Ed James

Nakita struggled to find landlords at first. Then she secured a direct deal with a property developer. She shares how she built her Short Stays business in London and grew to three high performing serviced accommodation units, how the developer deal came about, and why guest experience and presentation have been key to her results. She also talks openly about the challenges and how SSO mentorship gave her the tools and confidence to build something she is proud of.

Glenn is from Lincoln and serves in the Royal Navy as an operating department practitioner, working in operating theatres. He'd been interested in property for years, and spent the year or so before joining Simon researching his options. Rent to rent stood out for its quick cashflow with minimal risk. His why is his family. After so long away with the military, he wants time at home to watch his little boy grow up and give his children the life he wished he'd had. His biggest challenge was believing in himself. The step by step training suited his military way of working, and between Sally, his mentor and the team answering questions within two hours, every worry was quickly put to rest. Less than two months after joining, he got the keys to his first property, with a three week rent free set up period. Next, he plans to use the cashflow from deal one to fund deal two.

Matt and Fiona run Witt Properties Ltd in West Yorkshire. They wanted to get into property, but every penny was going into their first home, a fixer upper, and without capital or experience buy to let felt out of reach. Matt was sceptical at first and thought rent to rent sounded a bit scammy, until they found Simon. What won him over was that the expectations were realistic and genuine, with no promises of a million pounds in a year. Their first deal is a large property with a landlord who loves being hands off and let them bring it up to standard. They used a home stager to set it up and used the professional photos to market their business to future landlords. In its first week it was already bringing money in, with two more deals in the pipeline. Matt's advice: "Ask yourself some honest questions and decide whether what you're doing right now is working for you."

Courtnie is an estate agent from Birmingham who has built a successful income stream through rent to rent while working full time. She secured a four bed property in Solihull and focused on short stays for contractors and visitors to the NEC. Within two weeks, the bookings were covering her monthly costs. She shares how she got started, how she finds reliable guests, and how she manages the property alongside her career. Ideal for anyone who wants to explore rent to rent without giving up the day job.