Enquiry
What is available, and whether it suits you.
Birmingham · Landlord and principal, not an agent
Thirty days,
Thirty days,
or no section 21.
A deposit must be protected in an approved scheme and the prescribed information served within thirty days. Miss it and a landlord cannot validly end the tenancy under section 21, and a court can order up to three times the deposit back.
- 2018trading since
- 30 daydeposit rule
- Directlandlord
- EICR5-yearly
What we do
Four activities, one tenancy discipline
Deposits protected and documented inside thirty days, and the safety paperwork in place before a tenancy starts.
Lettings from our portfolio
Letting the homes we own directly, with the tenancy paperwork complete at the outset.
See the programTenancy compliance
Keeping the statutory requirements current across the portfolio, with evidence retained.
See the programRepairs and condition
Keeping properties in a condition fit for habitation, with disrepair dealt with on notice.
See the programAcquisitions and disposals
Buying and selling property in which we hold an interest, dealing directly.
See the program
How it works
How we work
Say plainly that we are a principal rather than an agent, protect deposits and serve the prescribed information inside thirty days, keep the safety documentation current and evidenced, and treat fitness for habitation as a continuing duty.
Consistent checks
The same written criteria for every applicant.
Documents before the keys
Deposit protected, information served, records provided.
Maintained on notice
Disrepair reported in writing and remedied reasonably.
Working together
Ways to deal with us
Rents are per property and stated before an application. Transactions are negotiated directly, with each side taking its own advice.
Renting from us
A tenancy in a home we own.
- Deposit protected, 30 days
- Prescribed info served
- Gas record and EICR provided
- Alarms fitted and checked
- Repairs on written notice
A transaction
Buying from or selling to us, directly.
- Dealing with the principal
- No agency fee in between
- Terms negotiated directly
- Your own advice encouraged
- Completed through solicitors
What we are not
Said plainly, so nobody assumes wrongly.
- Not a letting agent
- Not in a redress scheme
- No client money held
- No investment advice
- No mortgage, tax or legal advice
Every engagement is quoted after a free consultation. No subscription.
How we work
A landlord that explains what it is not
HRO Estates Ltd is a private limited company registered in England and Wales under company number 11264086, based at Hockley Hill in Birmingham and trading since March 2018. The company was briefly named Prime Estates (Midlands) Ltd at incorporation, which is on the public record. Its activities are buying and selling its own real estate and letting its own or leased property. It shares a director and an address with HRO Housing Ltd, company number 12845578, which operates separately in other accommodation.
Because we act as principal rather than agent, the regime that applies to property agents does not apply to us: no redress scheme membership, no client money protection, because we are not holding anyone else's money or acting on anyone else's behalf. We would rather state that than have a tenant assume protections that are not engaged. What we do instead is get the tenancy obligations right, starting with the one that carries the sharpest consequence. A deposit must be protected in an approved scheme and the prescribed information served within thirty days; miss it and a section 21 notice cannot validly be served, and a court may order between one and three times the deposit to be paid to the tenant. Gas records, electrical reports, energy certificates, alarms and licensing are all dated, tracked and evidenced.
Frequently asked
The questions we get most
Are you an estate agent or a letting agent?
Neither. We are a principal: we buy, sell and let property we have an interest in. That matters because letting and estate agents must belong to a government-approved redress scheme and protect client money, and those requirements do not apply to a landlord letting its own property. We say so rather than letting anyone assume a protection that is not engaged here.
What happens to my deposit?
It goes into a government-approved tenancy deposit scheme within thirty days of us receiving it, and you get the prescribed information in the same period telling you which scheme and how it works. We keep the evidence. If a landlord gets that wrong they cannot serve a valid section 21 notice and a court can order them to pay you between one and three times the deposit, so it is not a technicality.
What safety documents should I be given?
A gas safety record for any gas appliances, checked within the last twelve months; an electrical installation condition report, renewed at least every five years; and a valid energy performance certificate. You should also have working smoke alarms on each storey and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance other than a gas cooker. Ask for all of it before you sign anywhere, not just here.
There is damp in the property. Whose problem is that?
Ours to investigate. Premises have to be fit for human habitation throughout the tenancy, and disrepair has to be remedied within a reasonable period of being reported. Damp usually has a building cause, and arguing about tenant behaviour before looking for that cause wastes everyone's time. Report it in writing so the timeline is clear for both of us.
Can you advise me on buying an investment property?
No. We do not promote or arrange property investments for others and we do not give investment, mortgage, tax or legal advice — those need authorisation or qualifications we do not claim. If you are buying from us, you are dealing with a principal whose interests differ from yours, which is exactly why you should take your own advice.
Is the property licensed?
Where a property falls within mandatory, additional or selective licensing in its local authority area, the licence is obtained before letting. Birmingham has designated areas, so it is a real question rather than a formality. Operating a licensable property without a licence is an offence and can lead to a rent repayment order, so ask any landlord for the licence rather than assuming.
Looking for a home or a transaction?
Make an enquiry. You will be dealing with the owner directly.