May
5
Launch of Citylets Report in Belfast
Filed Under Belfast Property News, Market News, Renting news by DanCookson | Leave a Comment
We were delighted with the response we have had from Media, Agents and Landlords to the first issue of our quarterly report into the private rented sector (PRS) in Belfast. Print, Radio and Online Media all covered the story (Irish Times and Belfast Telegraph) it seems our analysis meets a growing need for timely and accurate information on the expanding PRS in Northern Ireland.
Key headlines from the report which was published last week are an annual drop of 6.2% in average monthly rents in the first quarter of this year to £544. However, the average time it takes a landlord to let a property has come down significantly over the year, which suggests the over supply problems seen in some areas might be resolving themselves. For example, one-bed properties are now taking an average of 38 days to let, some 23 days less than a year ago.
Our map guide to the most and least expensive areas in Belfast was particularly popular:
Copies of the Belfast report can be downloaded here: Citylets Rental Report
Mar
26
Private Rented Sector expands in Northern Ireland
Filed Under Belfast Property News, Did you Know...?, Market News, Renting news by DanCookson | Leave a Comment
Citylets have been operating in Northern Ireland for more than two years. A relatively short period but one that has nonetheless seen dramatic changes in the property market. The downturn in sale prices has been both swift and severe as this chart from the recent NI Quarterly House Price Index shows:
The credit crunch has made it far tougher for first time buyers to get on the property ladder so they are tending to stay in the private rented sector (PRS) for longer. We have seen increased NI traffic on the Citylets network throughout this period and this increased interest in PRS has been backed up by the recent findings of the NI House Condition Survey 2009 which shows a continued increase in the number and proportion of privately rented dwellings in Northern Ireland. In 2006 approximately 12 per cent of all dwellings were in the private rented sector. By 2009, this had risen to more than 15 per cent. If vacant dwellings, which when last occupied were in the private rented sector are included, the figure rises to nearly 20%.
Citylets will be reporting on the detailed trends in the Belfast private rented sector in its forthcoming report.
Nov
7
Citylets celebrates in style
Filed Under Belfast Property News by admin | Leave a Comment
Last Friday, we toasted to the Northern Irish rental market by attending the sumptuous annual 2007 Belfast Go Awards. ‘Go’ is a publication similar to the Scottish magazine the List and hosts an annual dinner marking the achievements of local businesses with awards categories such as Restaurant of the Year, Independent Retailer of the Year, Pub of the Year etc.
Mark Crossey, our Northern Ireland business development manager, and Citylets MD Thomas Ashdown attended the awards dinner with clients and judging by the photos, I think a good time was had by all! The event underlined Citylets’ first year in Belfast and celebrated all the good results to date.
Nov
1
House goes haunting the streets of Belfast
Filed Under Belfast Property News by admin | Leave a Comment
Our Northern Ireland Business Development Manager, Mark Crossey decided to celebrate Halloween in a slightly different way this year – by dressing up as a ghoulish haunted house!
Mark covered Belfast city centre, encouraging people to avoid being ‘spooked out’ by their ‘nightmare’ of a rented property, while handing out sweets and flyers. He said, “It was a great day, and a lot of fun. We were simply trying to raise awareness of our brand in Belfast and wanted to do something that would get people talking.”
Mark took it all in his stride – he said, “The haunted house idea came up after a few drinks on a night out – little did I know at the time that I’d be going through with it a week later!” Conveniently, his girlfriend, a textiles graduate, was able to give him a hand with the costume – a transformed child’s wendy house.
Did you see Mark out and about yesterday?
Oct
31
Bigger in Belfast
Filed Under Belfast Property News, Blogroll by admin | Leave a Comment
As you may have already noted, our expansion into Belfast in Northern Ireland has been quietly gaining momentum over the past year or so. Our growth has precipitated the appointment of Mark Crossey as our new Business Development Manager for the region. A Belfast resident with a background in property development, Mark is ideally placed to manage our plans for the province.
The rental market is continuing to thrive in Belfast due to substantial price hikes in house sales in recent years, making renting a flat an ever more competitive alternative. Demand for rental units is high and already Citylets is becoming a major route to market after just one year.
Mark is more than happy to introduce Citylets to letting agents in the area – he said, “Advertising choice for rental agents in Northern Ireland has been limited over the years but now Citylets has arrived on the scene. It’s clear that the market in Scotland has been diverse and competitive – the product I’ve been asked to deliver here is well above what local agents are used to.”
We have been targeting the top letting agents in Belfast to try our property advertising, and we are proud to welcome the following agents:
Braemore (Belfast)
141 Lettings
Daniel McGeown & Co
Flat Rentals
BTW Shiells
Gerry O’Connor
Belvoir Lettings (East Belfast)
Belvoir Lettings (South Belfast)
Martin & Co (Belfast)
Eric Cairns Partnership
Remax Excel
Space Real Estate
Templeton Robinson
Steve Hewlett Associates
Mary Lloyd
The Rental Company
Ulster Property Sales
Rathmore Property Management
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