I’m Angela Westgarth, owner and founder. I am a letting agent based in both Braintree and Bishop’s Stortford, covering all the surrounding areas. I established The Personal Property Shop letting agency in 2014 with the aim of offering a more personal service for landlords. As a landlord myself, I understand what it takes to get the most from your investment and how to take the hassle out of letting your property.
I am a small enough letting agency to be able to get to know both you and your property, to ensure I can offer the best service. I have invested in a fantastic lettings system, which helps me manage properties efficiently, and my wealth of experience both as a landlord and an agent means there’s not much I haven’t dealt with over the years. Whether you’re just looking for someone to find new tenants for you, or you’re looking for someone to fully manage your property, then I can help.
I find the key is in dealing with your property as if it were my own – being just as selective with which tenants I put forward, and adopting a common-sense approach. If I wouldn’t allow a tenant in one of my own properties, then as a letting agent, I won’t recommend them to you either. Better tenants lead to less problems down the line, and less hassle for everyone. Good tenants tend to pay their rent on time, look after your properties and stay for longer.
I wanted to take the opportunity to make you aware of some upcoming changes that will affect all residential landlords and their properties. This change in the law will apply from the 1st October 2022. There are two main changes: 1) Landlords will be responsible for repairing alarms – Currently, the rules in England are…
As a letting agent in Bishop’s Stortford, this is something I am asked a lot; “can I sell the property even though there’s a tenant in place”? There are, in essence, a couple of different options here, but the short answer is “yes, you can”. The first thing you may want to consider is selling…
As a letting agent in Bishop’s Stortford, this is something I come across a lot. Your tenant signs a 12 month tenancy agreement, moves in and then perhaps months later, they want to leave early and be released from their contract. I am sure no landlord wants to be unhelpful, and often my landlords try…
Today’s blog is a guest blog, by property litigator Rossanna Yarleque of Fahri LLP. She thought it would be useful to provide some further information about evicting tenants during this Covid pandemic as there have been some changes to the rules/processes. On 27 March 2020 all evictions were suspended and most on-going possession claims were also…
This has got to be every landlord’s biggest fear – rent arrears. Fortunately, this is an extremely rare scenario and far less common that a new landlord might first fear. However, at some stage every landlord, and every letting agent will come across a “rogue tenant” or one who falls in to financial difficulty. This…
Who doesn’t love a furry friend? (or scaly) Well, some landlords might not! Pet ownership (especially dogs) has increased this year in 2020, largely due to the lockdown and more and more people working from home. It is estimated that 26% of all households have a dog alone and that’s not including cat owners and…
“Very delighted with the personal and professional service received from Angela and her team. Definitely recommend you for all property services.”
“Very competent and professional, I haven’t had the pleasure of working with a letting agent quite like the personal property shop before. Highly recommend giving them a call first.”
“After two agents failed to let our cottage, we phoned the Personal Property Shop. In a dreamlike whirlwind, the cottage was photographed and within a day we had a viewing! Two weeks later the new tenant moved in. Thank you Angela and the team for making ‘buy to let’ so much fun. I will recommend you to all our friends and look forward to the next one.”
“My flat is rented out through Personal Property Shop. I am an expat who was introduced to Angela and her team by my previous management company, who where no longer managing rental properties. They have been professional, easy to contact and have been proactive in resolving any issues. Needless to say both my tenants and I are very happy with the service.”