Firm seeking 100 staff for operations centre
AFINANCIAL services company is looking for 100 people to work in its new office housed in a 120-year-old Victorian mansion complete with 1920s billiard table.
Entrepreneur Gavin Prince is creating a new operations centre for his credit ratings company Verilet in Penrhos Manor in Colwyn Bay.
The firm, which is based in Manchester’s Oxford Road and operates in the UK, New York and Brisbane, provides tenants with eligibility credit ratings so they can apply to rent a home, while protecting their application fees.
The first batch of 30 wannabe workers have been told to ditch CVs and instead will face a Cluedo-style psychometric session.
Rather than solving a murder, the job seekers will be given a complex problem to crack with the help of clues and messages – those displaying the best solution skills will be shortlisted for one of the coveted Team Verilet posts.
Property company Brymau Estate has refurbished Penrhos Manor to restore its original features, and Mr Prince is now developing the working environment for team members at Verilet’s offices.
As well as a professional standard snooker table dating from the 1920s, the offices will also boast Play Stations, beanbag pods in the garden and away-days to the beach to encourage the team to think creatively.
Mr Prince, who grew up in Conwy, also wants to help others kick-start their business careers, so the 36-yearold is planning a “hatchery” to nurture new start-ups in the stables of the Grade II-listed Jacobethan-style building, which was previously a girl’s school.
There will also be a hot-desking space in the old orangery for Manchester and Merseyside businesspeople having an away-day in north Wales.
Now owned by Brymau Estates, Penrhos was originally built as a summer home for Manchester businessman David Gamble in 1894 - he named it Ratonagh after the Irish birthplace of his ancestor, one of the founders of consumer goods giant Proctor and Gamble.
Mr Prince, who commutes to Manchester from his home in Llandudno Junction, is inspired by millionaire entrepreneur Lawrence Jones of tech company UKFast, who is from Denbigh.
He came up with the concept of Verilet after working with rental agencies that specialised in referencing tenants on behalf of letting agents.
He realised that often people were paying out hundreds of pounds in referencing fees, only to find that their application had failed resulting in the loss of their non-refundable fee. Verilet charges tenants a subscription fee of £9.99 to access their tenant eligibility report, which provides information surrounding the tenant’s eligibility to rent – with credit ratings and other personal information constantly updated – so they don’t miss out when their ideal property comes on the market.
After being founded in 2015, Verilet is aiming to take a major slice of the market in the coming five years, with 14.5 million people annually looking to rent homes.
Mr Prince believes that the Chancellor’s recent announcement that tenant fees are to be banned, and instead directed on to estate agents, will put further pressure on to homerenters to prove they are eligible to take on a lease.
He said: “At Verilet our aims are simple – we give tenants control over their own eligibility when it comes to renting the home they want, whilst giving letting agents and landlords high quality and completely free tenant referencing.
“Our service goes across the UK, it’s a national need – really we’ve created a new global market for this product as nobody had ever done this before, in any country.
“There was no go-to company to follow, but that meant there were no rules to hinder us,” he said.
“We’ve partnered with CallCredit, a national credit referencing agency – they bought into my ideas and have gone from being a supplier to a partner, which is huge for us.
“I have also learnt from the UKFast model, which is all about employee engagement and creating the right environment to nurture talent and creativity.
“So we are creating an environment where visitors and team members can enjoy themselves. It’s about the people for us.
“If we can help people enjoy their day they can go and help tenants around the country.”
Mr Prince is also working on a property Tinder-style spin-off app, where those looking for rental homes can walk down a street and use their smart phone to see which properties are available, and what they are eligible for, then swiping left or right to show their interest.
Verilet’s move to Penrhos Manor is being supported by Anna Openshaw, project manager at Colwyn Business Improvement District (BID), which is aiming to revitalise the area by tempting in more companies, shoppers, visitors and investment.
Ms Openshaw said: “Every time I go to this building I am struck how glorious it is, like so many of Colwyn Bay’s historic houses.
“Gavin is taking it forward into the 21st century with his way of thinking and designs.
“The Cluedo-style recruitment day will really highlight those people who have the skills and approach that he needs to take the company forward.”