Virtual Viewing during an Ice Hockey match in Canada
Chiltern Relocation particularly enjoyed a recent rental search for a family based in Canada. Moving to the UK in the summer they were keen to secure a rental in Andover but given current restrictions and the infeasibility to view in person the family asked Chiltern Relocation to find their new UK family home on their behalf.
The rental market is particularly squeezed at the moment given the lack of current supply due to many factors (see our blog from last week) and competition for family homes is high. Our clients were keen to secure a family home with 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a garage (for all their ice hockey equipment) and a good-sized garden for their 3 sons. Proximity to Planet Ice – the Basingstoke ice rink – was one of the key requirements for this ice hockey mad family. They also had a dog and a cat. Landlords and pets do not usually go hand in paw, so this added requirement would mean that rental pickings would be slim.
A rental matching all their needs came to the market and we appreciated that there would be a lot of interest in this particular house. We sent the family the details and they were keen to secure the property following a successful viewing – in which they would take part remotely. Given the time difference it was arranged for Chiltern Relocation to view the property on Saturday lunchtime when it was 8.30am in Canada. The family would be at the ice rink where their oldest sons were training. The couple joined Chiltern Relocation via Facetime to ‘walk round’ the house. We were able to angle the camera to any areas they wished to view and once they had seen the house a quick conversation with us in the garden followed to confirm that they wanted to offer immediately on the rental.
The difficult part was the four other interested parties in the rental as we were one of many viewings that morning. The landlord was present for the viewings as he was keen to meet potential new tenants. One viewing followed ours and we were anxious that the landlord would also be able to ‘meet’ our clients. The landlord kindly agreed to Facetime the couple once they had left the ice rink and between more viewings. Fortunately, they enjoyed an excellent conversation and the landlord was open to pets. This, coupled with the fact they wished to lock in a three-year agreement, secured the deal!
We were thrilled that the landlord accepted their offer and our Canadian family are eagerly awaiting their UK adventure – close to the ice action!
