Introducing staff spotlights – a way for you to get to know the people you talk to on the phone or at your development sites! Our team are our brand advocates, industry experts, and our biggest assets. However big or small we get; everyone is valued and has an important story to tell. We continue our series with Surveyor; Moin Ahmed.

Moin attended the University of Portsmouth where he gained a degree in Civil Engineering before going one step further and achieving his Master’s in Quantity Surveying. He currently resides in West Sussex, and regularly finds himself out on the road visiting our numerous sites across the south of England.

Moin comments that he has had significant exposure to the industry since joining Onyx in 2021. He said this is due to the accelerated responsibility he has been given as well as the diversity of sites he has worked on – from HMOs and refurbishments to £5m mansions.

In his spare time, he is an enthusiastic sportsman and particularly enjoys badminton and football. We asked Moin why he loves what he does, and what he thinks the future holds in our industry.

What aspect of your career do you like the most?

Moin said: “I appreciate having access to a wide spread of knowledge from all of our clients and being able to speak about different types of builds. In turn, this has helped me to develop on-the-job knowledge and gain a much deeper understanding of the industry.”

What do you like most about working at Onyx?

Moin said: “Onyx provides flexible working hours with multiple benefits. This ensures I have a good balance of work and pleasure.”

What are your thoughts on the current market conditions?

Moin said: “With the interest rates on the rise, other lenders are limited in their lending options and are increasing their prices. Luckily, this does not affect Onyx as we do not borrow from the Bank of England.”

“The issue interest rises can cause, however, is buyers obtaining standard residential mortgages. As such, many of our successful clients are selling properties with a higher Gross Development Value (GDV) as these buyers tend to be cash purchasers.”

How do current market conditions affect your work?

Moin said: “Onyx is a private equity company and therefore is not determined by the interest rates or many other public market issues. As a result, we have seen very little impact in our work, and the team here is solid.”

What is the most common question you are asked by clients and what is your typical answer?

Moin said: “The typical questions tend to be centred around market-related issues such as sales and material cost increases. The answer I give is always the same, in that all clients are affected and we at Onyx are here to support them.”

What do you think is in store for the future of the property market?

Moin said: “As the rental prices have not increased in line with mortgages, landlords may be considering selling their properties towards the end of the mortgage agreement. I would expect this to have a knock-on effect if it continues, where either the rent will increase, or property prices may decrease, or both.”

How do you feel Onyx is different from its competitors?

Moin said: “Onyx is a flexible lender that helps support our clients – this is something other banks don’t tend to do or is a weak area for them. We also offer 100% lending without all the red tape.”

Onyx is proud to be growing from strength to strength, and with this growth, we have seen great talent come through our doors and become valuable members of our development finance, commercial lending, and bridging loan teams. If you would like to be a part of this team, apply for one of our vacancies here.