Last year, we celebrated an incredible milestone: LEA Property Solutions turned 20 years old!
Twenty years in business is a big moment for any company, but for me, it felt even more personal. Not just because of the length of time itself (being able to say ‘two decades does feel good!), but also because of how this journey began; not with a carefully crafted business plan, but because I experienced a personal pain point and set about creating my own solution to fix it.
As a young graduate in the early 2000s, I was excited to be beginning the next chapter of my life – education ‘finished’ (rubbish – I have been learning ever since!), embarking on a new career, and stepping properly out on my own, in terms of accommodation, without that safety net that being a student affords you – however independent minded you might be.
Like so many others starting out, I was in search of a home that was affordable, safe, and a decent quality.
But to say my search left me disheartened would be an understatement!
The shared housing options available were often poorly maintained, badly managed, and frankly – to my mind at least – not fit for purpose.
It was a stark realisation: finding quality accommodation in Ipswich as a young professional was harder than it should be.
Out of my own personal necessity, an idea was born.
In 2004 I took a bold step: I persuaded my parents to help me purchase a property. I realise I was lucky that I could do so but they put their trust in me to make it work.
But in any case, rather than settle for a substandard rental, I created my own solution.
I lived in the house myself and let two of the rooms to lodgers. It was a simple beginning, but an empowering one. That house didn’t just solve my own housing problem; it planted the seed for what would later become LEA Property Solutions.
Over the next few years, I carefully built a small, self-managed portfolio. Each property, every tenant, every maintenance call taught me something new. And believe me, I learned the hard way – through experience, through mistakes, but also through a relentless commitment to do better.
And then something extraordinary happened. What had started as a personal project began to grow steadily as friends, contacts, and fellow landlords began asking if I could manage their properties too.
It turned out that I wasn’t the only one who recognised the gap in the market for a management service built on quality, care, and genuine professionalism.
And so, LEA Property Solutions was born: quite literally, my own ‘property solution’ – the solution to my own property problem. But it was the solution to a problem that others were facing, and a means to take that pain away from them.
Today, we manage over 200 rooms across Ipswich and the surrounding area, offering professional and student tenants well-managed, high-quality homes, and giving landlords in Ipswich the peace of mind that their investments are in safe hands. We’ve built a fantastic team who share the same values that have been at the heart of the business since day one: integrity, communication, and excellence.
2024 was a landmark year in more ways than one. Alongside our 20th birthday celebrations, I was incredibly proud to see our efforts recognised with nominations for several prestigious industry awards. To have the hard work, dedication, and care that we pour into our properties acknowledged at a national level felt like a huge moment – not just for me, but for our whole team.
But we’re not stopping here…
Looking Ahead at LEA Property Solutions
Twenty years in is the perfect time to reflect, but also to look forward. We’re gearing up for some very exciting developments that will take LEA Property Solutions to the next level!
All shall be revealed in due course (and watch this space!), but our focus will remain the same: to raise standards, to deliver exceptional service, and to redefine what excellence looks like.
For me, LEA Property Solutions was never about managing properties. That is an action; what I have always cared about is the reaction. I care about the cause, but only because I am obsessed about the effect.
LEA Property Solutions is about creating homes. It’s about building communities. It’s about giving young professionals and students in Ipswich a better rental experience than the one I had all those years ago – and it is about giving those landlords a true service that offers peace of mind through sound advice, proactive methods and positive management of what is an investment.
That first house, those first two lodgers, and that first decision to create my own solution… that was all just the foundation being laid for everything that has followed since. And as we step into the next chapter, I’m as passionate about our mission as I was on day one.
Thank you to everyone who’s been part of the journey so far, and here’s to the exciting road ahead!