International Women’s Day – your inspirational stories

Ahead of this year’s  International Women’s Day, we’ve been speaking to women in property from across the country to find out more about what inspired them to invest in the private rented sector, challenges they have overcome and how they have carved out their own space in the industry.   

These include Sarah Watt, who moved across the globe to build her buy-to-let business and raise a family and Carolyn Bennett, who built a property business from scratch, having changed careers as a result of a long-term health condition. There are also stories from some of our younger members, including Radhika Shah, who got into the business right after graduation at the age of just 23.  We also speak to women who were looking for more flexibility in their careers, or were keen to work for themselves after years in the workplace. 

All these exceptional women have had their fair share of challenges, which they have overcome to run successful property businesses. Here we share their stories: 

Callie Robertson: 'I was always the last one to pick the kids up from nursery'

When Callie Robertson left her corporate marketing role in 2009, she didn't have a concrete plan - just a young family and a desire for flexibility that traditional employment couldn't offer. "I was always the last one to pick the children up at nursery," she recalls. "It just wasn't a nice feeling." 

That discomfort sparked a 16-year journey that would lead to financial independence through property investment. Starting with a single buy-to-let in 2010, Callie built her portfolio to 23 properties - but the path wasn't smooth. She's navigated funding pressures, been defrauded by an architect on a major refurbishment and adapted through multiple strategies including HMOs, serviced accommodation and social housing leasing. 

"Property can still feel like a male-dominated environment," Callie acknowledges. She says that building confidence and credibility as a female investor meant learning to trust her judgment, assemble reliable trades teams and prove her expertise through results. 

Beyond property, she's event director for her local parkrun, fosters kittens for Wood Green animal charity, and leads the Peterborough Property Investors Group - a 15-year-old community she revitalized in 2024. 

Her advice to aspiring female landlords? "You're never going to feel ready to start. Confidence comes through doing, not waiting. Consistency and persistence are key - just keep going."

Michelle Walker-Smith: ‘You know more than you think you do’

Michelle Walker-Smith's journey into property began when her husband Pete faced redundancy for the second time.  Already accidental landlords, they began building their portfolio so they weren’t reliant on the job market. 

"He was fed up of other people deciding when he was going to work and when he wasn't," Michelle explains, when it comes to why they took the plunge. After building a15-property portfolio, Michelle launched her own agency, Aqua Lettings ten years ago. She prides herself on going the extra mile for her tenants, particularly those who may find it more difficult to find housing.  

"If they keep being told ‘the computer says no’, we'll go that extra mile, she says. This includes offering homes to tenants with County Court Judgements, bankruptcies, or failed businesses. Her philosophy? Get to know what makes people tick. "We've had people who've paid monthly without fail, changed kitchens, replastered walls, because they just needed somebody to give them a chance." 

With a strong social conscience, Michelle has also taken part in a number of ‘CEO Sleepouts’ - an annual charity event that sees company heads sleep outdoors for the night to raise awareness of homelessness and raise money for charity. 

After both her sons were born with heart conditions, she's also raised funds for the NHS and cancer charities through fundraising balls and sponsored head shaves.  

Her advice to aspiring female landlords? "Be more confident. You know more than you think you do, but nobody's perfect – if you don’t know something, just ask the question." 

Chelsea Vickers: Supporting women at crisis point

Birmingham-based agent Chelsea Vickers is using her 14 years of industry experience to support women during relationship breakdowns or other crisis points in their lives.

After stints at Centrick and Purplebricks, Chelsea launched her own agency, Realta, and has recently launched 'Power in Property', a separate platform offering specialist consultation for women who need help making property decisions during major life changes.

Chelsea's approach was shaped by watching her mother struggle after her parents' separation. That experience continues to inform her work today, particularly as she often sees the same patterns repeating. “In my experience, nine times out of ten, it's the woman left struggling after a breakup, as their partner has dealt with all the financial decisions," she says. “Power in Property offers advice on everything from deposit splits to rental agreements, providing women with the information they need to make confident property decisions during uncertain times.”

Carolyn Bennett: ‘Solicitors would only speak to my boyfriend’

Carolyn Bennett had a successful career as an actor, appearing in soap operas including EastEnders and Brookside, before a neck problem forced her to rethink her career.   

Unable to continue performing, she needed a new direction that would provide income while not being as physically demanding - which is when she arrived at property.  

She says historically, it has been harder to be taken seriously as a woman, explaining: "Back in the 1990s solicitors in France refused to speak to me about a purchase I was making, and would only speak to my then-boyfriend - despite that fact it was my money.” 

Fortunately, she says, things have improved somewhat since then. 

She bought her first flat, to live in, in a mansion block in Clapham, London, back in 1990. Following an inheritance in 1997 she bought another in the same building, and then another. Today, she owns all eleven. 

"Buying in the same block has made things easier to manage overall," Carolyn says. "You get to know the trades, you don't have to deal with different companies, and I have never used managing agents, I just handle it all myself.” 

Sarah Watt: ‘With the right people around you, magic happens’

Sarah Watt first got involved in property in her 20s, investing in buy-to-let to build a nest egg for the future, while she and her husband focused on their accounting careers in Sydney. 

Her first property was a one-bedroom flat in Sydney's inner west when she was working as a graduate accountant. She and her husband combined forces and flipped three houses in Melbourne, before relocating  to the UK ten years ago, settling in Milton Keynes. 

She had always run her property business alongside her day job as an accountant, but having children prompted a rethink. After her second child, she left accountancy to focus on being a landlord and a mother. 

It was during maternity leave that Sarah started to learn more about HMOs, something she didn’t have experience of in Australia. Today, she manages 40 tenants in 26 HMO rooms, plus flats, houses, a shop, and commercial units across Milton Keynes, Northampton and Rugby. 

She says her accounting background in DIY retail prepared her well for working with tradespeople. "I'm very used to a male environment and how people talk. They know who pays them - it's me, so if they're disrespectful, they're off." 

When reflecting on her journey, she says she would advise women to have more confidence in themselves. She says: “I would say start earlier. I was nervous in my twenties. I only really found my stride in my thirties after having children. I should have invested harder, sooner. I’d also say develop a trusted team. You don't know what you don't know, especially when you're young. But when you get the right people around you, magic happens." 

Nicola Bass: Property offers flexibility and freedom

After 20 years as a maths teacher, Nicola Bass was ready for a change. "Teaching is hard”, she says. “And I saw property as a gradual way out of that career and onto something new - if I could invest in enough homes.” 

Ten years ago, she bought her first rental in Poole, before buying more properties, one by one, from there. The progress was slow, but steady and methodical. As she waited for the properties to become a regular source of income, she supplemented this with tutoring, holiday home cleaning, and managing properties for her sister. 

Now she has five rental homes across Poole, Plymouth, Okehampton, and Bristol - including one she bought specifically for a former tenant who wanted to relocate, and another where her daughter lives, that they are renovating together. “We ripped out the kitchen, taken tiles out of the bathroom, stripped wallpaper", she says. "When we finished, she was saying 'Look mum, look what we've done!'”  

When tradespeople don't take her seriously, she's direct. "I tell them, I've got a maths degree. Don't talk down to me." She tests new trades with small jobs first - if they don't listen, they don't come back. Her view on why property works for women? "You're not stuck in meetings with alpha men, and it's really flexible. Women sometimes don't want corporate environments, not because we can't do it, but because dealing with that isn't pleasant." 

Leona Leung: “I have had to call the police in the past’

Leona Leung started her career at AFC Properties in Birmingham city centre, managing properties across the UK's second city and London. But the journey hasn't been without its challenges. 

Leona said that, as a young Chinese woman in lettings management, she has experienced prejudice - and faced situations that tested her resolve. Early in her career, tenants failed to hand over keys, refused payments, became physically threatening. "I have had to call the police in the past as I felt the situation could get physically violent," she says, explaining that support from colleagues – both male and female – have made a difference when it comes to dealing with these situations.  

She also believes her experiences have helped her build resilience long term. "At first I got anxious,” she said. “Nobody expects that sort of behaviour. But now I feel prepared for any challenges that come my way.” 

Radhika Shah: ‘Change starts with us’

"A lot of female investors are quite silent. They don't like to share their achievements, says Radhika Shah. "The change starts with us - we need to help other women and be an inspiration".

Radhika bought her first property in Burnley at just 23, after seeing a friend's Instagram post about a property course.  

She now has a portfolio of homes across Newcastle and Burnley. 

She says that being a young woman in property brings unique challenges and that, while she self-managed in the start, she has now started to work with managing agents after feeling vulnerable while attending call outs at night and in the early hours on her own. 

Her advice to aspiring investors? "Just jump in and learn. Network, build relationships, and act. You only learn when you go through it.” 

Carrie Kus: ‘Education is key’

Like Radhika, Carrie Kus bought her first property at the age of 23 during the golden age of property TV shows. Twenty-two years later, she's still investing. 

"I was working as a landlord by night, and as a tenant representative by day," says Carrie who spent seven years working for Shelter. 

She says that experience taught her how to be a better landlord. When landlords she'd trained asked her to manage their properties, she launched a letting agency to do just that. Her husband then took it over, allowing Carrie to focus on her true passion, education. 

Today, she works across the housing sector, collaborating extensively with social landlords as well as private ones. 

She cites her early mistakes, such as refusing to pay for professional management, buying flats she'd never touch now and purchasing with her heart instead of her head as things that now inform her teaching. "I wish I'd done basic training on how to be a good landlord right at the start," she admits. "I’d have made fewer mistakes." 

Those experiences have shaped her advice to anyone coming into the industry now, telling them, "Get a mentor. Do some learning. Don't fumble through like I did at the start." 

Charlotte Ashworth: Women aren’t just participating - we're building wealth

"Women aren't just participating in property - we're creating wealth through it”, says Charlotte Ashworth, whose savvy investments are funding a year-long trip around Bali, Thailand, Cambodia and Australia, where she and her husband will homeschool their son.  

Charlotte bought her first property, a two-up, two-down in Peterborough, at the age of just 24, and, working with her father and husband, has built a 35-tenant HMO portfolio while working full-time.  

Overwhelmed by the pressures of issues including antisocial behaviour, she has taken a step back from the day-to-day running of the portfolio, leasing HMOs to companies who oversee tenant management.   

This has bought them the time and space to travel before their son starts secondary school. 

We want to hear from you

Do you go the extra mile for your tenants or your community? Have you got an interesting or inspirational story to tell? If so, we want to hear from you. Get in touch by emailing [email protected]