Property portal Rightmove recently published their happiest places to live index. It highlighted several happy hot spots in the South West. St Ives topped the list, along with Falmouth, Weymouth, Plymouth and Poole which made it into the top 20.
Rightmove uses ten factors ranging from how friendly the neighbours are and how good the local services are. They also include a sense of belonging and the quality of green spaces in the area to come up with their happiest places to live.
Girlings Retirement Rentals
Commenting on the index Jamie Turnbull at Girlings Retirement Rentals says the South West continues to be popular. It’s particularly popular for people to retire to, especially coastal towns in Dorset, Devon and Cornwall.
Jamie says, “The South West is a beautiful part of the country and somewhere people often dream about retiring to. As well as being friendly with lots of green space around, it’s also one of the sunniest places in the UK. However, this can make it expensive in some areas which can put off some retirees.
“More retired people are choosing to rent as a lifestyle choice. It enables them to free up capital if they own a home to enjoy spending on their retirement as well as no longer having to worry about maintaining a property, which can become harder as people get older.
“Renting can be an affordable way for people to move to some of the popular coastal resorts. For those retiring in 2021 considering relocating to the South West we offer apartments in several lovely retirement developments to suit all budgets.”
Living in Bournemouth
Girlings currently has a one bedroom apartment in St Peters Court in Bournemouth town centre. It’s within easy reach of the award winning sandy beaches and beautiful Bournemouth Gardens. This is £750 per calendar month on an assured tenancy, including service charges and maintenance.
Or there is a large one-bedroom apartment in Homepalms House in the popular Devon resort of Torquay. This apartment is undergoing a kitchen and bathroom refurbishment ready for people to move into early next year. The development is close to town centre amenities. There’s also the harbourside and yacht marina, which has waterside restaurants, a theatre and shopping. This is £695 per calendar month on an assured tenancy, including service charges and maintenance.
For those that want a bit of luxury in retirement, a two-bedroom apartment in the exclusive Sandbanks Road in Poole is a great option. Part of Girlings Diamond Collection, Sandbanks Road comprises 32 spacious and well-appointed apartments overlooking picturesque Poole Park. This is £2,735 per calendar month on an assured tenancy, including service charges and maintenance.
Retire to Dorset
One couple enjoying living by the sea in the South West are Barry and Pauline Jenkins. They moved into a retirement development in Highcliffe-on-Sea in Dorset close to family after returning from living in Spain.
Barry explains, “We wanted to rent rather than buy because renting gives us the option of upping sticks and moving in about a month if we decide to, whereas you never know how long it’s going to take to sell a property. Renting gives us that freedom of choice.”
“The apartment was the first one we saw that ticked all the boxes. Since moving in we’ve been very happy. Highcliffe-on-Sea is a small town so we have everything we need close by. Also we’re only five minutes away from the sea.
“We didn’t know anyone in the town apart from our family and living in a retirement development has been a great way to meet people. There are regular social events like bingo, fish and chip suppers, charity nights and weekly coffee mornings which we enjoy – we’re both outgoing people and have made lots of good friends.”
“We took the flat on a six month contract to start with but are both so happy here that we don’t want to move again so we’ll change to an assured tenancy when it comes up for renewal. Homecliffe House is a wonderful place to live with a great atmosphere – and the social life is a real bonus!”
About Girlings Retirement Rentals
Girlings Retirement Rentals is part of Places for People and deal exclusively with renting private retirement property to the 55+ market throughout the UK. Girlings has over 2,500 properties in 600 developments across the UK. The majority of its units are let on life long (assured) tenancy agreements, which allow tenants to stay in properties for as long as they wish, providing security of tenure. The services of the development and property maintenance are included in the monthly payments. Girlings properties are predominantly one bedroom apartments. Two bedroom apartments, studios, and a small number of bungalows and cottages are also available, all within purpose built retirement developments. Girlings is a member of the Association of Retirement Housing Managers (ARHM), the Association of Residential Lettings Agents (ARLA)).
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