Quality properties attract quality tenants - from Swindon town centre studios for young professionals to detached village homes for families.

Tue 15 Aug 2017

As Swindon’s most heralded Lettings Agency, Dewhurst & Co boast one of the town’s largest property management portfolios, but what really makes them stand out from the crowd is the quality of their rental properties.

“From the very beginning we have always focused on high quality properties,” says Mike Dewhurst, who as Managing Director of the business he founded in 1996 boasts more than 20 years’ experience working closely with landlords while also helping tenants to find their dream home.

“The Dewhurst philosophy is that ‘quality properties breed quality tenants’. That means taking on well-appointed properties in excellent condition from reputable landlords and then maintaining them to the highest standards. That in turn means we are perfectly positioned to attract tenants who will look after their rented house or flat as if it was their own.”

“That principal applies whatever the size of the property,” Mike insists. “We currently manage some twenty properties in Swindon’s Old Railway Quarter. They’re mostly one and two bedroom apartments, but heritage properties like these are popular with tenants who value stylish designs and quality finishes, often professionals from the adjacent National Trust and English Heritage HQs or people working in the financial sector.”

“The North and West Swindon developments also offer an attractive range of new and nearly new apartments and starter homes, while at the very top end of the size scale Dewhurst manage lots of large detached family homes, both in Swindon and the surrounding villages.”

“In North Swindon, where Dewhurst’s Taw Hill Lettings Office is located, it’s still possible to rent a lovely four bedroom house for around £950 per calendar month - that’s great for local families but also represents a genuine opportunity for commuters from places like Bristol, Newbury and Reading.”

“If the key factor for a potential tenant is access to the M4, why rent in one of those expensive locations when you can rent for several hundred pounds cheaper in Swindon?”

The more accessible rents in Swindon are obviously good news for tenants, but that doesn’t make the town a bad place to invest in buy-to-let properties; on the contrary.

“In the first place,” says Mike, “landlords will pay much less for a property in Swindon than other cities and towns in the South West. In some cases – for example, Oxford, Bath and Reading – substantially less. And rents in Swindon are still growing, a 5% yield per annum is more than realistic, and you can also expect capital gains year on year.”

A small minority of landlords may choose to manage their own properties, but these days most investors - whether they have a large property portfolio or just the one house to rent out - realise it makes sense to hire a professional property management company like Dewhurst & Co.

“Savvy landlords treat their properties as a business commodity, not a DIY hobby,” observes Mike, who is a fellow of the National Association of Estate Agents and a member of ARLA, an independent body that helps protect both landlords and tenants. “You need to be pretty confident to invest in shares without the help of a stockbroker, and who repairs their own car these days? By the same token, why rely on a wing and a prayer when it comes to property management?!”

For a competitive management fee, Dewhurst’s hugely experienced Lettings team will not only find you quality tenants with solid references and the right profile for your property, we will also handle all the contracts, inventories, ongoing renewals, maintenance, health and safety guidelines, etc. As Mike puts it: “We take care of all the time-consuming tasks so you don’t have to.”

READY TO LET? To find out how much your property would rent for, please contact Mike Dewhurst. 01793 709090 / mike@dewhurstandco.com

DEWHURST & CO. 1996 - 2017. 21 YEARS AS PROPERTY EXPERTS IN ONE OF THE BEST TOWNS IN BRITAIN.

 *Dewhurst & Co does not give financial advice. Before taking out a mortgage you should get professional advice from an Independent Financial Adviser (IFA).