"In my opinion Belvoir stands head and shoulders above its competitors"

Following a celebrated career in the Royal Marines, Michael Betteridge has utilised much of his experience and talents to establish and run his successful property management business.

ormer Royal Marine Michael Betteridge had a long and distinguished military career spanning 23 years. During this time he saw active service across the world, rising to the rank of Warrant First Class and gained an MBE and Queen's Gallantry Medal.

When launching Belvoir Poole and Westbourne in May 2008 Michael put his considerable planning and operational skills to good use.

"After 23 years I found the prospect of starting my own business quite daunting," admits Michael. "I decided to go down the property management route because I had rented out my own properties while in the military and having dealt with various agents knew this was something I could do well. "I opted for franchising rather than starting on my own because I wanted something to build on rather than starting from scratch. I came across Belvoir at the National Franchise Exhibition at the NEC and read about them in franchise magazines.

"When I visited Belvoir's Central Office I was very impressed with the team, and the professionalism of the business. I was also attracted by the three-week intensive residential training course, and the invaluable business mentor support, particularly regarding the legal aspects of the job."

With Belvoir Poole and Westbourne now celebrating its second anniversary, Michael recently experienced a rental bonanza with some properties renting in two hours.

"Since last November we have had a really busy period," confirms Mike. "We took on one property on a Monday and had 18 tenants after it. We decided to do an open house, viewing in batches of five. After the viewings we helped the landlord decide on the best tenant.

"There are many professional people with families looking for properties with more than three or four bedrooms and so at present we need as many three bedroom properties as we can get. In addition, many families are downsizing by renting their larger homes out and trying to rent a smaller property for themselves. Although two bedroom properties are the staple diet of the lettings industry three bedrooms are still very popular.

"My advice to anyone in the military considering investing in a career in property management is to do their research thoroughly and talk to other franchise owners to find out as much as possible. This is what I did and in my opinion Belvoir stands head and shoulders above its competitors in terms of branding, training and support."