Plymouth Homes Lettings Wins the ESTAs for the Third Year in a Row

Lettings Blog

In April 2018, Plymouth Homes Lettings was honoured to be chosen to win the ESTAs for the third year in a row.

In April 2018, Plymouth Homes Lettings was honoured to be chosen to win the ESTAs for the third year in a row. Plymouth Homes Lettings was voted best in the South West by both tenants and landlords, bringing home the Gold award in both categories.

Best Foot Forward

The famous NFL coach Vince Lombardi once said: “Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all time thing. You don’t win once in a while, you don’t do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time.”

That is what characterises the Plymouth Homes Lettings approach. They don't just put their best foot forward to win awards, it is built into their whole attitude. Director of Plymouth Homes Lettings, Jacqui Courtier says that there is no secret formula to their success: 

“At the heart of our business is one philosophy: what we do is not about property, it is about people. If we look after the interests of the people, tenants as well as landlords, then the property management follows naturally.” 

Integrity, Transparency and Quality

Plymouth Homes Lettings is committed to driving standards up in the private rented sector. That is why they apply the principles of integrity, transparency and quality throughout their company. It is embodied by every member of their team and in all their dealings with clients. 

How it all Began

The story began in 2014, just one year after Plymouth Homes Lettings was created, when they decided to enter the ESTAs, the only competition that judges the quality of a lettings agency via the customers who use their services. Lettings Director Jacqui Courtier and Company Director Ian Mitchell decided that the competition was a good way to prove to the public that the unique Plymouth Homes Lettings approach is valued by tenants and landlords alike. 

Any agency can claim to be the best, and many do, but The ESTAS are awarded impartially. Based on votes and feedback from clients, winning would be a clear way to demonstrate the quality of service that Plymouth Homes Lettings provides.

The challenge was set.

Excellence Through Hard Work

“If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude.” Colin Powell

Their hard work paid off and, as a result, Plymouth Homes Lettings won Devon’s Best Agent in 2015 for not only Best Landlord Agent, but also Devon’s Best Agent for Tenants. 

In 2016, Jacqui and Ian were keen to repeat their success. They realised that winning the ESTAs was clear proof of the quality of Jacqui's lettings team. Jacqui says: 

“The team deserved recognition for all of their hard work, so I decided that in 2016 it was time to enter again.” 

This time, the Plymouth Homes Lettings team was awarded Best Agent in the South West for Landlords, and Best Agent in the South West for Tenants. In addition, they also won the Silver Award for the Best Tenant office in the whole of the UK.

In 2017 they entered once more and, to their delight, Plymouth Homes Lettings scooped the ESTAs for Best Agent in the South West for Landlords and Best Agent in the South West for Tenants.

Incredibly Proud

Jacqui and Ian are incredibly proud of the Lettings team's achievements. Particularly as it was achieved in such a short space of time. The lettings side of the Plymouth Homes brand had only been created in April 2014. To be recognised in such a short space of time for outstanding service and commitment was a true endorsement of Jacqui's “people first” approach. The Private Rented sector had previously suffered from a negative public perception for less than professional behaviour. Reputable agencies had become tainted by this perception and it was an industry-wide concern. 

Jacqui's approach was to define Plymouth Homes Lettings as a model of professional behaviour right from the start. As she says:

“The industry needed agencies to take ownership of the reputation. Every good agency could be a model for professionalism. We decided that the best way we could do that was through leading by example.”

The ESTAs are the Top Industry Awards


The ESTAs Awards take place every year at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London when the country’s favourite property expert Phil Spencer announces the winners in front of 1,000 of the United Kingdom’s top property professionals. 

Spencer says “I think it says a great deal about any firm who takes part in The ESTAS. They care about their reputation, they care about their customers and they care about their business. Taking part sets companies apart from their competitors. It sends a clear message that they are passionate about customer service, prepared to go that extra mile for their clients and keen to listen to feedback.”

Lettings Director Jacqui Courtier says “We take our levels of customer service very seriously because we know clients have a choice.  We have always been very proud of the personal service we provide and this is a great way to demonstrate how good we really are.”

Putting People First


Jacqui, believes that the lettings business is not about property, its all about the people. 

“Whether they are experienced landlords or tenants, or are completely new to the market place, we have to look after them all equally well” she muses.

“To be recognised as one of the best, you have to have a balance of professional knowledge, honesty and compassion. Prioritising these simple skills and always doing the right thing has meant that our customers and clients feel safe and secure in our management.”

2018 is clearly a landmark year for Plymouth Homes Lettings. When Jacqui and Ian stood once again on that glamorous stage in London's Grosvenor House Hotel and were handed the Gold award in both categories by Phil Spencer, they must have felt the full significance of what it meant. 

The Best Lettings Agency in Plymouth


Winning the ESTAs for the third year in a row is a remarkable achievement for any lettings agency in the UK, but for one that is just 4 years old, it can only be seen as a unique endorsement of Jacqui Courtier's “people first” approach. 

In typical fashion though, Jacqui is not thinking about their victory first. She is keen to acknowledge that there are very beneficial effects of awards like the ESTAs on the Private Rented industry. She believes that awards which genuinely prioritise customer experience to measure quality, such as the ESTAs, will raise standards in the entire sector as a consequence. 

In any case, winning the ESTAs in 2018 proves that the future for this young Plymouth-based lettings agency is as bright as the sunlight glinting off the sea in Plymouth Sound on a hot summer's day.  

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This information is provided by Plymouth Homes Lettings to give you useful information and guidance. It is not meant to cover everything and if you are unsure of anything, we encourage you to discuss it with us directly.

Plymouth Homes Lettings provide various services for tenants and landlords. For more information feel free to pop into the office or give us a call on 01752 772846 (option 2) where you will receive a friendly and professional discussion.
Plymouth Homes Lettings

Plymouth Homes Lettings is the city's top lettings agency. We provide services for both landlords and tenants.

For landlords we provide A Rent Paid...Guaranteed Service.

This is our most popular service with landlords who choose Plymouth Homes. They know that during the term of the tenancy the rent will be paid on a set date every month.

We also provide a Tenant Find service.

Customer Tenants if you are looking for a home to rent in Plymouth and surrounding areas, then you can be rest assured that you and your requirements will be met to the very best of our ability. We do not charge unnecessary fees for signing a new tenancy agreement, neither do we charge you check in fees or check out fees, we want you to enjoy your home and the fact that we look after you and your maintenance needs.

We are experienced landlords and a fully licensed company, we know and understand that your custom is our livelihood, so we take care to make sure you are happy.

As customer tenants there is only one referencing fee when applying for a tenancy.

We check you in and you have a professional inventory and access to our bespoke on line communication system Posidacious, that has a real time speed up effect on maintenance issues. We also carry out maintenance inspections to ensure your home is well maintained.

Our business is based on transparency, honesty and friendly reputation. For more information, call 01752 772846 option 2.