Working Together

I just want to say thanks for providing such a good service in finding me the right property at a good price and carrying out such a high quality refurbishment on time and on budget. You kept me well informed throughout the project and I really feel that I've made a great investment. Thanks again and I look forward to working with you again soon.

Three years ago my wife and I sold a dwelling house which had been rented out producing a modest 4 - 5% return. We were looking for another project and by sheer coincidence met two brothers who had benefited from Focused Holdings professionalism. We were put in touch and travelled up North to meet Dave Alty and view a property. It was immediately apparent he spoke with authority and years of experience. That day we agreed to purchase a property that needed a complete refurbishment throughout to be turned into a top quality house in multiple occupation. Dave’s advice was to lease the property to a company he was familiar with for an initial five years at a percentage return of 10% plus. From date of completion of purchase to date of handover for leasing was sixteen weeks.

The works were extensively itemised in a contract and reasonably costed. Without being exhaustive everything inside the property was ripped out. A damp proof coarse was fitted and electricity rewired. A new gas boiler , piping and radiators were installed. A quality bathroom and kitchen was fitted together with white goods. The property was re plastered, painted and carpeted throughout. New doors and provision of all appropriate alarms , emergency lighting etc fitted. Any unexpected contingencies (which were minimal) were quickly resolved without going over budget.

For geographical reasons we did not visit the property again until the refurbishment had been completed and the property transformed to a high specification. Dave’s build team, Focused Developments had done a great job and the quality of workmanship was excellent.

Dave had kept us informed by weekly emails, photographs and invoicing. This helped enormously as time was of the essence. His communication was second to none.

The initial project was a complete success and we have just completed a second similar project with Focused. Dave and his team again delivered on time despite having to deal with all the difficulties Covid-19 threw at them. The property has been approved for leasing with a percentage return of 11%.

We anticipate at least one further project such is our confidence with Focused Holdings and Dave Alty.

We must also mention Carol Weaver who is an integral part of the team; administrator, number cruncher and trouble shooter. She’s a superstar.

It goes without saying that we would thoroughly recommend Focused Holdings & the build team Focused Developments.

Working with Dave and the whole team behind Focused Developments has been a fantastic experience. We undertook a major renovation with them to create a 6 bed ensuite HMO pretty much at the start of the Covid pandemic. From the start Dave's experience was telling - helping us with room layout and water supply issues that we hadn't considered. Throughout the renovation Dave kept us well informed with photographic or video evidence and a weekly written progress report. The staged invoicing process made budget management straightforward and it was always clear what we were paying for with regards to the job.

As with most building projects the process uncovered a number of "surprises". Dave was always objective, honest and realistic, presenting possible alternatives for how to address the problems we encountered and in many cases simply fixing them as part of the service. The generosity the team showed in going above and beyond the original scope of the work was amazing and has given us enormous confidence in the quality of our property. The positive feedback we have had from our letting agent and the HMO officer are also positive indicators that Focused have delivered a quality project.

It has been a real pleasure working with Dave and the team from Focused Developments and we feel very happy to recommend them unreservedly. We hope to work with them again should the opportunity arise.