15:34 PM, 22nd August 2024, About 3 days ago 2
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From humble beginnings in a small letting agency in Cardiff Bay to ARLA Propertymark President.
Angharad Trueman’s property journey has seen her break the ‘glass ceiling’ and now as ARLA Propertymark president she’s urging the government to listen not just to tenant groups but also landlords.
In an exclusive interview with Property118, Angharad shares her top tips for women wanting to progress through the property industry and why the proposed Renters’ Rights Bill is not driving as many landlords out of the private rented sector as first thought.
Angharad tells Property118 how her property journey started and how it’s led her to become ARLA Propertymark president.
Angharad explains: “I started back in property in 2010 in a tiny independent letting agency in Cardiff Bay.
“From there, I moved into corporate property management, handling thousands of properties, and got my ARLA Propertymark qualifications to become a certified letting agent.
“Now, I help run a large UK letting agency and oversee the lettings side. Throughout my property journey, the ARLA Propertymark membership has been with me throughout my side, inspiring me to become ARLA Propertymark president.”
As the organisation’s president, one of Angharad’s top priorities is boosting female representation in the property sector, particularly at senior levels.
She tells Property118: “For me, it’s important to be a positive role model—whether it’s as ARLA Propertymark president or as a director at a large estate agency.
“It is really important to show that women can do it, and they can achieve higher roles if they want. I’m also a mother, so showing you can succeed in your property career while having children is equally important.”
Angharad gives her top tips for young women wanting to progress through the property industry.
She explains that being a woman in the property sector can be your ‘superpower’ and help women succeed.
She said: “Firstly, I’d say it’s achievable don’t write yourself off – there are women out there showing you can do it, and it is achievable. You can be in a senior position and have a family; they are not mutually exclusive, and you don’t have to have one or the other.
“I would also say it’s important to be yourself so many women think they have to try and be more male to succeed but being a woman in a room full of men is your superpower.”
Angharad adds: “You should be proud to be a woman and that you have a different perspective to others in that room so don’t try to fit in. It is really important to be yourself as there is only one you.
“Sometimes, as women, we get accused of being too emotional, and it’s used as a weapon against us. To combat that, always make sure you present your arguments based on facts and figures, rather than relying on emotions. If you can win with figures, it’s very difficult to argue against that.”
Angharad shares that, in the past, she’s been made to feel bad just because of her gender.
She says: “I’ve had times where I felt unfairly treated simply because I’m a woman.
“I don’t get it anymore but early in my career, I definitely felt the misogyny and got accused of favouring women over men. I treat everyone the same no matter their gender, but sometimes just supporting and helping women gets twisted into something negative.
“My advice for young women is to stay confident and speak up if you’re treated unfairly because of your gender. Stand up and say, ‘This isn’t right.’ What matters is the value you bring, not what gender you are.”
Angharad explains ARLA Propertymark champions women in the property industry and all three roles in the presidential team are now women.
She said: “It’s great to see all three top roles in the presidential team filled by women—the president, president-elect, and vice president.
“This hasn’t happened in many years, and having three women in these positions sets a great example for the future. It shows young women that they too can achieve these roles one day.”
Another priority for Angharad as president is to encourage more young people to join the property industry.
She explains: “A lot of people end up in property by chance. I want to change that by inspiring kids from a young age to think about careers in property and tell their parents they want to be letting agents.
“I feel that this doesn’t happen enough at the moment, and I would love to change that.”
Angharad explains she visits schools and speaks to young people about a career in property and says she hopes to do more as president.
She also discussed the issue of landlords becoming increasingly anxious about what a Labour government will mean for the private rented sector.
The proposed Renters’ Rights Bill aims, among other things, to strengthen tenants’ rights by abolishing Section 21 and giving tenants the right to request a pet.
Despite a fear of a landlord exodus because of the Bill, Angharad explains that whilst some landlords have left the sector, others are entering and buying properties.
She said: “We have definitely seen some landlords leave but we have also seen other landlords enter the private rented sector.
“Over the last few years, we’ve noticed a change in landlord behaviour in who’s renting out properties.
“Landlords who bought homes in the 90s as a sort of retirement plan and who only have a few properties are starting to leave the market.
“On the other hand, landlords with bigger portfolios who treat property rental as a full-time job are still buying more. They’re in it for the long haul, so short-term changes don’t worry them as much.”
Recent figures from Andrews Estate Agency show that the number of tenancy terminations and Section 21 notices issued has remained consistent between the first half of 2023 and 2024.
Angharad says: “We haven’t seen a huge amount of change in landlords giving Section 21 notices this year versus last year.
“This is quite comforting because sometimes we hear of a huge landlord exodus and tenants struggling to find a place to live. These figures show something different.
“It seems that landlords with larger portfolios are still entering the market, helping to keep things stable.”
As a landlord herself, Angharad plans to keep investing in the property market.
She said: “My plan for the next 20 years is to keep buying and growing my property portfolio to support me in retirement.
“Any changes proposed by Labour over the next year or so will require me to educate myself and to adjust my business plan. However, these changes won’t affect my decision to hold on to my properties.”
Angharad outlines three key things she hopes to see from a Labour government. She emphasises that the government should listen to landlord groups, not just tenant groups.
She tells Property118: “Number one is I would like to see the Labour government communicate and liaise with a cross-section of the property industry.
“It feels like the government often only listens to certain tenant groups and there’s not as much attention paid to landlord and letting agent groups.
“I think it’s really important the government gets a balanced view of what the industry needs and what the potential impact of any changes could be.”
Angharad also points out that the courts need reforming before any new legislation is enacted.
She said: “Secondly, if and when the government decides to ban Section 21, they must commit to reforming the courts beforehand.
“Without this, we could face a disastrous situation. The courts already have significant backlogs, and it can take several months just to get a court date. A Section 21 ban would only exacerbate these delays.”
Angharad also wants landlords to be rewarded for keeping long-term tenants in their properties such as through a tax break.
She says: “Thirdly, I believe there should be incentives for landlords who keep tenants in their properties long-term. A good landlord wants a reliable, long-term tenant, just as tenants seek a secure, stable home.
“It would be great to see some form of tax break or incentive that encourages landlords to maintain their rental properties and support long-term tenancies. This would not only benefit our sector but also recognise and reward landlords who have provided vital housing for many years.”
Property118 is part of Propertymark’s housing coalition which aims to make the private rented sector fairer not just for tenants but also for landlords.
Angharad says she fully supports the coalition and hopes it can make a difference.
She adds: “It is strength in numbers even though Propertymark is the largest industry body for letting agents, it’s only one voice so the more extra voices we can get to join the better.
“It’s great to see a wide range of organisations joining the housing coalition. The larger we are, the more powerful our collective voice becomes. This makes it easier for the government to listen to us and trust what we’re saying, as our positions are backed by extensive data.
“Ultimately, this ensures that any changes the government makes are effective and don’t end up damaging the private rented sector.”
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Judith Wordsworth
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Sign Up11:12 AM, 23rd August 2024, About 3 days ago
As a woman I find this ludicrous to have advice targeted at women.
Are we less knowledgeable? Less capable? Less common sense?
Plenty of male PRS landlords out there who are incompetent and unknowledgeable.
Many of us, especially female landlords, not only bought for retirement capital but income too to bring up our children.
My daughter wants nothing to do with the PRS even to the extent she won’t be a landlord to the person renting the 2nd bedroom in her flat. Even though she would benefit from up to £7,500. She’s seen over the last 20 odd years first hand what it’s like to be a PRS landlord, lol. So I am her flatsharers landlord!
Renters Reform Bill was the last straw for me, the Renters Rights Bill says it all and though I had been thinking about reinvesting the monies from BTL sales after 2030, when property prices will likely drop when many financially overstretched PRS landlords can’t afford to get to minimum EPC, I won’t be.
Paul Essex
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Sign Up12:52 PM, 23rd August 2024, About 2 days ago
Reply to the comment left by Judith Wordsworth at 23/08/2024 - 11:12
Could your daughter's flat mate be classed as an AST tenant rather than a lodger?
My children are equally against the toxic environment ramped up by the press and we have sold rather than trying to pass on to the next generation.