Property management in Southbourne
Full management for Southbourne family houses and Overcliff flats: inspections, gardens, repairs, compliance and long tenancies looked after, for landlords who live away or would rather not take the calls.
- 4.9/5 ★★★★★ 786 reviews
- 130 properties managed
- Since 2018 letting in Bournemouth
Property management in Southbourne is for landlords whose tenants stay for years and whose houses need looking after while they do. We collect the rent, inspect, arrange repairs with local contractors, keep the certificates current and review the rent fairly each year, so a family house near the Grove or a flat on the Overcliff stays legal, let and in good order. The full service is on our property management page.
What managing a Southbourne let involves
Older houses. Edwardian and interwar homes need roofs, chimneys, gutters, windows and drains watched. We note them at each inspection and get quotes before anything becomes urgent.
Gardens. Southbourne lets are often family houses with gardens. Fences, trees and gates are usually the landlord's, and a secure garden matters to tenants with dogs and children.
Overcliff flats. Salt wind and rain wear windows, balconies and render. Communal repairs go through the management company, which we chase on your behalf.
Contractors. Local plumbers, electricians, roofers and gardeners we know, with every job above the agreed limit quoted to you first.
Keeping the let compliant
The annual gas safety check, the electrical report at least every five years, working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, an EPC of E or better at the time of writing, deposit protection and Right to Rent checks. We renew each one before it lapses and keep the records together. Our landlord legal checklist lists them.
Long tenancies under the Renters' Rights Act
At the time of writing, every assured tenancy is periodic, section 21 is gone, a tenant can leave on two months' notice, and rent can rise once a year by section 13 notice. In Southbourne, where tenants stay, that makes the annual review and the condition record the two things to get right. We recommend a rent that keeps a good tenant, and keep every inspection report and repair invoice in case a possession ground is ever needed. See rent increases and arrears. This is general information, not legal advice.
Licensing, pets and the rest
Most Southbourne lets are single families, so HMO licensing is rarely needed, but a house shared by five or more people in two or more households needs a mandatory licence from BCP Council, and we check the address before a share is let. Pets are common, and the inventory and inspections are how we manage the wear.
Other services in Southbourne
Letting agents in Southbourne covers tenant find and rent collection. A furnished house can be let for a month or more through long term lets in Southbourne, and a holiday home through winter lets in Southbourne. If you are thinking of selling, start with property valuation in Southbourne or selling your property in Southbourne. The town-wide service is property management in Bournemouth, and the Southbourne area page describes the neighbourhood.
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.
Managing a Southbourne let is managing a long tenancy. Families here stay for years, so the work is less about changeovers and more about keeping a house in good order while someone lives in it: the boiler serviced, the garden fence standing, the gutters clear, the rent reviewed fairly once a year.
The housing sets the jobs. Edwardian and interwar houses need roofs, chimneys, windows and drainage watched; bungalows towards Tuckton and Hengistbury Head have large gardens and older heating; Overcliff blocks face salt wind and rain, which wears windows and balconies, and their communal repairs go through a management company.
Many tenants keep a dog, and the beach east of Fisherman's Walk is the reason. That means a careful inventory, a garden that stays secure and a clear record of condition. At the time of writing, the Renters' Rights Act has made tenancies periodic and removed section 21, so inspection reports and repair records matter more than they used to.
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 fullProperty management in Southbourne: questions
What does full management include for a Southbourne house?
Rent collection and arrears, regular inspections with photographs, repairs through local contractors with your approval above an agreed limit, gas and electrical certificate renewals, alarm checks, the annual rent review and every call from the tenant. Fees are confirmed in writing before you instruct us.
Who maintains the garden in a managed Southbourne let?
The tenancy says so. Usually the tenant keeps lawns and borders tidy, and the landlord is responsible for trees, fences, walls and anything structural. We check the garden at each inspection and arrange tree or fencing work when it is needed, with your approval.
How do you handle wear from a tenant's dog?
Through the inventory and the inspections. We record floors, doors and the garden in detail at the start, look at them at each visit, and deal with any damage beyond fair wear at the end of the tenancy from the deposit, which stays within the five-week cap at the time of writing.
Who repairs the windows in an Overcliff flat?
It depends on the lease. In many blocks the windows and balconies are the management company's responsibility, paid through the service charge; in others they belong to the flat. We read the lease, report communal problems to the managing agent and repair your own parts.
How do rent increases work for a Southbourne tenancy?
At the time of writing, rent can rise once a year by a section 13 notice with two months' notice, and the tenant can challenge it at a tribunal. We review the rent against the local market each year and recommend a figure that keeps a good tenant. This is not legal advice.
Can you take over my existing Southbourne let?
Yes. We check the tenancy agreement, the deposit protection and prescribed information, the certificates and the inventory, put right anything missing, introduce ourselves to the tenant and take over from an agreed date.
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
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- Property management: every area
Other services here: Letting agents in Southbourne, Long term lets in Southbourne, Property valuation in Southbourne, Selling your property in Southbourne, Winter lets in Southbourne
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.