Meet the Trainer: Henry Davis
The Key to Property Investment, is of our most popular courses, with trainer Henry Davis a veteran property developer with more than 30 years’ experience. As part of our new Meet the Trainer series he shares his property journey.
Originally from County Sligo in Ireland, Henry first came to the UK in the 90s, moving to London when he couldn’t get a visa for New York.
“I actually dreamt of being a Formula One driver, but I couldn’t make the cut,” says Henry, explaining how he first became a landlord. “I bought my first property in Wimbledon in 1990. The postcode was SW19, and it was one of the best roads you could buy on - although at the time, I didn’t know the difference between Wimbledon and Wembley.
“That first purchase was somewhere to live, but everything changed when my neighbour put his house on the market and encouraged me to buy it. That’s when I first became a landlord, and I have been buying property ever since.”
Starting out
In those early days, Henry combined property management with a day job as an events manager.
Spurred on by a boundless entrepreneurial spirit, he quickly progressed to developing homes, specifically large HMOs, as well as 'flipping' high-end family homes and trading blocks of apartments. As exciting as these times were, he admits things didn’t always go to plan.
“In my 20s, I made every mistake I could make. But it really helps me when it comes to training, because I’ve been there and lived to tell the tale – I have made the mistakes, so you don’t have to.”
A former chief executive of International Property Group, Henry is now managing director of Genii Developments and in addition to his work as a landlord, developer and trainer is also a familiar face in the media as an industry commentator.
He also pens the ‘Ask the Property Doctor’ page in your members magazine, Property.
Development strategy
Henry’s strategy is simple but effective, seeing him walk the streets to find derelict buildings to redevelop and create equity, before recycling the same cash. He then reconfigures the floorplan and fit-out, optimising tenant retention, practical design, and attention to detail.
Thriving on a challenge, he says the breadth of his experience makes him a better trainer. “I have done every type of deal you could do in 34 years, and you could say I have solved every type of problem there is to solve.
“One of my most recent deals was a 24 bed HMO. It was a lot of stress, but I did enjoy it. I have often taken on projects where there are potential sticking points, such as structural or land registry issues. I seek those challenges and thrive on them.”
Henry’s courses
Henry branched out into training in the mid-2010s, spotting a gap in the market, joining the NRLA as an expert trainer not long after. Since then, his courses, The Key to Property Investment and Property Refurbishment have become some of the most popular offered by the NRLA training academy – earning him an impressive 4.9 out of five-star rating on Trustpilot.
“I love meeting the people who I train, and I love getting five-star reviews,” he says. “My job is to share my expertise to show you how to make money from property and how to recycle cash so you can build and grow a sustainable portfolio.”
To sign up for one of Henry’s courses, click the links below:
The Key to Property Investment
More information
- Henry is the author of The Truth About Property and delivers both The Key to Property Investment and Property Refurbishment for the NRLA’s award-winning Training Academy. The Property Refurbishment course comes with a free project management spreadsheet, offering detailed step-by-step guidance on how to manage and control projects. For more information and to book click here.
- As well as offering more than 40 different training courses for landlords and agents the NRLA Training Academy offers landlord members the chance to pick up CPD points to be used towards accreditation. To find our more, click here.
