“Trust is so important to us,” says Emma Hayes, Platinum’s divisional director
Platinum has long advocated the role trust has played in both the company’s success and its resilience since its inception 13 years ago to its community of 385-plus franchise partners. “Trust is so important to us,” says Emma Hayes, Platinum’s divisional director. “We need to trust our franchisees to buy into what we do and work hard to be successful and, most importantly, they need to have trust in us to guide them towards that success.
“We’ve built a great network over the past 13 years and that longevity, I think, is a real stamp of approval for what we do, how we do it and what we stand for.
“We’ve had to help our franchise partners over some major hurdles since 2007 and we’ve emerged stronger from each of them because of the trust and belief we have in each other.
“The 2008 global financial crisis hit when Platinum was just a few months old, but by working together with our then small band of around a dozen franchise partners to consolidate their investments, we got through it and they were able to support their tenants and grow their property businesses at the same time in the years that followed.
“The coronavirus pandemic, while also having a big impact on the economy, has brought with it a different set of challenges to those the UK faced in 2008. But thanks to our experienced head office team and our long-standing power team members, like Abensons Solicitors, Bluechip Financial, accountants Morris Crocker and Jelf Insurance, we’ve been able to give our franchise partners the best and most accurate advice on how to look after their tenants and consolidate their property businesses during what has been a testing time.”
As Platinum looks to move through the uncertainty of 2020 and into calmer waters in 2021, the franchise’s aim is to continue to evolve and open new doors for its existing franchise partners, while also welcoming new property investors to its network.
“Shared living property remains a complex area of investment,” adds Emma. “And when things change, that’s when our franchise partners really get the best out of us, because there’s not much we haven’t experienced in this field over the past 13 years.
“Despite the fact we’ve been helping people build great portfolios of high quality, professional Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) for so long, though, there are still so many people whose lives we want to help change for the better through what we do.
“After the period in history we’re going through in 2020 is over, and it will be over, we want to be there, ready to help the people who will be emerging from the past few months with a different mindset and a real desire to do more with what they have.
“The business model we’ve developed and refined for so long is still as sustainable and robust as ever, and we are consistently innovating and able to adapt our service and programme in times of change. Our franchise partners are still enjoying great returns, while also creating amazing properties for professional renters to enjoy with other people.”