A&K Property Solutions

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A&K Property Solutions

A&K Property Solutions is a Family Run Property Investment Company based in Exeter. At the core of A&K Property Solutions lies our commitment to excellence.

Located in the heart of Exeter, A&K Property Solutions is a family-run Property Investment Company with deep-rooted expertise that spans nearly two decades. With a foundation built over 15-20 years in the property domain, we have diligently crafted a small portfolio that encompasses both residential and commercial properties throughout the scenic landscapes of Cornwall. Founded in 2022, A&K Proper

ty Solutions takes pride in being able to buy properties in any state or condition. Whether a property is in need of repair, has legal complications, or requires extensive renovation, we are willing to make a fair cash offer. Also, we help investors with cash reserves, seeking an opportunity to maximize their returns in a safe and proven investment vehicle. Offering fixed returns for those seeking to have their money working for them and hedging against inflation. We pride ourselves on delivering high-end, professional, and top-quality properties and services that cater to the needs of the Exeter Community. Building and nurturing long-lasting professional relationships is essential to our philosophy. In our journey forward, we are channelling our efforts and resources towards developing high quality house of multiple occupation (HMO) accommodation. Seeking to develop spaces that match the dynamic requirements of students and young working professionals, offering them a blend of comfort, convenience, and luxury.

01/02/2026

⚡ EXETER STUDENT HMO RENTAL MARKET UPDATE (2024 vs 2025) ⚡

📊 Key data every property investor should be watching…

🏠 Average Room Rents Increased
💷 £596 → £629 per month

✅ Rental inflation continues into 2025, pushing room yields higher.

📈 Peak Demand Window Remains the Same
🔥 August – September
Students compete hardest just before term starts, creating maximum pricing power for landlords.

⚡ October Listings Surge = Opportunity

📍 Rightmove supply spike:
October remains the market “reset month” — perfect timing for sourcing and lettings.

💎 Premium Room Ceiling Expanding
🏆 Highest advertised rents:
£831 → £977

High quality & Prime HMOs are achieving stronger top-end returns year-on-year.

📌 Investor Takeaway:
✅ Rents increasing
✅ Supply tightening
✅ Student demand still structurally strong

06/10/2025

🏡 Investing in High-Value Areas – Where’s the Smart Money? 💰

When investing in high capital value areas (like much of the South West 🌊), it’s easy to assume a simple buy-to-let family home is the way to go. But let’s crunch the numbers… 📊

👉 Example 1: 3-bed Family Home Buy-to-Let
Property Value: £350,000
Rent: £18,000 per year
💡 Gross Yield: 5.14%
After mortgage & purchase costs, your return on cash employed ≈ 4.18%

👉 Example 2: 3-bed Converted to 6-bed Student HMO
Total Rent: £50,000 per year
💡 Gross Yield: 14.2%
After mortgage & purchase costs, your return on cash employed ≈ 20%

Yes, HMOs come with more management, compliance & licensing headaches 😅, but the potential returns and ability to add significant value through conversion and refinancing can make it well worth the effort 🧱

💭 So, if you’re investing in a high-value area and want to maximise your return, a well-planned HMO might just be the smarter move.

📍Always do your due diligence — check local planning, Article 4 areas, and ensure the property layout suits a compliant HMO setup.

💬 What’s your strategy in high-value areas — steady single lets or value-add HMOs?

18/09/2025

📢 It’s been a little while since we’ve shared a project update here at A&K Property Solutions 🏡

But rest assured – we’ve not been sitting still! 👀

Every week, we’re scanning the market, searching for those hidden diamond opportunities 💎.

Finding Article 4 HMO add-value deals isn’t easy 🔎➡️🏠 – especially in areas with high capital values 💷 and a competitive HMO market.

But persistence is everything, and we know the next deal is out there waiting 🙌.

Is it easy? Absolutely not 🚫 – it’s like hunting for a needle in a haystack 🪡

Alongside the search, we’re also working hard to raise our profile 📈 and continue partnering with private investors 💡 who don’t want their money just sitting idle in the bank 🏦, but instead earning them strong returns 📊💰.

At A&K, we never stop, we never give up 💪 – because we know the rewards are worth it. 🚀

14/09/2025

🚀 Property isn’t just bricks & mortar – it’s SYSTEMS.

Whether you’re starting out or scaling a big portfolio, the right systems turn chaos into control.

That’s why we use COHO 💡 – built for HMO owners, but powerful for ANY landlord.

It keeps us compliant, cash-flow smart & stress-free ✅

Top 8 COHO Features We Love:

1️⃣ Compliance tracker + auto reminders ⏰
2️⃣ Rent schedules & arrears alerts 💷
3️⃣ Seamless tenant onboarding 📑
4️⃣ Maintenance issue tracking 🔧
5️⃣ Secure doc storage & audit trail 📂
6️⃣ Portfolio dashboard 📊
7️⃣ Finance & bookkeeping tools 💻
8️⃣ Marketing & tenant lead tracking 🏡

👉 Treat property like a BUSINESS.
👉 Great systems = fewer headaches, more growth, and investor confidence.

💼 With COHO, we focus less on chasing paperwork & more on scaling our portfolio.

14/06/2025

💷 Bricks & Mortar vs Commercial Valuations – Know the Difference, Play the Game Smartly 🏢

When it comes to UK property valuations (especially for investors and developers), understanding the difference between bricks & mortar and commercial valuations is crucial 👇

🔹 Bricks & Mortar (B&M)
This is your traditional method – a valuer looks at comparable sales of similar properties in the local market. It’s emotionless, grounded, and great for standard resi properties. Ideal when values are strong in the area 📉

🔹 Commercial Valuation
Used when a property's income-generating potential is key – based on yield and rental returns. Common for larger HMOs, blocks of flats, and mixed-use properties. This method can dramatically increase valuation 💸

✅ When Can HMOs Be Valued Commercially?

• Typically 7+ bedrooms

• Sui generis planning use class

• Operated more like a business than a single dwelling

• Often inside Article 4 areas (limited supply drives investor appeal)

⚠️ Tread Carefully
Outside of Article 4 zones or with HMOs under 7 beds, many valuers default to B&M. Pushing for commercial in these areas often leads to disappointment.

💡 Hybrid Valuations Exist
In areas with limited yield data, a surveyor may blend both approaches – giving a figure that sits between B&M and commercial. Useful, but unpredictable.

🚨 Warning: Don’t Get Carried Away with Paper Profits
That juicy 75% LTV commercial valuation might look amazing for refinancing and recycling capital… but if you ever had to sell, you'd likely achieve the bricks & mortar value. That’s often equivalent to 100% LTV in reality. 🤯

🔑 The smart investor balances optimism with realism. Understand your market, know your product, and tailor your exit strategy accordingly. Professional valuations are just one tool in the kit – use them wisely.

🏡📊

25/05/2025

🔥 Why every all-bills-included HMO needs a smart thermostat...📱

We installed a Google Nest in our St Davids HMO, and honestly – it's been a game changer.

Here's why... 👇

🧠 Smart Learning – It learns your tenants’ routines and adjusts automatically for comfort and efficiency. No more heating the house when no one’s home!

📲 Remote Control – We can monitor and adjust the heating from anywhere, straight from our phones. No need to step foot in the property! 🙌

💷 Energy Savings – It helps cut down wasted energy – a must when you’re covering the bills.

🌿 Eco Mode – When it senses no one’s around, it drops to energy-saving temps. Perfect for term breaks or empty weekends. 💤

📊 Usage Reports – Keeps us in the know with energy usage trends so we can manage smarter.

🏠 For HMO landlords, this means:
✅ Better cost control
✅ Happier tenants
✅ Less hassle

If you're managing a bills-included property, this kind of tech isn’t a luxury – it’s a no-brainer. 💡

19/05/2025

💡 Ever wondered why so many UK property investors go for interest-only mortgages? It’s not just about lower monthly payments… here’s why it’s a popular strategy 👇

1️⃣ Betting on property price growth 📈
Over time, the hope is that property values rise, meaning the debt owed becomes smaller in proportion to the property’s worth.

2️⃣ Inflation is your friend (sort of) 💸
Inflation erodes the value of money — and that includes debt. So, in real terms, your mortgage becomes cheaper over time!

3️⃣ Tax advantages in Ltd companies 🧾
Interest payments on BTL mortgages in a Ltd company are typically seen as a tax-deductible expense — win!

4️⃣ Maximising cashflow 💷
With lower monthly repayments, you free up more cashflow to reinvest, scale, or handle voids and repairs more comfortably.

BUT… ⚠️

💣 The big caveat with interest-only is… you never actually repay the capital. So, when your fixed term ends, that big loan still needs to be paid back in full.

💰 Most investors borrow high (65–80% LTV), plus pay hefty arrangement fees (3–7%!) which often get added to the loan. This can make you highly leveraged — risky if the market dips or you can’t refinance.

🚧 If values stagnate or drop, refinancing can get tricky... and you could be stuck.

🔐 Our approach?
We always fix for 5 years minimum — giving us time to ride out the market and (hopefully) benefit from growth. Once capital is recycled through refi/cashflow, we work hard to get our LTV down to 50%. This creates a strong, low-risk position and boosts long-term cashflow 📊✨

➡️ Interested in building sustainable wealth through property? It’s not just about leverage — it’s about smart strategy and long-term thinking 🧠🏡

13/04/2025

Final piece of the puzzle complete! 🧩

Our St Davids build now has its charming little courtyard finished up! This one took longer than expected… 🕰️

🌧️ Cold, wet weather + drying cob walls = serious patience needed!

But with some fresh render, patio slabs, and our signature black & white theme, it’s finally come together beautifully. 🛠️

It may be a quaint corner, but we think it’ll be a lovely outdoor spot for our flat tenants to enjoy. ☀️🍃🪴

02/04/2025

📊 Exeter Property Market Update 🏡

Over the past decade, Exeter's property market has seen some interesting shifts:

📈 Between 2015 and 2021, average property prices steadily climbed from £211,996 to £259,836, showing consistent growth.

🚀 The pandemic years (2022-2023) saw a sharp increase, peaking at £296,531 in 2023.

📉 However, 2024 saw a price drop to £289,285, a -3% decline from the previous year.

📊 Now, in 2025, prices are starting to recover at £294,000 but Exeter's property prices are not at an all-time high.

As investors, we always track sold data in our target areas—understanding year-on-year price changes helps us strategically plan our next moves.

Check out the graph for a full breakdown of Exeter's property price trends! All data is from HM Land Registry Exeter sold property data.

20/03/2025

At A&K Property Solutions, we believe designing House in Multiple Occupations (HMO's) isn’t just about making it look great—it’s about creating a comfortable, practical, and well-equipped space for tenants to truly enjoy!

Here’s what we prioritise when transforming an HMO:

✅ Dedicated study areas 📚 & TV points 📺 for a balanced lifestyle
✅ Plenty of storage space to keep rooms clutter-free
✅ Smart furniture placement to maximise free space
✅ Ultra-fast fibre internet 💨 with boosters where needed
✅ Dishwasher & utility spaces for hassle-free living
✅ Censored bulkhead lights in communal corridors to save energy 💡
✅ Humidity-sensing extractor fans in windowless bathrooms to prevent steam build-up 🚿
✅ Hard-wearing surfaces like quartz worktops & durable flooring for long-lasting quality 🛠️

A well-designed HMO should not only feel like home 🏠 but also be efficient to maintain—keeping both tenants & landlords happy!

09/03/2025

🏡 Thinking of Expanding an HMO in an Article 4 Area? Read This First! 🚧

Article 4 restrictions may limit Class L permitted development rights, but that doesn’t mean increasing HMO bedrooms or creating new ones is impossible! Here’s how you can navigate the rules:

✅ Extending Bedrooms in an Existing HMO
If you find a property that has been rented to 3+ unrelated tenants for at least 10 years with solid proof (e.g. council tax records, signed ASTs), you may be eligible for a Certificate of Existing Lawful Use—potentially allowing an increase to a 6-bed C4 HMO!

⚠️ Creating a New HMO? Proceed with Caution!
New C4/ Sui Generis HMOs in an A4 restriction require full planning permission, which is expensive, time-consuming, and uncertain.

However, in some cases we have seen Exeter council have granted approvals for HMO conversions—mainly in streets already dominated by HMOs, where the property has been long-neglected & only had viewings from investors/ developers.

📢 Our Advice?
If you’re making an offer on a C3 property with HMO plans, make it subject to planning approval! This way, you only risk planning & architect fees, rather than purchasing a property you can’t convert.

💡 Thinking of expanding your Exeter HMO portfolio?

Contact A&K Property Solutions for expert advice!

https://lnkd.in/eYQ8wJBp

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26/02/2025

🔎 The REAL Cost of Our St Davids Property Development 💰

Let’s break it down—ALL the costs you might not factor in when developing a property. Trust us, the numbers add up FAST! 👇

📍 Holding Costs (while the property is being developed):
🔹 Council tax / business rates 💷
🔹 Utilities 💡
🔹 Insurance 🏠
🛋 Furniture & Storage

If you’re furnishing, it’s not just the cost of furniture! If you can’t store it at the property (like us), add in storage costs too! 📦

🚧 Unexpected Costs (Yes, Even With Due Diligence!)

Even after a Level 3 invasive survey, we hit unexpected issues costing a whopping £15,306! 😨

💸 Additional Build Spend
Be prepared for extra costs—we needed an extra £20,000! 😵‍💫

🧾 VAT Considerations
If your builder is VAT-registered, that’s an additional 20% you might not have factored in! 🚨

Although, learn about how you only pay 5% on certain developments, like C3 to C4/ Sui Generis HMO conversions and commercial to residential conversions.

🏗 Commercial to Residential Conversions
✅ New Build Warranties
✅ Professional fees for energy efficiency & acoustics design/tests

💳 Bridging Loan Reality Check
If you’re rolling up fees & interest, make sure you know the total repayment amount—overleveraging is a real risk! 😬

⏳ Delays Are Expensive!
A 3-month delay meant an extra £10,500 in interest alone! 🥴

💰 Ongoing Income & Expenses
🔹 Tenant find fees 👀
🔹 5% maintenance & repairs allocation 🛠
🔹 Accountancy fees 📊
🔹 Annual certification renewals 📑
🔹 Company overheads (subscriptions, etc.) 🏢

💡 The Bottom Line?
We take the numbers VERY seriously on every deal. It’s SO easy to get them wrong! 🚫

If you’re in property investment, ALWAYS stress-test your numbers. Who else has been caught out by unexpected costs? Drop your experiences below!

💬

Address

Exeter

Telephone

+447984948621

Website

https://www.akpropertysolutions.com/

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