Discover how one HMO landlord in Crewe cut his voids from 20% to just 2% in 90 days. Real results, smart systems — and zero fluff. NUVO Lettings explains how.

Tom is a landlord based in London who owns three HMOs in Crewe. Like many portfolio landlords investing in Cheshire, he bought into the area for its rental yields — but recently, things weren’t adding up.

He came to us in late 2023 with a familiar problem: “My rooms just aren’t filling. And when they do, tenants don’t stay.”

Here’s how we helped him slash his void rate from nearly 1 in 5 rooms empty at all times to 98% occupancy — and kept it that way.

The Problem: Voids, Turnover, and Agent Fatigue

Tom’s setup wasn’t terrible — but it was underperforming:

• 3 HMOs in Crewe

• 13 rooms total

• At any one time, 2–3 rooms were sitting empty

• Tenant turnover every 3–4 months

• High marketing costs and unreliable contractors

• An agent that responded slowly and didn’t offer much advice

His average annualised void cost was over £4,000 — not including lost time or stress.

Step 1: Full Property & Listing Audit

We started with a full audit of each property, looking at:

• Photos and online listings

• Room pricing

• Location draw

• Tenant reviews and complaints

• Energy efficiency and broadband speed

• House condition and shared space usability

The verdict? The bones were great, but the marketing was weak, the systems were missing, and the tenant experience needed a serious upgrade.

Step 2: Fixing the Fundamentals (Not Just the Price)

Instead of dropping the rent, we made smart changes:

• Improved photography with brighter, modern visuals

• Adjusted listings to highlight working tenant households, Wi-Fi speeds, and distance to Bentley

• Swapped out tired furnishings for a few statement upgrades

• Added a cleaner to attend fortnightly — to improve tenant retention and house feel

• Reviewed house rules and made expectations clear from day one

Most importantly, we repositioned the rooms to attract the right tenant — not just any tenant.

Step 3: Leveraging the NUVO Marketing & Lettings Engine

Tom’s rooms were added to our full HMO tenant-finding system, including:

• Spareroom premium ads

• Facebook Marketplace and local community groups

• NUVO’s pre-qualified tenant waiting list

• WhatsApp broadcast to recent enquirers

• SMS and email follow-ups with auto-responses

We also committed to replying to every single tenant enquiry within 30 minutes, which boosted booking rates significantly.

Step 4: Screening Harder, Not Softer

A huge reason for Tom’s high turnover was loose referencing.

We stepped in with our usual NUVO approach:

• Full affordability check

• Employment verification

• Shared-living suitability questions

• Digital signature of house rules and expectations

• Tenant matching for household fit

The result? Happier house dynamics, fewer early exits, and a smoother overall tenancy cycle.

The Result: 2% Void Rate Within 90 Days

After re-launching his properties through NUVO:

• 12 out of 13 rooms were filled in under 5 weeks

• 1 room took 9 weeks (seasonal dip)

• We’ve maintained 98% average occupancy since

• Tenant complaints dropped, and no arrears to date

• Tom now spends zero time chasing tenants or listings

He now uses NUVO as his full HMO management agent and is looking to buy two more properties in Cheshire this year.

Tom’s Feedback

“I should have done this a year ago. I thought I was saving money by self-managing with the help of a traditional agent — but the truth is I was losing thousands through poor systems and lost time. NUVO runs these properties like they own them.”

Want Results Like This? Let’s Talk.

📞 Book a 15-minute landlord call

📧 Or email us your listing and we’ll give honest, no-obligation feedback

Low-cost management isn’t about doing less. It’s about doing the right things fast — and that’s what we built NUVO for.