Letting agents in the New Forest
Tenant find, rent collection and fully managed lettings for landlords across the New Forest, from Lymington and Milford on Sea to Brockenhurst, Lyndhurst, Burley and Sway. Referenced tenants and every legal check done.
- 4.9/5 ★★★★★ 786 reviews
- 130 properties managed
- Since 2018 letting in Bournemouth
Flexie Estate Agents lets and manages houses for landlords across the New Forest, from the coast at Lymington and Milford on Sea to the villages inside the National Park. We find and reference tenants, draw up the tenancy, protect the deposit and, if you choose, collect the rent and look after the house. The Forest asks a few things of a landlord that a town does not, and this page covers them.
It is the New Forest detail behind our letting agents service.
What lets in the New Forest
- Village cottages. Brick and thatch around the greens in Burley, Lyndhurst and Brockenhurst. Couples and single professionals take them; thatch brings its own insurance and maintenance questions.
- Family houses with gardens. On the edges of Lymington, Sway and Brockenhurst, within reach of a school and a station. These carry the longest tenancies.
- Coastal bungalows and flats. Milford on Sea and Lymington, for downsizers renting while they sell elsewhere and for marine and hospitality staff.
- Houses with land. Paddocks and stables let to tenants with horses, who stay for years if the fencing and water supply are sound.
Each village has its own page: Lymington, Brockenhurst, Lyndhurst, Burley, Sway and Milford on Sea.
How we let a Forest home
Valuation. We visit, look at the condition, the heating, the broadband and the parking, and give a rent range with the reasons. The instant rent estimate gives a first figure online.
Marketing. Photographs that show the garden and the Forest beyond it, a floor plan, the portals and our list of registered tenants, which includes people relocating through the group's Bournemouth apartments.
Referencing. Identity, Right to Rent, credit, income and a previous landlord for every adult, with a guarantor where affordability needs one. The tenant referencing guide explains each check.
Move in. A tenancy written to the Renters' Rights Act, the deposit protected within 30 days, the prescribed information and certificates served, and a photographed inventory that includes the gates and boundary fences.
Service levels
You choose tenant find, rent collection or fully managed. Full management adds inspections, repairs through contractors who reach your village, renewal of the gas and electrical certificates and every call from the tenant. Fees are confirmed in writing before you instruct us; the fees page sets out what each level includes.
Rules for a Forest landlord
The safety rules are the same as anywhere in England: a gas safety check where there is gas, an electrical report at least every five years, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, an EPC of band E or better and Right to Rent checks. Many older cottages run on oil or solid fuel, which needs its own servicing and alarm. New Forest District Council licenses larger shared houses. We also let on the same terms in Bournemouth, where the group runs 130 apartments, and the New Forest area page covers the villages for tenants. To sell instead, see selling in the New Forest or book a New Forest valuation.
The The New Forest property market
The New Forest is a National Park of heath, woodland and grazed lawns, ringed by market towns and villages where commoners' ponies and cattle walk the streets. Homes are mostly houses and cottages rather than flats, planning holds new building down, and many cottages are second homes or holiday lets, so the long-let stock is small.
Long lets in the New Forest are mostly houses: village cottages, family homes with gardens on the edges of Lymington, Brockenhurst and Sway, and bungalows towards the coast. The tenants are families renting before they buy, commuters on the main line, staff at the Forest's hotels, schools and marinas, and people who keep a horse. Because so many cottages are second homes or holiday lets, a well-kept house on a long let is in demand.
Three local points shape a Forest let.
The council. New Forest District Council handles council tax, housing standards and HMO licensing across the district. At the time of writing it charges a 100% council tax premium on furnished homes that are nobody's main residence, which matters if a let ends and the house sits empty and furnished.
The Park. Inside the National Park, planning is decided by the New Forest National Park Authority. Converting an outbuilding into a separate home to let is rarely approved.
The animals. Commoners' ponies and cattle graze up to the garden fence, so gates, cattle grids and fences belong in the inventory and the tenant's welcome pack.
Who rents and buys in The New Forest
- Commuters on the main line. Brockenhurst and Sway put Southampton and Bournemouth a short train ride away, and the fastest trains from Brockenhurst reach London Waterloo in about an hour and a half. Professionals rent here first and buy once they know the villages.
- Retirees and downsizers. Lymington, Milford on Sea and the Forest villages draw buyers retiring from London and the Home Counties, who want bungalows, cottages and a level walk to the shops.
- Families moving for space. Families come for gardens, the Forest on the doorstep and the village schools, and often rent for a year while they learn which village and which catchment suits them.
- Second homes and holiday lets. A large share of the cottages are second homes or holiday lets, which keeps buyers competing for character property and leaves fewer houses on long tenancies.
- Riders and smallholders. Houses with paddocks, stables and sometimes rights of common attached to the land attract equestrian buyers and tenants who keep animals.
Let furnished, from 28 nights, all year round.
A furnished flat in The New Forest does not have to sit on a twelve-month tenancy or empty from November. Through the group's platform, Flexiestays, it can be let to contractors, relocations, hospital staff and visiting families for a month or more at a time.
- Stays of a month to several months
- Guests looking for somewhere to live, not a holiday
- Fills the gaps between tenancies and summers
Letting your property in The New Forest, step by step
A free valuation
We visit, read the lease and the certificates, and give you a rent range for the property in The New Forest with the reasons, plus our fees in writing.
Marketing and referencing
Photographs, a floor plan and the listing go out to the portals and our registered tenants. We show the property and reference every adult before you accept anyone.
Move in, then managed
Tenancy agreement, deposit protection, certificates and a photographed inventory on the day. With management, we collect the rent, inspect and arrange repairs.
Three ways to let, one local team
Tenant find
One fee when the tenant moves in
- Rental valuation and advice
- Photos, floor plan and portal listings
- Viewings and referencing
- Right to Rent checks
- Tenancy agreement and deposit protection
Rent collection
A percentage of the monthly rent
- Everything in tenant find
- Monthly rent collection
- Arrears chased from day one
- Monthly statements
Fully managed
A percentage of the monthly rent
- Everything in rent collection
- Inspections and reports
- Repairs through local contractors
- Gas, electrical and EPC renewals
- The tenant's first call, day and night
Before you choose A free valuation a rent or sale range with the reasons, and our fees in writing - No obligation
- We reply within one working day
- No fees to tenants beyond what the law permits
Other ways to let
- Winter and long staysFurnished lets of 28 nights or more through the group's platform, Flexiestays.
- Holiday let managementThrough Sea Breeze Property Services: 16% commission for holiday let management, no retainer.
- Corporate letsFurnished homes for companies, insurers and relocations, invoiced monthly.
- SellingA sales valuation, marketing and progression to completion.
Fees are confirmed in writing before you instruct us. Tenants pay nothing beyond the permitted payments in the Tenant Fees Act 2019.
Our fees in fullLetting agents in The New Forest: questions
Which parts of the New Forest do you let in?
The western and southern Forest: Lymington, Milford on Sea, Brockenhurst, Lyndhurst, Burley and Sway, with Ringwood and New Milton on the edge. We confirm at the first call whether we can take on your address and which local contractors will reach it, because Forest lanes are further from our Bournemouth office than the BCP suburbs.
Who rents a house in the New Forest?
Families renting for a year before they buy, professionals commuting from Brockenhurst or Sway to Southampton, Bournemouth or London, staff at the hotels, schools and marinas, and tenants who keep horses or dogs. Most want parking, a garden and a fence that keeps ponies out.
Do I need a licence to let my New Forest house?
A house let to five or more people from two or more households needs a mandatory HMO licence from New Forest District Council. A house let to one family or a couple does not. At the time of writing the district has no selective licensing scheme for single lets, but check with the council before you advertise.
Can I let an annexe or converted barn as a separate home?
Only if it has permission to be a separate dwelling. Inside the National Park, the New Forest National Park Authority decides that, and it is cautious about new homes in outbuildings outside the four defined villages. Check the planning history before you find a tenant; we ask for it at the valuation.
How do you handle ponies, cattle and grazing?
We record the state of gates, fences and any cattle grid at check-in, and the welcome pack tells tenants not to feed or pet the animals, which a local order bans, and never to tip garden waste over the fence. Where the property carries rights of common, the tenancy says whether the tenant may use them.
What has the Renters' Rights Act changed for Forest landlords?
At the time of writing, assured tenancies in England are periodic, section 21 has gone, rent can rise once a year by section 13 notice and no more than one month's rent can be taken in advance. Possession needs a legal ground. We draw up agreements and notices to the current rules; this is not legal advice.
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Outstanding from start to finish
The apartment exceeded our expectations with its modern design and thoughtful touches throughout. Walking distance to both the seafront and shopping areas made it incredibly convenient. Clear instructions, responsive host. Would absolutely stay here again on our next visit to Bournemouth.
Modern, clean and superbly located
Lovely apartment in very close proximity to Bournemouth town centre and beach. Modern, very clean and well equipped. Onsite parking was a big plus, making it easy to explore the area. The host was very responsive and helpful throughout our stay.
Second stay, and we'll be back
Great apartment at a perfect location. Jack and the team were so easy to deal with. This is our second time at this apartment block and we'll definitely be returning. Clean, well-maintained, and had everything we needed for a comfortable stay.
Residents and guests of the furnished apartments we let and manage, in their own words, quoted as published. Each rating is the platform's own, read on the date shown. See every review
Letting agents nearby
- Ringwood
- New Milton
- Lymington
- Brockenhurst
- Christchurch
- Bournemouth
- Poole
- Southbourne
- Boscombe
- Westbourne
- Winton
- Charminster
- Letting agents: every area
Other services here: Property valuation in the New Forest, Selling your property in the New Forest
Ready to let or sell with Flexiestays?
Tell us about the property and we come back with a rent or price range, what it needs before it goes on the market and our fees in writing.