For this our very first Tribes-related meet up we're delighted to welcome two accomplished Landlords and Entrepreneurs. Mary Latham and Mark Alexander. Both living proof of the result of taking massive action and they will be sharing their stories and first hand experience with you.

Mary Latham is the much sought-after local landlord representative and is a seasoned NLA Regional Representative who has been strutting her stuff now as a landlord for close to 40 years.

Mark Alexander is the founder of Property118.com a successful website offering UK Landlord’s a rich source of news and financial calculations and he founded one of the Largest Private Commercial Funding Brokerages in the UK – The Money Centre.

Mary Latham – The Flag Bearer of Better Landlording

I can't even begin to describe Mary's CV so in Mary's own words..

"I started AML in the mid 90's because there was no one fighting for landlords in the Midlands in those days, and the local authorities were walking all over us.  I had been talking to them as a private landlord for years and getting no where, I realised that I needed to get other landlords behind me in order to carry more weight and when Birmingham City Council came up with a licensing scheme called Licence to Let (LtoL) - long before the HA 2004 - landlords flocked to join AML. LtoL died at birth because for the first time landlords were united. This victory cost BCC thousands and much embarrassment with the other authorities who had seen them as leaders and now they began to listen to landlords. I had been a member of the Small Landlords Association ( SLA) for years and when it evolved into the NLA I realised that AML needed to join forces with them to better serve the interests of landlords in the region. Actually after 12 years of running AML on a voluntary basis, including a daily helpline, I was ready to step back and invest the time in my own business. That didn't last long I soon became the West Midlands Regional Representative of the NLA and I now work with a team of three local representatives running regular meetings for landlords, joint ventures with local authorities and representing NLA in meetings where the voice of landlords needs to be heard."
 
"My crusade has been two fold.  1. To give landlords a voice and gain the recognition and respect we deserve as providers of the most important human need - a safe, secure place to enable people to live the lives that they choose to live; a place that they are happy to call home. 2. To give landlords the information and support that they need to enable them to make the right choices about how they manage the people and property that they provide for them. I continue to do this but these days it is usually at West Midlands level unless I am invited to speak at national events or work with organisations like CRISIS to protect the future of the PRS"
 
Mary is also heavily involved with Homestamp which is a partnership consortium that exisits to make the private sector housing work for both tenants and their landlord. Local Authorities, Landlords Associations, Universities, Students Unions, West Midlands Police and West Midlands Fire Service are all partners in Homestamp. One of the biggest successes of the consortium has been MLAS (Midland Landlord Accreditation Scheme) of which Mary is a focal part and major contributor running regular seminars and CPD sessions to facilitate information and training for almost of 2000 midland landlords and some who do  not operate in the Midlands but just want to improve their knowledge.
 
So regardless of whether you're short on knowledge or long in the tooth, either way you'll find Mary a very interesting and informative speaker.

Mark Alexander – Creative Thinker and Entrepreneur

Mark spoke recently in Bristol at the South West Property Tribes Meeting was described by Richard Greenland so in his words:

" I can thoroughly recommend ANYONE involved in Property attend one of Mark’s talks.

He covered his ‘property journey’ from humble beginnings to owning a large property portfolio with great cashflow, and co-founding The Money Centre, the UK’s largest commercial funding brokerage and multi-millionaire status, and the roller-coaster ride along the way. I’ve already seen Mark speak but there was surprisingly little repetition because this guy really has had an interesting life. Many bits of the last talk were left out (how he recently bought 16 properties in 21 months and increased his bank-balance) with new bits inserted (how at age 11, he cleaned cars to save £110 for a school skiing trip because his parents couldn’t afford it. £110 was a lot of money in the late ‘70s).

Mark also talked about some of his financial strategies, for instance reducing CG Tax liability to zero on all property sales for married couples. And his counter-intuitive high-gearing-high-liquidity strategy for avoiding arrears. This also allows him to acquire deals immediately for cash. I’ll never forget, he once told me one of his first goals was to owe a million pounds!

True to his word there was no mention of Property118. However I’m sure he’d appreciate the link, and just in case anyone hasn’t noticed ;-) , it’s a comprehensive database of all the services for landlords, from plumbers and accountants, to lawyers and cleaners. It’s not fully up-and-running yet, but well worth a visit and registering, especially as it’s free.”

Entry cost to the West Midland Property Tribes is just £10 in advance (£15 on the door) and full details of venue, accommodation, car parking and directions can be found in THIS link to the forum thread.