Case Study: Ethical Property Partners provides key to property investment

Richard Havardi had been running his own restaurant business for ten years when, with his brothers, he inherited a property in central London. Having been through the process of renovating the property to rent out, and releasing some of the capital, Richard was in a position to invest some money. His appetite for property whetted, he chose to buy an investment property in Bristol.

There his journey with property paused and he continued to run the restaurant he co-owned with a business partner, as well as working as a food and beverage consultant. Though he was still interested in property investment, he just did not have time to focus on it.

Why franchising?

By the middle of 2019 Richard had reached a cross-roads. Having closed his restaurant the previous year, Richard was clear he needed to build a different future. He wanted to build that future with property but knew that to do that he needed more knowledge and – crucially – ongoing support.

“I’d learned from running my own independent business how many challenges stack up when you’re on your own. You’re wearing so many different hats, having to work on areas you might have no specific expertise in, and there’s no support network to guide you. For me, any next step I took needed to include some built-in support.”

Richard recognised that a franchise could offer the guided framework he was seeking and so he conducted lots of research, including attending The British & International Franchise Exhibition, where he first heard of property investment company Ethical Property Partners.

Why Ethical Property Partners?

On the recommendation of a friend who knew the property market and the brand, Richard then attended a seminar run by Ethical Property Partners’ founder, Frank Flegg.

Richard comments:

“I am a naturally cautious person and take a while to make decisions. I’d been to other property seminars which hadn’t convinced me to pursue the companies behind them, but I felt extremely confident that Ethical Property Partners would offer me everything I needed.”

“Frank was extremely knowledgeable and engaging, and he displayed such a passion for sharing his expertise to help others achieve their ambitions.”

“The level of support I saw amongst the franchisees and partners also made an impression. It’s a large group, which brings together so much experience from already successful investors.”

“The community aspect was of huge appeal – I’d have people to connect and network with – and that was big factor in my decision to join.”

Next Steps

Richard signed on as a partner with Ethical Property Partners in July of 2019 and got to work setting up his company.

He chose to target his investment in property in the North West, as he explains:

“There are partners operating in almost every geographical area of the UK and there is a strategy and support network suitable for every location. Some partners are at the stage of building new housing and others are doing fantastic work to house homeless people.”

“It’s not ‘one size fits all’. You work with Frank on a strategy which matches your aspirations and skill set, and which suits the geographical area you want to work in.”

“Though I live in London, after some analysis it was clear that, for the way I wanted to work and the strategies I wanted to pursue, building a portfolio in the Blackpool and Preston area would make sense.”

Training and support

Richard has found the network of other Ethical Property Partners to be invaluable in getting his plans into place, as he explains:

“There is a strong culture of helping each other. Whether it’s via one of the social media groups or directly, you’re always able to reach someone. There are also plenty of social gatherings, providing further chances to be in touch with fellow partners and to collaborate on projects together.”

As well as enjoying the goldmine of knowledge and support that stems organically from the Ethical Property Partners themselves, the brand offers structured training which includes monthly training days and weekly webinars.

Richard has also been impressed with how accessible Frank is. “Frank makes himself very available, and he has put together a strong team who offer excellent support as well,” says Richard.

Early success

Richard’s enthusiastic application of what he’s learned has yielded fantastic results. He began to build his property portfolio in August 2019 and in under five months had acquired five properties in his territory.

At the Ethical Property Partners Christmas awards Richard won the prize for fastest start-up in 2019.

Richard comments: “None of this could have happened without Ethical Property Partners. I could not be happier with how the system is working for me. I’ve achieved a solid monthly rental income; plus the net worth of the property I own is increasing.”

“It’s been life changing.”

If you would like to find out more about franchising and Ethical Property Partners, plus a host of other brands, come to The British & International Franchise Exhibition at Olympia London on 31 January and 1 February. Book your FREE tickets here.