new life lease of

Renting in retirement gives people a...

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of people choosing to rent in later life. According to research from Hamptons International, the number of older renters has risen by 61 per cent since 2012, and around a third are retirees. Girlings Retirement Rentals are the specialist letting agent for retirement property and most properties are available on assured or ‘lifetime’ tenancies, offering the same security of tenure as home ownership. Renting gives people the chance to right size to a more manageable property and it can be a great way to free up capital to fund retirement or spend on family. It also means no stamp duty to pay which can be a big saving. Choosing to move to a retirement development offers people a ready-made community where they can make friends and socialise. They can then just get on with enjoying their retirement. Barry and Pauline Jenkins are one couple who have been enjoying the benefits of renting in retirement since they moved back to the UK from Spain in June 2019. They are renting an apartment in Homecliffe House in Highcliffe-on-sea in Dorset through Girlings. The couple had lived in Spain for 22 years after taking early retirement. They spent their first five years there renovating a house in the mountains before moving to the coast near Malaga. Barry began to suffer from ill health last year and their family asked them to consider moving back to the UK as they were worried about them being so far away. Barry and Pauline decided that after a fabulous 22 years it was time to close one chapter and start a new one. The couple sold their Spanish home and looked for a property to rent in the UK. Barry explains, “We wanted to rent rather than buy because renting gives us the option of upping sticks and moving in about a month if we want to, whereas you never know how long it’s going to take to sell a property. Renting gives us that freedom of choice.” Barry and Pauline decided to move to Dorset where they have family. They researched rental properties on the internet, however it wasn’t just themselves they had to consider - they had to find a landlord prepared to take their two dogs, Sophie and Chica too. They found a lovely one bedroom apartment in Homecliffe House through Girlings and were relieved to discover they could take the dogs too. Within a couple of months, they had moved in. Pauline says, “Finding Girlings was a piece of luck, the apartment was the first one we saw that ticked all the boxes. Since moving in we’ve been very happy. Highcliffe-on-sea is a small town so we have everything we need close by and we’re only five minutes away from the sea. “We really enjoy the social side of living here too. We didn’t know anyone in the town apart from our family and living in a retirement development has been a great way to meet people. At the development there are regular social events like bingo, fish and chip suppers, charity nights and weekly coffee mornings which we enjoy going to - we’re both outgoing people and have made lots of good friends.” Pauline and Barry also appreciate the other aspects of living in a retirement development, such as the onsite manager and the guest suite for visiting relatives. They find it reassuring to have the emergency call system in the apartment too, particularly as Barry walks with crutches and sometimes worries about tripping over one of the dogs and falling! Barry says, “We took the flat on a six month contract to start with but are both so happy here that we don’t want to move again so we’ll change to an assured tenancy when it comes up for renewal. Homecliffe House is a wonderful place to live with a great atmosphere – and the social life is a real bonus!” Girlings has properties in retirement developments throughout the UK to suit all tastes and budgets. Most developments have communal lounges and gardens, and many organise weekly social activities such as coffee mornings, bingo and film nights which residents may opt to participate in. An onsite manager ensures the smooth day to day running of the development and there is a 24hour emergency careline in all apartments. The rent includes services and property maintenance.