Property investor David Slann has acquired Belvoir Stone and Stafford, an established estate agency, following a franchise resale. He will take control of its sales and lettings operation across Stone, Stafford, and surrounding areas.
The existing team will remain with the business, and the previous owners will provide support after the handover. Slann plans to grow the agency’s managed portfolio and develop its residential sales operation.
Slann has experience investing in residential property across the Midlands and North East, including blocks and HMOs. He has also undertaken residential redevelopment and worked as a finance director.
He said buying an established agency appealed to him more than starting a new operation. “I’ve been investing in property for a number of years, mostly as a landlord and more recently as a developer, so the sector isn’t new to me,” Slann said.
Slann plans to use his finance experience to increase the agency’s focus on performance, systems, and reporting. “An agency has a lot of moving parts, and the businesses that do well are the ones that measure the right things and act on them quickly,” he said.
Slann expects regulatory changes in the private rented sector to increase demand for professional property management. “The lettings market is going through the biggest regulatory shift in decades,” he said.
He plans to expand the managed portfolio as the new regulatory framework takes effect. Slann added that his experience as a landlord has shaped his approach to the agency, with a focus on avoiding surprises for landlords, such as voids and compliance gaps.
Ellie Hall, group managing director of Belvoir, said: “David combines strong commercial experience with genuine first-hand knowledge of property investment. He has a clear understanding of the value an experienced agency can bring to landlords.”
Slann’s goal is to make the business the first call for landlords in the area who want to get things right, particularly as new rules take effect. He aims to bring structure, better systems, and clearer reporting to the agency without losing its personal service. The agency will continue to provide support to its clients, and Slann will work to ensure that the business remains a key player in the local property market.
