The simple life

Chevone Foster has an extensive career in property management and lettings behind her, and is building the team that is now delivering on the Simple Life London promise at the first sites at Fresh Wharf and Beam Park. Her team is tasked with letting the apartments on the site and then managing the relationship with the residents.

“We are here six days a week and residents are free to call on us whenever they like, while there is an out of office number for the rest of the time. Most residents are young families or professionals, and it's a pet friendly site,” she says.

“It's a full service operation - I've worked for 14 years in lettings, and we do everything exactly the same as we would do if they were a KFH tenant, including the same approach to referencing,” says Foster. “But we’re more hands-on here than a traditional set up in the day to day - I really like it that we’re doing something new within the sector.”

A significant part of Sophie Danes’ job is to oversee the team and ensure the properties at the two sites are properly managed. “What’s unique about build to rent (BTR) is that the landlord, who we represent, owns both the flats and all the common areas within the site,” says Danes. “Therefore, the landlord has a huge influence over a renter’s experience because, when a resident steps onto any part of the development, they are stepping into the Simple Life London world.”

Danes says what KFH offers BTR operators like Simple Life London is the experience of an established lettings and property management agency. “That's our USP – our decades of real life experience in the London property market and also our ability to ensure the stock is managed in a way that's compliant with the ever changing PRS tenancy laws and regulations,” she says.

Tahlia Barnes says her team’s job is to look after the common areas and outside grounds that make up the Simple Life London developments. “The day-to-day management of a traditional and a BTR block is very similar, but the big difference for us is that we are not working with leaseholders directly as everything is funnelled through our relationship managers,” she says.

“Resident experience is absolutely paramount for KFH and Simple Life London, so seamless communication with our relationship managers is vital,” Barnes continues. “We are also in regular contact with the client so they can be confident the strict KPIs in place are being adhered to. “Being part of the beginning of this huge opportunity for KFH is one of the highlights of my career so far. I’m excited about what the future holds for the team.”

“As well as the on-site team, we have pulled together the experience of so many different departments and people within KFH to make this happen,” says Sarah Mitchell, the lead on establishing this new operation.

Mitchell has been with KFH for 20 years and says she was asked to work on the project because she understands lettings from ‘A to Z’. “It's been an incredible experience - I've been helping build what is essentially a whole company from scratch, and working with a great client,” she says.

Mitchell says the challenge for many BTR developers is that their sites are often dotted across London, so setting up and running a team themselves can be difficult. KFH though, already operates across the capital with teams that are ‘best in class’. “It’s important to understand that BTR is very unlike traditional lets in some ways; you are marketing and providing a lifestyle that is a ‘product’,” she says. “If done properly, it means residents will stay for longer and seek out other sites within the soon-to-be enlarged Simple Life London network. We strive to create communities within these developments.”