Chard Robinson Group has sold its award-winning letting agency, Accent Property, following a deal with UK lettings specialists ‘Leaders’.

Explaining the reasons behind the sale, group directors Stephen Chard and Neil Robinson said: “The 12 years we spent building the lettings and property management business proved both challenging and rewarding, with the underlying goal always to maintain and add value to our clients’ assets. Accent Property rode the economic storm well, with lettings in fact excelling, record rents achieved, and the company establishing itself as a recognised market leader in the toughly fought Cambridge lettings arena.

“In 2009, Accent Property was crowned Independent Letting Agency of the Year at the Negotiator Awards, a huge achievement. Elsewhere, however, the downturn meant that developers did stop building, lenders stopped lending, and the public stepped back to take stock of the situation. All of this served to limit what we could do with other key aspects of the Group’s business.

“Then in 2010, and with renewed optimism and opportunity having returned to the marketplace, we decided to dedicate more of our time and resources to further expanding the Group in other areas (namely our estate and block management company, Encore, and our property acquisition and investment vehicle, Chard Robinson Property Investment). So we set out on a search to find someone else with our same passion to take Accent Property forwards.”

Neil continues: “We chose Leaders because, like Accent Property, Leaders is 100% dedicated to lettings and has too become synonymous with the highest standard in residential property letting and management. Headed by Paul Weller, the Leaders brand and is now one of the largest, most successful lettings specialists in the UK, having bought and integrated some 35 businesses and portfolios into its operation since 2005.”

Very little else changes at Accent Property Management; all of the staff, under the expert guidance of branch manager Sarah Cox, will continue to manage client portfolios, and in fact benefit from the additional support on offer from Leaders’ head office.

And what next for Chard Robinson Group as it looks to the future? Stephen confirms: “Neil and I, along with the rest of the team, will be focusing on new residential property investment propositions coming to market. We will also be growing our estate management company, Encore, and continuing its expansion into the Midlands and London. There are some exciting developments being built in Cambridge over the next few years, and we’re already involved with developers on a number of them.

“Chard Robinson Group will still work closely with Accent Property - and Leaders - in general.”