Trio at the Top Strutt & Parker’s heads of lettings in South Kensington, Chelsea and Chelsea SW10 talk to CAMILLA APCAR about London, landlords and legislation From left: Alice Umfreville, Hugo James and Gabby Wilcken. Photography: Sarel Jansen
WHATEVER THE STATE of the market, and whatever the time of year – the summer season started in mid-May for Strutt & Parker – “when incredible, beautiful properties come on the market, there will always be people coming out of the woodwork to have a look,” says Alice Umfreville, who has served as head of the Chelsea lettings team in SW3 since she joined Strutt & Parker three years ago. “It doesn’t matter what is happening with the market, the houses at the high end will always get let,” agrees Gabby Wilcken, who has been with Strutt & Parker’s lettings department for nearly a decade. A former lettings progressor, she moved on to negotiating in the agent’s Fulham and Chelsea office before returning to the Chelsea SW10 office and becoming head of lettings there last year. About 18 months ago Strutt & Parker introduced an open boundary policy to its lettings offices, and has since been reaping the benefits. “As heads of offices, it’s so clear what an advantage it is. It has really improved the number and levels of transactions, and we’re able to work really well as
a team,” says Umfreville. Lettings at Strutt & Parker’s newest office in South Kensington is headed by Hugo James, who has come from a background in negotiating within the company. The office is opposite Christie’s auction house; Strutt & Parker is the only UK affiliate with Christie’s International Real Estate – a relationship that has just won International Affiliate of the Year Award. While all three areas enjoy a international base, each has its own distinctive demographic. South Kensington has a tight knit French community, with the Lycée School nearby; the Chelsea SW10 office finds a large proportion of Americans as well as Europeans; SW3 yields a large percentage of British families and landlords (“and even those who become landlords because they don’t want to let go of their family home although they might be moving out of town,” says Umfreville). Strutt & Parker’s accidental landlords have increased in the past year or so, often from those trying to sell but not receiving the desired offers, moving on to the lettings market instead. There have been a few occasions in which “We have