By Emily Hazlitt

In an industry whose central focus is people, property letting is almost inexplicably linked with a negative stereotype of how it treats individuals. Specifically, tenants. Horror stories from pretty much everyone who has rented, lay the foundations for the sector we work in. At Umega Lettings one of our crucial company goals is to work hard to smash these negative stereotypes. The answer is right in front of us: turning the mindset of the industry on its head, by championing people. Specifically, in two categories: our staff and our tenants/landlords. We’re striking out on our own, by changing this mindset, we are making waves throughout the industry.

People are at the core of our company, our values, our success, our goals. How many letting agencies would state in a job description that they are: “a people company not a property company”? It’s a line that stood out to me, as it was so different to anything I expected when entering the property industry. What Umega understands is that people come first, and success will inevitably follow. Others asked why I wanted to join an industry with such a negative stigma. My friends and family thought that to be a successful Landlord and agency, you had to be business driven and money focused. I’ve learnt that this does not have to be the case at all; successful agencies ARE business driven but are PEOPLE focused.

Umega have an incredible ability to hire amazing people who have a growth mindset and embody the goals and values of the company. Individuals who drive the company forward to bigger and better things. How do they do this? By being themselves and being human. Our staff care about the people they work with, tenants and landlords alike. By caring for our tenants, we build a relationship of trust. Tenants enjoy renting with us because we treat them as people, and we understand that the property they rent is their home. We look after them and in turn they treat the landlord’s property with that equal respect. By simply taking the time in our busy day to day lives, to care about the people we work with, we have created a cycle of trust and respect where everyone wins.

At Umega we shout from the rooftops about the success, positivity and playfulness of our staff. Our U-matter board aligns all these successes. U-matter, for me, is not shorthand for ‘Umega Matters’, but for YOU-matter. Our staff matter, our Landlords matter, our tenants matter. People matter. Umega offers its staff a place to grow their career and themselves, where the love of connecting with people is valued and championed, not forced down and stamped out. Where making mistakes is seen as human and not failure. It’s how we openly acknowledge these moments, to improve not just ourselves, but so others can learn from them too. From 5-aside football Tuesdays, to social Fridays, to every home baking your heart could desire, our office is full of character. Umega doesn’t demand you leave your personality at the door, it welcomes it in with open arms!

The reason we are so successful is because we hire people who live and breathe our values. The reason we smash negative stereotypes is because we are people focused. The best ideas are often those that, once orchestrated, seem the most obvious and natural. Umega make people, and in turn, people make Umega. We invest in our tenants to keep them, we invest in our Landlords to impress them, we invest in our staff to grow and constantly better the Umega family. Umega invests in people. People are at the heart of the company, and the company is thriving. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. Do you?