Meet Sallie, the retiree using her Surrey home to finance her retirement dreams…
Sallie purchased her Chobham townhouse in 2020.
Having just met her now husband and wanting more outside space than her central London apartment offered, Sally fell in love with the leafy Surrey market town of Chobham.
Despite the property being ‘the worst house in the best location’ Sallie saw its potential and set to work renovating the property from top to bottom. But when she took on her second renovation project last year - a house in Provence, France - her Chobham bolthole sat empty for six months.
Sallie turned to the world of lettings to see if her townhouse could not only cover its costs but earn her an income to finance her French renovation project.
Having owned a property in London for 20 years and spent time working abroad, I had previous experience renting out my home.
However, when it came to my Chobham house, traditional agents were only offering minimum six-month contracts and I would have to change all the utilities. This wasn’t going to work for me. I was after flexibility and control so I could return to my home as and when I wanted.
Researching online, I found Smarter Rent. They offered the ability to rent out my property when I wasn’t using it while keeping it set up with my personal effects, furniture, and utilities. They could also get me double the rent traditional agents were promising - it was a no-brainer!
After an initial conversation, Smarter Rent arranged to view Sallie’s property to see how they could help.
“At Smarter Rent, we work with both current property owners and those looking to purchase properties for investment purposes,” explains Smarter RentFounder, Adrian Sutherland.
“Our aim is to give renters exceptional homes they want to live in and maximise returns for owners.
To do this, we analyse hundreds of different data points, assess the market and then source (if required), refurbish and market the property to a chosen audience.
Our methodology ensures occupancy rates of over 95% and up to double the money for owners compared to long lets.”
When Sallie came to us, she had a beautiful home that was newly renovated to a very high standard.
It was also in a fantastic area with excellent transport links, a garden and parking.
We felt Sallie’s property was a dream for families looking for a mid-term rental - that’s a tenancy between one and twelve months - because they are refurbishing their own home or perhaps between property transactions.”
We met with Sallie and put forward a proposal. We suggested de-personalising the property slightly and refreshing a few pieces of furniture to make it better suited to the families who would be staying there.
We stored Sallie’s personal belongings in one room so they were hidden, but she could still make it home when she came back.
We then set her up with fresh, hotel-quality linen so she didn’t have to use her own. Our housekeeping service takes care of all cleaning and laundry.
”After taking professional photos, Smarter Rent were ready to list the property. They use one of the widest range of websites in the lettings industry to make sure their properties are seen by as many potential tenants as possible.
Sallie’s property was an instant success with booking enquiries straight away. Since being managed by Smarter Rent, it has been fully booked and earns Sallie an income of 80-100% more than long lets.
“It’s an emotional thing - renting out your home as opposed to a buy-to-let that’s purely for investment,” says Sallie. “But, with Smarter Rent, they are incredibly helpful and there’s always a point of contact if I need to talk to someone.
I know the house is being looked after by trustworthy tenants and I feel confident that I’ve got people living in the house who is going to look after it.
And even better, the returns I’m getting with Smarter Rent are financing the renovations on my French house!”
Smarter Rent is a property specialist operating in Surrey, Berkshire, and Southwest London. They manage over 250 properties for owners and investors, taking the hassle out of buy-to-let and getting their clients on average 30% more cash in their pockets. Inspired by Sallie’s retirement plans? Do you have a home that could be earning you additional income?
Get in touch with Adrian at Smarter Rent today for a no-obligation chat:
