And the issue may be larger than it first appears:

✅ What should you do?

If you suspect something isn’t right, document the issue early – photos, timelines, tenant reports and:

- Get an independent opinion – surveyors or specialist contractors
- Identify who carried out the work
- Check whether insurance was in place at the time

Seek advice before committing to major remedial works

🦊 The Foxdog approach

At Foxdog, we don’t just treat the symptom. We ask:

👉 “Should this have happened at all?”

Because protecting your asset isn’t just about fixing problems—
it’s about making sure you’re not paying for someone else’s mistake.

📥 Want to know what to look for?

We’ve created a simple checklist to help landlords spot the warning signs of latent defects early.

If you want a copy of our “Defect Risk Checklist for Landlords” send us an email to [email protected] and we'll share this free resource with you.

Why do underdogs succeed far more often than they should?And what can that teach us in business?In David & Goliath, Malc...
17/03/2026

Why do underdogs succeed far more often than they should?

And what can that teach us in business?

In David & Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell highlights a striking statistic: in conflicts where one side is at least 10 times stronger, the underdog still wins 28.5% of the time. That’s not luck. It’s strategy.

When underdogs refuse to play by the “Goliath” rulebook and instead adopt unconventional approaches, their win rate increases significantly.

The lesson is simple:

- If you are smaller, don’t compete harder — compete differently
- Don’t play to the strengths of larger competitors
- Operate on your own terms

But here is the part that really stood out to me: Underdogs are often not just choosing a different approach — they are forced into it. And that constraint can become a strength.

Gladwell shares an example from the Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT), which measures how well people move beyond instinctive answers to deeper thinking.

Researchers made the test harder to read.

You would expect scores to fall. They didn’t — they improved.

Why?

Because people slowed down. They thought more carefully. They questioned assumptions. They engaged properly. The friction improved the outcome.

This has real relevance in business. When we oversimplify:

- People skim instead of engage
- They rely on instinct instead of analysis
- They miss nuance and risk

But when we introduce the right level of challenge:

- People pay attention
- They think critically
- They make better decisions

So perhaps the goal is not always to make things easier. It is to make them clear… but demanding enough to be taken seriously.

Because whether you are competing with larger operators, or making decisions about your investments, better outcomes rarely come from the easiest path, they come from the one that makes you think.

I forgot all about this book, but then rediscovered it recently. A great read, and very insightful for those of us out there on the journey of continuous improvement.

If you are a HMO owner and are wanting to buy a new tumble drier for any of the properties you own, you need to buy them...
27/02/2026

If you are a HMO owner and are wanting to buy a new tumble drier for any of the properties you own, you need to buy them now!

From July this year, all manufacturers are stopping making tumble driers for energy efficiency reasons and once existing stock is sold in shops, you will only be able to get heat pump driers that take longer to dry your clothes, and cost a bit more.

Venting tumble driers will not be manufacturerd at all after July 2026.

Protection isn’t accidental. It’s coordinated.The Roman Testudo formation only worked when every individual moved in rhy...
24/02/2026

Protection isn’t accidental. It’s coordinated.

The Roman Testudo formation only worked when every individual moved in rhythm.

One step out of sync - and vulnerability appeared.
Property portfolios operate the same way. Compliance, maintenance, rent collection, communication, safety checks – they’re not isolated tasks. They’re interlocking shields.

When systems are aligned, risk reduces.

When teams move together, assets stay protected.

In our letting agency, Foxdog Properties we are firm believers that when we all work together with one clear goal, we can do great things.

This is the knowledge and knowhow we want to share with you. Why not get in touch today.

According to a recent study, historically few landlords are now in rental arrears. But could this be  because huge numbe...
13/02/2026

According to a recent study, historically few landlords are now in rental arrears. But could this be because huge numbers have been, and indeed are, selling up. Anyone who invested badly in the first instance, or invested in poorer areas will be racing for the door.

These landlords will be relieved to see the back of their properties and a system that facilitates other people to impact the landlord's own financial circumstances negatively. A market where for many, paying rent is a choice, and something they choose not to do - pushing these landlords into financial difficulties.

We see this in very left wing councils even - Southampton for example where over 30% of council house tenants are massively in arrears...despite being in receipt of benefits to pay the subsidised rent that council housing offers. The reality is, if we tell people there are no consequences for not paying...a great many wont pay. It's really not rocket science.

Going forwards, the landlords/investors who remain in the market will be the savvier investors. Those who bought well in the first instance, and are in the market for what UK real estate is good for - relatively stable long-term capital growth, consistent rental income, and the potential to leverage borrowing to enhance returns, all within a well-established and regulated property market.

With such reduced supply, but demand obviously increasing, for the first time in a number of years (homelessness surged 8% this last quarter), I am seriously considering buying back in again. But in the right market.

Over close on our last 1,000 tenancies, we have kept our defaults to literally 0. It's seven years since we created a tenancy that ended in an eviction (and that tenancy changed how we do everything). Seven years is a long time. And it didn't happen by chance. It's the result of finding the right people, thoroughly and robustly referencing them (we do it all in-house), and being prepared to leave a property vacant if we are not seeing the people we want to see in those properties.

Perhaps a little contrarian...but could the time to jump back in to UK Real Estate be now?

10/02/2026

With evictions set to take more than a year, even if tenants are refusing to pay rent and are perpetrating anti social behaviour, government needs to do something.

It is disgusting that tenants are permitted to stay in properties for more than a year whilst costing ordinary people like you and me 10s of thousands of £ of malicious damage , and persecuting their neighbours.

Please sign this petition asking government to speed up the eviction process:

“The safest way to try and get what you want is to try and deserve what you want” - Charlie Munger
10/02/2026

“The safest way to try and get what you want is to try and deserve what you want” - Charlie Munger

It's been a steep learning curve...but this is one of our first full on renovations from 2012. Can you see whats CLEARLY...
07/02/2026

It's been a steep learning curve...but this is one of our first full on renovations from 2012.

Can you see whats CLEARLY wrong here?

We're busy evolving Foxdog into bigger and better things! We've spent the last couple of days with our business coach gi...
20/01/2026

We're busy evolving Foxdog into bigger and better things! We've spent the last couple of days with our business coach giving the business a health check. And we've passed with flying colours.

Those of you who have been around us this last decade and a half, have seen big changes. And were still going from strength to strength.

We've traded through some challenging times - a global recession, a global pandemic, and governments that seem to be getting worse and worse with every election. But were still here!

We're well prepared for the Renters Rights Act, and if I'm honest, it's exciting me a bit. There is barely a forum where I am not seeing landlords throwing the towel in...with the reducing rental stock, I think we are set to ride a wave, fulfilling a need (even if government like to pretend we are not offering a vital service).

If you are craving hands-off management for your properties (not everyone knows, but we manage HMOs as well as family homes), our lettings business, Foxdog Properties, offers a hands off, truly passive way to own investment properties. Imagine that! Never deal with a tenant AGAIN!

Move your portfolio over to us and let us take care not just of your tenants, but we will look after your property as if it was our own. We will handle the maintenance (using great tradesmen) with no mark-up on the trade's invoice, and between tenancy makeovers.

You will benefit from our in house referencing which, for close on 1,000 tenancies, has ensured no evictions or debt from any tenant we have put in place! Now that's peace of mind!

Some of our clients have not seen their properties in 15 years. We've been doing it all! If you'd like a discovery call to see what we can do for you, or perhaps you want to refer a friend, then private message us and lets have a chat and learn how we can make your property income truly passive.

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