The Northern Powerhouse - Ascend Properties acquires yet another business

Hot on the heels of their recent acquisition of NW Estates, Ascend Properties has wasted no time at all in keeping up with the current flurry of M&A activity in the estate and letting agency space, today announcing their purchase of Rent Smart UK. The deal for the North Manchester based lettings agency was completed on 1st March. 

Ascend Properties have ambitions to operate up to a total of ten estate and letting agency branches within three years and are evidently fulfilling this aspiration quickly. 

The acquired Rent Smart UK business has 240 buy-to-let properties in its management portfolio and will retain its name and its staff, including Director Melanie Hughes, who will continue to manage the office day to day alongside the Ascend management team. 

As with all of Ascend’s acquisitions, Rent Smart UK will now benefit from the support of their larger parent company boosting marketing, technology, finances and profile.  

Ged McPartlin, Managing Director of Ascend Properties says 

We’re quickly acting on our ambitions to expand our sales, lettings and management reach across the North of England and we’d still love to hear from smaller independents that would be interested in a sale or a collaboration. 

As you can see, we don’t seek to simply sweep in and change everything and generally want to maintain existing brands and certainly the people and we want to work with businesses that are already well regarded in their areas. Ascend can then add our own expertise and significant resources and ‘super-charge’ these acquisitions to even greater success.