London property specialists since 1958

Starting out in the mid nineteen fifties as the brainchild of two London property visionaries, Benham and Reeves is still run today as an independent lettings and sales agent operating from 21 prominently located branches across London. The company also has 14 international offices in China, Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Middle East, Pakistan, Qatar, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and Turkey where many of our investor clients reside.

We put people first

That's our philosophy. It means that we are constantly looking to make what we do more helpful and profitable for all our clients. Occasionally it means that we have to sacrifice our own margin, but it has been our ethos for more than 60 years, and our clients assure us that it is why they come back to us again and again. We appreciate this sounds a little warm and fuzzy without detail to back it up. So here's what it means in practice:

For a start, it means creating the right framework for anyone who wants to buy a property in London. As our particular specialism is property investment for rental investors, this means that properties need to be right for tenants, so if investors receive an advisory service from us first, this will involve:

• Offering advice before individuals have even bought their first property. We also pride ourselves on our local knowledge and can advise local homeowners who wish to sell or let their homes. We meet individually and at our own complimentary seminars held around the globe, advising on the best areas to buy, the likelihood of achieving high rental income against potential capital growth, and the most tax-efficient way to do so. This advice is not driven by commission, but by the opportunity to develop long-term relationships with investors based entirely on transparency and trust.
• Organising the furnishing and renovation of a property at a competitive price in a style guaranteed to maximise the value of the property and the rental… and fast! Our own interiors team can furnish a flat in 48 hours if need be and all trades are held in-house and not sub-contracted.
• Taking every effort to find suitable, long-term tenants. There are standard checks and then there are our checks. Our vetting criteria is tough, but it works, ensuring that our landlords are protected from non-paying tenants, illegal sublets and from falling foul of HMO regulations.
• Employing an 18 strong team of property managers in London who act swiftly and economically to rectify any defects in our landlords’ properties thus keeping several hundred tenants happy at any one time.
• Running offices in China, Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Middle East, Pakistan, Qatar, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and Turkey with locally employed, multi-lingual staff. Landlords can speak to us in their language in their time, leaving our teams to liaise with London.
• Having an in-house marketing department plus a dedicated web team and in-house photographer. This enables us to provide an instant response for the marketing of properties via multiple media platforms.
• Completing landlords' tax returns on their behalf.

So that's the landlords, but tenants matter equally, which is why we also strive to:

• Understand their needs and timescales often before their property search begins.
• Contact them only with suitable properties, rather than bombarding them with irrelevant mailshots.
• Be available to show them properties at short notice, at evening and on Saturdays.
• Ensure that if they are the right tenant for the right property then we will move fast. We have successfully moved a new tenant into a rental apartment within six hours of her contacting us.
• Make the signing-up process easy (eg using electronic signatures) and financial transfers hassle-free.
• Be available to answer questions and fix problems in managed properties throughout the working week and our out of hours service.

Our status as founder members of the ARLA Propertymark (the Association of Residential Letting Agents) and the NAEA Propertymark (the National Association of Estate Agents) combined with our other memberships ensures an approach that is transparent, professional and thorough.

Fully committed to excellence at all levels while still maintaining a family-friendly atmosphere, our Directors can be found working closely on a daily basis with the various departments. Visiting international offices, meeting clients’ face-to-face and hosting regular investor events is all part of their hands-on approach to business development.