FleetMilne reports a record month

FURTHER evidence that the residential property market is starting to pick up has come from Birmingham’s FleetMilne Residential which has reported its busiest month ever.

The Colmore Row-based firm saw a 25 per cent hike in lettings activity, making August the busiest month in its eight year history.

FleetMilne’s figures don’t only show a local appetite for lettings. The firm also reported a 100% increase in sales completions compared to the same period in 2011, whilst sales subject to contract are up 70% year on year.

Operations director Ben Evans said: “The demand for Birmingham properties is unprecedented. Despite gloomy forecasts on the negative impact of the Olympics and the traditional summer dip, our August figures are truly exceptional.”

News of FleetMilne’s record August follows the release of figures by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, which confirmed that the housing market held firm throughout the summer, despite predictions of a Olympic-fuelled slump.

However, the surge in summer activity has left its mark on FleetMilne’s stock levels. Evans said: “Demand is still voracious, and we’d urge prospective landlords or vendors to act quickly to capitalise on this.

“We have long been saying that both lenders and developers need to work together to step up activity and provide more quality housing, and following such a busy summer, the need has never been greater.”