Each month, we pick one of the many quality and valued agents we work with and shine a spotlight on them, their agency and the work that they’re doing…

This September, we are proud to present, Billy Sio, Founder of Lixing.

Billy Sio, an experienced property consultant and member of NAEA and ARLA Propertymark, the UK’s largest professional body for estate agents, has been advising investors in London for almost a decade. He’s brokered over £250 million in property deals, and has been recognised for it too; winning the Top Sales Consultant Award at JLL in both 2016 and 2017.

Get to know Billy better …

Impressively, Billy speaks English, Mandarin and Cantonese following an education which touched China, Canada, and the UK. He’s worked in the UK for over 10 years now and, has a BA in Philosophy and History of Arts from University College London. He loves meeting people from all over the globe, taking pride in both maintaining and growing his extensive network of investors across Europe and Asia.

Get to know Lixing…

Lixing is a property consultancy and full-service estate agency based in London.

The agency has an extensive network of partner agents and a database of active investors and buyers, both in the UK and overseas. This means that they can give you access to the most active markets for letting and buying, above and beyond the usual online portals.

Their expert consultants are ready and waiting, with the helpful service and deep market knowledge you’re looking for to help you hit your property goals.

5 in 5: 5 questions, in 5 minutes

In this latest interview, Billy gives us his take on the industries current hottest topics and tells us more about his work in his own words…

  1. Let’s start with one of September’s hottest topics: Energy prices! Do you have any current advice for landlords?

Thanks for having me in your interview! As energy prices continue to rise, it’s worth speaking to your agent to see how your tenants are doing.

As costs rise, and the UK remains under threat of a recession, landlords may see an increasing number of tenants unable to meet their rent obligations. This can be disastrous for landlords that have mortgages (particularly as interest rates increase).

It’s also worth looking into rent guarantee insurance, in case your tenant does indeed have trouble meeting their obligations.

And in the very unfortunate circumstances where the tenant stops paying rent and refuses to leave, it’s important to get expert legal guidance on how best to move forward.

  1. That’s some great advice! So, staying with hot topics, how have you worked with landlords with regards the abolition of Section 21?

The legislation hasn’t passed yet, so it’s unclear whether it will still go ahead. But if it does turn into an act, Landlords are going to have significantly less flexibility with their properties. This will likely translate to lower yields, as landlords will have far less leverage over tenants to negotiate higher rents, or to align new tenancies during the busy season to maximise their rental income.

This situation is also causing a lot of hesitation for new would-be landlords, so it’s likely to deter a lot of investors buying in the UK, ultimately causing more downward pressure on the sales market.

I would recommend finding an agent that can help you keep a good relationship with the tenant. Having open lines of communication will always be useful for the landlord.

And if the lack of flexibility means the rental property is no longer an attractive investment, speak to an estate agent that can appeal to the global market. A lot of overseas investors are attracted to UK properties due to GBP sterling having fallen in price.

  1. That’s interesting! Thank you! Moving on, let’s focus on you and Lixing. To help anyone who has yet to hear about of you and/or your agency, please introduce yourself and the business in your own words…

We’re a relatively new company but we’re dedicated to providing excellent customer service. Our agency covers all of London and, so far, our clients have been very impressed by our level of service.

What is perhaps unique about our company is that we do everything local agents do, but we excel in connecting clients with buyers and tenants from around the globe, in particular from the Far East. Our international presence really does allow us to achieve the best prices for our clients.

In addition, I believe our marketing is really the best that agents can offer. We do virtual tours, great, eye-catching photographs, and professional copywriting for every property as well.

  1. We’ve seen it! And we agree. Sticking with that theme then, and judging on even your website alone, it’s obvious you have very high standards. How does this filter into the work that you do?

We do have very high standards. We are certainly not the cheapest agent, but we really do focus on quality over quantity. Rather than taking on more business we can handle, our preference is to give a smaller client database a very high, responsive service. And in doing so, we’re often able to get the best price for our clients as well.

If you’re looking for an agent that offers a premium bespoke service that covers all of London, please speak to us!

  1. Thanks for the additional information, it’s an admirable approach. So, and finally, you are our Agent of the Month, therefore we can only ask, is there anything you would like to leave us with? A pearl of wisdom for landlords, or something interesting from the world of Lixing? You have the floor…

There are big legislative and economic changes that are coming to the property market that will affect property owners. It’s best to get ahead of these changes so you’re well prepared, especially during these uncertain times.

Speak to us, and we would be more than happy to discuss this further!

Thank you for Assisting us

From all of us here at Assist Inventories we would like to take the opportunity to thank Billy for taking time out of his schedule to work with us and be our Agent of the Month. It was a pleasure talking with you.

If you would like to talk to Billy, or one of the Lixing team about what they can do for you, you can do so through their website: visit Lixing

Let us Assist you

If you are an agent or landlord and would like support with your property management, we offer a full range of property inventory services. Assist Inventories, award winning services, underpinned by a powerful inventory management platform.