— A Ten-Year Story Between a White City Living Landlord and SJW, from 2016 to 2026
Many people think property management is simply about collecting rent, carrying out inspections and arranging repairs. Only when a genuine emergency occurs does the true value of professional property management become clear: we manage not just the property itself, but risk, relationships, and our clients’ long-term assets.
This story took place in June 2026. But it really began in 2016.
A Choice Made Ten Years Ago
In 2016, White City Living had just launched. At the time, SJW had been established in the UK for less than a year. This landlord was based in China and had never met us in person. There were many larger property companies in the market, while we were still a small team at the beginning of our journey. What ultimately led him to choose us was the professional UK property content we had consistently shared, together with the professionalism, sincerity and sense of responsibility he experienced in our communications. In the end, he purchased a one-bedroom investment property at White City Living through us.
After completion, he continued to entrust the letting and management of the property to us. That relationship has now lasted ten years. During this decade, he not only kept his own property under our management, but also introduced many friends to SJW to purchase UK properties and appoint us for letting and property management. Some of those friends had originally bought through other companies but, after unsatisfactory property management experiences, gradually transferred their properties to us. Trust between clients and a company is never just an advertising slogan; it is built little by little over ten years.
A Sudden Water Leak
On a Friday afternoon in mid-June 2026, the tenant contacted our management team to report a serious water leak in the property. In property management, time means loss.
As soon as we received the report, Lillian from the SJW Property Management team immediately began investigating the cause of the leak rather than rushing to arrange repairs. Whenever a problem occurs, the first priority is to identify the true source of responsibility. Our investigation quickly confirmed that the leak did not originate from our client’s property, but from a vacant flat upstairs. Because the upstairs property had been unoccupied for a long period and had not been properly managed, the leak eventually caused water damage not only to that property but also to our client’s home. Once the source was identified, we immediately coordinated with the relevant parties to shut off the water supply, successfully bringing the leak under control and preventing further damage. The first stage of the crisis was over.
Before Repairing the Property, Protecting the Relationship Matters Even More
A property can be repaired. But once a tenant’s trust is lost, the cost can be far greater. If a tenant decides to end the tenancy early because an issue has not been handled promptly, the landlord may face not only repair costs, but also a void period, re-letting, cleaning, marketing and a range of other additional expenses.
Fortunately, the tenant was about to leave on a business trip for a few days. Lillian continued to explain the progress, provide solutions and reassure the tenant, while also keeping the landlord updated at every stage so that both parties knew the matter was being actively managed. Throughout the repair period, the tenant’s normal day-to-day life was barely affected. In the end, the tenant was very satisfied with the way the entire matter was handled, and the relationship remained positive and cooperative. Very often, what property management truly needs to repair is not only the property itself, but also the trust between people.
Identifying Who Was Truly Responsible
Once the leak had been stopped, the more complicated work was only beginning. When faced with a situation like this, many people’s first reaction is: “How much will the landlord have to pay?” At SJW Property Management, however, our first question is: who is actually responsible? If the problem was not caused by the landlord, the landlord should not have to bear losses that are not theirs to pay.
Following our investigation, we confirmed that the incident had been caused by the upstairs property. We therefore immediately initiated the insurance claims process and liaised with the relevant insurer. The insurer arranged for large industrial dehumidifiers to be installed in the property to continuously dry the affected areas and prepare them for the subsequent repair works.
The repair plan then began to progress, but a new issue emerged. The insurance claim included an Access Fee — an initial fee associated with the claim — amounting to several hundred pounds. The management company for the upstairs property initially wanted our landlord to pay this fee. We did not consider this reasonable. Since our client was not responsible for the incident, there was no justification for asking them to bear this cost.
We therefore continued communicating, coordinating and negotiating with all relevant parties. After persistent efforts, we successfully ensured that our landlord did not have to pay the Access Fee. At the same time, the insurer initially refused to replace the damaged carpet, as repairing it would generally cost less than replacing it in full. However, from the perspective of the landlord’s and tenant’s long-term interests, we believed that installing a completely new carpet was the more appropriate and thorough solution. After several rounds of discussion, we successfully secured approval for a full carpet replacement. Throughout the process, we remained focused on protecting our client’s interests rather than simply accepting and passing on the insurer’s first response.
A Satisfactory Outcome
Ultimately, the water leak incident was successfully resolved.
- The water leak was fully resolved;
- Industrial dehumidification was completed;
- The property was restored to normal;
- The carpet was replaced with a brand-new one;
- The landlord did not have to pay the Access Fee;
- Both the tenant and the landlord were very satisfied.
Afterwards, the landlord sent us a message: “I have stayed with SJW ever since I bought the property in 2016. Ten years later, this incident has once again proved that choosing you at the beginning was the right decision.” To us, those words are more valuable than any advertisement.
The Value of Ten Years Is Not One Property, but a Long-Term Relationship
Many people see buying a property as a transaction. We have always believed that it should instead be the beginning of a long-term partnership.
From purchasing the property in 2016, through completion, letting and property management, to the unexpected water leak ten years later, this landlord has experienced almost every important stage of owning UK property.
True one-stop service means that, many years into the future, when unexpected problems arise, there is still someone willing to stand on the client’s side — identifying responsibility, coordinating resources, controlling risk, protecting the tenant relationship and reducing every unnecessary loss wherever possible.