Lettings Franchise UK
Castle Estates Franchising Ltd

Castle Estates…the UK’s longest serving property franchise

With over 30 years in property management, and many of our offices trading for over 10 years, Castle Estates remain the longest established property management franchise.

The Franchise run by Franchisees for Franchisees

Castle Estates is now in the hands of a new team following an in-house buy in June 2009.  New owner Steve Roulstone, who himself was a Castle Estates franchisee for over 10 years, is now actively looking to grow the business significantly over the next few years.   

As a franchisee himself, Steve knows what it takes to run a successful property management franchise, “I purchased my franchise from Castle Estates in 1999 because I was impressed by the training and assistance on offer.  Now that I have achieved this for myself and my family, I want to share that experience and help new Castle Estate franchisees build the same success for themselves and their families.

‘The principles that drew me to Castle Estates when I first started my own business will not change.  It is my firm intention to ensure that the name, which has such a good reputation in this industry, continues to grow using the utmost professionalism protecting the name of Castle Estates and respecting our position as the longest established Franchise in the lettings industry’.

The new management team has added impetus and fresh direction to the business but with the added advantage of over 60 years experience in all aspects of property management.

• Be ahead of the competitors in the property rental market
• One to one support while studying for the ARLA Technical Award and then full ARLA membership and licensing
• A new modern brand, yet backed up with over 30 years of experience
• An extensive training programme
• Your own full website, not just a page on ours including Web presence training
• Self-employed but your not alone as part of a national team
• Negotiated business partnership deals available from day one
• Additional income streams from mortgage/financial partnerships, insurance sales and more
• Ongoing training and support, and a 24/7 helpline

The cost of buying a Castle Estates franchise is £15750.00 with an additional £6750.00 paid towards Initial set up costs and annual running costs for negotiated services utilised by our industry, as part of the initial fee.

You will of course need to cost the set up fees for your new office or retail location which will vary from venue to venue.

Our relationship with the major banks and their franchise departments will generally mean that they will lend up to 70% of the cost of setting up your franchise to the right Franchisee and we will assist you in preparing your own Budgets for this purpose.

Other considerations will be working capital for costs such as marketing and your own personal costs.

• The best Academy training available in the industry tailored to your needs
• Support from a team of experienced specialists
• Information and experience for every aspect of starting your own business
• Subject to location the possibility of introduced corporate client business to aid your own development
• Ongoing training and support to keep you at the forefront of the industry
• Web Based Marketing strategy training to develop your own campaigns.

The Castle Estates Training Academy has for many years provided its Franchisees with the basis trading in this complicated Industry via:

Up to 20 days training initially and during your first year of training
Additional field support in your territory
Full training of management software systems and internal process training
Professional body training through to qualified status

The training will cover:

• Marketing of properties and to attract landlords
• The preparation of legal documentation  and what is required
• Preparation and best practice of inventories
• Negotiating skills
• The correct procedure for referencing tenants
• Administration of the business and client accounts
• Sales and cost budget training
• UK and overseas tax issues
• Insurances required landlords and tenants
• Maintenance of client properties
• Business planning, time management and analysis
• IT training to use our residential software
• Practical training at branches and with mentors
• Web Marketing

You will never stop learning with Castle Estates and as a responsible franchisor we strongly believe in sharing information with our network.   We provide:

Help lines – these offer support during normal working hours and an emergency line is available outside of these hours.
Web access – changes and advice are uploaded to a secure franchisee only area.
Regional meetings – regular meetings and an Annual Conference allow franchisees to get together to share experiences and ideas.  They also provide a platform for updating franchisees with latest industry trends and launching new initiatives.
Newsletters – updates franchisees with company news
Holiday cover – this can be arranged with other offices so that you can take a break from running your business with the comfort that your clients will be looked after by professional staff.
Corporate client handover – on the occasion that corporate business is transferred to you, we will provide you with full information to ensure compliance.
Staff training – by agreement we will help you to train new members of staff
Business development – we regularly visit our franchisees in their offices to ensure that their business is maximising the potential and if required arrange additional training.
National offers – which enable you to penetrate the market and attract Landlords to our brand.

• Determined individuals looking for an exciting challenge in a growing market
• Individuals who will work well on their own but who are also team players
• People that accept nothing less than the best in customer service and have the desire to deliver such excellence of service themselves
• Above all you will character and the tenacity to succeed