NGU Home Lettings

Chris Fitzakerley

Managing Director

The guys who never give up! I always wanted to get into property, having seen my dad move up the ladder by developing our family home and taking advantage of house price increases over the years. I started by saving £250 pm towards a deposit for a buy to let (BTL). It felt like a million pounds and meant living like a hermit for two years to achieve my goal of being a landlord. Eventually £250 pm turned into a deposit of £6,000 and I managed to get on the property ladder. With the combined efforts of my brother Nigel, we managed to scale this up to 150 plus properties in 18 months.

I am passionate about what I do. Perhaps I work crazy hours sometimes – I can be in the office at 5am and finish at 8pm. I truly understand that property is there to provide a return and also that tenants are customers. I look forward to sharing the passion, commitment and knowledge I have built up over the last ten years.

“Begin with the end in mind”

E: christopherfitzakerley@nguhomelettings.com

Nigel Fitzakerley

Finance Director

I set up NGU Homelettings with my brother Chris in 2007 – we’re a family business which goes beyond family ties. This also includes relationships and friendships with our customers and employees – we have staff, tenants and landlords who’ve been with us for over 10 years!

I’m a massive advocate of hardwork, I haven’t been given anything and you only get out of life what you put in. We work hard for our clients and as such the vast majority of our landlords come from personal recommendation.

My personal background is firstly as a landlord, I own a large portfolio with my brother which we’ve run profitably for the last 10 years. This I think gives us plenty of property experience but as well as this I have a strong financial background – I’m a qualified accountant, having qualified with a top four accountancy firm. My job is essentially to make sure everything runs smoothly so that our landlords and tenants receive a seamless service. Hopefully you won’t even know I’m here!

“If my tenants and landlords are happy, I’m happy!”

E: accounts@nguhomelettings.com

Katie Wybrant

New Lettings, Sales & Investments Manager

I started working for NGU Homelettings back in August 2014 but have always worked in the lettings industry since I left school at 16. I started out as a lettings assistant and now manage the department so I am very happy!

I love matching people to property and enjoy the fact that every day is so different! I really enjoy working under pressure and to targets which drives my team and I believe this creates a great work ethic. I like building relationships with tenants and landlords because this just makes working at NGU more enjoyable. I have a level 2 and 3 in business management and I work very hard always putting 100% into everything I do as well as learning new things all the time.

I also manage the Sales & Investments Department. It’s really an amazing feeling finding a first time buyer their dream home or assisting a client with investing in property that will increase their personal income. I work with an amazing group of people and we’re all passionate about what we do.

“Success is not just what you accomplish in your life, it is about what you inspire others to do”

T: 0191 491 0344 – Option 1
E: katiewybrant@nguhomelettings.com

Rachel Moody

Operations Manager

I started working for the company in 2012 as a part time member of staff. During my time here, I have worked on different departments and gained a vast amount of experience within the housing market.

My current role within the company is managing the operations team which includes the maintenance and rent departments as well as our in-house gas engineer. My main role is to make sure everything runs smoothly within the operations team – making sure both landlords and tenants are getting the best service possible from all our staff.

“The expert in anything was once a beginner”

T: 0191 491 0344 Option 2
E: rachelmoody@nguhomelettings.com

Samantha Shanley

Regional Manager

During my time with NGU Homelettings I have helped to build up the department and have formed great relationships with staff, customers and tradesman. Being part of the maintenance department I aim to ensure all enquiries / maintenance issues are dealt with in a timely manner to guarantee a great customer journey. I have enjoyed working as part of the team and have loved seeing each department succeed and improve in what they do.

“I believe that hard work really does pay-off. Together everyone achieves more.”

T: 0191 491 0344 – Option 2
E: samshanley@nguhomelettings.com

Molly Lippeatt

Regional Manager

As a new member of the team, I have loved learning all things related to my role as Maintenance Assistant. I have only been here a short time but feel as though I have already formed great relationships with everyone both in and outside of the office and look forward to learning all aspects of property management in my time here.

Having trained as a professional dancer and taught English in China, I love new challenges so working in this environment, where each day is different and I am able to help others every day, is something that I find both equally rewarding and exciting.

My aim within this role is to ensure that all maintenance requests are dealt with in a fast and timely manner with ease and efficiency for all involved. Customer relations is something that I pride myself on and my aim is to always make people understand that they are important and their requests are treated with the respect and competency I would expect on my own home.

“The root of joy is gratefulness.”

T: 0191 491 0344 – Option 2
E: mollylippeatt@nguhomelettings.com

Megan Robinson

Regional Manager

My role is to ensure all rent is paid on time and to help landlords / tenants along the way. I am determined to meet the high standards our customers expect and will always go that extra mile!

I have worked within lettings since leaving school in 2012, I completed my apprenticeship in Business Admin as a lettings negotiator. I love working within lettings but had decided it was time for a change and a new challenge, I was delighted when NGU Homelettings offered me the position as the Rent Manager!

I am a young adult who aims to do well in everything I do. In my spare time I love going away on trips. Preferably soaking up some sun with my other half!

“Always treat others how you would like them to treat you”

T: 0191 491 0344 – Option 2
E: meganrobinson@nguhomelettings.com

Chris Allott

Senior Regional Manager

I started my career with NGU in the summer of 2010 as an entry level letting agent and over time have been fortunate enough to move through the ranks enabling me to learn about all aspects of this business we are in – the good the bad and the ugly!

There is no real typical day for me which is one of the reasons I love my role. However, days are split between internal factors which will revolve around emails and calls with the managers, meetings with the various departments and targets etc. Externally I still like to get my hands dirty and be out bound and deal with tenants in person as ultimately that’s where my strengths are and what I excel at.

I truly believe that NGU Homelettings USP, is the people that work for us and the professional culture we have set within the company.

I treat each property as if it were my own and genuinely care about everything I do – and won’t comprise on our professionalism and the product we offer.

Keeping moral up is key and having the odd practical joke will not go a miss for keeping spirits high!

“Carpe diem – Sieze the day”

E: chrisallott@nguhomelettings.com

Mathew Jeffrey

Regional Manager

I am an outbound member of staff being the face of NGU Homelettings so it is important to make first impressions count.

My job role consists of managing a portfolio of properties within my region, giving regular updates and correspondence to landlords and providing them with a quality service.

I carry out viewings, moving tenants in and out of properties, maintenance checks when an issue has been reported and property inspections to ensure that standards are being kept. I also carry out rental appointments to help tenants with any arrears they have whilst building a friendly but professional relationship.

I enjoy working under pressure and I thrive off being out of my comfort zone which is great with my role at NGU.

My personal background is I grew up in a small town in Cornwall before serving 14 years in the Royal Navy. I relocated to the North East to settle down with my partner and start a family. I enjoy spending time with my family / friends and going on adventures with my dog. I have a strong passion for football, music and most importantly loving life!

“No matter how successful you get, never forget who you are and where you started”

E: mathewjeffrey@nguhomelettings.com

Sarah Donnison

Property Investment Consultant

I started working at NGU in April 2019, and have worked in the sales and lettings industry since graduating from university in 2017. Being in this industry is very challenging but also extremely rewarding, whether it’s helping first time buyers purchase their first home or sourcing properties for landlords that will give a great return!

One of my main job roles is the property investment side of the company. This involves communicating with a wide range of investors who are looking to invest their money in bricks and mortar, whether it be Buy-To-Let, Buy-To-Flip, Rock Solid Rentals or Lease Options. From an initial strategic phone call, to understand the clients’ requirements, we then source and view potential investment properties from which we create a prospectus to allow the investor to make an informed decision based on the data collected from our refurbishment team and different deal machines.

I also fully manage the pipeline of investment and home sales which can be up to 20 deals at one time. This includes the initial offer, liaising with solicitors, answering enquiries and finally getting the sale over the line to completion.

I couldn’t think of a better place to work than NGU, I am constantly learning new skills and gaining knowledge daily. There is a huge variety of roles to cover, and not one day is the same as the other!

“Don’t think of cost, think of value”

T: 0191 491 0344 – Option 1
E: SarahDonnison@nguhomesales.com

Jordan Duffy

Lettings Assistant

I have worked at NGU for over two years and have recently moved from the maintenance department to the lettings department to expand my knowledge within the industry.

My job role consists of speaking with both tenants and landlords to make the process of moving into properties as smooth as possible.  My role consists of:  providing a great front of house service by arranging the following: viewings, move-ins, home visits and providing updates to landlords and tenants on all steps of the process.

“Make it happen”

T: 0191 491 0344 – Option 1
E: jordanduffy@nguhomelettings.com

Tony Curnow

In-House Gas Engineer

I am a fully qualified gas engineer and have been qualified for over 10 years.

I started working for NGU as an external contractor whilst running my own gas engineer business. During this time I built up a professional relationship with a vast amount of tenants through NGU. Since then, I have become a full time member of staff as of April 2017.

My role is to complete all gas and plumbing jobs for the company as well as to give my expert opinion so that issues are rectified as quickly and cost effectively as possible to save our landlords money.

“Work hard and be proud of what you achieve”