Many people imagine the life of a relocation agent as a series of glamorous days where we accompany assignees to view luxury properties in the most sought-after areas of London, like Notting Hill and Mayfair. Nothing could be further from the truth…
Whilst we do accompany our assignees and clients to view properties, these properties are not always at the top end of the budget scale, as we are able to deal with every type of budget, from small to large. Neither are these rental properties or exclusively in Central London, as we cover absolutely every inch of London.
You might be surprised to learn that most of our work is done in the office, talking to assignees and clients on the phone, understanding their needs, answering their questions, doing research for them, feeding back information and suggestions to them, organising all the property viewings, school visits and coordinating the paperwork that will make our clients’ relocations a success.
To dispel the myths, let’s explore a typical day in the life of a Simply London team member:
- 8 o’clock: The day begins by putting the kettle on and making a nice cup of tea – with a biscuit to dip in of course.
- 8:05 – 10: Having already established Mr A’s lifestyle requirements – accommodation, location and budget, we conduct detailed research on areas that match his criteria.
- 10 – 12: Time is set aside in our diary to make phone enquiries with schools on behalf of Mr and Mrs H, who plan on sending their children to private school in London. The limited availability of places within London’s excellent private education system, and the imminent arrival of the family in London, means this is treated as a priority.
- 12 – 12:30: We will be having lunch together with the team members who are not out accompanying clients. Always a good opportunity to exchange as a team on our current clients, which challenges present themselves and how we intend to tackle them.
- 12:30 – 14:00: Having completed our research around Mr. A’s requirements, we prepare a bespoke document – which we will email to him – shortlisting the most suitable London neighbourhoods, including examples of potential properties. We plan to have a phone call with him two days later to receive his feedback, once he has had time to review what we sent him.
- 14:00 – 15:00: We call Mr and Mrs H to provide feedback about the enquiries we’ve made with the private schools we have shortlisted for them. Mr and Mrs H confirm with us which schools they want to apply for. We can begin offering assistance with the application process for schools that have places available – from completing the forms to delivering them to the school directly in that case.
- 15:00 – 16:00: We then contact our new clients Mr and Mrs F for an initial briefing where we establish their lifestyle & schooling requirements, prior to conducting the necessary research into suitable areas for London state schools, which they have indicated they would like to apply for. This is our chance to begin building a good rapport with this family, as we embark on their life-changing journey together. We plan to have another phone call a week later to discuss the suggestions we will have sent them by then.
- 16:00 – 18:00: We have a scheduled call with a potential new corporate client to discuss their requirements and how we can support these. They are delighted to hear that, not only can we support their assignee’s relocation with housing and schooling, but also with obtaining their UK visa and organising temporary accommodation. We prepare the outline of our services and fees following our discussion which we send over that same evening.
With so much to arrange for our clients, no two days are the same.
For example, 24 hours later we could be heading out into the field on property viewings and schools visits.
Whatever we have pencilled into our busy schedule, we do everything in our power to make assignees’ relocations a resounding success.
And we love every second of it!