BEN Quaintrell prides himself on making the property industry a pain-free environment.

For a man previously responsible for helping people find effortless ways to feel better, it’s the perfect profession.

The 32-year-old lived and worked in Australia between 2010 and 2012, taking on a job with health and beauty company, Hi Life.

Part of his remit with the Sydney-based business was to promote its wares across the country, which included time in front of the camera for television advertisements.

Mr Quaintrell’s moment of stardom came in a commercial for a hair removal pad, which he still chuckles about to this day, recalling the times he’s seen it replayed on the internet.

He said: “The guy behind the company was a multi-millionaire and it looks at things like hair treatment and anti-wrinkle creams.

“It always used staff in its adverts and mine was for the Smooth and Easy hair removal pad.

“It was hilarious and will haunt me forever; it was funny but it was also cringe worthy”.

When Mr Quaintrell’s Australian adventure ended, he came back to Darlington, where he previously studied as a pupil at Hummersknott Academy and Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College.

Once back in familiar surroundings, he set about founding his letting agency business, My Property Box, which now operates from the town’s £6.6m Business Central development.

With experience gleaned from the lettings department at Sandersons, an interest sparked from conversations with a surveying-studying university housemate, Mr Quaintrell got to work on his endeavour.

He said: “Sandersons was a great company and Australia was fantastic, but I was always eager to come back and get things going (on my business).

“When I went to university and was doing my business studies degree, my friend and I would talk about property and I thought, ‘I wouldn’t mind getting into that’”.

“I came back from Australia in April 2012 and set up it up in the May.

“I had written the business plan in 2010 and still had all my contacts, so I was almost up and running as soon as I arrived back.

“We started in Skinnergate and got to work straightaway on our social media side, putting a modern approach to what we do.

“It was difficult at the beginning but I’d worked in the industry and had experience of it.”

The firm now has seven staff, including Mr Quaintrell, who lives in Hurworth, near Darlington, and it moved to Business Central for extra space to keep pace with demand.

That switch, coupled with a sole focus on lettings, says managing director and property manager Mr Quaintrell, sets it apart from market rivals.

He added: “We aren’t trying to be a high street agent; we want to be a North-East agent, and the success comes from how you manage landlords on one hand and tenants on the other.

“You’ve got to be good with people.

“We aren’t an estate agent, we are experts in residential lettings alone.

“We aren’t trying to do everything and be a jack of all trades and master of none.”