As I would go around checking the houses, I used to think that these empty houses were soulless and needed people in them. I approached the owners and enquired why they were not being let out – after all, they were beautiful houses in stunning locations. The owners, as one, all said that they did not like the high commission that the large companies charged, wanted to spend time in their homes when they wanted and did not want to leave their precious home in the hands of a large company. That was the moment Rest Assured Properties was born.
I proposed to them that I could look after their homes, that there would be no restrictions when they could come down, the commission rate would be very reasonable and they and the people renting their property would always get the service that I would expect if I rented my house out.
That Unique Selling Point has never changed – I speak to the owners on a regular basis and anyone booking a property can chat to me about each property, the area and anything else!
The owners clearly liked what I proposed, and Rest Assured Properties was born.
Over the years, the company has grown and taken on more properties – some have been with us right from the start and the service they receive has not changed.
However, it has not all been plain sailing! In the beginning, our laundry was picked up, laundered, and dropped back to us. However, the housekeeping team used to find linen missing, or the wrong linen returned, which caused untold headaches. There was only one answer – start up our own laundry!
The search began for the ideal site location, research on industrial machines was undertaken and finally in 2014 on The New Mills Business Park, Modbury Devon – Rest Assured Laundry (now South Hams Laundry) was started. This gave us total control of the quality of linen going back out to our properties. The laundry has gone from strength to strength and now serves a huge number of customers in the South Hams. The level of service remains the same, whether a customer brings in one King Sheet or linen from a 5-bedroom house. Never in my life did I think I would one day own a commercial laundry.
Now the organic growth of the business over the last ten years has not been without its problems.
The amount of administration grew exponentially, and I was spending longer and longer tied to the desk in my office at home. (The office has also moved around the house as the business has grown and the children have flown the nest) It was time to act!
Towards the end of last year, we invested in new Booking Software which would allow our clients to book online whilst still having the option of discussing their requirements if need be. A lot of hard work was spent inputting all the necessary data and finally on January 1st, 2021 – we went live – nervously waiting for our first booking. This decision was fantastic, but it threw up another problem. The internet, where we live, is shocking – always dropping off and things were taking 2 to 3 times the amount of time, they should have been. We needed a new base…. enter our godsend…
The Devon Office!
A fresh new Office Hub located on The New Mills Business Park – a perfect location – great Wi-Fi – friendly staff – very fair pricing structure along with the opportunity to meet other like-minded small business owners.
We now use The Devon Office for all our administration – no more spinning wheels! No more flashing red Wi-Fi hubs!
The journey has been a fantastic one with lots of ups, a few downs but mostly ups! Long hours have been put in and still are, but Rest Assured Properties now has over thirty quality properties to rent across the South Hams – (We still manage properties as well)
"A fabulously stylish space which smacks of contemporary creative muses, coupled with all the comforts an office should have - coffee, tea, fridge, WiFi and a working printer. Its a warm, light space in a delightful part of the village with plenty of space in the car parks and very easy to travel to."
