ARaja Properties

02/04/2026

I was driving in my car listening to the radio yesterday when the local news came on and mentioned a horrific incident of a man ramming a vehicle into innocent people in Derby City centre. When I heard the name of Sandhu Ponnachan I couldn't believe my ears. He had applied for one of my HMO rooms in January and failed referencing, so I declined his application and allowed the room to remain void (which it still is to this day). I'd rather have an empty room than rent it out to the wrong person and I consider myself lucky (as well as patting myself on the back for my thorough referencing process) that he didn't move into my property. It just goes to show that no matter how much resistance you get from prospective tenants when you ask them for their personal details and documents, you should always trust your process and know that people who have nothing to hide won't mind sharing their finances and personal details.

My thoughts are with those innocent people who he rammed into and I hope justice is done, and if I had my way he would be deported back to where he came from.

A man has been charged following a violent incident in Derby city centre that left seven people injured. The event has shocked the local community.

31/03/2026

I'm sure many landlords will agree with me when I say that chimney stacks/breasts in Victorian terraced houses are a royal pain in the rear. They are always prone to damp issues and leaks from worn out mortar or lead flashing or a myriad of other things that can go wrong up there, and roofers are difficult tradesmen to deal with most of the time and any work is always dependent on the weather conditions being safe. After numerous failed repairs on the roof at this house which have continued to cause me leaks, I've decided finally get this chimney stacked removed. Fingers crossed that this finally resolves the issues

17/02/2026

It's always good when a prospective tenant shows their true (entitled) attitude by expecting me (or any other landlord/agent) to just give them a viewing without knowing anything about them and whether they would be suitable for the property I am renting. The reason that I ask prospective tenants is to make sure that they would meet my requirements and to ensure that the property is suitable for them, and so that I can see that they are serious about renting by taking the time to spend 2-3 minutes filling out a form. It's not to find out their life story (although it does give them a chance to explain their situation if they have CCJs or other issues), but I don't want to be spending time calling people who generally don't answer when they can fill out a simple form.

In this case the prospective tenant has self-filtered themselves out of consideration due to their entitled attitude which has saved me the hassle and time (and cost) of arranging a viewing for them! I pity the poor landlord/agent that ends up renting to them...

08/02/2026

08/02/2026

16/01/2026

Another blast from the dim and distant past! This is what I did in my childhood, before the days of smart phones and internet. Life was much simpler and innocent back then...

30/12/2025

I have never been a huge fan of 'referral fees' where businesses offer me commissions/kickbacks to promote their business to my clients/tenants etc. Yes it has happened but I would only do this where I have personally used their business myself, and can vouch for the quality of their services. All too often there have been people promoting their business to me, which I have never used, and offering me a commission to promote that business to my clients. This doesn't sit well with me because I can't legitimately and morally promote a business that I have never used myself. What if my client/contact uses their business based on my 'referral' and then gets screwed over or receives a poor service?? They will rightly come back to me and my reputation is ruined. This is why I'm not a fan of networking groups (I won't name them but safe to say the big networking groups operate in this way) which force members to promote other members' businesses, whether or not they have used said business. I see this all the time in the various online property groups I am part of.

Anyway, relating this back to my property business, I have always told my outgoing HMO tenants (who mostly leave on good terms with me) that if they ever want to rent from me again, they are more than welcome back. And also if they have any friends or colleagues who want to rent a room, then I am happy to give them a referral fee whenever their friend/colleague moves into my property. The outgoing tenant who has obviously lived in my property for at least 6 months knows what kind of person I am and how well I maintain my properties, so they can legitimately recommend my room to others. Yesterday, one of my ex-tenants who moved out of one of my HMOs in October referred one of her friends to my HMO, and I gladly paid her a referral fee once the friend moved into my property. This helped me fill an empty room and built more goodwill between me and my ex-tenant, who has now said that she has another friend looking to move next month. In this extremely difficult market for HMO landlords (especially where I operate in Nottingham and Derby), it helps to keep good relations with current and past tenants because they either may return, or may refer their friends/colleagues to your property.

29/12/2025

Great article about property courses and seminars. Well worth the long read if you are ever considering attending on of the many around

I firmly believe that most property courses that teach you 'how to become a landlord' are a gigantic waste of time & money - here's why!

26/12/2025

Great to see a well written article from Leicestershire Builder magazine (November 2025 edition) highlighting the pitfalls faces by landlords day in, day out up and down the country. The mainstream media don't want to share these types of stories (other than the odd cursory or throwaway paragraph) but this is the reality that all landlords face. No matter how well you manage your properties or how well you treat your tenants, there is always a chance of somebody going rogue and leaving the landlord in financial ruin. Yet the media and politicians won't ever call out a tenant for "benefits fraud" when they take the housing allowance (LHA) payment from the council and then don't pay their rent to their landlord. It's time to redress the balance with these stories.

12/12/2025

Another HMO room refreshed, dressed and ready for viewings. It's a constant job keeping the rooms in great condition as there are regular tenancy changeovers. If a tenant stays more than a year in any room I consider myself lucky! If anyone is thinking that HMOs are a passive income, think again!

11/12/2025

Another networking event. This time at EMPO's Derby landlord and letting agents brunch event, learning more about the Renters' Rights Act and catching up with other landlords.

03/12/2025

Good old IKEA. Another set of desks and chairs for a couple of HMO rooms which have just been refurbished. This time I shan't build them myself and have already enlisted my handyman to get them sorted!