Morgan predicts boom for lettings business in 2009

All too often full service estate agents see lettings as the poor relation. That’s certainly not the case with Susi Morgan, who has just hired Bryony Meredith to expand the Lettings Department and cope with the rising demand...

Morgan & Associates has a thriving rural Oxfordshire sales department but has always recognized the value of lettings, especially in the sought after properties the firm specializes in.

While Susi appreciates the gloomy predictions in the national press, she realizes that any jitters in the property market automatically boost the attraction of lettings. “This is an excellent time for lettings,” she says. “Everything is letting very quickly – so quickly, in fact, that we’re constantly on the look out for new properties.”

Morgan & Associates offers a custom lettings service – everything from a simple rental agreement to a full property management package which is ideal, Morgan says, for landlords with a large portfolio or other commitments. And to help cope with the expansion, she has recently taken on Bryony Meredith, who has experience in all aspects of Residential Sales and Lettings in Oxfordshire, meanwhile, Jenny Kahan, who started with Morgan & Associates over a year ago, has similar experience in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, and also worked with a letting management agent whose portfolio boasted a number of Georgian listed buildings in Marlow town centre. In addition, as a partner in Swan Publicity, a local PR and marketing company, she will be overseeing marketing effort for Morgan & Associates, raising the profile of the business and making sure the property portfolio remains highly visible.

As with all of Morgan’s staff, the lettings team subscribes to the company’s ‘bespoke service’ ethic. A ‘feel’ for the business is required, but Morgan also insists that all staff attend regular training courses to keep them fully abreast of current property legislation.

The same applies when marketing the properties, where Morgan makes sure the team really works to find the right fit between customer base and portfolio. “Advertising in the local press is vital, but it’s not enough by itself,” she believes. “We pride ourselves on identifying properties that suit tenants, and on identifying the right tenants to suit those properties – and, crucially, to suit the landlords too.”