2010 Performance

Case Study

Fighting tooth and nail for local improvements

As the largest listed residential landlord, Grainger never forgets the importance of local expertise. Thanks to our national network of property managers we get an invaluable ground-level perspective of local issues. This and the passion and commitment of our local teams provide the key to getting maximum value out of all our properties.

A project that finely illustrates this is the refurbishment of a set of Mariners Cottages in South Shields. Local senior property manager Ian Lawson fought tooth and nail to make significant improvements to these Grade II listed buildings. He challenged fierce opposition to his submission for renovation work, and held a meeting at the town hall to gain support from local elected members. Ian gained unprecedented local authority consent to install double glazed windows, including dormers, to all elevations of the 39 cottages.

Ian oversaw a spend of £250,000 on the Mariner Cottages, mainly upgrading the windows, doors and externals. As well as a value increase of 5-7%, the improvements make the properties significantly more attractive for future sale. In the meantime they have enabled us to increase our rent levels and provide a better environment for our tenants.

Ian was recently recognised for his professionalism and achievements. He was awarded ‘Highly Commended’ at the 2010 News on the Block Property Management Awards for regional property managers, held in London.