Maxine Lester MARLA – Director
Before starting Maxine Lester's in 2005 Maxine I had quite a varied career within insurance, where I was one of 150 female brokers at Lloyds of London (a very uncommon breed at the time) and recruitment industries managing Reed Accountancy branches in both Bishopsgate and The Strand in London.
In 1988 I moved to Cambridge and joined a video entertainment company in Peterborough, looking after 6000 customers throughout the UK and Germany. During this time I began to build my portfolio of properties with my husband and was usually frustrated on how badly properties were looked after and the lack of communication so I realised that there was a better way that properties could be managed.
After being made redundant in 2004 it gave me the chance to do what I had always wanted to. Work for myself and have a company that stood up to the values promise. Managing property seemed to be the obvious choice so I took my ARLA exams and passed in 2006. Now I am very focused on your property and how you can obtain the best yield. To be able to do this I work with a strong team of knowledgeable individuals who have customer service as their main
We opened the doors to Maxine Lester Residential Lettings in 2005 with the guiding principle to provide a high quality, reliable expert residential property lettings management service, distinguishing ourselves from the completion by being totally customer focused.
Our success combined with feedback from landlords and tenants indicates we continue to achieve this goal.
Joanne Fawcett – Property Manager
I love looking after houses and that’s what my career has been for the last 5 years. So I am very happy.
Before Joining Maxine Lester's my career has included being a full time mum and other less stressful customer service roles which has given me the perfect background for my present role. There is no tougher negotiation than dealing with a child! . I am presently studying for my ARLA technical award and hope to pass this by the end of the year.
Although my title is property manager I see my main role as customer service as we are looking after the assets of our landlord clients as well as the wellbeing of our tenants. Working closely with my colleague Jodie, we deal with any maintenance issues your tenants advise us on. By organising for our contractors to visit and sort the issue out or by talking through the issue and seeing if the situation can be sorted out over the phone. It's amazing what be sorted out in this way! Each week I will visit about 30 properties forwarding a visual report to our landlords I also deal with the final visit when our tenants leave. I am so pleased the be part of a Company that has a record for getting the deposit back to our outgoing tenants within 8 days of them leaving the property when there are no issues.
Hilary Candlin Finance Manager
I have worked within the Accounting Environment for 28 years I enjoy all aspects of it.
After working within the building trade, Hotel Industry and Vehicle Body Building. I thought that property management would most probably be a more sedate role. How wrong I was ! The pressure is on every day to make sure that our landlords are paid once the rental has cleared though our banking system which usually takes 2 3 days from the date the rent is due. This role has grown since I joined so I have now help with this part of my role from Hayleigh. Its then on to chasing late payers which I am very proud to report now stand at only 1.3% of our tenancies. I also have a lot of contact with our contactors making sure that they are paid on time.
I enjoy speaking to our tenants and resolving any rental issues this then ensuring the Landlord's rental monies is paid on time to them. I am presently studying for my ARLA technical award and hope to pass this by the beginning of next year.
Hayleigh Head - Operational Support Administrator
I have joined the team at Maxine Lester after graduating from Anglia Ruskin with a First Class Business Management Degree. Before I was offered the position at Maxine Lester I had previously worked in the hospitality and retail industry. I was looking for a challenging role with variety and progression, which Maxine was able to offer me. I have been here for one month now and am enjoying the fast paced environment and working with a great team. I liaise with the property management and accounts departments, improving my knowledge of the lettings industry day by day, gaining a sense of achievement for myself and the company. I look forward to growing into my role further and dealing with the future challenges it may bring.
Samantha Smalley MARLA – Letting’s Consultant
One of our longest serving team members Sam has been with the company for 5 years which gives her a total of 10 years industry experience.
Before I joined the company my background was in sales and customer service and started with as an Administrator . It was great to be recognised for my skills and I was soon promoted to the sales team. My main role is with the letting of the properties which covers selling the idea of the property to potential applicants to negotiating the terms of the tenancy. I passed my techniqual award in 2007 and remain very much in touch with the legal side of the business.
I count one of my main skills as identifying appropriate tenants to meet landlord's needs and I pride myself on my thorough knowledge of local geography and marketplace.
Tania Fullalove – Lettings Consultant
I am a fairly new member of the team at Maxine Lester Residential Lettings after finishing my three year Psychology & Criminology degree at Anglia Ruskin University. After 5 years within the Retail Industry it was time for a change. I have learnt a lot within my first 6 months with the company and have also gained promotion. No day is the same but working closely with my colleagues ensures that we provide the best service that we possibly can. My job role consists of various tasks and projects which increase my knowledge of properties and lettings considerably. I look forward to a long term career within Maxine Lester Residential Lettings. I am presently studying for my ARLA exams and hope to be qualified by February next year.
Gill Fordham – Lettings Consultant
I am proud to say that I have worked at Maxine Lester’s since day one back in 2005! Having had no background whatsoever in Lettings, I experienced the steepest learning curve possible! But with Maxine’s help and support, I hope, 7 years down the line, I have learnt to deal with most issues raised by Landlords and Tenants.
For the past 18 months I have been working on a part time basis, but still feel very much part of the team. A good deal of my time is spent responding to website enquiries, all of which we contact by ‘phone on receipt of their email detailing what property they are interested in. This gives us a good insight into what they are looking for, suggest properties that may not have noticed and arrange viewings.It is particularly satisfying to have been the initial contact with a potential tenant, meet them at a property and find it is a perfect match and just what they were looking for!
I also provide administrative support to my colleagues, which includes referencing, drawing up contracts and preparing check in packs. This has given me a unique opportunity to get involved in different areas of the business particularly property management which was an area I was not familiar with previously.
It is a pleasure to be part of this team who all work so hard to ensure we provide the best customer service to tenants and landlords and look after their homes.
Lulu Boscawen – Operational Support Administrator
I love working for a small independent company that gives a personal service.
I began my career in property almost 30 years ago working for a Central London agency. Subsequently, I switched to join a tour operator before returning to property again. I have always worked as a PA, and joined Maxine Lester Residential Lettings at the beginning of 2012 on a part-time basis to help on the admin side wherever needed. I have such a varied role that there is never a dull moment; whether it is assisting Maxine with a 'special' project, helping Property Management or Accounts or simply answering the telephone, I feel privileged to help such a committed team .