about us.
The Investment Room is an independent, privately-owned and well-funded property investment and development company, managed by highly experienced and passionate people.
Having launched in 2009 as a boutique property investment business, The Investment Room has grown exponentially, in part due to its robust risk management process, ethical approach and reassuringly client-centric focus. It is now one of the leading property developers in the north of England, delivering several hundred apartments per year to the northern property market, with a further £150m+ of pipeline developments under construction or in planning. All of the developments are funded with internal capital, with no bank debt on its books – this is fundamental to The Investment Room’s principles and risk management ethos.
Between 2009 and 2015 The Investment Room had a strong focus on securing repossessed and/or distressed assets which, once they had been fully refurbished, delivered high and stable rental yields and strong capital appreciation to its cash investors, who often chose to realise capital profits by later selling (flipping) their properties on the open market – investors typically achieved total gross annualised returns in excess of 20% by employing this strategy.
In 2016, having conducted an in-depth market analysis as a result of the turbulent political, legislative and fiscal landscape, The Investment Room concluded that distressed assets would no longer offer investors the value that they once did, certainly on a large enough scale. Whilst the core focus remains the north of England, The Investment Room now specialises on delivering larger scale property developments, typically consisting of between 100 to 300 apartments, though all opportunities are considered, particularly in locations where there is expected to be a strong and stable rental demand and where the scheme passes a robust due diligence process, meeting the criteria established following a detailed risk analysis.
The Investment Room currently has several 300+ unit schemes in the planning process, including the conversion of a large former listed mill into a 700+ unit mixed-use development – this is set to become The Investment Room’s flagship project once it is completed in 2025.
In order to provide an all-encompassing, ‘hands-off’ package to its investors, all of the properties developed by The Investment Room are managed by its sister company, The Lettings Room, which now manages in excess of 3,000 rental properties across its various offices in the north.
The Investment Room has an established, growing demand for high quality rental properties from its loyal client base of financially astute High Net Worth investors and various property investment funds and so demand has been proven to often outstrip the supply. The foundation of the growing success of the business is the strong, long-lasting relationships between The Investment Room and its clients, who work in partnership to achieve common goals. Other core investors include:
- Family offices;
- Pension funds;
- Hedge funds;
- Social housing funds;
- Assisted care funds; and
- Wealth management companies seeking real residential property assets for their clients.
The Investment Room is an aspirational business and takes tremendous pride in the quality of its product for both occupiers and investors. Its senior management team is approachable and transparent and the administration department is responsive, helpful and friendly.
meet the team.
Lee is privately educated and graduated with a 1stclass degree in Chemistry from the University of Leeds, going on to complete a PhD with a sponsored scholarship through the U.S. firm, Dupont. Whilst studying in Leeds Lee could not escape the, then buoyant, property market, where he witnessed an exponential growth in the student sector. This led him to purchase his first property in 2004, converting this into a ‘House in Multiple Occupation’ (HMO). Lee went on to develop several more, exceptionally high yielding, HMO properties, focussing on the student market in, and around, major cities in the north of England.Read More
Lee has a genuine passion for property and is the founder of The Investment Room.
Lee is privately educated and graduated with a 1stclass degree in Chemistry from the University of Leeds, going on to complete a PhD with a sponsored scholarship through the U.S. firm, Dupont. Whilst studying in Leeds Lee could not escape the, then buoyant, property market, where he witnessed an exponential growth in the student sector. This led him to purchase his first property in 2004, converting this into a ‘House in Multiple Occupation' (HMO). Lee went on to develop several more, exceptionally high yielding, HMO properties, focussing on the student market in, and around, major cities in the north of England.
In 2009, together with his wife Julie, Lee incorporated both ‘The Investment Room', along with its sister business, ‘The Lettings Room', moving away from saturated student markets in order to focus on residential blocks of apartments for private renters – which has been under-supplied for many years. In 2019 the companies celebrated their 10th anniversaries, having successfully delivered over 3,000 apartments throughout the UK.
Lee's role within the business is to use his keen eye for a property opportunity and attention to detail to deliver, with integrity, high quality properties for The Investment Room's individual clients and investment funds.
Harnesh held an executive position in the financial planning division of a leading boutique wealth management company and, whilst there, originated and ran a property division which invested c. £30m into northern property on behalf of its High Net Worth investor base.Read More
Harnesh graduated from the University of Nottingham with a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. After a short period with a consultancy firm, he spent the next 10 years working in the financial services industry in London, where he obtained the ‘Chartered Financial Planner’ designation.
Harnesh held an executive position in the financial planning division of a leading boutique wealth management company and, whilst there, originated and ran a property division which invested c. £30m into northern property on behalf of its High Net Worth investor base.
As the Head of Sales, Harnesh’s role is to deliver The Investment Room’s business plan via improvements to processes, operational efficiency and by managing the relationships with individual clients & investment funds. Harnesh acts as the primary point of contact for investors.
Nicola's career started in the accounting profession within the building and manufacturing industry, having passed her ‘Association of Accounting Technicians' (AAT) qualification in 2009. Whilst initially assisting with the day-to-day running of a busy accounts department, it soon became apparent that Nicola had a very clear understanding of the role and over the next few years her career progressed rapidly. In 2011, Nicola took ownership of three key accounts in her new role as a Management Accountant.
Nicola soon realised that her passion didn't lie within an accounts focused position and decided to pursue a career in property. In 2013, Nicola joined The Investment Room as a Sales and Client Services Manager and, over the next few years, established and developed many key relationships, which have proved to be influential for both the investment and lettings businesses.
Nicola's core role is to ensure each client's investment experience is as seamless as possible by providing an unparalleled level of service from pre to post completion. Nicola is often cited by clients to be one of the most useful people in the business during the investment process.
our history.
