THE keys have changed hands, but it’s business as usual for one Winchester office.

Property management firm Martin & Co Winchester has recently seen a change of ownership.

Julian Bessey has now taken over the franchise on Jewry Street, having managed his own local portfolio for the past 10 years.

Mr Bessey believes being a Winchester man himself means he understands the market perfectly.

“I can’t think of a better place or time to run a lettings business. Knowing the ever-growing demand for rented property and landlords and tenants’ needs for a high quality service convinced me that this was the right business for me.

“Winchester is the second highest house price region after London, so there is an obvious lack of affordable property in the area. Coupled with this, the so called ‘generation rent’, means more people are increasingly choosing rental flexibility, so demand for good rental property continues to grow. When the Winchester franchise became available I knew it was meant to be.”

Since opening its doors in 2007, Martin & Co has also offered free advice to investors and property owners and recently extended its services to include a dedicated sales department.