2015 was our first venture into being Landlords, and being remote from the flats in St Andrews, we were concerned to get a good Management Agency in place to cover the day-to day running and letting of the property; as well as managing on-going maintenance bearing in mind the flats had been left untouched since 2005.
We have been delighted with the service provided by Lawson Thompson in all areas. Sorting out requirements for the HMO license, annual letting, liaison with tenants and maintenance work during holiday/summer break periods (including 4 bathroom re-fits to cure an historic damp issue) have all been run with little/no stress to ourselves.
Where works have been proposed, or there have been maintenance issues, competitive quotes have been provided and clearly explained, with suggestions/recommendations based on their past experience. Similarly there have been regular updates on their thoughts as far as setting the following year’s rent and future improvement works that might be considered to keep the properties attractive to prospective tenants, whilst bearing in mind we need to make a reasonable return on our investment.
David and Patricia Hunter
For 10 years as landlords we decided it would be better to deal with everything ourselves as the reputation of St. Andrews letting agents was not good. We selected the tenants, kept in touch with them and responded to any issues promptly. Every year we upgraded the properties and our tenants were impressed by the quality of the flats and the attentive service. Many of our tenants stayed with us year after year. It was time consuming but worthwhile knowing that nobody else could do it better!
However every year there seemed to be more regulations and we became concerned about how to continue to be good practice landlords.
Last year we met with Alex and James and we were immediately impressed by their professionalism, commitment to quality services and good systems. They were also passionate and enthusiastic about what they do. We thought that we had found an agent that could do better than us and they have exceeded our expectations with their efficient and friendly approach. We continue to be impressed and so do our tenants. We feel assured and confident that we are in good hands, they keep us informed and respond promptly to our communications.
Alex and James have consistently delivered their services to us and our tenants each month and they been prompt in arranging maintenance works through their network of local businesses.
We would highly recommend Lawson and Thompson to both landlords and tenants.
Jim Rennie & Eileen MacLean
I decided to give Lawson & Thompson a try after becoming exasperated with the standard of the other letting agencies in the area. Having tried all three big agencies in St Andrews, my attitude to switching to Lawson and Thompson was one of 'How bad can they be?'. I am pleased to say that my expectations have been surpassed. The work of these two young agents has been detailed, thorough and refreshingly conscientious. All options are discussed beforehand with the landlord and suggestions are made - and welcomed - as to how the service can be improved. I was on the verge of selling my rental properties in St Andrews, I am now thinking of buying more!If you are thinking of jumping ship from your current letting agency I think these guys deserve a try for their integrity and honest desire to improve the general standard of letting in St Andrews.
Jason Taylor
Our investment in St Andrews goes back to at least 1979 . We had a few property managements during that long time . We can clearly say , we have never ever had anybody who came close to Lawson & Thompson . They see the occurring problems as their own and do their best to make everybody happy - the landlord as well as the tenant . Especially being an overseas investor this is essential for a successful investment. We can fully recommend them to everyone who is looking for a real and honest cooperation with a successful management company.
Wolfgang Cwelter
I have been dealing with Lawson Thomson for two years, just after I purchased my property. Not only do they act as a letting agency for me, but they also handled the refurbishment of my property as project managers. From the start, I have always found Alex and James to be extremely approachable, helpful and conscientious and would not use any other agency. Lawson Thompson simply take the hassle out of all aspects of letting and I have no hesitation in recommending them.
F Wood
Alex and James are the most proactive, innovative and professional letting agents I have met....they adopt an ethos that says the property has to be of a high standard and the tenants must keep it in good condition. This means its good for both the landlord and tenant....monthly inspections and recommendations mean issues as dealt with on a timely manner which is to eveyone's benefit. Could not recommend them highly enough.
Aileen Pringle
Lawson Thompson are incredible professional and although they're a relatively new company, incredibly knowledgeable about the market and business of managing properties. I trust them implicitly to manage our Listed property in central St Andrews. This includes finding appropriate tenants, setting reasonable rates and charges, and maintaining the old property sensibly but sensitively.
Mitya Underwood
I first contacted Lawson & Thompson when I was hunting for an HMO property in St. Andrews in early 2015. From the outset I was very impressed with the extremely high level of service and expertise offered by James, Alex and Wendy. As a first-time landlord with no prior knowledge of the process I greatly appreciated their support, guidance and timely communication which made upgrading the property to HMO standards & acquiring an HMO licence very straightforward. Their proactive approach to maintenance and access to quality tradesmen mean I can confidently leave management of my property in their hands, safe in the knowledge it is being well cared for. I have nothing but praise for Lawson & Thompson and would not hesitate to recommend them.
Helen Colleran
Having always leased my property privately I was apprehensive in moving to a managed service by a letting agency however this concern quickly disappeared when working with Lawson and Thompson. They are highly professional, very hard working and provide the greatest level of service. There was a requirement for a quick turn around with my property but this was not a problem for them - they have worked at speed but ensured attention to detail and have informed me of every step they make. As an agency they provide many services that most others do not. As a landlord living abroad I am particularly reassured by the service of monthly checks of the property as this is something I am personally unable to do. Handing my property over to Lawson and Thompson could not have been easier and I would highly recommend them to landlords and tenants alike. Thanks to Alex and James for their exceptional work.
Fiona Dutton
I have just completed my first tax returns after moving our two flats to Lawson and Thompson. What strikes me is that I understand everything on the page. With our old agents I struggled understand the many strange terms -- and the constant seepage of money they represented. With Lawson and Thompson those arcane charges have simply disappeared. Their accounts are fully understandable and their rate considerably lower. On top of that we get monthly reports and a responsive friendly service. It’s a no brainer that we are lucky to have moved over to Lawson and Thompson.
Catherine Lynch
Lawson and Thompson have provided their services to us over the last 3 years. We have been very impressed with all aspects of provision in terms of letting, maintenance and communication. In terms of owning the flat we have needed little intervention as we have been kept fully informed on the status of the flat. The service we have received has been excellent and we would highly recommend them to any other property owner.
Elaine Urquhart
Win win situation. I will have more rental income, peace of mind, yet less work to do. There's no catch.
Alex and James are an extremely efficient and knowledgeable team in every aspect of their service. They keep me well informed, are friendly, and respond quickly in the most convenient ways.
They provide a fantastic service and the list is endless; their free home survey report was very detailed and in addition included some really helpful time saving advice such as recommending which furniture to buy, the video they prepared was so slick we didn't recognise our flat. They have found tenants for me, prepared the tenancy agreement, and organised a good decorator at late notice.
I am especially relieved they can do the monthly checks, tenant pack and training.
Tracey Quine
A new era in Property Management is born! If you are looking for a company who 1) actually care and look after your property like you would; 2) respond immediately to calls, emails or text and keep you updated; 3)take great care in finding the right tenants very quickly; 4) have great trades people who are also very competitive; 5) use up to date technology in advertising your property and on-line transparency in accounts; 6) whose charges are extremely competitive and who actually do monthly checks; 7)have the combination of being extremely proficient and professional with a friendly manner; 8) who provide an endless overall fantastic ‘peace of mind’ service;
... then look no further, you have got to try Lawson & Thomson.
Alex and James really have a modern refreshing approach to property management in St Andrews, as well as being so helpful and knowledgeable in every aspect, it has been a pleasure dealing with them.
I would definitely recommend Lawson & Thompson – they actually do deliver what they promise!
Marie Turnbull
In the early days it was possible to run and manage my apartments myself, these days are far behind us with an ever increasing HMO requirement and a 24/7 on call availability now a necessity. A good and hands on agent is a must these days.
Recognising the need for support to run my apartments some 12 years ago I tried one of the bigger agencies for student rentals, this with horrid consequences. The agency never visited the properties and was unable to keep an auditable track of income and expenditure. I left within 3 months.
My second experience was to place the properties under the complete management control of one of the biggest agents in St Andrews. I was working away from home at the time and trusted the running of the apartments to the agent. Having now returned from working overseas I thought it high time that I go and inspect my apartments for myself. .
My jaw dropped - the apartments had not been upgraded or repaired in any way in all the years of their management and to see the look on the parents faces when they came to collect the keys for my apartments was to say the least - painful.
I had received a flier from Lawson and Thompson and it stuck out that these guys were both building surveyors and hands on motivated. The previous two agents in my view had little interest or understanding of building maintenance and improvement.
I immediately contacted Lawson and Thompson for a chat. They responded within the day and came around with myself straight away for a 100% full and written inspection of my flats. The "jobs to do list" was comprehensive, if not daunting in size, but every comment was with complete justification and adding value back to the property and increasing potential rental income. Together with Lawson and Thompson we have embarked upon a complete upgrade and improvement programme over the summer months. Both Alex and James are regularly following up the tradesmen and progress to ensure the flats are ready for the students arrival. They have also taken over the accounts and relations with the students efficiently and the feedback from the students is very positive. I wish I moved to Lawson and Thompson sooner.
