On Friday, 11th July 2025, the annual HMO Summit and Awards – one of the largest and most prestigious gatherings for the sector – is set to take place at the glorious Stowe House in Buckinghamshire.
This event showcases and celebrates the best of the best of our industry – and so we are delighted to share that LEA Property Solutions, Ipswich’s foremost specialist in House in Multiple Occupation (HMO), is shortlisted finalists in not just one, but four categories!
We really are over the moon. Here’s a little bit more…
A Remarkable Four‑Category Shortlist
LEA Property Solutions has been shortlisted in four key categories at the HMO Awards 2025:
- Best HMO Agency
- Best Manager of Professional HMOs
- Manager of the Year – Tenants Choice
- Best Community Experience
Being a finalist across four separate categories is a massive achievement of which we are incredibly proud, especially as a dedicated local agency – not a corporate National chain.
It confirms in the sector what our clients already tell us: that our brand of highly attentive, community‑focused management sets a gold standard in shared living.
What This Means for us
It is easy to see the shape of our business now and forget the humble beginnings that we came from. In all honesty, I launched into the world of HMO management by accident!
The truth is, as a recent university graduate back in 2004, I bought my first house – a two bedroom terrace on Gatacre Road in Ipswich. It was my first house, and to help cover the mortgage I sought out lodgers to fill my other bedroom and the downstairs reception room. Then, when I moved out myself, I kept the property and became an unwitting HMO landlord – and I managed it in the way that of course, as an owner, I would wish to see it managed!
Soon, other landlords began to ask me if I could help them too, to find sharers which would increase their rental yield, and to then manage their properties in a similar way.
It was organic and it was honest; first one, then two, then a couple more…
It led me in this ultimately unplanned, yet incredibly natural and rewarding way to carve out my niche as Ipswich’s ‘go‑to’ independent HMO managing agent.
Since founding LEA Property Solutions back in 2004, we have gone on year by year to cultivate a reputation for operational excellence by focusing on the utmost satisfaction from both landlords and tenants.
Our strength lies not only in managing properties but also in fostering safe, welcoming, communal environments. This was key to being shortlisted in the Best Community Experience category. To us, it is a recognition which highlights our relentless investment in tenant wellbeing: weekly professional cleans, rapid reaction to any maintenance issues, however small, and not to mention our open communication channels which means our tenants know that they can get hold of someone at any time if they have problems.
In reality, these efforts have nurtured long-term tenancies as well as fantastic social bonds amongst our tenants who become not just housemates but also friends. Last year, two of our tenants got married! All of this leads to high occupancy rates; great for tenants, great for landlords too.
Why This Recognition Matters
The HMO Awards celebrates innovation and excellence across 18 categories of shared housing management.
Simply being shortlisted has been an amazing result in itself, a testament not only to the depth but more importantly in my view, to the consistency of our service across many different areas.
Amongst industry peers, it feels like recognition that small- to mid-size agencies can truly excel in our space without needing the national scale of some of our corporate competitors.
For existing landlords and tenants, it offers a reassurance that LEA Property Solutions truly does deliver on our promise of “exceeding expectations”.
The Road to Awards Night – and an Appearance of My Own
As finalists we are now getting ready to attend the HMO Summit and Awards gala this Friday (11th July). It is not just an evening to dress up, eat great food and party the night away – it is also a day of TED-style talks from amazing keynote speakers such as Simon Zutshi, Suzanne Smith and many others, and of course a chance for some top-quality industry networking.
And in amongst all these luminaries, someone else will be up on stage……me! I resist saying ‘Little Old Me’, Lucy Lea who started out managing a couple of lodgers in a terraced house in Ipswich; because the truth is, I have put in the hard yards and the grind, I have battled to build the business I have today, and I have earned my reputation.
So when I step up to co-host a panel chat on Friday called: From Chaos to Control: Building a Better HMO Management Business, I will be doing that not just with pride, but also with the kind of self-assurance that comes from knowing that I earned my colours through hard work and real experience in this field.
Friday is not just an opportunity to win; it is a chance for myself and my team to showcase our excellence on a national platform.
Looking Ahead
These nominations already feel like a win but of course it would be a cherry on top to walk away with an award on the night. The real prize, however, is greater visibility for regional HMO operators and seeing how standards truly are being raised across the board.
With 20 years in the business and a tightly knit team, I do believe that our track record speaks for itself, and this Friday we will be turning up not just as nominees, but as powerful advocates for community-driven, professional HMO management.
Whether or not we take home a trophy, being shortlisted in four categories is a triumph that we will celebrate together as a team. Whoever the winners are this Friday, we will be there cheering everyone on who is out there raising the bar and redefining what excellent HMO Management looks like.