Letting agent support services firms announce merger

Lincoln-based Barbon Insurance Group, which trades as HomeLet and Rentshield Direct, has merged with letting agency support services firm Let Alliance.

The new firm will be called Barbon Holdings, but the businesses will continue to trade separately under their respective brands.

Martin Totty remains as group chief executive of Barbon Holdings Limited and Andy Halstead maintains his role as chief executive at Let Alliance. As part of the merger, Halstead will also assume an executive director position on the Barbon Group board.

Totty said: “Bringing the two organisations together will enable an increased investment into technology and product innovation, generating incremental income or lowering operating expenses. It is a prerequisite that we will constantly look for opportunities to develop our proposition and enhance our customers’ businesses.”

Halstead said: “The merger allows us to focus all our combined resources on further developing our proposition for customers. We are ‘fit for the future’ and have the financial strength to deliver exactly what our customers need. The world just got a whole lot better for letting agents: the next phase of our journey together will be exciting and seriously valuable for customers.

“The merger gives us access to resources that we could only dream of as an independent and it gives us the scope to carry on as Let Alliance and remain true to our values and customer commitments.”

Barbon Holdings is majority-owned by The Carlyle Group, the international alternative asset investor.