Connells lettings tops property agencies in Leamington Spa

Local lettings agency Connells in Leamington Spa and Warwick is currently celebrating winning ‘Regional Lettings Branch of the Year’ for the third year in a row.

The branch, situated in Euston Place in central Leamington Spa, covers many areas sought out by University of Warwick students for renting student properties.

Likewise, the nearby Jaguar Land Rover design and engineering centres, local schools and good transport links make Leamington Spa, Warwick and the surrounding areas popular with landlords, investors, and prospective renters and buyers alike.

The team at Connells, headed by lettings partner Selina Egan, told the Boar they were, “thrilled to bits” to have won this award for the third year in a row.

Ms Egan said she put their success down to, “hard work, dedication, excellent customer service and a skilled team who know their jobs well.”

Whilst Connells do not usually provide normal student lets running September to June or the equivalent, Ms Egan told the Boar that they do help a number of students each year to find properties.

Student experiences with renting in the local area seems to sometimes be variable. Rosie Deakin, a third-year studying Film and Literature, used Dhesi Estates and said: “they were helpful and easy to contact.”

She described the service as, “personable” and added that, “they seemed to have our best interests at heart.”

Jasmine, a first-year postgraduate in Medicine, said that her experience of renting the University of Warwick’s own off-campus accommodation was mixed. She stated: “they were quick at responding but I found it far more expensive than private accommodation”.

She went on to say: “It did make it very easy to get into university though. I had a quick commute, and there was the benefit of no rent to pay over the summer.”

Problems such as breakages not being sorted out promptly appeared to be a particular worry among first year students, looking to rent for the first time.

Hannah Wood, a first-year student studying Biological Sciences said: “I am most worried about my landlord or letting agents being uncooperative and taking a long time to sort things out.”

She spoke of a recent experience when looking around a student house where, “the current tenants had a crack in the wall which they thought was contributing to heat loss and increasing their bills, and the landlord had not fixed it after several months. That really put me off.”

Another first-year student, Gerard Jones, studying English Literature, had similar worries, “It is a bit worrying if you see a house and talk to the tenants and they say the landlord or letting agents are difficult to get hold of.

“When you are at university the maintenance team sort things out, but in rented accommodation, it is our responsibility to report things and make sure it is all okay.”