Daniel Twenefour, a 35-year-old from south London, was on the brink of bankruptcy after a property investment went wrong, owing his bank £370,000. In a desperate move, he raffled the house for £2 a ticket, an act that not only saved him from financial ruin but also led to the creation of Tramway Path, a property prize competition company that has given away millions of pounds worth of homes and cash prizes.
How It Started
In 2020, Daniel purchased a property in Mitcham using a bridge loan that required repayment within 12 months, intending to renovate and resell. However, multiple sales fell through, and the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic brought the housing market to a standstill. The property's proximity to a tram line made it difficult to obtain a mortgage, further complicating his ability to sell.
“I couldn’t sell it and needed a miracle,” Daniel said. With the bank demanding £370,000 and threatening to seize his personal assets, he feared losing his family home. “I didn’t have that kind of money, and I was a personal guarantor for it so it meant they would have come for my personal assets – my family home and anything my name was attached to. I would have gone bankrupt,” he added.
The Raffle Idea
With few options left, Daniel decided to raffle the house on a whim. He researched prize competitions and noticed that while companies were raffling luxury items like watches and cars, no one was giving away houses. “There was no blueprint and no inspiration from anyone, I just saw smaller companies doing it with other items and thought, ‘maybe I could do that with a house'. I had to pay the debt, so I sold £2 tickets to raffle off the property,” he explained.
The initial response was slow, as Daniel needed to sell 200,000 tickets. However, word spread through his local community, and soon national media picked up the story, causing it to go viral. Celebrities shared the competition online, and within days, Daniel raised enough money to clear the debt and pay off the loan. “I had been praying day and night – it felt like a miracle,” he said.
Winning Outcome
The winner was a pregnant woman who was about to get married. “It was the perfect story,” Daniel said. After the ordeal, he thought the chapter was closed, but he was inundated with messages from people asking when the next house giveaway would be. “I had to turn my phone to ‘do not disturb’ from 5pm so I could have downtime,” he recalled.
Four months later, during a Sunday lunch with his family, inspiration struck. Daniel was sitting with his brothers, Jay (41) and Will (39), and proposed creating a business together. “Why don't we create a business as three brothers from south London giving away houses?' I just knew people would get behind it,” he said. Jay works in property, Will in technology, and both still have full-time jobs, while Daniel runs Tramway Path full-time.
Building Tramway Path
The brothers shared the idea on social media that same day and were overwhelmed by the response. As Tramway Path grew, other companies began launching similar house giveaway competitions, following the model Daniel and his brothers had pioneered. The company is named after the road where the property that nearly bankrupted Daniel was located. “The name is the road where that house was. I'll never forget it. It's been such a defining moment in my life,” Daniel said.
The original competition gave many people hope during the Covid pandemic and showed them a new way to get onto the property ladder. Daniel explained, “The whole foundation behind the business became helping people and that’s the reason we have continued. The barriers to entry house buying, as much as the government tries to help, are still just too high. Property prices are not going down, they're increasing. Salaries are not increasing at a fast enough rate to keep up, and you have to save for a deposit.”
Challenges in Property Market
Daniel highlighted the difficulties of saving for a deposit, especially for renters. “Yes, there are some mortgage companies that are now offering slightly lower deposits but it's still a deposit and it's still a substantial amount that you must find. It's difficult to save and if you're renting, it’s nearly impossible,” he said. Affordability checks and credit ratings add further hurdles, particularly in London. “If you're buying, particularly in London, it's incredibly difficult. If you go further out, up north, where you're far away from your friends, your family, your job, it's possible it's doable. But do you want to sacrifice your entire life just to have a roof over your head and move somewhere further out? Property is still very inaccessible, but Tramway Path is an option that gives hope and it’s a bit of fun, too,” he added.
Growing Success
Today, Tramway Path has a team of about 10 people and has given away millions of pounds worth of homes and cash prizes. Daniel says working with his brothers has strengthened their relationship. “We weren't especially close growing up because there's four years between me and my middle brother, so we were always at different stages of life. Doing the business has brought us together 100 per cent. We've all found our places and the dynamic works really well now,” he said.
Their parents are incredibly proud. “Mum and Dad are incredibly proud. They're always finding ways to bring up what their sons do whenever they're chatting to people. It's lovely to see,” Daniel said.
Future Plans
Looking ahead, Daniel hopes to increase the number of dream homes Tramway Path gives away each year while continuing its partnership with homelessness charity St Mungo's. “For me it's all about giving back. We want to be known as the company that genuinely helps people,” he said.
