Phil Vickery becomes ambassador for Surelet franchise

The rugby and cooking legend has linked up with the market leading lettings agency franchise

After a successful career in rugby, starting his own clothing range called Raging Bull and winning the coveted 2011 Celebrity MasterChef title, Phil Vickery was ready for a new challenge.

He explains: “I’d been looking for my next long-term challenge and when the opportunity to become an ambassador for such a fresh, vibrant company came about I jumped at it. I’ve been aware of SureLet for a number of years now as I’m a close friend of Colin Poole, the managing director.

“I can hold my hands up and say I know nothing about the lettings industry, but I’m taking on this role looking to soak up the skills, experience and market leading knowledge of the SureLet team and hopefully impart my skills in the business world into their model.”

SureLet Franchising was set up in 2003 and since then has had great success in the industry, establishing around 24 franchises across the UK from as far south as Exeter and as far north as Manchester.

Vision
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Colin Poole says: “Having Phil on board is the icing on the cake and I’m looking forward with a refreshed sense of optimism to the future of this great company. We have a vision at SureLet to become recognised nationally by our competitors and peers as a dominant and dynamic lettings franchise company and we’re going to achieve it.”

Colin adds: “The reason people choose SureLet is because we offer something unique and more appealing than our competitors. Our franchise model is a fresh approach to the lettings agent market place, as we have a dedicated team of property managers who provide services including legal documents, references and credit checks as part of your package. This model allows franchisees to spend more time networking and building their agency, rather than doing the paperwork.”

Phil is joining the team on a long-term basis and hopes to emulate the success of the other aspects of his career. He explains: “I liken the work with SureLet to rugby, as in the lettings industry team spirit and family atmosphere go hand in hand with raw skill and a hard work ethic.

“In rugby, once you’re welcomed into the ‘family’ you have a support network you can constantly call upon when you’re struggling. SureLet have this in abundance - the franchising team are on hand to help you and give you support every step of the way, which to me is one of the most important aspects of their model.”

Tried and tested
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There are three levels of investment that SureLet offers - SureLet Local, SureLet Central and SureLet Advance. A SureLet Local package makes it possible to carry out all your work from the comfort and ease of your own SureLet branded car. SureLet Central is an office-based package and SureLet Advance is a new offering that allows the opportunity for a developing hub designed to oversee a number of SureLet Locals and Centrals over a longer period of time.

SureLet general manager Dan Lewis says: “With the SureLet Local franchise package, the simple solution to reducing expenses has been made possible due to our use of innovative cloud technology across the franchise network. This piece of software provides a simple, time effective way of uploading a new property to let onto market leading property portals.

“Our industry research tells us the majority of potential tenants now search the likes of Rightmove, Zoopla and FindaProperty, meaning that franchisees no longer need an expense filled office presence to gain leads.” This Local model is a lower level of investment and has been tried and tested for around a year, with great success.

Dan Pilkington, SureLet Local franchisee for the Forest of Dean, says: “Before joining the SureLet family as a Local franchisee, I had a significant amount of experience in the property industry, but with the option to go mobile and utilise the technology SureLet has I realised the overheads didn’t have to be a factor and that lettings can be simple.

“Because of the property management centre taking on the nitty gritty side of the process, I’m free to spread the word about my SureLet agency as much as possible by networking and relationship building.”

10 years and counting
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This year marks SureLet’s 10-year anniversary. In 2002 Colin and Kelly Chick, who is now director of the SureLet property management centre, came up with a fresh concept for a lettings agency.

The vision was to bring a new, time efficient letting agency style to the property rental marketplace. Both Colin and Kelly wanted to create their new brand of lettings agency free from the restrictions they had experienced during the previous 11 years spent in the industry.