THE ESSENTIALS
At a glance
Location | Darwen and Blackburn, Lancashire |
Client | A property partnership |
Instructed | From pre-completion December 2025 — to post completion March 2026 |
Property | Around 30 residential houses, purchased sight unseen with tenancy status unknown at the point of purchase |
Service | Pre-completion inspection and due diligence, tenant liaison and vacant property securing, compliance remediation (EICR, gas safety, EPC), tenancy documentation, rent accounting and apportionment, contractor sourcing, photography and floor plans |
Outcome | Full portfolio inspected, secured and compliant ahead of completion; one property sold directly to its sitting tenant |
THE CHALLENGE
The client, a property partnership, agreed to purchase around 30 houses across Darwen and Blackburn as a single portfolio deal — sight unseen, with no reliable picture of which properties were tenanted, which were vacant, or what condition any of them were actually in. Before completion, someone needed to physically visit every property, establish the real position on the ground, and deal with whatever that position turned out to be, property by property.
OUR APPROACH
Read the space, then reshape the instruction
Oakmount visited every property in the portfolio ahead of completion. Where a property was tenanted, Oakmount made contact with the tenant directly; where vacant, Oakmount gained access and secured the property. For tenanted properties, Oakmount carried out the full range of compliance needed — EICR, gas safety certificates, and EPCs — and put proper tenancy paperwork in place. Rent due during the pre-completion period was collected and accounted for, with apportionment between the outgoing and incoming owners agreed as part of the sale process, rather than disbursed as though ownership had already transferred. Oakmount also sourced and engaged local contractors where works were needed, and took photographs and floor plans across the portfolio, feeding all of this back to the client and their selling agent as well as solicitors to keep a running picture of exactly what they were buying.
THE OUTCOME
All 30 properties were inspected, and their tenancy and condition status established, ahead of completion
Vacant properties were secured; tenanted properties were brought fully into compliance (EICR, gas safety, EPC) with proper tenancy paperwork in place
Rent due during the pre-completion period was collected and accounted for, ready for apportionment between the parties at completion
The client and their selling agent received full photographic and floor plan records across the portfolio
In one case, Oakmount secured a sale of the property directly to its existing tenant
WHY IT MATTERS
Buying a 30-property portfolio sight unseen is a real exposure — the buyer is committing before they actually know what they own, who lives in it, or whether it's legally lettable. Oakmount's role closed that gap before completion rather than after, so the client inherited a known, documented, compliant position rather than 30 unknowns. The sale to a sitting tenant is the clearest example of the upside available when a portfolio is actually understood property by property, rather than treated as a single anonymous block.
COMMON QUESTIONS
FAQ
What is due diligence on a residential property portfolio purchase?
Physically inspecting each property before completion to establish its condition, occupancy, and compliance position — so the buyer knows what they're taking on rather than finding out afterward.
Can Oakmount manage compliance and tenancy paperwork for a newly-acquired tenanted property?
Yes — including EICR, gas safety certificates, EPCs, and putting correct tenancy documentation in place.
Can Oakmount handle rent during a property sale that hasn't completed yet?
Yes — Oakmount can begin collecting and accounting for rent from the day of completion, so there's no gap between a sale completing and rent being properly managed.