My Property Box has merged with Sandersons Lettings, enabling it to significantly expand its portfolio of locally rented homes.
The merger allows the independent Darlington letting agent to grow its footprint substantially within the North East region.
As part of the agreement, the Sandersons office in Duke Street, Darlington, has closed, with three members of staff transferring to the My Property Box premises in Grange Road.
Ben Quaintrell, founder and Managing Director of My Property Box, began his career with Sandersons Lettings. Joining straight from university in 2003, he worked there for eight years under the guidance of Director Gordon Catterick.
Ben said: “The inclusion of Sandersons Lettings, which is an experienced and highly-reputable letting agency, is significant for My Property Box, which was founded just seven years ago.
“In that time, My Property Box has grown its customer base thanks to an innovative approach which embraces digital marketing and technology to streamline and improve the whole lettings process.
“I wish to reassure all those landlords and tenants that have transferred from Sandersons Lettings that they will continue to receive an exceptional service.
“I’d also like to thank Gordon Catterick for providing me with my first job and equipping me with the necessary skills and knowledge of the lettings industry that enabled me to start my own business.
“This deal is special both on a personal and business level. It’s a privilege to incorporate the business which gave me my start in the profession into My Property Box.
Gordon Catterick, Director of Sandersons Lettings, said: “Sandersons Lettings was created more than 25 years ago from the estate agency Sanderson Townend & Gilbert, which itself was in business for more than 150 years.
“It was founded on the principles of providing the very best of professional advice, an ethos continued by Sandersons Lettings – a fact reflected in the loyalty of its clients and the professionalism of its staff, something I’m sure that will continue under the banner of My Property Box.”
The announcement follows Mr Property Box’s recent takeover of Holt Estate Agents, which formerly had an office in Thornaby.
My Property Box has created a bespoke digital platform for landlords and also allows them to access contract forms via a smartphone as well as being able to photograph and submit required documents easily and efficiently.
Tenants also benefit from in-house application software ‘AppTrack’ which allows employment and landlord references, ID checks and credit checks to be gathered more efficiently, reducing the completion process.