We are ecstatic to announce that HOP have raised more than £3,000 for Cancer Research UK, after completing our gruelling cycling challenge in September.

As a team, we cycled over 2,300km in just 5 working days. Every member of HOP’s team completed at least six hours on one of four bikes outside our Horsforth office on New Road Side, with the team clocking up 460km, or 286 miles, on each of the five days. This represented the 460 people that die from cancer every day in the UK.

We are overjoyed to have smashed our initial fundraising target of £2,300 – raising over £3,000 to date, with donations still coming in.

In addition to the cycling, we also held a bake sale with tasty items whipped up by the HOP team, as well as their family and friends, which contributed £350 to the total amount raised.

Luke Gidney, Managing Director from HOP, said:

This was a tough challenge and especially on the days that it was windy and lashing it down with rain, but every single member of our team was happy to participate and help raise money for such a worthy cause.

“Our initial aim was to raise a pound for every kilometre we cycled, and we were all so pleased when we surpassed this target. The fact that donations are still coming in now makes it all worth it. Overall, the level of support from the people of Horsforth and the surrounding area has been incredible.

“We had passers-by of all ages cheering us on and jumping on the bikes to help put the miles in and the team from Workhouse Fitness in Farsley were also welcome guests who were only too happy to add a few miles, which was absolutely brilliant, when our legs were getting pretty tired!

We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported us!

“We’re now looking forward to handing our donation over to Cancer Research UK and supporting the organisation’s invaluable work in making new discoveries that will ultimately save lives.”

HOP is wholly committed to supporting local and national charities and this latest challenge follows the team tackling the Yorkshire Three Peaks last year when we raised £3,698 for Ukraine Charity and Leeds Mind.

Anyone still wanting to donate and sponsor the challenge can do so in person at HOP’s office on New Road Side, or by visiting our Just Giving Page: hop-charity-fundraiser.

We are hopping on the road this November to be part of the National Landlord Investment Show in London. Will we be seeing you there?

Come down and find us at Stand 16 on Wednesday 1st November at Old Billingsgate, London.

Our team are making the trip to London in November to showcase some excellent opportunities for Investing in Leeds with HOP.  Whether you’re a first time investor looking for the right first move, or have been investing in property for some time, we offer a wide range of services that allow you to put your feet up and relax!

At HOP, we deliver a turnkey service for clients all over the globe. We’ll identify the right property for you, optimise it for the rental market, and then let & manage it on your behalf – so you can relax while your investment is hard at work.

• Property Sourcing
• Property Optimisation
• Letting & Management

With over 15 years’ experience, we can help you take advantage of all the Leeds property market has to offer. Hop on over to Stand 16 for a chat with the team to find out more.

 

Click here to register for your FREE ticket
to the National Landlord Investment Show 2023 today

 

Why Invest in Leeds?

Despite lots of changes in the market, we’re continuing to see a really strong appetite for investments in Leeds and more and more investors across the UK, and beyond, are taking advantage of Leeds’ popularity as a buy-to-let hotspot.

With a booming economy and huge population of both students and young professionals, Leeds continues to attract investment. The combination of lower house prices than many other major cities and a high demand for accommodation, means that investors can command good rent levels, excellent yields and certainly enjoy low void periods.

8 good reasons that Leeds is the perfect investment choice

1. Booming economy worth £69 billion and set to add over £1.5 billion by 2026
2. 3rd largest UK population of 16 – 24 year olds
3. Home to 4 Universities and 60 thousand students
4. A population of 7 million people within an hour’s drive of Leeds City Region. Risen 8.1% since 2011.
5. “Digital Capital of the North” with one of the  fastest-growing tech hubs in the UK
6. The location of choice for businesses like Channel 4,  Asda, Jet2 and HMRC
7. Leeds rental value forecast for 2023 -2027 shows a 15.9% growth in the rental market
8. Consistently one of the top 5 cities in UK for capital growth

To find out more about Investing in Leeds, either click here to read more about our Property Sourcing service or if you are at the National Landlord Investment Show, make sure to pop over and see us on Stand 16.

Get ready, get set…

Drop it like it’s HOP

We are officially live! The launch of HOP student properties has dropped early this year giving you a head start to snap up one our HUGE portfolio of hand-picked student homes for 2024. Now live on our website, across the portals and on our socials.

We’re expecting competition to be extra fierce this year, as more and more students every year choose Leeds as the best destination for their studies. So snap up your home quickly, and rest easy knowing that you’ll have the best student pad secured for 2024.

Hop to it and start the search for your new home with HOP the easy way:

• Search our Website and you’ll find our listings on Rightmove too
• Follow us on Instagram & Facebook and search as you scroll
• Register your details and join The HOP List for the latest properties right to your inbox

See something you like? Share the link with your housemates and take a good look round immediately with our clever virtual tours.

Enjoy HOP ESSENTIALS bills packages

Being smart with your bills is more important than ever and when sharing your home with new pals, keeping the piece is key! We’ve come up with a new ESSENTIALS bills package, including all your necessities to keep a happy home. We have worked extremely hard to fix your energy prices for 2024/2025 student tenancies by bulk purchasing in advance, so you can relax knowing your rent and bills are a guaranteed price for the whole year.

One simple payment for your rent and bills? It’s a no brainer.

Our ESSENTIALS package is included as standard on our 3+ bedroom HOP managed properties and includes:

• Gas
• Electric
• Water
• Broadband

Don’t worry about rising energy prices or how to split the bills! Pay one fixed price for your rent and bills with our ESSENTIALS bills package.

You can save money with our all-inclusive student homes, which will lock in your prices now for the coming year and avoid any nasty surprises!

Pay the same price – for your rent and bills – every month.

Find your perfect pad

Since 2009, we’ve been letting student properties in Leeds! So there’s not much we don’t know when it comes to the student market and finding the perfect accommodation. We’ve been busy working with lots of our Landlords over the summer, completing a number of high spec refurbs and redecoration projects – so now there’s even more choice when it comes to finding something special.

From 1 beds to 8 beds, across the main student areas of Headingley, Hyde Park, Woodhouse, Burley and the City Centre – we’ve got a dizzying array of quality properties, all with bills included.

Whether you are looking for something within walking distance to the uni’s, or perhaps en-suite bathrooms are your top priority, we have some truly amazing places ready for you to call home in July. Plus, with our super simple online application process – securing your new property will be a breeze.

So, what are you waiting for? Happy hunting!

If you see something you like just drop our friendly Leeds Team a call on 0113 322 9324 to book in a viewing, or simply complete the ‘book a viewing’ form on the website listing and we’ll be in touch.

It was popping off at the 02 Academy Freshers Fair last week as our HOP team greeted lots of wonderful fresh faces to Leeds!

Not only did our team give out some tasty popcorn, they also gave Freshers the chance to win whopping a £200 cash prize by guessing the number of sweets in our HOP sweetie jar!

The individual who guessed the number of sweets correctly was contacted this week to redeem their price.

Congratulations Harry Scaife who was the ‘lucky’ (or incredibly talented) sweet counter, guessing 101 purple sweets in the jar! As Harry was the only person to guess the exact amount correctly, he was awarded the full £200 cash prize.

Harry, who is a first year student who from Cheshire, hopped by our office on Wednesday to receive his prize. Currently living in halls with his friends, Harry has already secured his 10 bedroom house for the next academic year in Headingley, and had this to say “we knew that we needed to get our house done quickly with having so many people, so looked at a few houses and jumped on it straight away”.

There’s no doubt Harry is right. If you need to secure your student pad for 2024, HOP to it! The best properties don’t stick around for long!

To get the best student properties direct to your inbox, join our HOP List now.

Keep your eyes peeled for more competitions like this one, coming soon! To stay one step ahead, why not follow our Instagram or Facebook pages.

HOP the queue and get VIP access to our new student properties ahead of the launch!

The Student Launch is just around the corner. Get a first peek at our hand-picked student homes ahead of the rush by joining our HOP List today.

All our homes come with bills package options, so no need to worry about missing payments or finding the cheapest electricity provider! Choose from a huge selection of quality student homes. From 1 beds to 10 beds, all across the best student areas – you’ll find the perfect place to live for the next academic year.

Plus – with fully interactive 360 degree online viewings and a super simple online application process, finding your next student home has never been easier!

Be the first in line for the best properties for 2024 by signing up to our student mailing list: Join The HOP List

There are loads of ways to find your new home with HOP. Scroll through our social media channels – you’ll find us on Instagram and Facebook.

You can also pop in all your criteria and search our website, plus you’ll find all our properties listed on the usual portals too.

For an even easier way to find your perfect match, you can also get properties right to your inbox. Join our HOP List and we’ll send you our weekly ‘Hot Properties’ emails once the student season kicks off very soon – and even a sneak peek early bird look before that!

This September HOP will be taking on the challenge to cycle a whopping 2,300km for Cancer Research.

Located at our Horsforth branch, HOP will be cycling 460km a day for 5 days, representing the 460 people that are sadly killed by cancer every day.

Click here to Donate!

Starting on the 18th September 2023, we will be setting up outside our Horsforth branch for 5 consecutive days. Our team will be working together to tackle a gruelling 286 miles a day on the bikes, with the aim to reach 1,430 miles on Friday. The challenge will by no means be easy and will involve every staff member of HOP doing their bit and jumping on a bike for a minimum of 6 hours throughout the week.

HOP are always seeking ways to support local and national charities that need it most. Following our incredible Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge last year, supporting Leeds Mind and Ukraine Charity, we wanted to support a different charity that is very close to our hearts here at HOP.

As many of us know, Cancer takes hundreds of men and women across the UK far too soon. For the past 120 years Cancer Research UK have been making discoveries that have saved countless lives. But there is still so much more to do.

We aim to raise £2,300 for Cancer Research this September, a pound for every km we cycle, and with your help and a support we know we can do it!

No matter how big or small, any donations are hugely appreciated. Visit our Just Giving page now!

As well as our cycling efforts, we will be hosting a HOP Bake Sale on Friday 22nd September in our Ground Floor office space at 111 New Road Side in Horsforth. Cakes, buns and sweet goodies will be available to purchase, with all proceeds going to our fundraising pot for Cancer Research UK.

How can you help?

If you would like to support our efforts this September by either jumping on a bike with us, or baking up some goodies, get in touch with Abi in our marketing team on 0113 320 2000 or send us a message.

Whether it’s on your own, with a friend, partner or relative; buying your first home is an exciting experience. Viewing properties and building your Pinterest board is just the beginning of exciting things to come.

The process can, however, be very overwhelming. With new terminology, competitive markets and bidding wars, it’s easy for emotions to cloud judgement and – if you are not prepared for what’s to come – opportunities can easily be missed.

At HOP, our aim is to make the process as seamless and stress-free as possible. A prepared buyer is a valuable one and our HOP Tips are designed to help you get one step ahead of your competition.

 

HOP Tips for First Time Buyers

1. Write down your ‘wish list’ & identify ‘non-negotiables’

If you are thinking of buying your first home, it’s important you understand your motivators. What’s important to you as a buyer, what are your desires and your non-negotiables? Having this list written down will help you to ask relevant questions on viewings and ensure your excitement doesn’t cloud your judgement.

2. Be flexible

Viewing properties can be time consuming and not always possible outside normal working hours. To avoid missing out on good opportunities, when other more flexible buyers pip you to the post, it’s important to try be as adaptable as possible. Speak to your employer prior to starting your search to see how they can help.

3. Register your details on Rightmove & with local Estate Agents

It’s quick and easy to register your details on Rightmove to receive email updates. You will get notifications of new properties added to the market in areas of your choice, so you can be sure to never miss new listings.

It’s also best to register your interest with multiple Estate Agents. They are the first to know about potential new listings, and will often send out property match emails prior to a property going live, so registering your details will help to put you one step ahead of the competition. On some occasions, Estate Agents may even try sell a property prior to going to the open market if they feel they have a suitable buyer that the owner is willing to work with, so registering can give you an unseen added advantage.

3. Arrange an appointment with a Mortgage Advisor

Speaking to a Mortgage Advisor prior to starting your property search is advised. It’s important to understand how much you can borrow to avoid being in a position where you fall in love with a house you maybe can’t afford.

Mortgage eligibility criteria has changed considerably over the last few years, particularly since the pandemic. The rules are designed to ensure borrowers can prove affordability, even in the event of a rate rise. That’s why it is important to have a broker on your side who understands it all. A broker deals with lenders on a day-to-day basis. They will know what the application process is like for each one and which lender can process things with minimal delays.

An independent mortgage broker will look for the best mortgage for you. They aren’t on the lender’s side, they’re on yours. They will give you access to far more products than if you went direct to your bank. You’ll receive unbiased advice and have the flexibility to choose from a range of products.

4. Have all your documentation ready

Buying a house is a legal process and Estate Agents and Solicitors will both need information from you prior to proceeding with your purchase. Estate Agents will often not accept an offer from a buyer who is not able to provide the below:

• Proof of Identification – Have your ID (Passport or Driving Licence) photocopied ready to send, along with proof of address.
• Proof of Funds – Whether you are buying cash or with a mortgage, both Solicitors and Estate Agents will want to see proof of funds available. This can be in the form of a recent bank statement.
• Proof of Mortgage – An Agreement in Principle (AIP), also known as a Decision in Principle (DIP), will be required if you are purchasing with a Mortgage. This can be obtained through Mortgage Advisor or through the lender direct.

5. Gather quotes from recommended Solicitors

Once your offer has been accepted, you will be required to instruct a solicitor (if not done already). Speak to reputable Estate Agents, friends and family to find a recommended Solicitor before choosing the right one for you. If you want to get one step ahead, instruct your solicitor in advance and complete all the paperwork first.

Our expert Sales team are on hand to support you every step of the way. If you have any questions or would like more information on the Sales process, contact our team today on 0113 322 9533.

 

Found your dream home already?

To help you understand what is expected from you throughout the process, our sales experts at HOP have put together a Sales Progression Checklist, to help you be ahead of the game and speed up your sale. Click here to download our Sales Progression Checklist

Buying your first home can be daunting, but at HOP we are here to make the process as smooth as possible. With our expert sales team, excellent communication and useful guides and checklists, HOP will take the weight off your shoulders and help make this exciting journey as easy as possible!

Congratulations @the_horsforth_house who was the lucky winner of our Golden Board competition!

The more entries, the more chance of winning! This year we had almost 100 entries into our Golden Board competition, with so many people across Leeds getting involved. Our lucky winner Grace entered our competition 9 times with her doggies Bilbo and Badger, finding 9 of our Golden Boards spread across Leeds.

Grace, Bilbo and Badger came to our office to collect their giant winning cheque. It was lovely to meet Grace and the famous pups!

Grace and her family have won a whopping £1,500 towards a holiday of their choice courtesy of HOP.

HOP partnered with the wonderful Leeds based Jo Underhill at ‘Designer Travel’ helping to support our winner in booking their dream holiday. We can’t wait to see what Grace has booked and hear all about their new adventure!

Congratulations Grace and thank you for entering!

On the hunt for your next student pad but struggling to find the perfect place? Buddy Up with likeminded students to secure your next home!

Finding the perfect pad for your next academic year can be tough. Maybe you are looking for a particular location, or want a house with en-suite rooms. If you are struggling to secure a property that matches your criteria, with the right number of bedrooms for you and your pals, then why not buddy up!

Our Buddy Up service helps us find you your dream student pad by matching you up with other tenants looking for similar properties.

HOP have many awesome 4, 5, 6 and 7 bedroom properties available to rent, ranging in price, location and size. By joining forces with other students like you, your new pad could be within easy reach!

Whether you’re a single occupant or a small group, we will do all we can to match you with your next property. If we have other tenants that suit your needs, we can put you in direct contact with them and you can arrange a time to meet and see if you ‘hit it off’. Soon your small group of 3 could become 5, opening you up to a bigger range of houses to choose from. It’s a no brainer!

What’s next?

• Call our office and request to leave your details for Buddy Up.
• Provide HOP with your name, number and email address.
• Let HOP know your criteria – E.g. desired location, number of tenants you would join with, price you’re looking to pay, gender you are willing to share with.

Once we have all your details, leave the rest to us. We will get hunting for your new housemates and your dream pad!

Want to take a look at some of the properties we have available. Check them out here!

To register for Buddy Up, call our office now on 0113 322 9324.

HOP launched our Kings Coronation competition on the 3rd May. Giving Instagram users the chance to win a whopping £200 cash prize! The competition has now closed and we have just 1 lucky winner!

To celebrate the Kings Coronation we were giving away £200 cash to the lucky winner who was able to guess how many sweets were in our sweet jar. With over 200 entries it was extremely close!

So how many sweets were in the jar?

We had a huge range of entries, from 50 sweets to 500 sweets. The lucky winner was the only person to guess the exact amount – 129 sweets! Many others were so close with 4 people guessing 128 and 2 guessing 130.

Rory popped by our office on Tuesday 16th to collect his £200 cash prize, and even took home 129 sweeties to celebrate!

Congratulations Rory!

It was great to meet Rory at our HOP Leeds office to award her with her winnings.

Thank you to all that entered the competition and guessed the sweets in the jar.

Keep your eyes peeled for our next competition, coming soon!

Wishing all our customers a wonderful weekend celebrating the Kings Coronation!

We will be closed for the Bank Holiday Weekend on Monday 8th May to celebrate this special occasion, re-opening as usual on Tuesday 2nd May 2023.

• Friday 5th May – Open usual hours (9am-5:30pm)
• Saturday 6th May – Open usual hours (9am-1pm)
• Sunday 7th May – CLOSED
• Monday 8th May – CLOSED
• Tuesday 9th May – Open usual hours (9am-5:30pm)

If any Tenants require emergency maintenance during the long bank holiday weekend, please call the main office number on 0113 320 2000 to listen for our out of hours emergency contacts.

You can also report any maintenance request online in the usual way, at any time, click for more details on how to report a repair.

If the long weekend has got you thinking about moving home or renting it out, why not try our Instant Valuation Tool to get a sales or rental valuation of your property in just 60 seconds.

We hope you have a wonderful weekend filled with fun, flags and fabulous celebrations!

Wishing all our customers a very HOP-py Easter

We will be closed for the Easter Weekend on Good Friday and Easter Monday, re-opening as usual on Tuesday 06 April 2023.

For Tenants that require emergency maintenance during the long bank holiday weekend, please call the main office number on 0113 320 2000 to listen for our out of hours emergency contacts. You can also report any maintenance request online in the usual way, at any time, click for more details on how to report a repair.

If the Easter Break has got you thinking about moving home or renting it out, why not try our Instant Valuation Tool to get a sales or rental valuation of your property in just 60 seconds.

Got the taste for hunting after you’ve located all those Easter Eggs that bunny left behind?
Don’t forget to join in with our Golden Board Hunt, to be in with a chance to win a fantastic holiday worth £1,500.

We hope you have a wonderful weekend filled with fun, and maybe even some chocolate too!