The Flatman Partnership Franchise

Build your own business in the rewarding world of property sales and lettings

About us

By specialising in residential sales AND lettings, The Flatman Partnership covers all sides of the market, which allows our franchisees to gain maximum returns from their business in this enjoyable and rewarding market. Your local office can even benefit from multiple transactions for the same property; from a Landlord buying a new property to sourcing tenants for them and even the re-sale of the same property - so you, not only, benefit from the commission on the property sale, you also build an on-going residual income from the monthly management fees.

This ‘end to end’ service has been the mainstay of the Flatman’s system for over 15 years and enabled each office to become known as the ‘local property experts’. 

Does it work?

Most definitely; before launching the franchise opportunity, we undertook a pilot project to ensure that our systems were developed in line with ethical franchising policies and the British Franchise Association’s (BFA) Code of Ethics.  The Flatman Partnership model has been tried, tested and refined to ensure that you are able to join us even with no previous property experience and build up the skills and knowledge necessary to develop your own thriving business in a very short space of time.

The Flatman Partnership pilot operation was run by someone who had no previous property experience; our team trained & supported them in setting up and running their own local property office.  We then worked closely with them to gain their insights and feedback; refining our systems and processes as we went. This pilot franchisee is now an integral part of our support team. There’s nothing more reassuring than being supported by someone who has been on the same journey before you; you will need in growing your business with people who have been there and done it themselves!

The Investment:

The most variable element of the set-up cost is usually related to the premises (location, condition and the amount of work needed to get it ready) so, in order to have a realistic budget, (assuming a sensible amount of refurbishment work), including the franchise fee, and some working capital, your total investment is likely to fall between £40,000 and £60,000.

Our ongoing fees

The Flatman Partnership franchisees pay a small management services fee of just 9.5% (+ VAT) of the total monthly income to the business. This represents excellent value and is one of the lowest fees in the sector

Can I get finance?

Yes. Most of our franchisees will finance at least some of the initial investment, we have good relationships with the main High Street banks, most of whom will advance you between 50% and 70% of the funding required (subject to status), but we would recommend that you have a personal liquid capital amount of around £30,000 before applying.

The Flatman Partnership’s Training and Support

You will be supported in every single aspect of becoming the local property expert in your chosen location, including:

• Achieving the required qualifications
• Setting up your office
• Finding customers
• Sourcing staff
• Marketing
• Accounting
• …and so much more

There is a lot to learn which might seem daunting, but, rest assured, our unique training and support systems, together with continual advice and guidance from our own experienced specialist support team, will always be there to help you.

Would you be an ideal Flatman’s franchisee?

As a Flatman’s franchisee you will be dealing with people, day-to-day; handling what, for most people, is the largest transaction they will ever make.  For many, moving house is a stressful time, so part of your role is to reassure them that everything is in safe hands.

You will need to be:

• a good communicator
• empathetic
• friendly, warm and welcoming
• a good listener
• able to react to the needs of your clients and pay attention to details

You will always need a minimum of one person working alongside you, so that your local office is always manned, when one of you is out on appointments. The Flatman Partnership franchise can work extremely well for a husband and wife team, or two business partners. But if you are coming into the business alone, we can assist you in identifying the ideal qualities for your first staff member, and help you to bring them on board and get them up to speed.

The role is very varied; one day you might be dealing with a multiple property-owning landlord who will expect efficiency and straight talking, and the next it may be a nervous young couple on their way to buying, or renting, their first property together. 

You will need to ensure that sales and lettings are progressed without delay (we will train you how to do this) and you will want to make sure that your customers are, not only, delighted with your level of service, but also will happily recommend you to their friends and families.

Earning Potential

Very few new businesses start out making a profit in the first year, but amazingly this one does!  Our forecasts show that (after all costs) you should expect to see a small profit in Year One, a healthy profit of over £70,000 in Year Two rising to more than double that by Year Four. Naturally these figures aren’t guaranteed, but they are a good indication of performance that our own offices have proven.

The Flatman Partnership has developed the excellent reputation that we now enjoy by simply doing all of the right things, all of the time. It really isn’t difficult to do things properly, and by being the best in your area; which we make sure that you are, you will enjoy that same reputation and develop a rewarding and enjoyable new business.

Start Building a Profitable Future Today

Contact us today to take the first steps towards a new, brighter, future!