Whatever your or your client’s reason for renting – you have been posted to the UK for an indefinite or defined period; you need to rent for a short time to give you breathing space before you commit to purchasing; your lifestyle simply dictates that renting is the best current option – talk to Middleton.
We apply the same focus, diligence and independence as we do when we are advising on buying, but we have built a unique service tailored to the specific demands of prime property rental.
The Middleton way is to fully understand your motivation, your circumstances and your lifestyle now and in the future, as well as practical factors such as timescales, location and the likely length of your rental.
Mark Parkinson comments, “Often, when you are renting, you’ll be less familiar with a location compared to a buyer. You may be focused on the property itself, but lifestyle factors such as schools, commuting routes, local amenities are just as important, and so our advice and forensic knowledge of prime property zones acts as a form of accelerated learning.”
The contacts and inside knowledge that have been the foundation of our buying business, apply equally to the rental market, and enable us to identify a short-list of suitable properties for you to view, often before they come to the open market. “Our job, says Mark Parkinson, “is to eliminate the hassle of searching by taking you direct to properties that match your needs.”
“We generally organise half-day or full-day tours to enable you to view a short-list of properties in maximum comfort, and to ensure that no time is wasted. We usually use a ‘meeting room on wheels’ for transport, and that gives you and us the opportunity to discuss and analyse the property you’ve just seen or are about to see, in between appointments. It’s a really efficient use of time.”
And of course, with rentals, speed is of the essence. An hour or two can be the difference between securing a particular property. “The other thing with rentals,” notes Mark, “is that market conditions tend to change much more rapidly than the buying market. Key areas can go from under-supplied to over-supplied in the course of a few months, so professional advice is invaluable.”
According to Mark Crampton, who covers the Home Counties region, “There is no such thing as ‘the market’ any more,” and this is another reason why many rental enquiries are up.
“Challenging’ is the new norm. Every area, price range and property type has its own market forces and idiosyncrasies. Gone are the days when just interest rates and employment levels determined the strength of the property market.”
“When buyers are uncertain of the market as they are now, many look to rent before buying. Likewise, when vendors’ price expectations aren’t being met, they may look to rent out until the picture becomes clearer. We’ve seen this trend grow over the past 12 months and see it continuing in 2017. The increase in rental supply has pushed prices down a little. Conversely, the shortage of really good property for sale has sharpened things up at the top end of the market. ‘Trophy’ houses sold well in 2016 and will continue to do so in 2017.”