When did you join SPM?
January 2010

What are the main aspects of your role?
Legal requirements, Landlord acquisitions/investments and HR.

What is your favourite part of your role?
Keeping people legal and compliant!

Most interesting previous work?
Working with SouthSide has been more interesting than my previous jobs!

What are your hobbies and interests?
Travelling, days out with the kids and long walks with the dog.

Describe your dream home.
Country cottage

SouthSide was set up after John was unhappy at how other agents overcharged in various aspects from tenant fees to “hidden costs” for letting so he started to manage his own buy-to-let properties whilst working for Lidl. At Lidl he was responsible for finding, negotiating, acquiring, obtaining planning consent, building warrant and licencing which resulted in building 14 open supermarkets in Scotland & England. John developed his work ethic from an early age working on his family’s beef & sheep hill farm near Moffat before studying Business & Accounting at Edinburgh Uni. He funded himself through Uni from his teenage business selling free range eggs and running his own business in America between terms at university, going door to door, selling educational books and software to families. This enabled him to buy his first two HMO properties in Edinburgh back in 2004 and has steadily built his own portfolio since. His passion and knowledge for commercial and particularly residential property is unrivalled and has helped clients maximise their investments. He thinks like a landlord and has very strong basic principles and ethics regarding property for both landlords & tenants which are at the forefront of SouthSide and his colleagues. John works hard but ensures he has enough time for his wife and his sons James and Harris. In addition to work and family commitments John also spends time coaching football at a local Primary School, volunteering as a Scout leader and helping young people in business as a Trustee on the Board of Directors at Canongate Youth, a charity providing support, recreation and training opportunities for 5-25 year olds.

When did you join SPM?
November 2015

What are the main aspects of your role?
Helping landlords and tenants and managing compliance and maintenance to keep properties safe.

What is your favourite part of your role?
Hearing someone over the moon when they’re accepted for a property and generally helping clients.

Most interesting previous work?
I’ve been at SouthSide for over 8 years in various roles and it is my most interesting work.

What are your hobbies and interests?
Football, the gym, running and going out with friends.

Describe your dream home.
A villa in Musselburgh

What are the main aspects of your role?
Liaising with landlords and tenants, managing safety and legislation compliance and maintenance, overseeing the letting and re-letting of properties.

What is your favourite part of your role?
Dealing with maintenance and learning new things relating to all different trades every day.

Most interesting previous work?
Head mixologist in a busy cocktail bar in the centre of town

What are your hobbies and interests?
Jet skiing, hill climbing and exploring new areas and towns.

Describe your dream home.
The bungalow from the Garfield movie.

What are the main aspects of your role?
Being the main point of contact for tenants and landlords along with the management of HMO and residential properties.

What is your favourite part of your role?
Building good relationships with my landlords and tenants and providing a first class service on behalf of the company.

Most interesting previous work?
Cinema Manager.

What are your hobbies and interests?
Socialising with friends as much as possible.  My interests include Science, Property and Politics.

Describe your dream home.
A penthouse overlooking Manhattan.

What are the main aspects of your role?
Managing properties across Edinburgh and the Lothians.  I am currently building a new portfolio, so my focus now is welcoming new landlords and tenants to SouthSide.

What is your favourite part of your role?
I enjoy building relationships with Tenants & landlords and the fact every day is different. It is a varied role and every day brings new challenges.

Most interesting previous work?
Managing Charity work for a children’s cancer charity in Australia where I got to see different parts of Sydney during this time.

What are your hobbies and interests?
Travelling, socialising with friends and family, Trying new places for food and drinks.

Describe your dream home.
Somewhere by the beach with a large garden and kitchen for hosting dinner parties.

When did you join SPM?
June 2019

What are the main aspects of your role?
Managing a portfolio of properties across Edinburgh.

What is your favourite part of your role?
Building relationships with clients and continuing to expand my knowledge of the property industry.

Most interesting previous work?
Professional acting.

What are your hobbies and interests?
Acting, singing, dancing, plays and musical theatre.  If I’m not performing in a show, I’m rehearsing one.

Describe your dream home.
I would love to build my own house one day.  A lovely, peaceful area, very spacious, grand and traditional.  A walk in wardrobe is a must.

When did you join SPM?
March 2021

What are the main aspects of your role?
Managing a portfolio of properties and being the main point of contact for tenants and landlords. 

What is your favourite part of your role?
Continuously learning and broadening my knowledge within the property industry. 

Most interesting previous work?
Retail assistant at Sainsbury’s. 

What are your hobbies and interests?
Socialising with friends and traveling.

Describe your dream home.
Apartment in the south of France with a pool and beach nearby.

What are the main aspects of your role?
As part of the property refurbishment team I assess, propose, tender out to contractors, and manage work through to completion. The role also consists of assisting landlords with improving their properties energy performance in line with the Governments proposal of a minimum EPC rating of C from 2025.

What is your favourite part of your role?
Seeing a refurbishment project through to completion and the satisfaction it brings to all those involved.

Most interesting previous work?
Placement work within a care home.

What are your hobbies and interests?
As a season ticket holder at Hibs, I enjoy attending games at the weekend, also watching motorsport and socialising with friends and family.

Describe your dream home.
Located in a village, where everyone is neighbourly and gets on with one another.

What are the main aspects of your role?

Assisting the Director and wider team in all areas such as diary and file management, research, travel arrangements and event organisation.

What is your favourite part of your role?

Being able to help the team in as many areas as possible to make their work lives easier where possible!

Most interesting previous work?

Arranging large scale, multiple venue events as an Events Manager.

What are your hobbies and interests?

Football and travelling all over Europe watching football.

Describe your dream home.

Villa in the sun with a swimming pool.

What are the main aspects of your role?

Liaising with new landlords to arrange property appraisals, assisting with the search & acquisition of properties, & keeping our new landlord information packs up to date with the latest legislation.

What is your favourite part of your role?

Researching all the new properties we take on & reading up on new legislation.

Most interesting previous work?

Before starting my apprenticeship at SouthSide, I worked in a call centre for a few months (It wasn’t very interesting)

What are your hobbies and interests?

Watching American football – both college & professional level

Describe your dream home.

A beachfront villa somewhere warm or a tree house in the jungle

What are the main aspects of your role?
Taking calls regarding tenant applications, reviewing documents and accepting applications.

What is your favourite part of your role?
Every day is a new day and a new challenge.  I really enjoy letting people know when they have been accepted for a property they are interested in – the reaction is different and unique every time.

Most interesting previous work?
Working in my family-owned car rental business, I learnt so much about different cars and models and I also got the opportunity to drive different vehicles to new destinations.

What are your hobbies and interests?
I enjoy horse riding and do this weekly.  I also enjoy drawing and driving, with no specific destination in mind. I like eating too hehe!

Describe your dream home.
My dream home would be an old-fashioned detached stone mansion that is fully refurbished on the inside with an island kitchen, sauna and flat rooftop so I can sit up when it’s nice weather.  It would also have 4 stables so I could have horses.

What are the main aspects of your role?
Processing applications, dealing with applications queries, creating PRTs for new tenants and communicating with colleagues to complete the application process.

What is your favourite part of your role?
When tenants find the right property for them and finally make the move.  It’s a great feeling knowing you were part of the team that helped that happen.  I also enjoy working in a central location, it’s a great part of town. 

Most interesting previous work?
When I was younger I had a job where I got to travel a lot and see new places across the north of Scotland which, was interesting.

What are your hobbies and interests?
I play rugby for Musselburgh RFC and enjoy watching Hibs play at the weekends.  I also like socialising with friends and trying new things as much as possible. 

Describe your dream home.
My dream home would be a big penthouse by the sea with a games room, swimming pool, bar and other luxuries but most importantly a home filled with happiness.

What are the main aspects of your role?

In the applications team, I mostly communicate with applicants once their application has been accepted. Normally, I accept applicants, handle new property applications, and complete necessary checks prior to the start of their tenancy.

What is your favourite part of your role?

Working with different individuals every day makes the job fun, but I also enjoy being someone who an applicant can trust.

Most interesting previous work?

Before working at SouthSide, I was a Crew Trainer at McDonald’s in Edinburgh.

What are your hobbies and interests?

I have always been interested in architecture and urban planning but never decided to pursue them as a career. I want to do something in life that people will remember.

Describe your dream home.

My dream home would be a Spanish Revival mansion, in a nice neighbourhood not too far from a city.

What are the main aspects of your role?
The main aspects of my role are to verify and upload applicants’ documents and to assist prospective tenants with any questions they may have regarding a property or our application process.

What is your favourite part of your role?
Assisting prospective tenants through the application process and helping with their queries.

Most interesting previous work?
I previously worked at an afterschool club where I created fun activities for the kids to do outdoors.

What are your hobbies and interests?
I have always had an interest in music and I occasionally perform acoustic sets and gigs, and open mic nights.

Describe your dream home.
My dream home would be a blue Volkswagen camper van where I can travel around the beaches of Australia.

What are the main aspects of your role?

Property Viewings and Visits.

What is your favourite part of your role?

The variety of my role means that I learn something new every day.

Most interesting previous work?

Teaching community IT classes in Mombasa, Kenya.

What are your hobbies and interests?

Drawing, painting and watching and playing sport.

Describe your dream home.

A luxury treehouse with a games room, a sauna and a slide.

What are the main aspects of your role?

What is your favourite part of your role?

Most interesting previous work?

What are your hobbies and interests?

Describe your dream home.

What are the main aspects of your role?
I assist with all incoming funds from tenants and landlords as well as preparing the Monthly Rental Statements (MRS) and invoices from local suppliers, ensuring they get paid on time.

What is your favourite part of your role?
The variety of tasks on a day-to-day basis and the fast paced environment.  The camaraderie is a big part of the job too…team work is a must!

Most interesting previous work?
Manager at a Rock bar/restaurant with live bands playing daily.

What are your hobbies and interests?
I am very passionate about cooking as I find being able to create a beautiful meal from a few simple ingredients is very rewarding.  I also love sports (mostly football and international rugby union) but almost all of my free time is spent with the three most important people in my world; my beautiful 1-year old daughter, my partner, and my bulldog Leila.

Describe your dream home.
A big Gothic or Edwardian style Casa Royale on Lake Como with its own vineyard.  That’s the dream.