OPMRESIDENTIAL

Selling a block of flats in Leeds and West Yorkshire.

Stone villas and terraces, converted to flats years ago. Three of the first nine pages in my sketchbook are from Yorkshire.

What I buy here.

Three to fifteen flats on a single freehold title, from about £300,000 to £2m.

In Leeds that’s often a stone villa or a terrace in the northern suburbs, split into flats and let for years. Further out it might be a mill owner’s house, a row of cottages turned into flats, or shops with flats above.

Why owners here are selling.

These are old, solid stone buildings. They’re expensive to heat and hard to get to an EPC of C, which every let flat needs by October 2030.

Many have been owned by the same family for a generation. The rents are low, the tenants have been there a long time, and the paperwork hasn’t kept up with the rules.

That’s all fine with me. I buy them as they stand, tenants in place.

Where in Leeds and West Yorkshire.

  • Leeds
  • Headingley
  • Hyde Park
  • Chapel Allerton
  • Roundhay
  • Meanwood
  • Armley
  • Bradford
  • Wakefield
  • Huddersfield
  • Halifax

If yours is nearby and not on the list, ring anyway.

From the sketchbook.

VIEWED · WEST YORKSHIRESKETCH Nº 001
A stone front with a heavy cornice and tall sashes.
VIEWED · WEST YORKSHIRESKETCH Nº 002
A stained glass laylight over the stairs.
VIEWED · YORKSHIRESKETCH Nº 003
Small stone blocks like this get overlooked.
Stone-fronted Victorian terrace divided into flats, with original bay windows and visible deferred maintenance.
Tired and under-rented is fine. You don’t need to fix anything before you sell.

How it works.

Three steps, and you can stop at any of them.

  • A conversation

    Tell me where the block is and roughly how many flats. Fifteen minutes on the phone is usually enough. There’s no visit, no valuation and nothing to sign.

  • A number

    I look at the building and the tenancies, then come back with a figure and how I got to it. If it’s not enough, say so.

  • Completion on your date

    Most blocks complete in eight to twelve weeks. If you need longer, we’ll wait.

Worth a read first.

Tell me about your block.

Where it is and roughly how many flats is enough to start. I’ll come back to you within one working day.