Testimonials

House Owners Investments Limited

Managing a large property portfolio is a little like the legendary painting of the Forth Road Bridge: an ongoing project that never comes to a conclusion.

For property specialists like Weybridge-based House Owners Investments Limited, a family-owned company, this is certainly the case. A major project to modernise a large proportion of the portfolio – some 75 office and shop properties and 125 flats in Weybridge and Central London – may be drawing to a conclusion after eight years, but the portfolio generates a continuous flow of legal work around leases and tenancy issues.

For the last three years, that work has been handled by Meadows Fraser; where a productive working relationship has been built up between Piers Meadows, Peter Meadows, Christian Abletshauser and David Botterill, the general manager of House Owners Investments.

David explains: “Our longstanding solicitor was retiring and we took that opportunity to move to a new firm. We wanted someone local – Meadows Fraser’s offices are just over the road from our own – and we were aware of Meadows Fraser’s reputation through other work we had done in Weybridge over the years.”

Other firms of solicitors were also considered but the decision to work with Meadows Fraser has proved to be a sound one. David says: “We are very happy with the way they have embraced every aspect of what we require as a property investment company.”

The majority of the work involves the preparation of leases, lease renewals and assignments – a typical month will involve around a dozen separate items – although Meadows Fraser has also handled a couple of substantial property sales and represented House Owners Investments in litigation, including disputes with tenants, and assisted in managing tenancies.

The proximity of the two firms has also brought another small, but important, benefit. In property matters, paper copies of leases and other correspondence cannot be replaced by emails and these bulky documents can be quickly walked backwards and forwards between the two offices, saving both time and money. David says: “It was a deliberate decision to go for a local firm and this has proved very useful. The fact that they will send someone round with the document in their hand is another part of the overall service they are offering.”

That kind of personal service is an important part of the relationship between Meadows Fraser and David. He says: “I am particularly happy that I deal with the partners themselves – when I ring, I speak to Piers, Christian or Peter directly. I like that a great deal and they look after me extremely well.”