Relationships, Lettings and Growth by Acquisition – 20 Years with Catriona Smith of Arden Property Management

In this episode of Scale HER Up – The Female Entrepreneur Show, I’m joined by Catriona Smith, founder of Arden Property Management, an Edinburgh-based residential letting and property management agency celebrating its 20th year in business.

Catriona shares how she “accidentally” became a letting agent after careers in primary teaching and a family business, starting out with her own small portfolio and learning the industry on the job. What began as a practical next step has grown into a long-standing, values-led agency that focuses on service, relationships and doing the right thing for both landlords and tenants.

We dive into growth by acquisition – the steep learning curve of her first purchase, how later acquisitions became smoother, and why relationships with sellers, lenders, staff, landlords and contractors are at the heart of making them work. She talks candidly about funding deals without bricks-and-mortar assets, using cash flow, loans, personal guarantees and property security, and why honesty and no-retention deals have helped her retain more business.

Catriona also shares her perspective on property as an investment. She explains why investors need to treat buy-to-let as a business rather than an emotional purchase, the importance of speaking to a letting agent before buying, and how to think clearly about yield versus capital growth, risk, compliance and tenant realities.

Throughout the conversation, a strong theme emerges: people and relationships matter more than profit alone. From supporting long-term contractors and landlords to managing staff departures and acquisitions with care, Catriona has built a business where trust, service and mutual respect come first.

We finish with reflections on confidence, learning to forgive yourself and others for mistakes, and advice for women in business to believe in themselves, recognise the value of their life skills and not assume their gender is a barrier to starting or scaling a company.

In this episode, we cover

1. How Catriona moved from teaching and a family business into starting Arden Property Management
2. Building a residential lettings agency in Edinburgh and why it is really a people and service business, not just about property
3. The emotional side of lettings for both landlords and tenants, and the role of a good agent as the “middle person”
4. Catriona’s journey into growth by acquisition and what she learned from buying several other agencies
5. Why relationships with sellers and lenders are crucial and how openness and trust improve retention after a deal
6. Funding acquisitions in a service business with few tangible assets: cash flow, bank loans, personal guarantees and using property as security
7. Choosing continuity: bringing staff across, respecting existing relationships and avoiding the “big bang” merger approach that can lose landlords and teams
8. Why Arden focuses on service and long-term relationships rather than treating landlords purely as an income stream
9. Practical advice for business owners thinking about investing in property: talk to a letting agent, treat it as a business and avoid buying with your heart
10. Understanding yield versus capital growth, and why high-spec refurbishments do not always give a good return in rentals
11. The challenges and rewards of building and leading a team, and why Catriona relies on conversation and gut instinct in recruitment
12. Flexing roles around people’s strengths instead of forcing everyone into rigid job descriptions
13. What Catriona has learned about herself over 20 years in business: being more forgiving of mistakes, staying realistic and valuing relationships
14. Her advice to her 18-year-old self and to other women thinking about starting or growing a business: believe in yourself more, do not go looking for disadvantages, and recognise the leadership skills gained from life and family