The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. In this podcast, Kevin speaks to Kevin Whelan of Wealth Builders. A property investment expert who teaches people to leverage what they already have, especially their pensions, to generate investment funds. During the podcast, Kevin Whelan explains how to use SSSAS pensions to invest in furnished holiday lets and serviced accommodation property. He also explains how to become financially irresistible to 3rd party and private investors. How to adapt your message, build trust and sustain a relationship that leads to the same investors working with you again and again. KEY TAKEAWAYS The money used to finance property comes from people, one way or another. Being able to work well with and empathize with people will make it far easier for you to raise finance. Work out how much money you need to keep your journey going. When you build strong relationships with investors, they will invest with you again and again. It takes time to build relationships. People have money available in their pensions, money they can potentially invest with you. An SSAS is a self-administered scheme. It is a business in a pension. Instead of the pension being a reflection of the past it provides you with money to build for the future. Using an SSAS, you can buy, bridge, and borrow from your pension fund. Kevin provides examples of how people have used each of these models to successfully invest in property. You can use your own pension to lend money to a company that you own. Pensions are not a box that says do not disturb until aged 65. The money in it can be used now. People know that their pension pot is already at risk and vulnerable, so they are often open to using it in other ways. When speaking to investors you need to make it clear how you are going to keep them safe. When you speak to investors, recognize that each one of them thinks differently. So, you need to adapt your message to them. Building trust is essential, so Kevin covers this subject in the podcast. BEST MOMENTS ‘It´s people who finance property. If you are borrowing from a bank, where do they get the money from? People.’ ‘The skill of being more investable is the skill of working and empathizing with people. ‘ ‘If you´re not familiar with wealth dynamics, Google wealth dynamics and do a wealth assessment on yourself.‘ GUEST/EPISODE RESOURCES SSAS Superstars by Louise Righton Email: [email protected] – Mention that you heard about Wealth Builders through Kevin Poneskis Tel: 01342 871 210 to contact Kevin Whelan direct WealthBuilders Socials: Kevin Whelan LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinjwhelan/ WealthBuilders Website: www.wealthbuilders.co.uk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wealthbuilderstogether/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/wealthbuilders Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WealthbuildersUK Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/wealthbuilderstogether/ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T Kiyosaki Serviced Accommodation Success by Kevin Poneskis ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising, and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit, and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. In this Q&A podcast, Kevin speaks to Mark Ormrod MBE for the 2nd time. He is a former Royal Marine and an Invictus Game athlete. As well as a motivational speaker, author and until recently he worked for a charity. During that time, he also invested in Buy to Let property and is now finding out more about moving into the field of Serviced Accommodation. Using a Q&A format Kevin shares details of how to do that successfully despite the current climate. They discuss Mark´s latest purchase, then dive into how to run a serviced accommodation business in as much of a hands-off way as possible. Including how Mark could use the properties that he already owns to do this. As well as how to do rent to SA, which requires practically no upfront cash to set up. Finally, Kevin covers the whole lease purchasing method, in detail. Then wraps things up by explaining how to finance all kinds of properties and reoccurring income generating models. KEY TAKEAWAYS Picking up buy to lets when he saw a bargain is how Mark started his property portfolio. Earning a completely passive income from the property business is not possible. But you can do it in a semi-passive way that creates reoccurring income. It is normally easy to convert a buy-to-let property to serviced accommodation. If you want to avoid the stag and hen crowd, don´t invest in and create the type of properties they like. The SA model enables you to use capital allowance to keep your tax bill low and avoid the issues surrounding section 24. You can work with a SA management accommodation company or do a joint venture to make things more hands-off. For a letting agent renting to Limited company owners brings benefits, so you are an attractive proposition. Stay between 70 and 80% occupancy for short stay SA. Kevin explains why in the podcast. You have to be careful about doing SA by the room, you can end up being categorized as C1 commercial (B&B) which creates serious issues. Because you pay a SA management company by results, they will advise you about the best area to invest in. There are mortgages available for SA properties. BEST MOMENTS ‘I want the freedom of growing my portfolio creating that … semi-passive income.’ ‘I was amazed by the cash flow that I was getting from the exact same bulk standard properties (SA). Five times the buy-to-let cash flow. ‘ ‘You can actually get mortgages now that allow serviced accommodation and buy to let on the same product. ‘ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T Kiyosaki Serviced Accommodation Success by Kevin Poneskis GUEST RESOURCES Man Down by Mark Ormrod Mark Ormrod website Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn #No Limits Podcast ABOUT THE GUEST Mark Ormrod MBE is a former Royal Marine and a multi-medal-winning Invictus Games athlete. In Afghanistan, Mark lost 3 limbs when while on foot patrol he was caught in the blast of an improvised explosive device. He overcame his injuries and regained his mobility and went on to win four gold, 4 silver, and 3 bronze medals across 2 Invictus Games. He is also an experienced property investor and has worked for 10 years within the charity sector. Mark has taken his experience of overcoming huge challenges and is now helping others to do the same, through motivational speaking and his award-winning auto-biography Man Down. ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising, and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. In this Q&A podcast, Kevin speaks to Mark Ormrod MBE. He is a former Royal Marine and an Invictus Game athlete. As well as a motivational speaker and author. For the past 10 years, he has worked for a Royal Marines charity. During that time, he also invested in property and is now considering moving into the field of Serviced Accommodation. Using a Q&A format Kevin shares details of how to do that successfully in the current climate. He explains how to systemize the processes so that this kind of business can be run at scale. Including the rent to SA model that anyone can set up without needing a lot of capital to do so. Kevin also covers practical things like using a channel manager to make sure that you do not get double booked. KEY TAKEAWAYS Running a serviced accommodation business is a viable way to make a semi-passive income. You can be hands-on with a SA business, or once you have systemized things, get someone else to run it for you. Currently, you can earn a lot more money from serviced accommodation than you can from HMO or buy to let. Location is key to success when it comes to SA, but it does not have to be tourist related. It is possible to rent a property from someone else and put SA clients in it. This is a business model that requires virtually zero capital. There are big financial and tax benefits to using the rent for SA model. Using lease purchase options is a good way to buy property and make full use of capital allowances. Using multiple advertising channels is the secret to keeping your serviced accommodation full. A channel manager is an essential tool for a SA property owner. In the podcast, Kevin explains how to leverage the knowledge that SA management companies have. If you plan to use an SA management company, it is possible to use Booking.com to check their service out and hire the one that will do the best job. BEST MOMENTS ‘Working hard to build someone else´s empire, doesn’t appeal to me anymore.’ ‘Location is key when it comes to SA. ‘ ‘I like at least two-bed properties upwards; I prefer houses over apartments. ‘ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T Kiyosaki Serviced Accommodation Success by Kevin Poneskis GUEST RESOURCES Man Down by Mark Ormrod Mark Ormrod website Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn No Limits Podcast ABOUT THE GUEST Mark Ormrod MBE is a former Royal Marine and a multi-medal winning Invictus Games athlete. In Afghanistan, Mark lost 3 limbs when while on foot patrol he was caught in the blast of an improvised explosive device. He overcame his injuries and regained his mobility and went on to win four gold, 4 silver, and 3 bronze medals across 2 Invictus Games. He is also an experienced property investor and worked for 10 years within the charity sector. Mark has taken his experience of overcoming huge challenges and is now helping others to do the same, through motivational speaking and his award-winning auto-biography Man Down. ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising, and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. In this podcast, Kevin shares several highly effective marketing tips that work well even in today´s challenging environment. He shares simple ways that all kinds of serviced accommodation owners can get away from having to rely on OTAs like Booking.com. Including several marketing methods that take minutes to implement and are free or virtually free. KEY TAKEAWAYS Do not use photos you took with your phone. Professional photos always bring you more and better-paying clients. If you are not good at writing, get help to write your listing and ask for feedback from other SA property owners. Have your own website and make it a good one. List on Google My Business to get more free bookings. Use your Wi-Fi service to capture the contact details of guests that you can later use for marketing promotions. Offer discount codes to those that book via your website. Create a PDF flyer that highlights the benefits of your property over hotel accommodation. Use social media to run competitions that encourage people to like and share details of your properties. BEST MOMENTS ‘It’s really important to have your own website.’ ‘You can be getting commission-free bookings in via Google. ‘ ‘I never advocate trying to cut out booking.com and Airbnb. ‘ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T Kiyosaki Serviced Accommodation Success by Kevin Poneskis Contact Rob to get the details of a website designer who specializes in producing amazing property websites. ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising, and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. In this podcast, we hear from Andrew Southwood of Culbone Finance, who helps small property businesses stretch their cash further, by providing the right finance, so they can grow their businesses and thrive. Andrew is a property investor and one of the few commercial lenders active in property networks. He comes highly recommended by Kevin as well as many other property entrepreneurs. This is a fantastic keynote full of ideas, concepts, tips and more! KEY TAKEAWAYS As small businesses, we simply don’t have enough money to do all the things we want to do. Often, we don’t even have enough for the businesses to truly thrive. Andrew’s job is to stretch your cash as far as is possible to go. He can do that by offering you the right type of business finance. A lot of the wealth Andrew has today was created when he and his wife would buy ‘rubbish houses on good streets’ and flip them to make a profit. Andrew does some serviced accommodation himself but is primarily a property investor, not a landlord, so he has someone else manage his properties for him. Andrews background has always been in finance and banking, he has always lent money to small businesses so has a huge amount of knowledge of this area. Andrew goes to meetings and other places with a cheque book ready to lend small businesses money. He also works for lenders, so unusually working with him you have access to a lender and not a broker! Asking people what they think about money can give you a real insight into how their minds work and what it would be like to work with them. It’s really important we ask ourselves questions about what we believe. Different generations often have differing perspectives about money. Andrew was influenced by his Dad’s views as a pre-war baby and had to learn to get over the concept that ‘all debt is bad’ in order to create his property business. One way to invest is instead of using the money you would to buy the furniture you can afford with cash, you can use finance. You can use Andrew’s money instead of your own. You could even go into a lease option for furniture, you can get the items immediately and there are tax benefits. You can then buy a higher standard of equipment and furniture meaning you will get a better standard of customers and ultimately more profit. You should never need to pay a broker money, they will get paid by the lender. Only use brokers that are FCA regulated. If they aren’t you have zero protection if anything goes wrong with them. A non-regulated broker also have a lot less finance options for you as many won’t work with those who are unregulated. Andrew always tries to give his service accommodation customers the best that he can. He puts a lot of thought into his accommodation, it isn’t just white walls and basic furniture. It means he gets a lot of repeat business, particularly with contractors. One of the benefits of Andrew being a lender and not a broker is that he has dedicated money, so the lenders he works for have given him specific ‘chunks of money’ explicitly for furniture financing for example. Many lenders don’t want to lend money for this as it depreciates massively in value, so, it will be one of the first products ‘to go’. Rent to rent is considered a high risk for lenders which is reflected in payment terms, however Andrew works with those that do lend on this strategy and because they allow him to ‘twist’ and ‘change’ money he can stretch payment terms for the small business owner. Even if you only need a little bit of money Andrew can help. He can easily and simply lend you small amounts of money with just a personal/directors guarantee as security. BEST MOMENTS “An awful lot of things that should definitely get you interested” “You can grow your business stronger and faster so that you can thrive” “I’ve been doing this for a long time, I’ve been running a small business for many, many years. I understand how finance works in business and my job is to try and make small business finance easy to understand and simple” “Who we are as people has a lot of impact on how we think about money” “I’m not going to use jargon at you, I will explain things to you in the simplest terms” “When you are considering how to finance your business, don’t just think about mortgages” VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T Kiyosaki Serviced Accommodation Success by Kevin Poneskis ABOUT THE GUEST Andrew Southwood Small businesses rarely have enough money to succeed and finding finance can be overwhelming and confusing. Andrew Southwood of Culbone Finance helps small property businesses stretch their cash further, by providing the right finance, so they can grow their businesses and thrive Andrew is a property investor and one of the few commercial lenders

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. In this podcast, Kevin explains how social media can be used to secure more finance. As well as, how posting on the right platforms makes it easier to quickly find suitable SA properties. You can also use it to help you to find good team members and collaborators. Kevin explains which platforms work best for SA businesses. Then shares several ways to use each one. He covers Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, podcasting, and more. Kevin also explains how he broadcasts live to multiple social media platforms at the same time, while also creating a podcast. KEY TAKEAWAYS Social media is a powerful tool that every SA business can benefit from. Spreading the word about the advantages of SA is a great way to get in front of landlords who want to work with you. Social media makes it easy to connect with collaborators and potential team members. Every SA business can benefit from having a FB page and engaging in FB groups. You can use YouTube to create an electronic welcome pack that shows your guests how to do things like how to operate the boiler. Kevin explains how he uses SteamYard to stream live on multiple platforms at once and create his podcast at the same time. Link to your website from each social media site. When you use social media be conscious of which audience you are speaking to. What you say to people you want to rent your property to is different from what you would say to landlords and agents. Use social media to document your journey from the very start. BEST MOMENTS ‘People will bring you their properties for you to use as service accommodation. Posting on social media helps that to happen.’ ‘Don't be put off when you're not getting lots of engagement on your social media. People are still watching. ‘ ‘Don't worry if you're not polished, don't worry if you're not experienced. And don't worry if you're nervous. Just do it anyway. ‘ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T Kiyosaki Serviced Accommodation Success by Kevin Poneskis ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising, and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. In this podcast, Kevin speaks to Mark Simpson the founder of Boostly. His agency specializes in direct marketing. Showing SA landlords how to use the web and other forms of marketing to fill their rooms and maximize their profits. They cover e-mail marketing, ranking above Booking.com, Google Maps, channel managers, and much more. Mark and Kevin discuss how to find customers using direct advertising mediums, so you do not have to pay commission on your bookings. They cover the correct way to set up and run your own direct booking website. As well as how to get found by potential guests by using Google business and social media accounts correctly. Mark also shares branding ideas and a simple technique that automatically increases the number of reviews your guests create. KEY TAKEAWAYS Many SA owners still rely on sites like Bookings.com and Expedia to fill their properties, so pay a lot of commission. If you are not taking direct bookings, you are leaving money on the table. When setting up new hospitality units get the word out before you open to create buzz. Make sure that you are set up properly on Google business – Mark explains why and how to get started in the podcast. Use Mark´s QR code and monthly prize method to get people to create more reviews on Google which will boost your listing and increase bookings. You need to bid on your brand to boost your site above sites like Booking.com. Offer incentives like early booking in times for guests who book directly with you. Highlight the benefits of booking with you directly on your website. E-mail marketing is the most effective form of marketing there is. Get your guest´s email and use it. Mark explains how to send emails that convert. Do everything you can to make it look like the emails you send to your list are personal. Design your marketing emails so that they can comfortably be read in a couple of minutes on a mobile. Set up and run a website that you own and have 100% control over. WordPress is extremely effective. It makes sense to take direct bookings through more than one platform. But be careful about managing and integrating that data. BEST MOMENTS ‘We´ve got a tried and tested (website) template that works for any hospitality business.’ ‘Think of Google as your business page.’ ‘We have to, as a group, educate our guests on the benefits of booking direct. ‘ ‘Make your marketing emails look like you are talking to them (potential clients) personally. ‘ VALUABLE RESOURCES Boostly.co.uk Mark Simpson – Boostly - Instagram How To Bid Youtube Video The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T Kiyosaki Serviced Accommodation Success by Kevin Poneskis ABOUT THE GUEST Mark Simpson Mark is giving hosts the tools, tactics, training and most importantly the confidence to increase their direct bookings and cut down on their over-reliance on the Online Travel Agents. Mark founded Boostly in 2016 after the frustration of support on a local level for hospitality business owners. Now four years later, The Boostly Website Design Agency is one of the market leaders and The Boostly Academy is one of the largest training programmes for all hosts and property managers in the world. In March 2020, Mark won the Shortyz Award for the Best Use of Social Media. ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising, and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit, and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. In this podcast, Kevin tells you about eight of his serviced accommodation predictions. He shares strategies to help you to overcome some of the challenges that could affect you and your SA business in 2021. As well as talking about the opportunities that are most likely to emerge over the coming months. In this podcast, he covers contractor, corporate, and leisure bookings. . KEY TAKEAWAYS With contractors, there is a behavioural shift towards SA. Despite Jan and Feb being traditionally quiet months for corporate clients things are still ticking over nicely. A positive sign for the rest of 2021. Corporate clients are now far less likely to share bedrooms. This is a challenge, but there is an opportunity there too. Kevin explains what it is in the podcast. In the summer, there was a staycation boom with people using SAs for the first time. Most people liked it. People wanting to visit family they have not seen for a while will be another opportunity, as restrictions lift. Kevin explains how to take advantage of this. There is a lot of pent-up demand. International travel restrictions have the potential to help SA owners. There is currently no evidence that licenses will be needed to run a SA. But you should futureproof your property. At the moment it does not look like there will be any change to how businesses who short term serviced accommodation lets are classified by HMRC. Stamp duty changes are highly likely to impact property prices. If you run HMOs or Buy to Lets as a Ltd company, you need to keep an eye on what happens with tax. This could represent another opportunity for SAs. BEST MOMENTS ‘I see more positives than negatives.’ ‘I predict that the corporate market is going to come back even stronger for 2021.’ ‘There are lots of customers who previously had not done a staycation they had not stayed in serviced accommodation. They liked it. ‘ ‘For most of us doing SA, C is the most appropriate use class. Do I think that's going to change in 2021? No. ‘ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T Kiyosaki Serviced Accommodation Success by Kevin Poneskis ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising, and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit, and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. In this podcast, Kevin goes through the mistakes people make when trying to rent properties to use for SA from letting agents. He explains how to avoid them seeing you as potential competition for their business. When that happens, the chances of them renting out properties to you plummets. . KEY TAKEAWAYS Rent to SA via a letting agent and a landlord are 2 different things. You need to talk to letting agents differently from the way you do when talking to a landlord. Letting agents do not want to help SA operators that they think may turn out to be competition for them. Don´t tell a letting agent that you are going to deal with things like the maintenance. The agent is paid by the landlord to do that and other tasks. Ideally, you want to have 2 websites – One for the letting agents and corporate clients and one that is for landlords/property owners. Don´t overwhelm the agent with information that they may not understand e.g., helping landlords to avoid section 24. Focus on the fact that you need accommodation for your corporate clients. Make it clear you are the one who will pay the rent, you are liable. Ask them for their company let agreement and edit it to reflect the fact that you are using it for your corporate client. Don’t talk about things like “the right to rent” and HMOs. But have a good answer ready just in case the agent brings those subjects up. BEST MOMENTS ‘The mistake people make when speaking to a letting agent is that they use language that they should only use when talking to a landlord.’ ‘You should have a website for letting agents and you should have a website for landlords, and don´t mix the language. ‘ ‘Don´t talk about helping landlords to avoid section 24 and avoiding capital allowance, it just overwhelms agents. When that happens, their answer is no. ‘ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T Kiyosaki Serviced Accommodation Success by Kevin Poneskis ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising, and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit, and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. In this podcast, Kevin speaks to Alison and Craig who are just getting started in the property industry and are scaling their individual businesses. This is part of his free mentoring call series, during which newbies share their progress and pose questions, which Kevin answers. This episode covers choosing the right area to run a serviced accommodation business in, how to find landlords who will rent to you. As well as, how to work out if a property will be profitable. What questions to ask landlords to make sure that the property that they have can be used for serviced accommodation. KEY TAKEAWAYS Track down landlords who are advertising their properties to rent and persuade them to rent to you for SA. The fact that the property will be kept in show home condition and that you will rent for long periods are just two great selling points. In the podcasts, Kevin shares several places to find those landlords online. Having a website is not essential, but it helps a lot. SpareRoom is not the right place to list your serviced accommodation for let. For SA you will need insurance, in the podcast, Kevin explains what type you need for each of the SA business models. For a Limited SA company, you will need public liability insurance and potentially professional indemnity insurance. List your business on Google My Business and take direct bookings. BEST MOMENTS ‘Sell the benefits of serviced accommodation to them(landlords) for them to rent you their properties to use as serviced accommodation.’ ‘For SA, if there is a mortgage on the property, then they do need to have the owner's permission. ‘ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T Kiyosaki Serviced Accommodation Success by Kevin Poneskis ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising, and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. Not so long ago, Kevin posed an interesting question on Facebook. He asked landlords to tell him what their reaction would be if a potential renter told them that they wanted to use their property for serviced accommodation. Today, he shares the answers he got and how he would counter the objections the landlords shared with him. How he would allay their fears so that they would still rent to him as a serviced accommodation provider. Kevin also explains why the SA model works so well. In particular, why it is so good for cashflow and how it gets over the section 24 issue and enables you to take advantage of capital allowances. KEY TAKEAWAYS Initially, most landlords say no to the idea of renting to a serviced accommodation business. There are many misconceptions surrounding how SA works, which makes some landlords unnecessarily fearful. The issue of people being in a property with whom the landlord has no direct tenancy can easily be solved. Kevin explains how in the podcast. Rental liability worries can be overcome if the SA is a proper company. Some lenders and leases do not allow SA use. Often, there is a way around both of these restrictions. SA landlords will need to buy additional insurance. If a landlord says no to you, ask them politely to explain why. Usually, you will be able to counter them. In most instances, there is no need for landlords to seek a change of use. There are no tax issues with SA, HMRC has tax arrangements that cover all types of SA lets. Guests do not have tenancy rights. You need to check your guests out properly and get a credit card from them. BEST MOMENTS ‘The SA takes the property from the landlord or the owner, using a company letter agreement.’ ‘It was suggested that there would be no insurance in place, actually there is. ‘ ‘You need to be speaking to landlords and overcoming their objections.’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T Kiyosaki Serviced Accommodation Success by Kevin Poneskis ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising, and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. In this podcast, Kevin talks to Scotty Hodson founder of Free-Range Stays and The Property Farmer. They discuss how he used the rent-to-SA model to get started with property investment. Today, he and his wife focus on the executive, white-collar market – he explains why that is and how he has set things up. Scotty also talks about how he has managed to persuade an 18 bed HMO landlord let him use it as an SA. He shares the win-win capital allowances related approach that enabled him to create this lucrative opportunity. An approach that can easily be replicated by you. Scotty also talks about using eco modular buildings to quickly expand his portfolio. As well as ways to put more heads on beds and earn more from each guest. KEY TAKEAWAYS It is easy to fall into the trap of working long hours to earn good money while ending up with no quality of life. Property investment is a great way to break out of that negative lifestyle pattern. It is a business model that can be made to work even in relatively rural settings. Executives attending courses or conferences will stay in small towns provided their commute is easy and fast enough. Setting the right price point enables you to appeal to the blue-collar market too. Understanding and making capital allowances work for your property business opens up huge opportunities. There are a lot of landlords out there that do not know how to, or want to, run an SA which gives you the chance to do it for them and earn. Marketing to people pre-stay, during their stay and after stay enables you to maximise how much you earn from each customer. It is possible to legally use your SA properties for short term let deals too. Property investing is hard work, but it is the best hard work you can do, it pays very well. BEST MOMENTS ‘You cannot rely on the normal rat race, but you can create recurring income from property.’ ‘Enhanced capital allowances basically allow you to claim a big percentage of what you're spending. ‘ ‘With this, all you need to do is to commit to turning up and this business will work.’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T Kiyosaki Serviced Accommodation Success by Kevin Poneskis CONTACT METHODS FOR GUEST FreeRangeStays website MilliesOrganics website for guest gifts and another potential income stream ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising, and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit, and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. In this podcast, Kevin talks about marketing your serviced accommodation effectively. Explaining how to get the most out of online travel agency sites, email marketing, online ads, leafleting and social media. As well as how to list yourself on Google and make the most of the lucrative corporate client market using sites like Silver Door and Situ. He compares the process(es) of setting your properties up on Booking.com and Airbnb, explaining how they differ. Kevin also shares tips and tricks that can be used to get your listings placed high in the results on these extremely important platforms. KEY TAKEAWAYS Marketing is essential. Even if your SA is the best in the area, if people don´t know about it, you won´t make any money. Create your marketing campaigns with your short and long-term goals in mind. Emphasise what makes you different and better than the competition. Seek out and make full use of ways to get your properties listed above others on the various platforms. In the podcast, Kevin shares several approaches you can use. Use any performance data that is available to see how you are performing against your competitors. Think carefully before activating automatic smart pricing. Keep track of what is going on in your market pricing wise, so you remain competitive while maximising your profits. Old school marketing methods, such as leafleting, still work when done in the right way, so investigate those too. Direct marketing, using email and other messaging formats can be remarkably effective, especially for corporate clients. There are many ways to use social media to market your business. Kevin shares several of them in the podcast. In some areas, Google Ads can be a cost-effective way to sell space in your properties. Facebook Ads work too and are generally cheaper. Having your own website will help you regardless of which marketing techniques you choose to use. BEST MOMENTS ‘You can have the best SA in the world but if you don’t market your property properly you will not make much money.’ ‘SA operators get the majority of their bookings from Booking.com. ‘ ‘Once you find out who would be a good person to contact at a company or organisation you can connect with them on LinkedIn.’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T Kiyosaki Serviced Accommodation Success by Kevin Poneskis ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising, and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit, and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. In this podcast, Kevin talks to Arthur Kemp his capital allowances surveyor. They discuss how you can use capital allowances to maximize your profit by legally paying much less tax as a SA property owner. Arthur explains how to use them to get tax relief when you buy a property, update it, even how to reduce corporation tax and potentially other taxes. Arthur lists out each kind of property that can be claimed against and highlights some of the less obvious investment opportunities that are available. He explains, in detail, how to check that you will be able to claim before you buy. They also briefly discuss land remediation relief that can generate a 150% tax deduction. KEY TAKEAWAYS Used properly, capital allowances can legally save SAP owners a huge amount of tax. The inland revenue state that 96% of all property transactions haven't maximized their capital allowances. Up to 28,000 pounds of taxes can be saved for every hundred thousand pounds of expenditure using capital allowances. Capital allowances have been around since 1878, it is a legitimate way to save tax, not a loophole. You can claim capital allowances when you buy assets that you keep for use in your business. The allowance is for the cost of plant and machinery. A category that can include property and some of the work you have done on it. You can use the allowance at the time of purchase, for improvements, furnishings, and in other ways. It is also possible to reduce the corporation tax bill for a Ltd company. Using sideways loss relief, you can even potentially save on your income tax. Arthur explains how in the podcast. Capital allowances can only be used on non-dwelling property, Arthur explains how to make sure yours fall into that category. When purchasing a property, it is important to have the right clauses and agreements in place with the existing owner regarding capital allowances. Using capital allowances does not result in a higher capital gain tax bill. The property does not necessarily have to have been used for the full year as an SAP to qualify. BEST MOMENTS ‘Capital allowances make you a smarter investor and more competitive.’ ‘If it's somebody's main principal residence, you can't claim capital allowances on that property. ‘ ‘When working out your cash flow and your returns, factor in the level of capital allowances.’ ´If you already have some SAP properties, you can go back and make a retrospective claim and get back some of the tax.’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T Kiyosaki Serviced Accommodation Success by Kevin Poneskis CONTACT METHODS FOR GUEST Email Arthur - [email protected] Facebook LinkedIn Twitter ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising, and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit, and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. This is a mentoring call with Becca Strelzyn and Claire Powell. They were Tennis coaches but have fully replaced their income with SA and are now full-time SA property investors and are now also starting to manage other landlord´s properties. In the episode, we discuss what to say to: Letting Agents to get R2SA deals Landlords to get R2SA Guests to get them to book again and do so directly with you Becca and Claire share how they get long direct bookings from companies so not relying on booking.com and Airbnb. They are both really looking forward to 2021 because of the dramatic rise in popularity Staycations and because more and more businesses prefer SA now for their employees over hotels. KEY TAKEAWAYS SA is one of the few businesses that generate ongoing almost passive income once you have put the effort in to set things up properly. SA is a viable business that virtually anyone can set up and run. Becca and Claire took Rob´s SA Masterclass in March. By September they had 3 rental and one management SA. When you pay for expert guidance and support, you succeed far faster. Understanding what people want and giving it to them is a big part of SA success. The arguments you use to persuade landlords and agents need to be different. Rob, Claire, and Becca share the tactics they use in the podcast. Businesses are waking up to the fact that using SAs instead of hotels makes financial sense and is better for their employees. SAs are perfectly placed to tap into the new trend of taking short breaks, within an easy driving distance of home. SAs that have operated throughout the crisis will be streets ahead of their competitors when things get back to normal. There are plenty of simple and easy ways to retarget guests to get them to book again, directly with you, so you make a better profit. Becca and Claire share a tool they use to make sure they always get the best rate, including when event dates are announced in the middle of the night. You need to build redundancy in when it comes to cleaners and repairers. BEST MOMENTS ‘With SA we don't always have to be there to make money, we can put the systems in place, do the background and make sure that the business can make money for us.’ ‘Stay proactive, keep pushing those bookings forward.’ ‘The popularity of SA I think, undeniably, is going to keep increasing.’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ GUEST RESOURCES Switchback Stays website Switchback Stays Facebook [email protected] [email protected] ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising, and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. In a decidedly unique edition of the Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast, the “Property Soldier” is laying a few truths bare in connection with a rise in the unfortunate practice of casting property education in a negative light, and why it might be time to re-evaluate your thinking when it comes to the fair exchange of experience. KEY TAKEAWAYS There are good and bad points to any profession, but education in how to get the best out of your property investments, if done properly, is an essential tool. We should never feel bad for providing a quality service or product. A fair exchange between trainer and student, that leads to genuine value for said student, is worth something. A quality coach or mentor will have spent much of their life in pursuit of success. Investment in themselves has been generously made. If that person’s wisdom can help you to save money and time in your own journey, then exchanging that experience for a fee is natural. BEST MOMENTS ‘Of course people should pay the value of that product or service’ ‘If something is free then it’s worth every penny’ ’There are three ways to lead people - by example, by example, by example. It’s as simple as that' Knowledge is the most important asset that anyone can have VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast ABOUT THE HOST Kevin Poneskis, also known as the Property Soldier, has been a full-time property investor and mentor since 2011. This happened after he served the army for 24 years. He spent majority of this years in the 29 Commando Regiment RA and finished his time in the army as a Regimental Sergeant Major. Even during his time in the army, Kevin was already building his property portfolio and educating himself everything about real estate investments. Right now, he is writing his book Property Soldier, in which 100% of the profit from the book will go to homeless veterans, and hosting The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast which educates people who want to explore and earn from serviced accommodation property investing. CONTACT METHOD Kevin’s Facebook Kevin’s LinkedIn

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. In this podcast, Kevin has recorded a mentoring call with Stephen Warwick. Stephen works out of the West Coast of Scotland and is currently incorporating SAP properties into his portfolio of rental properties. They talk about several of the roadblocks he is facing and discuss effective ways to overcome them. Including, persuading letting agents to rent out properties to you as an SAP landlord. They discuss how to get around the situation when it appears that the agent is not telling the owner that you are interested in renting the property. As well as how to prove you are not going to be using the property as an HMO. Along with how to keep more of your profits. KEY TAKEAWAYS Ideally, your SA property will also work for other rental formats. If there are chain hotels in the area that is an indicator that there is a strong demand for short-term rentals. New build developments are a particularly good source of SA clients. Don´t dismiss the idea of using physical marketing materials to reach out to potential clients. It is better to approach an agent and ask to lease a property for a commercial client. If you suspect that the agent is blocking by not passing your offer to rent onto owners, use Kevin´s technique to get around this issue. Tap into your own contacts from your day job to find clients. A lot of agents confuse serviced accommodation with HMO when renting to tradespeople. Kevin explains how to handle this situation effectively. Assuming responsibility for paying the rent and making it clear that they can run a credit check on your company reassures agents. Sharing your client name with a letting agent is highly unlikely to lead to agents leasing properties to them behind your back. Tap into free ways to get your serviced accommodation to appear in the search results. A way to buy SA property and still be able to offset the interest still exists. A capital surveyor will help you to earn tax-free income using the SA model. You can approach owners directly and incentivise them to rent to you privately, especially using tools like fluctuating income. When approaching a leasing agent, you need to have already set up your company and have a website. BEST MOMENTS ‘If you haven´t had the training to know whether SA is likely to work or not, then I always suggest that you make sure it works as a buy to let as a fallback.’ ‘Tell agents - the liability for the rent sits with my company, you can credit reference my company.’ ‘There's an awful lot of things that you won't know yet, therefore, you don't know how you could be making a lot more money out of SA.’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising, and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. In this episode, Kevin covers renting properties from letting agents that you plan to list and use as serviced accommodation (R2SA). He explains how to overcome the fact that many agents do not feel comfortable letting properties to people who are going to then list it on Airbnb and booking.com. The strategy Kevin shares is an easy one that even a brand-new company can successfully use. It includes an effective way to find new commercial clients for your properties. A method that you can continue to use to keep your property full. How to establish a professional-looking SAP company and find customers, even before you have a portfolio of properties, is also covered in this podcast. KEY TAKEAWAYS The resistance letting agents have, to renting to people they know are going to list it on Airbnb etc, can be overcome. It is possible to get your guests lined up in advance before approaching the agent. You need to be professional and set up a proper Ltd company, which costs very little. A SAP company´s website needs to be country-specific. You do not have to have properties available before setting up your website. There are dozens of places to find potential clients and approach them, Kevin several of them in the podcast. Once you have set up and been running a successful R2SA with an agent they will happily rent more properties to you. You do not need to be an established company to make this business model work. Not being able to pass credit reference checks is not a difficult issue to overcome. There are multiple ways for you to get bookings for the property that you rent from the agent. BEST MOMENTS ‘You have so much more volition when you are going to the letting agent with your guests already lined up,’ ‘With letting agents, you represent more money for them when you're walking in the door. ‘ ‘I'm talking about having multiple ways of getting bookings.’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T Kiyosaki Serviced Accommodation Success by Kevin Poneskis ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising, and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. In this podcast, Kevin interviews Shaz Ahmed who is a commercial mortgage broker. A person who thinks outside the box to provide mortgages where others have failed. During the podcast, Kevin and Shaz discuss the challenges facing property investors today. Shaz breaks down the various serviced accommodation business models and explains where to turn to for finance for each of them. Including the name of lenders for the various models. He also quickly blows away some of the myths surrounding financing that are holding many investors back. KEY TAKEAWAYS Try to understand things from the lender´s point of view, so you can tailor your approach accordingly. Clearly define your serviced accommodation model and approach those lenders that understand it and feel comfortable financing that type of business. When lenders hear the term serviced accommodation they tend to automatically think of hospitality, hotels, etc. Many still don´t understand the short term let model. Local building societies are good people to approach for holiday let loans. For short term let properties look for a lender that offers you the ability to switch from say Airbnb to an AST and back again. A list of short-term let lenders is shared in the podcast Included in the podcast is a list of serviced accommodation lenders Sometimes you need to be creative to secure the finance you need. There are ways around having to wait 6 months to mortgage a property bought with cash. Some lenders are offering mortgages without repayment charges, how you can do this is explained in the podcast. Don´t get tripped up by not being able to prove where your deposit came from. Take care with payment holidays to make sure they do not get incorrectly categorized and damage your credit. Always be totally honest with your broker Usually, criteria is more important than the interest rate – if you don´t meet the criteria you can´t borrow anything BEST MOMENTS ‘Up to 75%, loan to value is available. 70% seems to be the sweet spot with the building societies especially for the short term lets.’ ‘Don´t be scared of bridging, it’s a good tool if used correctly.’ ‘Whoever you go to and work with as a broker, tell them everything.’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ GUEST CONTACT METHODS Instagram Email - [email protected] Phone - 07809 115889 ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising, and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit, and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. ABOUT THE GUEST Shall is a mortgage broker who works specifically with property investors at all stages of their journey. he is also a regular speaker on the property networking scene and now on various podcasts. He has worked in finance for the best of a decade in both corporate and more specialist roles. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. In this podcast, Kevin is being interviewed by Sally Kember of Serviced Accommodation Secrets. They talk about Kevin´s book, why he wrote it and how he used case studies to ensure that it went into enough detail to be practical in the real world. They discuss why Kevin switched from Buy to Let to SA as part of his strategy to handle the fallout from clause 24. As well as talking about the different tax regimes and how property owners and developers can use them to significantly improve returns. They also talk about the opportunities the CoVid crisis has created and one that everyone can potentially take advantage of right now. KEY TAKEAWAYS If you are trying to get a big project done, for example writing a book, try to lock yourself away from distractions, it greatly improves your efficiency. Case studies are a great way to learn, they are inspiring as well as informative. Investing in some proper property education is worthwhile doing. Ignorance is what gets you in trouble financially and leads to your missing out on business opportunities. Serviced accommodation is a trading model, which enables you to get around some of the issues related to clause 24 changes. The SA model can be made to work well even in the cheaper areas of a town. Educating yourself properly about the various taxable allowances will save you a huge amount of money. CoVid has created a bigger market for SA owners. Kevin shares details of a new type of project which enabled him to quadruple his profit. BEST MOMENTS ‘I am a firm believer in proper training. When people say property education is expensive, I say that ignorance is more expensive.’ ‘With SA 35%, of a property can end up as a capital allowance, yet most people are not claiming this.’ ‘One deal can create life-changing recurring income, so you don't need a job anymore.’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising, and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. For a change, in this podcast, it is Kevin who is being interviewed. During the interview, Kevin talks about finding, funding, and running combination Serviced Accommodation (SA). Kevin explains how you can buy a SA one day and start accepting guests, short or long-term, almost immediately. As well as how to set these properties up so you can avoid the fallout from section 24. He explains how he weathered the CoVid storm by being proactive and is planning to be ready for an upsurge in demand as things evolve and the crisis ends. He covers the important subject of financing an SA, including sharing a list of lenders who will provide the funds for this kind of venture. KEY TAKEAWAYS Understand the difference between assets and liabilities – Kevin shares an example. Recognise the fact that there is good debt and bad debt and learn the difference. Only take advice from someone who knows what they are talking about, somebody involved in your form of property business. The right mentor for you is someone involved in your industry who is one or two steps ahead of where you are now. In the UK, using the right SA model, it is possible to mitigate the consequences of section 24. Position yourself to take advantage of the staycation boom and be ready to benefit from a less competitive market, once the CoVid crisis ends. Often, you can make SA properties that have been bought in cheap parts of town turn a high profit. Getting finance for UK SA properties is not easy, but it is possible when you approach the right lenders – Kevin provides some recommendations. It is possible to diversify a SA property, which will, often, keep it full for more of the year BEST MOMENTS ‘The loophole is serviced accommodation where you can go and get a property really cheap’ ‘You´ve got to take advice from someone who's leading by example, and who is qualified to give that advice ‘ ‘Sometimes a disappointment is actually the best thing that could have happened to you at the time’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T Kiyosaki Serviced Accommodation Success by Kevin Poneskis ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. Kevin is with Ben Brand who has proved that even with a worldwide pandemic and lockdown Serviced Accommodation can work through difficult and changing times. Ben shares his business journey and the adaptations he made when the world went into lockdown. As someone who has scaled a business successfully, he explains why it’s important to strive to be the best version of yourself, take risks if you want real change and the critical importance of self-education if you want to create a business that is a win, win for all those involved. KEY TAKEAWAYS To grow a business, you have to change your mindset. Seek self-education and do everything you can to invest in yourself. Network extensively face to face and on social media. It’s vital to tell people what you are doing. If you want to scale quickly then management of properties can help you to do this if you offer a quality service. When you provide a good service, people will come to you. Working with deal sourcers and establishing positive relationships can help you to scale. We were able to pivot and provide a service for a range of key workers. We changed our business model and moved to direct marketing. We brought many operations in house and this allowed us to take even more on and have the control required to be successful. The market is changing and the Serviced Accommodation market is now bouncing back. Multiple units in the same block is a model that we are now moving forward with. BEST MOMENTS ‘If you want to change yourself you have to be prepared to change your life’ ‘We knew we had to adapt and we weren’t going to go down without a fight’ ‘The indicators are that SA will become the preferred accommodation for many individuals’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ Ben Brand Facebook ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. In this episode, Kevin looks at why the right professional photos of your serviced accommodation will make you more money. It can be easy to think that taking your own photos is a good saving but in reality, good professional photography will pay for itself tenfold as it generates more sales for your serviced accommodation. Kevin explains what makes the difference and exactly what you should have photographed sharing great advice and tips on how to get your SA property up the listings and booked. KEY TAKEAWAYS When potential guests are looking on Airbnb they will move past photos that don’t grab their attention and stop only on those that grab their attention. Good professional photography will Instantly jump off the screen. Professional photography will always make a room look wider and the property will look lighter, brighter and much more appealing. You will need 20 plus professional photos. Have some close-ups that show the benefits of your serviced accommodation – tea and coffee making facilities, toiletries available. Use the photos to sell to people all the benefits of your serviced accommodation If people spend longer looking at your listing the algorithm pushes your listing up the rankings Listing optimisation can help you to make a decision about the photos and the impact they have with the general public. Set up a poll and ask your social media, this will also be further marketing for your property. BEST MOMENTS ‘If people paid attention to this they would make a lot more money’ The photos are the portal to the world of that serviced accommodation Professional photography will sell the accommodation over and over VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. Kevin is with Ben Brand co-founder of STAYBC a premier provider of short stay serviced accommodation. He started his journey with Kevin’s serviced accommodation training and his business has gone from strength to strength. They discuss due diligence; capital allowances and how great serviced accommodation can be created by converting guest houses and B&B’s into studio room hotels. This is an opportunity to hear about how you can grow a successful business in serviced accommodation if you have someone to show you the possibilities and get the best education before you start out. KEY TAKEAWAYS Someone showing you the opportunity is fundamental to your success. If you invest in property education you are spending money on something that can transform your life. Only take on a property that you know is going to work as serviced accommodation after you have undertaken your due diligence. If properties are used as serviced accommodation the income is trading income not investment income and mortgage interest can be offset against this income. When a property is used as serviced accommodation the moving parts inside the property such as the boiler and the kitchen becomes plant and machinery and capital allowances can be claimed. Converting B&Bs and guest houses into studio room hotels means they can still be found on booking.com There is a massive opportunity to create a win, win situation for everyone with these types of properties. If you are acquiring residential property to convert to serviced accommodation the capital allowances will not have been claimed. It’s always all about going the extra mile to secure direct bookings to create your own customer database. BEST MOMENTS ‘Your podcast got me to where I am now in Serviced Accommodation’ ‘The SA bounce means we have been able to raise our prices by 40-50%’ ‘We’ve learnt so much and have been able not only to operate but grow in this time’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ STAYBC website ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT & NEW BOOK OFFER! First 300 to secure a copy will get a place on an exclusive online event with Kevin on the 'Serviced Accommodation Success Kickstart evening’. To get this bonus and a chance of winning other prizes you need to purchase a copy of the book on Amazon. You can find the book using this link https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1909846635 Once you have purchased the book you need to email your proof of purchase to [email protected] You will then be sent your invite to the online 'Serviced Accommodation Success Kickstart evening’. What You’ll Learn When you join Kevin at the online event A deep dive visual presentation of what’s covered in the book Q&A session with the Author The latest property regulation changes - Kevin will cover up to the minute details including the recent VAT cut and stamp duty changes Deep dive into the SA DEALS System - a simple 5 step system to successfully operating and building a SA portfolio Why Staycations are fuelling the SA Bounce and Boom and how you can cash in. Why SA with it’s great social distancing is creating massive demand. How you can acquire Rent to SA property with literally no money down and have cash in the bank from forward bookings before paying out on rent. Everyone will get Kevin “how to advertise and rank hi on google” cheat sheet to get your SA business front and centre earning commission free bookings First 300 will be entered into 2 prize draws - 5 lucky winners will win a 30 minute 1-2-1 coaching call with Kevin & 1 other lucky winner will win the chance to join Kevin on this Podcast where you can promote your SA business or simply ask questions and have a coaching/mentoring session BUT in order to claim these prizes you must join Kevin on the online Serviced Accommodation Success Kickstart Evening. VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. Kevin shares an extract from his much-anticipated book ‘Serviced Accommodation Success’ which is due for launch imminently. He has chosen a section packed with information about tax and Serviced Accommodation, an area that is known for its mis-information and confusion. This is a chance to find out about what really matters and what is actually applicable to serviced accommodation from someone who has extensive expertise and experience in this sector. Listen in and learn. KEY TAKEAWAYS There is never a definitive course of action for tax as only a slight variance in circumstance can alter the actions required. Always seek guidance from an experienced SA accountant and refer to HMRC SA is more like a hotel, guest house or B&B because of the other services available such as laundry and cleaning. To qualify as FHL a property should be available for short term lettings for 210 days in a year and let for 105 days of short lets. Income from SA is subject to VAT but income from buy to let and HMO is not and when the threshold is met VAT is chargeable to customers and payable to HMRC. There are different VAT schemes that are applicable so it’s vital that professional advice is sought. Section 24 legislation dictates that buy to let and HMO owners would no longer be able to offset their mortgage interest against rental income and tax. In SA mortgage interest can still be offset against SA income subject to meeting the FHL or serviced accommodation criteria, so there is no need to purchase SA property through a limited company to avoid section 24 tax. Many SA operators begin their SA journey by renting out part of their own home first and the rent a room allowance is currently £7,500 allowing you to use part of your own home as SA up to the allowance tax-free. BEST MOMENTS ‘Many people use the term serviced accommodation when referring to a holiday let as well as SA’ ‘Tax is an area that is often confusing’ ‘Many SA operators begin their SA journey by renting out part of their own home first’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ https://www.gov.uk/…/guida…/covid-19-support-for-businesses… ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. Corona Virus Special - What Every SA Provider Must Implement Now https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/covid-19-support-for-businesses DESCRIPTION This is a difficult time for everyone and Kevin shares the information and help available for Serviced Accommodation providers in this episode. There are SA operators who are full because although you cannot take bookings from leisure guests as we all ‘stay at home’, there are key workers who now need accommodation. Kevin explains in detail each step you need to take to ensure that you have bookings now and are one of the Serviced Accommodation Providers who can still offer a great service when everything gets back to normal. KEY TAKEAWAYS Many serviced accommodation operators claim small business rates relief, and so are eligible for the 10k grant funding being made available. There is a business rate 12-month holiday available for hospitality businesses along with business interruption loans and the opportunity to defer VAT and income tax payments. You should not be taking bookings from leisure guests but those that are key workers are still potential sources of income. Key workers are choosing to self-isolate so they are not putting their own families at risk and care homes are also choosing to book accommodation for their key workers so they have somewhere between shifts. Focus on where the key workers are in your town and be proactive - contact hotels and anywhere in your locality that has key workers. Be flexible on rates, in order to get bookings, you are going to need to be flexible at this point in time. Look at your terms and conditions and see if there is anything you want to relax such as rules excluding pets or children in your Serviced Accommodation. Increase your marketing and presence across all platforms and consider incentives such as contributing to a local charity for direct bookings, teaming up with food delivery services and care packages. Implement these things and you will get bookings and be front and centre of people’s minds when things go back to normal. BEST MOMENTS ‘People I mentor are getting this grant through and it’s coming quickly so it’s worth applying for’ ‘Much better to try and work with the owners and landlords to find a solution together’ ‘You can carry on as you were after this so stay positive and go the extra mile to get bookings now’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/covid-19-support-for-businesses ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. In The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast you will learn how to Start, Systemise and scale a profitable Serviced Accommodation Business. Kevin served 24 years in the British Army, serving mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major, he left the Army in 2011 to became a full-time property investor. For most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a successful property investor now for over 27 years which is why he is known as the Property Soldier. Serviced Accommodation is now Kevin’s preferred income generating strategy so Let Serviced Accommodation help you like it's helped Kevin by joining us on this podcast. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. Mark Winship is one of the most experienced serviced accommodation operators in the country, with a multitude of experience in Rent-To-SAs, development-to-serviced-accommodation and purchase-to-serviced-accommodation under his belt. Along the way, Mark has identified one of the most pervasive problems in serviced accommodation, and used his considerable IT knowledge to solve it. In today’s show, Mark joins Kevin and a special live audience to show his new app, 'YourSA’ for the very first time, explaining in detail what it does, the incredible features that can streamline your SA business, and why it was created. KEY TAKEAWAYS After finding nothing but dissatisfaction in the apps and services he was seeing on the market, Mark began to develop his own app in 2019; one that would see to the requirements he was seeking in his own SA business. The app was designed to service three fundamental business goals: Time - Taking back hours that were being lost Control - Taking back control from online booking agents Longevity - Building a brand that was synonymous with quality Systemisation needs to be robust, tested, and failsafe. All it takes is one communication error, and your whole system falls like a house of cards. Mark and his company began to zero in on repeat bookings and customer loyalty, as one of the cornerstone metrics upon which to measure the success of his business. If using third-party apps and platforms continues to make the systemisation of our own businesses that much more complicated, then why do we persist in using them? That was the reasoning behind the creation of YourSA, which seeks to develop standalone native apps for serviced accommodation operators. The main reasons for developing your own Serviced Accommodation app through YourSA are: Build brand loyalty Drive more direct bookings Stop spending money on third-party solutions Updates can end when third-party apps become defunct, which can make you non-GDPR compliant Streamline guest messaging The opportunity to earn money through additional revenue streams Control over your own customer database The features of YourSA are unparalleled in terms of adding value to the guest experience. This adds to the value you’ll be building into your SA business, as a pleasant customer experience will encourage return bookings. The features don’t only benefit the customer experience, but also your relationship with your team. Geolocation, photography and instant updating, allows you to keep tabs on what your cleaning staff are doing, as well as maintenance and other groups. BEST MOMENTS ‘I’m really glad I didn’t have to wear a loud, stripy shirt, as I don’t think I could pull that off’ ’The ultimate goal for all of us is running efficient businesses’ ‘We’re the certainly the first viable way to have your very own app built for your serviced accommodation business’ ‘It’s as close as you can get to standing over somebody’s shoulder and making sure that standards are as high as they should be’ ’The end result is your very own app!’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast Mark Winship LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-winship-68b34833/?originalSubdomain=uk YourSA App - https://www.yoursa.app/2020/02/24/sa-are-you-ready/ - If you order your app-build using the PROG1 discount code, then you will receive a £350 discount on the price of the initial build. [email protected] ABOUT THE HOST Your host, Kevin Poneskis, enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL, which provides accommodation and training to homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a commando unit, and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has now been a property investor for 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. One of Kevin’s many followers has asked an interesting question: A single let property they own is about to become vacant again. Should they consider using it as service accommodation, and what are the main points to consider if they do so? The answer isn’t as clear as many might think, but with Kevin’s help you can steer your way through the correct path, and hopefully get your serviced accommodation up and running in no time! KEY TAKEAWAYS Make sure you have permission from your lender. You may not have the right mortgage, but bear in mind that there are many SA products available now. Speak to your broker first and foremost. Remember that you can’t be black-listed by a lender simply for having a conversation. Black-listing only happens if you default, so by all means begin a dialogue with your lender. As long as you’re paying the bills, you have nothing to fear. Check the demand for serviced accommodation in your area - The general rule is that if the population of your town/city is over 70,000 then there will be some demand. Are there many hotels in the area? If the answer is yes, then it’s likely they’ve already done the research for you, and decided that the area has a need. If you’re getting the property back from a tenant, it’s highly likely that the furnishings in the house will need replacing, so prepare for the cost of that. Any expenses incurred through refurbishing your property can claim back as a capital allowance, or at least be offset against your tax using capital allowance. Professional photos of the property are a must! Make your property look as attractive as possible. And use a professional, as they’ll know exactly how to make your property look its best. Make sure you’re listed on Airbnb and Booking.com and endeavour to get that average rating up, as it’ll attract more people to your listing. Remember that the more sites you’re listed on, the longer it’ll take for your average review ratings to climb. If you’re going to list on numerous sites, make sure you get a channel manager. They’ll make sure you don’t get double-bookings, which can happen far more often than you think. You need the right insurance for your property. Talk to a broker who has experience in SA, short-term lets, or furnished holiday lets. Buy-to-let insurance is not the right product, so be aware. The best way of operating your SA is to do so through a limited company. They’re easy to set up, and you’ll be far more protected, especially if you have your own set of terms and conditions for each of your bookings. You can avoid Section 24 by moving your property into serviced accommodation, and then you can claim capital allowances. Use a specialist for this, and not your accountant. A proper surveyor will be much more thorough and save you far more money. BEST MOMENTS ‘Please don’t say “Can I do serviced accommodation” because the answer is likely to be no!’ ‘It’s likely that you’re going to have to give that property a bit of a buff and a fluff’ ‘You’ve got to stage the property and dress it accordingly’ ‘Good photos are definitely going to make you a lot more money’ ‘Don’t try and do serviced accommodation on the cheap’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast List your property on the Booking website - join.booking.com List your property on Airbnb - https://www.airbnb.co.uk/host/homes?_set_bev_on_new_domain=1498640434_MhzeKoJJtDSMcBf1 ABOUT THE HOST Your host, Kevin Poneskis, enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL, which provides accommodation and training to homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a commando unit, and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has now been a property investor for 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. No one knows more about leveraging their business to achieve their ideal lifestyle than this week’s guest, Catherine Turner, the host of the Leveraged Lifestyle podcast. This episode sees Catherine delivering a very special keynote address to a select group of attendees, in which she discusses the importance of leveraging and automation, and the ways in which Catherine herself managed to achieve her own leveraged lifestyle. KEY TAKEAWAYS When we invest in property, we need to make sure that we are leveraging, outsourcing and automating to the best of our abilities, or we risk creating more work for ourselves. The belief that you are the only person who can run your business is all too common. We need to recognise that we can’t be the best at everything in the world. Social media is a very useful way of leveraging out the sourcing of clients. Agencies, too, are an invaluable way of handing off tasks so that you can free up your own time. Finding out about your tenants can often lead to further success. By discovering the lifestyle patterns of guests, you can more accurately predict their future interactions with you. Finding the right business partner is easy of your strengths and weaknesses are the same. It’s best to partner with someone who can do the things you’re not best at. That way you can cover more bases. You don’t always need to leverage by means of a person. There are so many systems out there that can help to lighten your load, and they come far cheaper in many cases. Automation is sometimes better than outsourcing. The systems that Catherine recommends in order to help make your business more exepdient are: Audio recordings of calls and meetings - this can make reference far easier Evernote - notes that sync between devices Lastpass - Ensures the smooth syncing and secure storage of logins and passwords, that can be easily shareable Quicktime Player - this can be used to record conversations VA’s, especially those working abroad, can be utilised at all times of the day. Perhaps they could run elements of your business while you’re asleep, so that you can essentially operate on a twenty-four hours basis. BEST MOMENTS ‘Who need another day job?’ ‘It was just me, a telephone, and a laptop’ ‘For us this was all about building relationships’ ‘You don’t need to reinvent the wheel’ ’These things are working whether anyone’s working or not’ ‘When do we ever have our ducks in a row?’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast Leveraged Lifestyle Podcast: www.bit.ly/itunesllpodcast Leveraged Lifestyle Community: www.bit.ly/llocfbgroup Book My Stay - www.bookmystay.co.uk Lastpass - www.lastpass.com ABOUT THE GUEST Catherine is host of the iTunes No.1 business podcast Leveraged Lifestyle, she is an entrepreneur, businesswoman, Inspirational Speaker, world record holder, Founder of Turner Invest and a mum of 2! Catherine quit being an employee in 2013, after working more than 50+ hours on average a week, over 3 jobs. Jobs, hours and a lifestyle which led to a diagnosis of clinical depression before the age of 25. In 2011/12 Catherine discovered the power of investing in property, and has experience in Single Lets, Flips, Deal packaging, House of Multiple Occupation (HMOs), Serviced Accommodation and Developments mainly in her home county of Essex, but also across the UK, helping investors, landlords and developers create a better return on their money or property. Catherine started Leveraged Lifestyle podcast to share with business owners, entrepreneurs and those not leading their ideal lifestyle, the mindset and skill set it takes to create a lifestyle of freedom & choice. Catherine has identified 7 key areas of leverage, which we can all tap into: time, money, knowledge, talent, experience, brand, our strengths. This coupled with the SOS model created by Stephen Turner (Catherine’s business partner & husband): Systemise, Outsource & Scale, Leveraged Lifestyle podcast is here to help you create a business that gives you the lifestyle you want. ABOUT THE HOST Kevin Poneskis, also known as the Property Soldier, has been a full-time property investor and mentor since 2011. This happened after he served the army for 24 years. He spent majority of this years in the 29 Commando Regiment RA and finished his time in the army as a Regimental Sergeant Major. Even during his time in the army, Kevin was already building his property portfolio and educating himself everything about real estate investments. Right now, he is writing his book Property Soldier, in which 100% of the profit from the book will go to homeless veterans, and hosting The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast which educates people who want to explore and earn from serviced accommodation property investing. CONTACT METHOD Kevin’s Facebook Kevin’s LinkedIn

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. This episode Kevin answers some of the most in demand questions that he’s being asked at the moment. This includes details on VAT, tax and what you can suggest to your landlord to keep them happy with what you’re doing. KEY TAKEAWAYS When a landlord is getting a fixed rent but the property is being used for serviced accommodation, they can avoid section 24. You’re probably safer off not mentioning to the landlord that they can avoid section 24 by doing rent to SA. Serviced accommodation management is where the operator charges a percentage to the owner. Promise the landlord to keep the property in show home condition, no voids or bad tenants. You need to be wary of what the VAT complications could be if you’re looking to do rent to SA. You could agree to do a certain amount of revenue so that you don’t go over the VAT threshold. You should speak to an accountant to give you proper advice. BEST MOMENTS ‘There are many different names for rent to SA’ ‘Wait for case law’ ‘Be mindful of your own turnover’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ Simple Crowdfunding website ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. In this episode, Kevin shares a chapter from his much-anticipated book, ‘Serviced Accommodation Success’ which is due out in March. Kevin has created a process, the DEAL system, with end to end steps that can be followed by anyone who wants to know how to be successful in serviced accommodation. Due diligence - what type of property works is there demand in your area? Explore - getting quotes, costs, and dealing with everything in your spreadsheet Acquisition - there are multiple acquisition strategies required Logistics - the ongoing running of the SA property If you want to create a business you must create a system that you and your team can follow and Kevin shares the details of due diligence for serviced accommodation in this fascinating podcast. KEY TAKEAWAYS D – Due Diligence Area - where is your SA goldmine area? There are many factors to consider and you should aim to meet as many of the criteria as possible when choosing an area. Find an area as near to where you live as possible. Construction sites can provide all year-round demand and can be profitable over extended periods if the development is extensive. Large businesses and organisations often have mobile workforces and can visit an area repeatedly. An airport will provide high demand but this will probably be mostly one-night stays, so costs will be higher for you, the operator. Operating Costs - The main operating costs for SA are cleaning and laundry. Guests staying for longer periods are much more profitable as you are only paying for 1 clean and laundry You can offer discounts for longer stays and still make more profit than a number of short stays with the associated costs per stay. Venues - Sporting venues also host other events such as music events so there is good potential for longer stays. Tourist attractions such as historical attractions, areas of natural beauty as well as theme parks. Hospitals – lots of scenarios where family and friends want to locate closer. Staff also undertake short term contracts. Target market - Once you have established your SA demand area you will know your target market, the type of people who are likely to be using your SA and this will help you decide on the right type of property. Everything from a one-bed apartment to a large mansion can be suitable it’s just a case of matching the type of guest with the property. BEST MOMENTS ‘Make a list of the SA demand points in an area and choose the area’ ‘You should always cater to demand if you want to make the most profit’ ‘There isn’t a specific use class that fits all types of serviced accommodation’ ‘The number of people at SA is the most likely reason neighbours will complain’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ Simple Crowdfunding website ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. ‘It’s about the power of the crowd, it’s getting that crowd to follow your brand’ In this episode, Davin Poonwassie from Simple Crowdfunding explains how you can crowdfund and get investors on board for your property business. Simple Crowdfunding look at your project to make sure it’s viable, get all the information together to make sure it’s compliant and market alongside you to get it funded. You can crowd fund most things and you can effectively leverage a crowd funding platform that’s tried and tested and be compliant. Building your brand and being visible is key and using a crowdfunding platform can make sure you are developing your brand and growing your crowd, listen in now and get started. KEY TAKEAWAYS Simple Crowdfunding allows you to communicate in a compliant way. You will be able to treat investors in the right way. They can take ISA money and also allow pension money into raises. Difference between peer to peer and equity Equity is where the investors are getting a share of the project, they share the risk with you and you share the profit with them. Equity is typically used at the top end of your capital stack. Peer to peer is effectively loans, it’s a group of loans from a crowd of people. Lots of people putting in small amounts into your deal so you can set up your rent to SA. Simple Crowdfunding offer peer to peer and equity which is are key aspects to consider when you are looking for a crowd funder. A lot the changes in peer to peer were about how investors are categorised and how checks are undertaken to ensure they understand what they are doing. Regulations came into force this month meaning that you can’t promote mini-bonds to retail investors. There are 3 types of investors high net worth, sophisticated and retail. This means you can’t market publicly because you don’t know who is seeing it. Peer to peer doesn’t have this restriction, you can market your deal to the retail investor and build your brand. Getting investors on board is easier than you think and Simple Crowdfunding can do that for you and after you have created the marketing will help you to make sure you are compliant. Once people have been on-boarded properly you can tell the world, it will keep your investors informed and will build your crowd as others see it because building your brand, your crowd and visibility is key for your next investment. BEST MOMENTS ‘You can leverage a crowdfunding platform that’s tried and tested and be compliant’ ‘It matters because as you grow your business you will want different types of finance and will have built your brand through a platform’ ‘Whatever you want to do – your brand is hugely important; people want to get to know who you are’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ Simple Crowdfunding website ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. ‘There is a strategy that just about everyone can get into’ In this episode, Kevin shares a mentee call where the questions focus on finding your goldmine area, the 90-day rule and whether Serviced Accommodation has to be a self-contained unit. If you are starting out identifying a viable area for your serviced accommodation is key for your business and Kevin shares some great advice on where to access data and information that will help you to make the right decision along with an in-depth look at the different classes serviced accommodation falls in to and what that means for the development of SA. This is a great listen with lots of value for anyone who is either looking to go into SA or is already on the journey. KEY TAKEAWAYS The goldmine area Everyone wants to know where their gold mine area is If the town has a population of over 70,000 then it will be viable for SA The hotel futures report provides the market research and detailed indicators for short term accommodation and this information and data is applicable to Serviced Accommodation Look for large businesses, universities, sports stadiums and building projects these all create demand for accommodation Does it have to be a self-contained unit? If you are planning to develop a whole apartment SA, the most appropriate class is C3. HMOs sit inside the housing act and are classed as C4 the people living there are not a family group or connected. To let a property to individuals as SA by the room you need C1 class which is moving towards guest houses. It can be dependant on how the council interprets the rules. The 90-day rule in London In a calendar year, you can do up to 90 days of short letting. The reality is only Airbnb is counting so if you are using other booking platforms you can exceed the 90 days. You can approach people and if a company books you for longer periods you will not be breaching the 90-day rule. BEST MOMENTS ‘All these people need accommodating’ ‘Currently, there isn’t anything that is an ’X’ marks the spot’ ‘You don’t need to exceed the90 day rule if you are proactive and secure bookings direct’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. ‘Cleaners are one of the most important parts in our business, they are our eyes and ears as the people who are first into a property when guests leave’ In this hybrid episode, Khadija is interviewing Kevin about SA... And Kevin is interviewing Khadija about her cleaning business! They discuss what’s important when you are starting out in Serviced Accommodation and the important role cleaning staff play in the operation of any Serviced Accommodation Business. This is a great podcast which offers an opportunity to see things from more than one perspective, listen in and enjoy. KEY TAKEAWAYS What if you are thinking of getting into SA? A lot of people do SA in the wrong way taking on extensive risk through the acquisition of a SA property, which is a challenge when further down the line they decide SA is not for them. People should get trained in SA before they get into SA because there are a lot of moving parts to consider. The DEALS model is an effective pathway for serviced accommodation D – due diligence E - explore A – acquisition a SA L – logistics S – Scrutinise People invest huge amounts of their money without understanding what they are doing You need to get some training and a mentor. Learn from a mentor’s mistakes rather than making those mistakes yourself. Rent to SA is a great way of getting into serviced accommodation it is a model that requires much less investment. Working with cleaning companies as a SA provider Whatever you think you will need the cleaning company to do should be discussed in detail I have a fixed rate I don’t want to pay differing amounts based on the level of untidiness I prefer not to negotiate so working with a cleaning company who have experience of SA is helpful because they are able to establish an average time for a clean and know what working in the SA sector entails. Our cleaners are one of the most important parts in our business, they are our eyes and ears as the people who are first into a property when guests leave. If you are constantly giving your cleaning company a problem you are not going to keep them. You need to pick a good cleaning company and then work well with that company BEST MOMENTS ‘The worst thing that can happen with rent to SA is that you give it back’ ‘Build up your passive income when you are still in a job then you can live the life you want to live as an entrepreneur’ ‘I spent 24 years in the army as an entrepreneur, if you have an entrepreneurial spirit you have to find a way to be an entrepreneur’ ‘I’m fully aware that sometimes guests leave a property looking nice and sometimes it’s like a war zone’ VALUABLE RESOURCES Keeping it Real with Khadija Podcast The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected] ABOUT THE GUEST Keep it real with Khadija is an interview-based podcast hosted by Khadija Kalifa. As a BBC Apprentice finalist and busy Mumpreneur, Khadija is on a mission to build an empire whilst raising two children, inspiring others to make their passion their profession. Khadija speaks openly about how she grew up in an underprivileged area, turned her daughter’s birth trauma into a motivational story, and became a BBC Apprentice finalist, successful business mentor, motivational speaker, property investor and podcast host. Guests of the show speak candidly about life, business, mental health, mindset and making the most of every opportunity. CONTACT Www.keepitrealwithkhadija.com Www.facebook.com/keepitrealwithkhadija Email: [email protected] / [email protected] Khadija Kalifa Instagram Khadija Kalifa Twitter

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. in this episode Dan Eaton, Progressive Property Investor 2018 who has a portfolio of more than thirty properties and specialises in the Serviced Accommodation space explains how the changing face of e-commerce impacts on operators of SA. He highlights the risks and importantly provides great practical and detailed advice on how the systems work and how you can take action to keep yourself safe when dealing with customers for your serviced accommodation. This is an episode that anyone in the arena of serviced accommodation should be listening to as Dan highlights in detail the positive actions you can take to keep yourself safe rom fraudulent transactions. KEY TAKEAWAYS You must think about e-commerce and the worldwide travel industry. If you are a victim of fraud as a consumer you are protected. As an operator who is a victim of fraud it is unlikely you will get any money back. The highest risk is the cardholder not present or keyed entry. Minimising the risk It’s vital to collect all the information you can because; If there is a claim you can provide detailed information If you are a fraudulent booker then a request for detailed information is likely to act as a deterrent to completion of the booking. What to collect Cardholder name – make sure the name as it appears on the card is the name of the person booking Make sure the expiry date is the same as the one appearing on the card The billing address where is this card registered? Card security code Get a photo of both sides of the card Check the alignment of the numbers on the card they should be symmetrical, in alignment, evenly spaced Card numbers always start with a specific numeral such as 4 for a MasterCard Check the hologram is correct Signature strips – visa have lines through the strip, MasterCard has dots or MasterCard written through the strips. What are providers doing 3d secure is a protocol which offers good security but people often can’t remember the password. It’s not very customer friendly There has to be a balance between protecting the customer and enabling them to make payment easily. 3d secure version 2 is designed to build better security along with better customer experience. As consumers, there are additional steps to go through. As operators we need to build in additional authentication steps into our payment check outflow, our business models need to change. Ask your channel manager and payment gateway what they are doing about security and ensure you are looking at everything as a complete package. The aim is to protect the business from fraudulent transactions but balance it with your customer experience. BEST MOMENTS ‘When you start asking for detailed information along with a photo of the card and photo id you will get rid of a lot of fraudulent people’ ‘It’s a difficult balance and banks are going to give security precedence over customer experience’ ‘Look at the new technology on offer and how you can integrate it into your business’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. ‘I realised no one really talked about the legislation around property sourcing and deal packaging, it was like a little dark secret sitting in the corner’ Tina Walsh began her career in the police force and started investing in property in 2005, a chance remark led her into the world of deal packaging and she now combines her passion for property sourcing with everything compliance-related. She is an expert on the compliance requirements for deal sourcers and deal packagers and in this episode, she shares the essential steps that deal packagers and sourcers must take when they start out and the key questions that any investor should ask. Tina explains clearly the steps that must be taken to ensure compliance and why it’s important for both deal sourcers, deal packagers and investors to be on the right side of the law. KEY TAKEAWAYS The Sourcer As a sourcer you’ve started your business and set up a bank account you now need; Insurance – professional indemnity insurance this covers you for your professional services. Not all independent insurers understand what deal packaging is you must ensure you are working with a broker who has a bespoke policy for you and understands property sourcing Register with one of 2 ombudsmen Register with either the TPO or PRS. The TPO is a not for profit organisation and the PRS is a more modern entity and is run by property professionals for profit. The services they provide are very similar. Register for data protection supervision with the ICO – as a property sourcer you gain a huge amount of information on your clients. If you are handing someone personal details they should be treated with respect Register for anti-money laundering supervision with HMRC You must carry out due diligence gaining proof of ID, address and that they have the funds available. You must also ask about the source of the funds. You are expected to do some research and have an audit trail for the source of funds Registering for supervision isn’t the end of compliance it’s just the beginning, there are codes of conduct to follow and minimum standards Below the registration are the policies, standards risk assessment and training all of which must be recorded and provable as standards within your business. The Investor You should be asking Do they have professional indemnity insurance and what is the level? Are they registered with an ombudsman? it’s a legal requirement Are they registered with the ICO? Are they registered for anti-money laundering? Check that the registration numbers supplied are accurate, make sure you do your due diligence. If something has gone wrong being registered with the ombudsman is key, as part of their code of conduct the deal packager is required to have an in-house complaints policy. BEST MOMENTS ‘It’s key you check there is an in-house complaints policy’ ‘Someone may have inherited cash and this can be proved through the solicitor’ ‘Just because as a deal sourcer you don’t have a shop front you shouldn’t think HMRC won’t come knocking on your front door’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ [email protected] SPS UK Property Sourcing Compliance Facebook ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. In this very personal episode, Kevin reveals the reasons why he invested in property and what is important to him, his reason ‘why’ This time of the year is particularly significant to Kevin - it marks his move away from the army to full-time property investor and is the time when we remember those who died during conflict, those people who gave their today’s for our tomorrows. If you don’t have a strong ‘why’ you probably won’t implement what is necessary for you to make a change in your life and achieve what is important to you. We all have only one life and it’s important to live it well making the most of opportunities and focusing on achieving what is important to you, your reason ‘why’ KEY TAKEAWAYS Think about what is important to you? Why is it important you are successful in property? Why is it important you are successful in business? Why is it important you are successful in life? Is it important you are successful or is it imperative you are successful? If it is imperative it’s more likely you will do what you need to be successful. I reached the point where I had a property portfolio that was losing me money every month compounded with tenant issues, building issues and a very stressful job. My property portfolio and personal commitments were trapping me in my job I realised I’d been investing in property for an extensive amount of time but knew nothing about how to do it. Getting a property education became a priority for me. If you do what you’ve always done you’ll get what you’ve always got I realised I had to change and gave myself a very firm deadline – one year to build a property portfolio that could provide an income. Ultimately I wanted to leave the army without the need to get a job so I could focus on my relationships and life. You only get one life you’ve got to live it and make the most of it If you don’t you’ll wake up one day and your life will have passed you by. Property investment is not easy but if it’s worthwhile its worth putting the effort in I advertised free valuations and the phone started ringing. In a year I was able to build my passive income from property so that when I left the army on 11.11.11 I did not need to get a job Don’t exchange time for money for the rest of your life, you can create passive income from property whatever your strategy is. BEST MOMENTS ‘What you write you invite; have a vision board and use it’ ‘You need to visualise what is important to you to be able to work successfully to achieve it’ ‘You’ve got to focus on what is important to you because if you don’t you won’t do what is necessary’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. Today in the studio is Dan Eaton, a former Royal Nay communicator who over the past two years has built a hugely successful serviced accommodation business, operating through Greater London, The Cotswolds and South Wales. Dan has joined Kevin to talk about how he built his property business, the importance of establishing values and goals, and how he used property in order to replace his income completely. KEY TAKEAWAYS • After beginning a family, Dan decided to leave the Royal Navy, as it was taking him away from home too often. After working in the corporate world, Dan discovered that his family time was still too limited. • Progressive Property’s masterclass event opened up a whole new realm of income possibilities to Dan, who decided upon service accommodation because of the areas in which he wished to operate. • Dan needed a "high cashflow in” strategy that worked in his local area, and serviced accommodation fit the bill perfectly. • Establishing values was important. They wanted to only deal with properties in which they would be comfortable using themselves as a family. • If you are thinking of operating a SA in a block, you need to consider whether or not there may be a lease on the property that prevents you from doing so. • Dan used his rent-to-SA business in order to slowly leverage his way to developing and evolving his business to include many different remits. • Being his own boss has allowed Dan to give more quality time to his family, a situation he never dreamed he’d be able to take advantage of. Property has allowed his family life to thrive. • Because Dan didn’t have an initial investment pot, it forced him to use different tactics, including seeking investors, and trying different rental types, in order to build his business. • If you’ve got money sat in the bank, and at the mercy of interest rates and inflation, then use it to invest! BEST MOMENTS • ‘I thought well, if the army can do it…’ • ‘We don’t have to worry about leases - it’s all done from the source’ • ‘Property can be a journey’ • ‘I had all summer with the kids, and we’ve never had that before’ • ‘People invest with other people they know, like, and trust’ • ’The most important asset you can have is knowledge' VALUABLE RESOURCES • The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast • [email protected] • Pivotal Point Properties - www.pivotalpointproperties.co.uk ABOUT THE GUEST Dan Eaton, a former Royal Navy communicator and corporate world consultant, started his property journey in 2017. Over the last two years, he has built up a successful Serviced Accommodation business, looking after 30 properties across Greater London, the Cotswolds and South Wales. That SA business has ultimately led to him leaving full time employment, starting a small scale housing development and two commercial conversions into SA. ABOUT THE HOST Kevin Poneskis, also known as the Property Soldier, has been a full-time property investor and mentor since 2011. This happened after he served the army for 24 years. He spent majority of this years in the 29 Commando Regiment RA and finished his time in the army as a Regimental Sergeant Major. Even during his time in the army, Kevin was already building his property portfolio and educating himself everything about real estate investments. Right now, he is writing his book Property Soldier, in which 100% of the profit from the book will go to homeless veterans, and hosting The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast which educates people who want to explore and earn from serviced accommodation property investing. CONTACT METHOD • Kevin’s Facebook • Kevin’s LinkedIn

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. In this episode, Kevin shares a live mentoring call with Sam who is relatively new to serviced accommodation. He began in May and currently has 4 units in the Leicestershire area, 3 of the properties were Buy to Let converted to SA and he has now taken on a fourth property, a rent to SA to develop his business further. Sam is an avid listener to the Serviced Accommodation Podcast and has been successful in his venture to date implementing strategies and advice from the series. Kevin answers Sam’s specific questions and shares his SA expertise in this podcast which is inspiring for anyone who is thinking about getting started in serviced accommodation. KEY TAKEAWAYS Location In the summer months, there is always more demand and occupancy is higher due to tourism and family travel. Serviced accommodation should be located where there is demand in the winter. This means having serviced accommodation where there is construction and businesses meaning there will be contractors and working people in need of accommodation. Channel managers If you have more than one property you should have a channel manager With a channel manager, there is no risk of double bookings and it will help you to organise your calendar With rent to Sa once you move beyond the fixed term rental period the landlord or owner could give you 2 month’s notice so only having a calendar open for 2 months in advance and then repeatedly moving it is the best way forward. Scaling up Properties that are geographically close allow you to effectively maintain cleaning and meet and greet and maintenance with a single team. When you scale up and have properties across the country you will need to organise multiple teams to maintain the service level. Rent to SA or SA management For SA management there is a higher level of responsibility involved when taking someone’s property and managing it as SA. When you undertake rent to SA you are fulfilling your part of the contract with the owner by paying a set rent it’s easy for the owner. The year There are area-specific variables but typically January and February are the quietest months followed by increased demand in the following months through to September when it begins to drop off. Businesses and trade support demand over the winter months for SA. If you get your price point at the right level then at least 50% of your bookings will be within 2 weeks of check-in Reviews Lots of people will not book unless they can see the reviews and an average review score. If you are using 1-night stays as a way to get reviews quickly on new SA ensure you vet the guests by being there to meet and greet You can lower your price to get bookings in quickly then increase your price when you have enough reviews to qualify for a review score. BEST MOMENTS ‘If you choose an area with 70,000 plus thebe there will be the demand’ ‘If you have 100% occupancy then you are too cheap’ ‘You need reliable trades in the team in order to be able to manage remotely’ ‘Don’t scale too quickly in an area of lower population’ ‘You are more likely to get bookings if people can see your reviews and average review score as long as they are decent’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. If you want a block management perspective for serviced accommodations, then this episode is for you! Today on the Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast, Desmond Moira, the Managing Director at Rynew Services, a company that focuses on block management. Most people think they can DIY their way to SA. Desmond highlights the importance of having knowledge and being trained before diving into serviced accommodations. Treat the leases as your own bible when dealing with rent to SAs. There are more tips that Desmond will share, so tune in. KEY TAKEAWAYS Desmond manages 16 developments across 1200 residential units. Aside from this, he also hosts his own podcast, More with Moreira: The Business Podcast. To make sure that a property may be converted to serviced accommodations, make sure you’ve read and understood the lease. Not everyone can interpret them; If legal jargon isn’t your forte, find a professional who can help you with it. When asking for the lease, it’s best not to tell your intentions beforehand. Most of the owners would refuse, even though it’s legally allowed. If the lease allows it, then you won’t have any issues with the block management as long as what you do is according to their ordinance and you don’t bring any inconvenience to the neighborhood. Desmond’s advice for those who want their own properties be converted to SA: Yes, rent to SA’s earn well, but always make sure it’s managed properly. BEST MOMENTS “The lease is complex. It’s the bible. It’s everything you should and shouldn’t do.” “Check the lease first if serviced accommodation is allowed.” “The whole point of investment is it to be hassle-free for other people.” VALUABLE RESOURCES More With Moreira: The Business Podcast | Apple | Spotify | Omny ABOUT THE GUEST Desmond Moreira is a leaseholder, RMC Director, and a Block Management Company Owner. He also hosts his own podcast which focuses on starting or improving their business. https://desmondmoreira.co.uk/ ABOUT THE HOST Kevin Poneskis, also known as the Property Soldier, has been a full-time property investor and mentor since 2011. This happened after he served the army for 24 years. He spent a majority of these years in the 29 Commando Regiment RA and finished his time in the army as a Regimental Sergeant Major. Even during his time in the army, Kevin was already building his property portfolio and educating himself everything about real estate investments. Right now, he is writing his book Property Soldier, in which 100% of the profit from the book will go to homeless veterans, and hosting The Serviced Accommodation Podcast which educates people who want to explore and earn from serviced accommodation property investing. CONTACT METHOD Kevin’s Facebook Kevin’s LinkedIn

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. In this special episode, Kevin presents a fascinating seminar from Simon King of The Landlord’s Pension, who’s here to tell you how you can invest your pension in property at any age. If you have a pension, like most of us that do, you’re probably fed up with seeing a sum of money which in some cases may be substantial, managed on your behalf in the stock market. There is a huge myth that you cannot touch your pension until you’re over the age of 55. In this presentation we will be dispelling this and several other myths that stop people from taking an interest in their pension today and investing it into property! Investing your pension in property is not a new concept, it’s just that you’ve never been told about it before. If you’ve ever paid into a pension or know someone that has, this seminar is not to be missed! KEY TAKEAWAYS The main thing the Landlord’s Pension helps people with, is to take control of their money. Pension funds are your money, and is being invested on your behalf. The Landlord’s Pension has an incredible success rate. 100% of their clients have increased their investments without fail, year on year. The reason that people seem to ignore their pensions, their largest lifetime investments, is lack of education on how they work. You can use existing or frozen pension funds when it comes to SSAS pensions. You can use business or personal contributions. You are limited to a maximum of £40,000 per year, or whatever you take as an income as your personal contribution. You can use 100% of your fund to buy commercial property with a SSAS pension scheme. It has to be what HMRC deem as commercial property. If the property you purchase with the pension fund raises in value, when it’s sold there’s no capital gain to pay as it’s owned by a pension fund. It’s tax free. The increase in value therefore is added to your pension. If you’re working with the right people, then investing your pension in property is not a difficult thing to do. As for costs, the fees are far lower than many people are paying in equity portfolios. BEST MOMENTS ‘Whether you know it or not, your pension is an asset’ ’SSAS pensions are a lot more flexible’ ‘It’s a great way of boosting your pension and having security’ ‘If you’re 35, and you’ve been paying into a pension for the last 15 years that isn’t doing much for you, why wait to take control of those funds and invest them in a way that you see fit?’ ‘If you don’t like how things are, change it. You are not a tree’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast The Landlord’s Pension - http://www.thelandlordspension.co.uk/ ABOUT THE GUEST Simon King has been involved with the financial services industry for over 20 years, with experience in investment and pension consultancy in both national and international arenas. Over the course of his career, he has become a respected and sought after speaker on using pensions to invest in property. [email protected] ABOUT THE HOST Kevin Poneskis, also known as the Property Soldier, has been a full-time property investor and mentor since 2011. This happened after he served the army for 24 years. He spent majority of this years in the 29 Commando Regiment RA and finished his time in the army as a Regimental Sergeant Major. Even during his time in the army, Kevin was already building his property portfolio and educating himself everything about real estate investments. Right now, he is writing his book Property Soldier, in which 100% of the profit from the book will go to homeless veterans, and hosting The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast which educates people who want to explore and earn from serviced accommodation property investing. CONTACT METHOD Kevin’s Facebook Kevin’s LinkedIn

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. Buying properties, specifically to be used for SA. Dispelling myths about the type of property people perceive as SA. In this episode, Kevin will open your eyes and help you to see things differently about the most profitable types of property to use for SA (it's not the type of property you may think!) He shares detailed examples from his own portfolio and explains exactly how to make the most profit from SA. KEY TAKEAWAYS A buy, refurbish, refinance strategy on standard-properties provides a high return on investment. Target more basic properties for SA based on the requirements of tradesmen working away on contracts. Groups of tradesmen can come and stay with you for a fraction of the cost of staying in a hotel and your SA profit will be higher. The purchase price of properties in ‘buy to let land’ is lower. People with money will not be buying in these locations and, as a result, prices are suppressed. Tradesmen guests from out of town are concerned about travelling to and from the property and that it is a safe area. You can target property in a part of town where most people do not desire to live. These locations are typically on the outskirts of an area, that has a less than favourable reputation, this suppresses purchase prices so properties can be purchased cheaply. Buy, refurbish, refinance and use as SA avoiding section 24 and claiming capital allowances. Take advantage of the fact furnished holiday lets attract business rates - it is likely you will be able to claim small business rates relief and be exempt from any business rates payment. Why not go straight to purchase to SA? Buy it at a certain price, refurbish it, refinance it, pull all your money back out put a mortgage on the property and use it as Serviced Accommodation There is so much more money you can make as a property investor using SA as your strategy. BEST MOMENTS ‘What sort of property does the trained buy to let investor look for? well it’s not fancy’ ‘Instantly cash flowing circa 1,000 pounds per month on these bog-standard terraced properties when used as serviced accommodation’ ‘It’s the sort of property where you go as cheap as you dare without going into the really rough part of town’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast https://propertysoldier.co.uk/ ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. ‘A bond is where 2 or more people put their money in for the purpose of investment’ In this episode, Kevin is live on stage with Ray McLennan serial entrepreneur and property investor. Ray shares the latest on a brand new offer ‘The Bond’ to be launched very soon. Ray has got the angel investors, a pool of people who ,via Ray, want to invest their money with those who’ve got deals so for vital information on how and why ‘The Bond’ is so important listen in to this informative episode, it could change your life. KEY TAKEAWAYS What are the challenges in raising finance? Being self-employed Timing Confidence Why are banks going out of business? Banks have in place lengthy and complex procedures that result in them; Saying no to anything they are not familiar with. Not understanding how delays impact on a project. Seeking over securement. Attempting to eliminate all risk It can be challenging to speak to the decision-maker and getting a decision can be a frustratingly lengthy process. What is ‘The Bond’? There are people looking to invest their money but pairing them with a suitable deal can take time. Putting money into a bond means the money is available for investment and for the investor who begins to earn a return from day 1. We are able to offer the speed and simplicity that business requires. You must be a high net individual or sophisticated investor. We will not be taking money from just anybody we will only be taking money from those who understand what the process is. We have now created 3 bonds each with 6 million sterling based on the pledges already made prior to the bond being launched in September. We plan the anticipated return for your bond will be 7.25%, a bond runs for 3 years and we plan to add up the profits at completion and pay pro-rata to those who put money into the bond, potentially resulting in 20-25% return. This is harvesting the power of a network, a group of people who have the same aims. BEST MOMENTS ‘The common denominator for angel investors is that they want to give back making a difference to others’ ‘Within the progressive community there are approximately 30,000 people or which 50% are active members’ ‘This investment will be providing passive income’ ‘We understand it, I’m building my own SA’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast How to Make Money Podcast [email protected] [email protected] ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. Kevin shares a live mentoring call with Matt who is starting out in Serviced accommodation. Matt asks about increasing the number of SA units, possibly on a rent to rent basis and how you stop getting shut down by letting agents. In this informative episode, Kevin explains exactly what to say and do when you are starting out in Serviced Accommodation. The detailed hints and tips in this episode are a must for anyone wanting to move into SA, listen in and benefit from Kevin’s expertise and experience in this area. Remember, if you would like the opportunity for a live mentoring call make sure to subscribe and follow Kevin on Social media. KEY TAKEAWAYS How can you get deals from agents? It’s all about using the right scripts for letting agents and for landlords, Prior to visiting the agent, approach local companies and give them examples of how they can save money using you rather than a hotel for employees and visitors. Target a specific property, ask if the agent will do a company let, you are an accommodation company and will be using the property for your clients. What do I need to know when doing a deal? It may be referred to as a company let agreement or common law tenancy, this is how you will be sourcing the property from the agent. Your guests are not going to be staying on shorthold tenancy agreements they will be signing your terms and conditions and ‘right to rent’ checks will not apply. If you already have SA units the agent can visit to see the standard if you have no units currently then you can collaborate with others and use their units to show agents. This will build confidence that the properties will be kept in show home condition and becomes your USP. What type of bookings will be best? In Blackpool it will be advantageous to have a minimum 3-night stay for property units – this is more profitable and will lessen the hen and stag do take up. It will be seasonal, but the population is higher than 70K, resulting in high demand in the summer with high profit and in the winter breaking even. Occupancy should be between 70-75% over the year, If you have 100% occupancy you are overly cheap. You should disincentivise the short stays and encourage the longer stay bookings for the highest profit margins. BEST MOMENTS ‘The appetite for deal packaging, rent to SA at the moment is awesome’ ‘9 times out of 10 times the agent won't visit due to time restraints but the offer to visit makes them feel more at ease’ ‘You are getting their buy-in for it to be advertised on booking.com and Airbnb’ ‘When you go to the agent with that much volition and credibility it is much more powerful’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. ‘There is plenty of work to be done in SA, but you can be leveraging and outsourcing’ In this fascinating episode with a live audience, Kevin introduces Ahmed Khan who shares how he has leveraged and put in place systems across his SA business enabling him to run it from his iPhone and laptop, wherever he is in the world. Many people believe that Serviced Accommodation offers the potential for great returns but is very time intensive, listen in and find out how systems can streamline your business optimising the experience for your guests and freeing up your time. KEY TAKEAWAYS There are people coming in and going out on a daily basis if you have multiple SA units but there are a number of effective systems you can put in place to save time. How we can automate the processes? A channel manager links all booking platforms and ensures that once a booking has been made that time slot is blocked for all other sites. The system will also notify the cleaner. Cleaning and laundry You can effectively employ a cleaner whose responsibility includes the laundry and replenishing the items that are replaced for each new guest. Check-ins and checkouts As soon as the booking is made and after checks, the channel manager will send the check-in instructions to the guest, 2 days prior to check out the system will send the checkout instructions. All of this is an automated sequence of instructions. Communication If you group all the communications together it does not take a huge amount of time it’s because the messages are spread over time that you can feel you are always on your phone responding to a guest. You can use the channel manager to answer frequently asked questions such as ‘What’s the Wi-Fi password?. If you have programmed in an answer the channel manager is able to respond to the guest’s query. If you haven’t programmed in an answer the channel programmer will text you and you can respond via text with the answer. This answer is then added to the system and can be used if the question is raised again. Enquiries Airbnb ideally wants an instant response to any enquiries and displays the response times. To move up in the rankings quick responses are important. If you have the system plugged in it will automatically respond to any enquiry within 10 minutes helping to optimise your listing and providing good customer service. Maintenance The channel manager is able to recognise communication from a guest concerning a maintenance issue and if you have a maintenance person on the system it will direct the message to them. Payment and deposits Payments are taken as soon as the booking is made, and the system also puts the amount for the security deposit on authorised hold providing you with the option to take it if required. Reviews The system can request reviews from guests on checkout. The system can also select a review of the guest from those you have entered into the system as templates. This optimises your position with Airbnb and ensures your guests are receiving a prompt review from you. The sequence and messages are the same for every guest creating a fully automated system for all guests Once you have the system set up in runs in exactly the same way for every unit. It’s about getting the combination of systems that allow you to do things in the most streamlined way. BEST MOMENTS ‘It’s all about saving a few minutes here and a few minutes there, they all add up’ ‘There are multiple stages in a guest’s journey’ ‘All those tiny things that have to be done every time’ ‘I’m all about how we save as much time as possible today’ ‘The sequence and messages are the same for every guest creating a fully automated system for all guests’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During most of his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has been a property investor now for over 27 years. CONTACT METHOD https://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/ [email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. Michael Primrose, “The Property Finance Guy”, arranges funding and finance for serviced accommodation and other types of property investment. Michael started off as a conveyancer focussing on residential purchases but became disillusioned with the monotony and took the leap into finance. In this special interview, Kevin talks to Michael about his methodology, his approach to investment, the importance of building a successful power team, and some of the tools he utilises to grow his business and portfolio. KEY TAKEAWAYS One of the most powerful tools for potential property investors is development finance, which allows you to borrow towards the buying cost and the build cost. Being a younger business owner, and having not come from the same background as many established investors, Michael has a different perspective on property investment. This unique perspective allows him to look at prospective deals in more creative ways. People are more often than not of the belief that serviced accommodation is a house that’s let out by the room. But in Kevin’s opinion, utilising a property this way makes for an increase and over complication of your workload. Also, SA does not necessarily mean by-the-room. In fact, renting out a whole house to visiting work men or business people can be less work and more financially lucrative. Private investors are a good route to go if you’re looking to establish a Rent-To-SA deal, but they can be difficult to find. Alternatively, Richard recommends equity crowdfunding, which is essentially offering the same deal to lots of different people in a FCA compliant way. The easiest way of describing this method is that you are selling shares in your company for a fixed rate return for a specific amount of money. There is a huge shift in the market at the moment that allows less experienced investors to get into serviced accommodation. Interest rates are low and mortgage lenders are starting to understand serviced accommodation and HMOs as a business model. Michael also points out that serviced accommodation mortgages are easier to obtain in a personal name rather than a limited company. Section 24 does not affect serviced accommodation income, therefore you can buy property for the purpose of using it as serviced accommodation in your own name and you will not be affected by Section 24. Make sure you have a good accountant, who can offer invaluable advice on how to take best advantage of this. BEST MOMENTS “It’s all about leveraging the right types of finance” “It’s all about being creative in putting together deals that other people may not see” “I want to dispel the myth that SA is by-the-room” “Crowdfunding is great for investors, because they make a massive return on their investments” “Bear in mind that a lot of the SA lenders at the minute will only lend into a personal name. The limited company options are more restricted” VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast Michael Primrose – Facebook Michael Primrose – Instagram The Property Finance Guy ABOUT THE HOST Kevin Poneskis, also known as the Property Soldier, has been a full-time property investor and mentor since 2011. This happened after he served the army for 24 years. He spent majority of this years in the 29 Commando Regiment RA and finished his time in the army as a Regimental Sergeant Major. Even during his time in the army, Kevin was already building his property portfolio and educating himself everything about real estate investments. Right now, he is writing his book Property Soldier, in which 100% of the profit from the book will go to homeless veterans, and hosting The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast which educates people who want to explore and earn from serviced accommodation property investing. CONTACT METHOD Kevin’s Facebook Kevin’s LinkedIn

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. Shimon Rudich is the guest speaker in this special episode of the Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast. Shimon is a lawyer, solicitor, and a prolific property investor who specialises in multiple acquisition strategies and lease options in property investment. Shimon joins Kevin to talk about not just the best and most unexpected strategies he has used to acquire properties, but also the best way of making the most of them. KEY TAKEAWAYS Lease Option - A lease option is the right, but not the obligation, to buy a property. This can be beneficial if the value of the property increases in the long term. It also means you can offer the vendor a much higher price for the property at the outset, which makes you a far more attractive proposition. Lease options also mean that you need far less capital at the outset because you have only promised to buy within a certain timeframe. Therefore, as Shimon points out, you can acquire a property, spend a small amount of capital in refurbishing it, and then sell it on at a profit, with minimal initial outlay. When you are converting a large house into flats, you need space, plus you need to keep the walls in place wherever possible. Through the “Slice And Dice” method of converting a large, older property from a single residence into four flats, Shimon increased his investment greatly, and by having the vision to do so, was able to recognise that offering his vendor asking price was a wise move, as the returns were going to be far greater in the long run. There are always strategies to be used no matter what the property. Even a piece of unused land can be put to good use with the right thinking. As Shimon points out, if you aren’t making money from Property then the problem is you. There are numerous worthwhile investments out there. We simply need to find them. Another strategy is to exchange contracts, with the promise to complete in the future. This is similar to a lease option but means you are committing to buy, instead of reserving the right to buy. If you refuse to buy during this period or pull out of the sale, you will only lose your deposit. If you have only one strategy in acquiring properties, you will not get far. Each acquisition is an opportunity for creativity. Look for the unexpected. Analyse the deal from all angles and form your strategy based on the property’s individual strengths and merits BEST MOMENTS‘If you don’t make money from property then the problem is you’ ‘You will never learn enough. There is always something new you can learn’ ‘What I pay for a property in the North, you guys pay for a pair of shoes in Kent’ ‘Slice and dice doesn’t refer to Dominos Pizza!’ ‘Have you ever seen someone win at Monopoly by selling?’ ‘Six-digit profit is always better than five’ ‘As long as you have the right attitude, there is often a solution’ ‘If you only have one strategy for acquiring properties you’ll go nowhere’ ‘Acquire as much knowledge as possible, use it, and make a lot of money’ VALUABLE RESOURCESThe Serviced Accommodation Property PodcastMS-Law Solicitors ABOUT THE GUESTShimon Rudich was born in Italy and has lived in the United Kingdom since 1994. Shimon studied Law at the University of Manchester and was admitted as a Solicitor in 2004. Shimon has shown a natural flair for Law since his days as a student where he became involved in a successful case attracting national press. Shimon is a knowledgeable and respected property professional with a straight-talking can-do approach. Shimon attends various property events around the UK and lectures on various matters to educate property investors and peers. Shimon is often a keynote speaker and is sought out as the leading legal voice with a local, national and international client base. Shimon is adept in creative strategies for landlords on matters from option agreements to commercial contracts, to the buying and selling of residential or commercial property. Contact Shimon at [email protected] ABOUT THE HOSTYour host, Kevin Poneskis, enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL, which provides accommodation and training to homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a commando unit, and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and became a full-time property investor. During his Army career, Kevin was investing in property and has now been a property investor for 27 years. CONTACT METHODhttps://en-gb.facebook.com/propertysoldier/[email protected]

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. In this episode, there is an opportunity to hear Kevin speaking with Sharon, a mentee, about the ways into Serviced Accommodation and the significant incentives available. Kevin shares his extensive expertise and experience and there is vital advice and information for anyone who is considering or beginning their journey in Serviced Accommodation. Listen in now to benefit from Kevin’s detailed understanding of this area of property investment. KEY TAKEAWAYS I am 2 years into my property journey with 5 properties designated as ‘buy to lets’ currently, how do I go forward with Serviced Accommodation? ‘Buy to let’ is a successful strategy but as properties change tenants it is a good opportunity to try with SA dependent on the location of the property. If there are hotels and companies in the area this is a positive indicator that SA will be successful. Smaller 2-bed terraced properties are particularly suitable for contractors working in the area. It is possible to accommodate 5 individuals in a terraced property with twin beds and use of the lounge. Tradesman are looking for cost economy when contracted to work away from home. You can make a significantly larger amount from the property as SA rather than as a buy to let. Tradesmen will initially book through air Bnb. This platform only allows a maximum of 30 days so arranging longer stays directly with the tradesman enables you to offer a discount to the customer and to make a saving on fees for advertising. There is a mortgage on the property, do we have to get permission or change the mortgage? You will need to switch the mortgage product or gain permission from the current provider. If the property was purchased with a buy to let mortgage recently it can be more challenging. A broker will offer advice on the best way to move forward. Currently, the rates are very competitive with some lenders now offering ‘buy to let’ and Serviced Accommodation hybrid products. Do the council tax and insurance change on SA property? Council Tax Property being used as SA will be liable for either council tax or business rates. Once your property has qualified as SA you are eligible to move to business rates. The Value Office Agency will assess your property for business rates. You can then apply for small business rates relief which can provide up to 12,000 per year full relief. This can result in a situation where you are not making any payment. It’s the owning entity that qualifies for the small business rates relief. Insurance If you are using a property as serviced accommodation you need to speak to an insurance broker. This should be a broker who is able to offer and arrange short term holiday let insurance. Buy to let insurance does not cover you. Setting up an operating company If you are undertaking SA you should set up an operating company. A new limited company through which everything will be funnelled. Your operating company will run your serviced accommodation. When you have a limited company you have insurance for the holiday let property and you also need limited liability insurance for the limited company. The operating company should not own any assets so that any claims are made on the insurance. What do I need to do to rent a property for SA? Your operating company can be used to do a rent to SA and it is vital to understand that you are using the property for your guests who have a primary residence elsewhere, they are not tenants. If properties are in your own name and used as ‘buy to let’ or HMO you will be affected by section 24. If you use the same properties for SA then section 24 does not apply. You can offset all of the mortgage interest against the SA income whereas with buy to let and HMO’s Section 24 means you can not. You can also qualify for capital allowances in serviced accommodation and that typically means 35% of the purchase and refurbishment cost of the property can be reclaimed as a capital allowance. There are currently significant incentives for people to do SA instead of ‘buy to let’. BEST MOMENTS ‘It’s no money down property investment’ ‘You should take advantage of small business rates relief’ ‘It blows my mind that this is possible’ ‘It’s genuinely a win, win situation’ ‘Tradesman are looking for cost economy when contracted away’ ‘The way you ask is important, you need to phrase it as requesting permission to do furnished holiday lets’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast ABOUT THE HOST Your host Kevin Poneskis enjoys public speaking, travelling, exercising and keeping fit. He also enjoys working with a charity called STOLL which provides accommodation and training for homeless veterans. Kevin was in the British Army serving 24 years, mostly in a Commando unit and retired at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. He left the Army in 2011 and be

Register your interest in Serviced Accommodation Discovery Day here, and a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your place at your preferred date. In this episode of the Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast, Kevin guides you on how to set yourself up as a SA company. You have to be competent enough to you earn more money with serviced accommodation properties. Kevin discusses the step-by-step process that you need to do if you want to do the shift. He also touches on how much should you charge with management fees and how you should ready yourself with Section 24. Be in the know, ready yourself, and create win-win situations if you want to be a SA Management. KEY TAKEAWAYS What is Serviced Accommodation Management? It’s similar to buy-to-let property management; the SA company gets the property from the landlord and then uses it as serviced accommodations. The landlord and the agent sign an agreement for legal and management purposes. SA Management charges a percentage of turnover, and typically, 15-20% is allotted for full management. That fee is what serves as their profit. The SA management is also in charge of the payment for the cleaning, meet-and-greet, and any maintenance. They are also in charge of the fees that posting in booking websites will incur. SA properties earn more during the summer months. How do you get yourself competent enough to set up a SA Management? Do your due diligence on what works and what doesn’t for your SA. Rent-to-SA – Setup a limited company to operate it. Negotiate the rent and deposits. Prepare property insurance. Get your photos done by a professional o you get more money. Don’t go across all the OTA sites before you get a high average score on one know OTA website (i.e. Airbnb). Get your own website so you can list all the properties you manage. If you can make direct bookings, then you’ll gain more profit. Ready your own payment merchant account. Consult and compare channel managers available so you could choose the best one for you. Rent-to-SA by landlords All management agreements should have a break clause in place. Explain to the landlord that you are going to be the tenant. Buy-to-let conversions The property might need refurnishing or upgrading. BEST MOMENTS “Target your guest avatar accordingly. No matter where you are in the summer, there’s more demand for serviced accommodation because you have holidaymakers and families and friends visiting your town and city.” “It all went wrong because the SA management company should have a good look at whether the property would work as a serviced accommodation in the first place.” “You get more from letting agents if you’ll be there best tenant.” VALUABLE RESOURCES The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast: Section 24, The Anti-Landlord Tax Explained | Omny | iTunes ABOUT THE HOST Kevin Poneskis, also known as the Property Soldier, has been a full-time property investor and mentor since 2011. This happened after he served the army for 24 years. He spent majority of this years in the 29 Commando Regiment RA and finished his time in the army as a Regimental Sergeant Major. Even during his time in the army, Kevin was already building his property portfolio and educating himself everything about real estate investments. Right now, he is writing his book Property Soldier, in which 100% of the profit from the book will go to homeless veterans, and hosting The Serviced Accommodation Property Podcast which educates people who want to explore and earn from serviced accommodation property investing. CONTACT METHOD Kevin’s Facebook Kevin’s LinkedIn