COMMENT
We love being independent! – say the ladies at APW who grabbed lettings by the scruff of the neck and dragged it into the 20th Century.
W
ith everyone, it seems, being swallowed up by a few ‘acquisition hungry’ corporates these days, it’s
refreshing to come across a truly successful and independent lettings agent – APW, with offices in Surrey and Berkshire. Established 26 years ago by
Co-Founders Susan Annesley and Val Ware, APW has some impressive credentials and has won some significant awards along the way, reflecting its unique trading style, including Best UK Lettings Agent, Best Medium Size Lettings Agent and, most recently in 2011, the winner of The Best Lettings Agent, Surrey Property Awards. So what are the secrets to APW’s success and what makes them so unique in an increasingly competitive market? I caught up with Susan and Val at their Head Office in Weybridge to ask them about their journey so far. “We have never forgotten our roots,” said
Susan, “We started in 1986 with one over- riding passion: to grab hold of the lettings market, which was almost non-existent in those days, literally by the scruff of the neck and bring it kicking and screaming into the 20th Century. The standard of properties available for rental at that time was very low with most landlords being ex-pats – we could see the potential to make significant changes and we went for it. We still have clients that have stayed with us since our inception and we are eternally grateful to them for extending such trust in us and our vision for the future.” So what are the main highlights of the
past 26 years? Val said, “Reaching our tenth and 20th anniversaries was fantastic and establishing ourselves as the No. 1 local Independent Letting Agent has been a real achievement. Acquiring our Sunninghill
invest in by ensuring that they are trained to be at the top of their game. They are always willing to go the extra mile to ensure APW’s reputation with its clients is second to none and we have a dedicated marketing team which have been working alongside us for the past 13 years assisting us with our strategic aims in the industry.” “We believe strongly in providing the
‘We concentrate on offering the best in everything we do.’
Office and then opening branches in Cobham and Esher was very exciting. Being judged the Best Letting Agent in the UK was a dream come true followed by our 25th Anniversary last year and at the same time being judged by members of the public to be the Best Letting Agent in Surrey was the icing on the cake. “Winning these top industry awards
reaffirms our position as leader in our field and gives prospective clients a great feeling of comfort when they are considering which agent to instruct with their most valuable asset.” “The key things that have made APW so
successful,” said Susan, “are being a specialist agency focusing exclusively on lettings; providing an excellent property management service; having long serving employees of a very high calibre; supplying a very personal and exceptional service to all clients and all APW branches working as a slick and professional team. This doesn’t all happen by accident, of course – we have some wonderful staff who we
very best service we can to our clients” said Val, “We don’t believe in ‘call centre’ style operations and we don’t believe in cutting our fees or inflating rental values to get business. The quality of the service we provide is consistent, our attention to detail and our substantial, in-depth knowledge of the lettings industry, including all legalities, is what our customers pay for. “Being founder members of ARLA and
members of the NAEA, the TDS and the Property Ombudsman Code of Practice for Lettings Agents is very important to us and to our clients. As more and more agents have jumped on the bandwagon to offer lettings, without any knowledge of the industry and without being bonded by Client Money Protection Schemes, so the risk to Landlords and Tenants has increased massively.” “We love being independent” said Susan,
“We can be true to our core principles and offer thoroughly objective and knowledgeable advice. We have come a long way in our 26 years maintaining excellent market share and being top in our industry. We love that every day is different and that we are still experiencing new predicaments which keeps us on our toes! We concentrate on being the best and offering the best in everything we do,
anything else is a bonus.”
www.apwproperty.com
Do you have a success story to share?
www.propertydrum.com/articles/profileMay12
PROPERTYdrum MAY 2012 31
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