A well dressed man (some sources say it was a dog named Jeff) once came up with a great idea! This man’s name is John, his idea was to start his own Lettings Agency in High Wycombe. Now, while this idea in itself may not seem revolutionary, John’s approach to it was! Starting, as every great company does, in a shed at the bottom of the garden. The first thing he needed was a name for the company. Now I must confess I was not there for this but I assume it went something like: “hmmm, well my Name is John Shaw and I would like to start a company, who deal mostly in houses… Shaw… House? No. HouseShaw? YES!“. Unfortunately John is not in the office to confirm my theory, but I think it’s safe to say this is 100% accurate. 

After appointing himself as Managing Director John Shaw, started out building his own portfolio of Houses of Multiple Occupancy in 2009, self managing all he could until it was too much for him alone. That’s when Steve came along… John approached Steve about his company and offered him the position of Lettings Manager, Steve, armed with his degree in Personal training, fitness and sports massage, took the job. Together, they worked tirelessly to build up HouseShaw’s brand and grow the business. By 2015 the company had progressed to the point where they decided it was time to take the first big step for any letting agency and begin assisting other landlords fill their vacancies. After taking this most important step HouseShaw began to grow exponentially! Soon they were not only finding tenants and filling vacancies, they were also managing these tenancies, and the houses they inhabited. 

After a few more years of working long hours and always putting in 100%, I would say 110% but personally, I'm not a fan of false percentages, after all percent is from the Latin adverbial phrase per centum meaning “by the hundred.”… Anyway, that’s enough about my lexicographical annoyances. Where were we? ooh yeah Steve and John were working hard, growing the business every day until they finally decided it was time to move out of the shed and into a new sparkly office building located in Aston Court Business Park, the same office building I am writing this blog from now.  In 2019 John and Steve finally decided they could do with a few extra hands. They began looking for a Lettings Negotiator, enter, Aaron. Now, with a team of three and a brand new office, HouseShaw seemed unstoppable! Then near the end of 2019 the COVID 19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic hit! 

As it was for most businesses, this was a difficult time for HouseShaw. But it didn’t stop them, John, Steve and Aaron continued to work hard throughout the many lockdowns, adapting and finding ways for HouseShaw to, not just to keep going, but to thrive in a time where it seemed impossible. At the start of 2021 as the rules and regulations began to ease (for the first time), the company grew again, this time doubling in size! Now, pay attention here, this is the best part, because this is when I joined the team as the Assistant Lettings Manager along with Fraser as the Assistant Property Manager, and soon after we were joined by Chloe in the role of Junior Lettings Negotiator. 

Fast forward six months to the present, and the HouseShaw family has amassed a sizeable portfolio across the South of Bucks and surrounding areas. Although we specialise in HMOs, we are not limited by this, using the knowledge we have gained over the years, we now manage a diverse portfolio of properties ranging from large 8 bed HMOs to quaint little sheds and everything in between! We have even got a little company saying, “if it can be let, HouseShaw's equipped for it”. 

Now if you are familiar with HouseShaw or follow any of our social media accounts you may have realised there is a distinct lack of Jeff the HouseShaw Hound, this is no accident. The reason for his absence from this story is no one seems to be sure when Jeff appeared, some people (Jeff included) say he’s been around since the beginning, others say John was bored one day, saw an orange plastic dog on eBay and decided to buy it… Whether the truth is out there or not it’s unlikely we will never know the whole truth of Jeff’s beginnings. But alas there is no point dwelling on the unknown.

I hope you enjoyed this brief history of HouseShaw’s time on earth. 

I will be posting blogs about once a week, so feel free to check our page each week for the next one