A MUM bought a quarter of the houses on her street so she could control who her neighbours were.
Catherine Gladwyn owns three out of 12 terraced properties on her quiet residential road in Swindon, Wiltshire – living in one and renting out the other two.
The 46-year-old, who works as a virtual assistant coach, purchased her own two-bedroom terraced home for £166,000 in 2013.
When the man next door announced he was selling up in 2018, she jumped at the opportunity and snapped up the house the following year for £189,000.
The mum-of-one then spent about £13,000 on renovations and rented it out to a single mum and her daughter.
They pay £855 a month, which more than covers Catherine's £500-a-month mortgage, insurance, fees and rent protection.
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In 2021, the couple on the other side put their house on the market and Catherine immediately offered the asking price of £215,000 as she didn't want to risk anyone else nabbing the keys.
Like before, she splashed £15,000 on a full revamp and rented it out to a single woman, who pays £1,100 a month, in 2022.
The triple sale meant Catherine could "control" who moved to the area – and who comes next.
She said: "I got fed up with lovely houses and streets being ruined by HMOs (houses in multiple occupation) so when the houses either side of me came up for sale, I bought the buggers.
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"I now own a quarter of my street.
"I'm not embarrassed to say I enjoy controlling who lives there.
"If the mortgages go wild I'll sell a kidney to keep them."
Catherine insists she is a fair landlord, offering flexibility and rental prices below what they should be.
"On one side there is a single occupancy and for the other I offer a very reduced rent as she's a single parent," she said.
"I allowed the neighbour on the other side of one of the properties to put up some soundproofing on the walls adjoining his house as the walls are quite thin and he'd endured a loud TV from the occupants before we bought it.
"I make sure the houses are always done out as if I lived in them. Nothing is half hearted."
Catherine, who goes by @catherinegladwyn on TikTok, hopes the houses will go up in value and be a "legacy" for her daughter.
She told Newsweek: "I cannot believe how lucky I am to be able to own three properties next to each other, and to be able to control who lives in them in order to make a positive impact on the neighbourhood.
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"I want to keep the two houses on either side of me as they are as they will be a legacy for my daughter, and they'll only go up in value.
"I don't mind that I'm currently not making any profit on the houses, as long as I'm covering the mortgage and the maintenance costs."
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