Letting agents in Southbourne
Tenant find, rent collection and fully managed lettings for Southbourne landlords: family houses near the Grove and Overcliff flats, let to tenants who want a school, a garden and the beach, and who tend to stay.
- 4.9/5 ★★★★★ 786 reviews
- 130 properties managed
- Since 2018 letting in Bournemouth
Flexie Estate Agents lets and manages family houses and flats for Southbourne landlords. The tenants here are mostly families, couples and dog owners who choose BH6 on purpose and stay, so the job is less about filling a gap quickly and more about choosing the right household for a long tenancy. You choose tenant find, rent collection or fully managed, and the fee is agreed in writing first. The service as a whole is on our letting agents page.
What lets in Southbourne
- Three-bedroom houses either side of Southbourne Grove. Edwardian and interwar semis with gardens. The strongest demand in the area, from families who want a school and the shops on foot.
- Bungalows towards Tuckton and Hengistbury Head. Older tenants and families with young children, who want a level home and a driveway.
- Overcliff flats. Purpose-built blocks along Southbourne Overcliff Drive with lifts and views across the bay. Couples and older professionals take them for years.
- Flats in converted houses. One and two-bedroom flats near the Grove, for single professionals and couples, often with a hospital job a short drive north.
How we let a Southbourne home
Valuation. We visit, read the lease if there is one, check the EPC and the garden, and give you a rent range with the reasons. The instant rent estimate gives a first figure online.
Marketing. Photographs of the garden, the parking and the walk to the Grove or the clifftop as well as the rooms, a floor plan, the portals and our registered tenants.
Choosing the tenant. Referencing on identity, Right to Rent, credit, income and a previous landlord, with a guarantor where needed. For a family house we also talk through pets, the garden and how long they hope to stay.
Move in. A tenancy written to the Renters' Rights Act, the deposit protected within 30 days, the How to Rent guide, certificates and a photographed inventory that includes the garden.
Rules a Southbourne landlord should know
Every let needs a gas safety certificate where there is gas, an electrical report no more than five years old, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, an EPC of E or better at the time of writing, and Right to Rent checks. At the time of writing, tenancies are periodic, section 21 has gone and rent rises once a year by section 13 notice. Our landlord legal checklist and guide to the Renters' Rights Act for landlords explain each point. This is general information, not legal advice.
Management, furnished stays and selling
Many Southbourne landlords live away and choose property management in Southbourne, which adds inspections, repairs and the garden questions. A furnished house can instead be let for a month or more to people between homes through long term lets in Southbourne, and a holiday home can earn from November to March through winter lets in Southbourne. If you are deciding whether to keep the house at all, property valuation in Southbourne gives a rental and a sales figure, and selling your property in Southbourne explains the sale.
More on the area is on the Southbourne area page, and the town-wide service is letting agents in Bournemouth.
The Southbourne property market
Southbourne is Bournemouth's family suburb by the sea: Edwardian and interwar houses either side of an independent high street, with flats along the Overcliff and a long beach below. Tenants stay for years, houses with gardens and parking are scarce, and buyers come for the schools, the Grove and a beach that dogs can use all year.
Southbourne lets to people who plan to stay. Families take three-bedroom houses either side of Southbourne Grove for the schools, the gardens and the beach; couples and older tenants take Overcliff flats for the view and the lift; dog owners come for the stretch of sand east of Fisherman's Walk that stays open to dogs all year. Turnover is lower than in Boscombe or the town centre, and a good tenant here often renews for years.
Three local points shape a Southbourne let.
Pets. Many applicants have a dog. At the time of writing, the Renters' Rights Act lets a tenant ask to keep a pet and a landlord must not unreasonably refuse, so decide your approach before the listing goes live.
Gardens and parking. A garden needs a clear maintenance arrangement in the tenancy, and on-street parking rules vary road by road near the Grove and the clifftop.
Leases. Overcliff blocks are leasehold, and some leases restrict letting or require consent.
Who rents and buys in Southbourne
- Families who want space and schools. Three-bedroom houses with gardens and parking near the Grove let to families who stay for years and sell to families moving up or relocating to the coast. Tenants here rarely want a short let; they want a home near a school.
- Dog owners. The beach east of Fisherman's Walk is open to dogs when BCP Council's main beaches exclude them from 1 May to 30 September. Tenants and buyers with dogs look at Southbourne first, and an enclosed garden makes a house stand out.
- Downsizers and second-home buyers. Overcliff flats with a lift and a view across Poole Bay to the Isle of Wight sell to retirees and to buyers from London and the Home Counties, who want the quiet end of the bay rather than the town centre.
- Hospital staff and people between homes. The Royal Bournemouth Hospital is a short drive north, so clinical staff on longer contracts rent here, and local households between a sale and a purchase, or rebuilding a house nearby, take furnished homes for a few months.
Let furnished, from 28 nights, all year round.
A furnished flat in Southbourne 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 Southbourne, step by step
A free valuation
We visit, read the lease and the certificates, and give you a rent range for the property in Southbourne 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 Southbourne: questions
Who rents houses in Southbourne?
Mainly families who want a garden, parking and a school within walking distance, followed by couples, older tenants who want an Overcliff flat, and clinical staff from the Royal Bournemouth Hospital, a short drive north. Many have a dog. They tend to stay for years, which suits a landlord who wants a long tenancy.
Should I accept a tenant with a dog in Southbourne?
It widens your market a great deal here, because the beach east of Fisherman's Walk is open to dogs all year. At the time of writing a tenant can ask to keep a pet and you must not unreasonably refuse. The deposit stays within the five-week cap, so a clear inventory matters.
Who looks after the garden in a Southbourne let?
That is agreed in the tenancy. Usually the tenant keeps the garden tidy and the landlord handles trees, fences and anything structural. We write it down clearly and photograph the garden in the inventory, so there is no argument at the end of the tenancy.
How quickly do Southbourne houses let?
Family houses with a garden and parking are in demand and rarely sit empty for long when priced correctly, but we do not promise a number of days. Overcliff flats depend more on the view and the service charge. We give a realistic timescale after a visit.
Do Southbourne lets need an HMO licence?
Rarely, because most lets here are to single families. A house shared by five or more people in two or more households needs a mandatory licence from BCP Council, and smaller shares may need one where additional licensing applies at the time of writing. We check the address before marketing.
What do your letting services in Southbourne include?
Tenant find covers marketing, viewings, referencing, Right to Rent checks, the agreement and the deposit. Rent collection adds monthly collection and arrears chasing. Fully managed adds inspections, repairs, certificate renewals and every call from the tenant. Fees are confirmed in writing before you instruct us.
Rated 4.9 on Google
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
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- Christchurch
- Mudeford
- Bournemouth
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- Westbourne
- Winton
- Charminster
- Alum Chine
- Moordown
- Kinson
- Tuckton
- Letting agents: every area
Other services here: Long term lets in Southbourne, Property management in Southbourne, Property valuation in Southbourne, Selling your property in Southbourne, Winter lets in Southbourne
What is your property worth to let or to sell?
A free, no obligation valuation from a local team that knows what each street lets and sells for. For a quick figure first, the instant rent estimate takes under a minute.