Stags assist in transforming long term rental

Stags Residential Lettings Department in Honiton have been looking after, and managing, The Old Parsonage Bungalow for the landlords who have lived overseas, for over 15 years.

Originally a detached, timber framed, two-bedroom bungalow, the previous tenant had lived in The Old Parsonage Bungalow with her husband for over 30 years.

Unfortunately, in December 2021 the bungalow became empty and, following the final inspection, the landlords had a difficult decision to make. Do they totally renovate the existing bungalow, clear the site and sell the land, or do they clear the site and replace the bungalow with a new build?

Claire Staniforth suggested that they speak with the Stags planning team and, with the assistance of Alister Smith, associate partner and head of planning and design, Stags advised the landlords of their options. Following their consultation, the landlords decided that they wanted to retain the site but replace the timber bungalow with a new build using The Wee House Company based in Scotland for the replacement dwelling.

With the landlords being based overseas, Alister and his team assisted with the planning applications as well as dealing with the local councils and The Wee House Co. The Stags planning team prepared and submitted the planning application, which involved dealing with the potential for a Community Infrastructure Levy. This was minimised as it was possible to offset the new floor area against the existing. After addressing a couple of follow queries from the council, planning consent was secured and the Stags team then worked with The Wee House Co to secure building regulations approval which enabled the development to proceed.

Claire Staniforth, associate and Honiton lettings manager, oversaw the management of the project for the landlords and liaised with everyone involved. Claire looked after all the works including liaising with the landscapers and builders, removal of the utility supplies, demolition of the existing building, erection of the new build, followed by the final walk around with the contractor prior to them leaving the site.

The whole process has taken around a year with the property being signed off by the council in November 2023.

The Old Parsonage Bungalow is now a modern detached bungalow, finished to a very high standard, with a lovely entrance porch, open plan living area with woodburner and fitted kitchen, two good sized bedrooms and a modern bathroom.

The bungalow was launched back onto the rental market and, following an afternoon of block viewings, the property was under application within a week of being remarketed.

Our landlords were so thankful for the assistance of everyone involved at Stags and have said:

“The redevelopment of The Old Parsonage Bungalow would not have happened without the assistance of the whole Stags team.

Stags have been our property managers for many years, and when the long-term tenant at the bungalow passed away, Stags at that time were most considerate of her needs as she aged. On then deciding what to do with the property, it helped to have Stags look at the value and from that we decided best to demolish and rebuild. We luckily found The Wee House Co who provided the perfect service for our needs and were happy to work closely with Stags.

The Stags team in Exeter provided all the information and guided us through the planning process whilst a local firm demolished the old structure. The next part of the process took a good while as we were on a waiting list for a wee house, all the time Claire kept an eye on the property and managed any issues on our behalf.

The house finally arrived and many local craftspeople then became involved with the finishing, all coordinated by Claire at Stags. We are very grateful to all concerned, it has turned out to be the most perfect ‘wee’ house.”

As a firm, Stags work closely between departments and offices offering a range of services from sales and lettings to planning and design and professional services to machinery and equipment sales.

For more information on how Stags can help you, head to our website stags.co.uk

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