Lang Town & Country Lettings is celebrating its milestone 25th anniversary in 2022.
The year 1997 was notable for a number of reasons:
- The world lost the irreplaceable Princess Diana.
- Scientists successfully cloned a sheep named Dolly.
- Titanic was released in cinemas.
- NASA’s Pathfinder lander and rover arrived on Mars
- The Lion King musical made its Broadway debut.
Here in Plymouth, 1997 also marked the official launch of Town & Country Lettings.
Starting Town & Country Lettings
Richard Rabin and Chris Forrest started Town & Country Lettings that August, before moving to a new office on North Hill the following year.
For the last quarter-of-a-century, Richard and his dedicated team have worked hard to establish themselves as the leading letting agents in Plymouth.
The firm expanded into property sales in 2011 with the creation of Town & Country Estate Agents, founded by Richard and fellow director Tracy Brady.
Merging to create Lang Town & Country
Perhaps the most significant point in the timeline came on May 26, 2015.
For that was the date that Town & Country Lettings joined forces with another of the city’s most-respected firms, Lang & Co.
The merger defined a new era in estate agency, bringing together a hugely experienced team of directors and staff to create Lang Town & Country.
Richard said at the time: “We are two like-minded property companies with a great history between us, providing expert advice in both estate agency and lettings.
“With the joining of our two companies, we can offer our clients even more choice and appeal to a new and larger market while still maintaining our personal service which has created the companies that we are today.”
Establishing an award-winning company
Fast forward seven years, and Lang Town & Country has become the top-performing letting agent in Plymouth in 2022 for the fourth year in a row.
The company has four departments in Plymouth, but the main lettings operation is based in the Mannamead Road headquarters.
This year also saw the team win another major accolade at the Best Estate Agent Guide Awards 2022, receiving an Excellent Rating for Lettings for the third year in a row.
Richard and Sarah Rabin travelled to London on Wednesday 21 September to collect our accolade in person during a prestigious ceremony at Evolution in Battersea Park.
Richard said: “Each year, these awards follow a rigorous and independent assessment. Our unrivalled customer service is what truly sets us apart from the competition.
“To us, though, it’s not just about the number of houses we let. Our clients’ needs will always be at the forefront of everything we do.
“We pride ourselves on our integrity, reliability and responsibility when dealing with your most prized asset – your home. We are thrilled to have been recognised as among the best estate and letting agents in the country.”
Adapting to changes in the property market
The coronavirus pandemic presented property agents with undoubtedly the biggest test they have ever faced.
When the nationwide lockdown was implemented by the Government in March 2020, it brought with it a long list of new guidelines and regulations.
With the health and safety of clients and staff remaining paramount throughout, Lang Town & Country remained on hand throughout lockdown to offer the same fantastic service across its sales, lettings and Land & New Homes departments.
We use quality images to market your property physically and online, and will work with you to make sure you’re happy.
We’ll list your property on the major portals like YouTube, Rightmove, Zoopla. We also utilise Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok to put your property in front of thousands of potential tenants.
Using social media in this way allows us to showcase it to a larger audience and gain maximum exposure, giving you the best chance of a quick rental.
We also film video tours of each property. Since implementing virtual viewings in March 2020, the firm has enjoyed enormous success on behalf of its clients, while ensuring they feel safe and secure.
Undoubtedly one of the most important marketing channels is YouTube, and the Lang Town & Country channel now has nearly 2,000 subscribers.
Click here to find out how signing up to the YouTube channel can help you avoid missing out on new rental homes in Plymouth.
Moving with the times – and the property market
Drive or walk along Mutley Plain and you can’t miss our new Lang Town & Country head office.
Despite being just down the road from our previous HQ, it marks the next step in our company’s remarkable evolution.
When we first entertained the thought of moving to new premises, we saw it as an opportunity to do something different.
All too often, estate agents are reluctant to do something unique. They are too afraid to stand out. That means walls filled with shiny placards and properties for sale or rent, and decor which looks like every other agency on the high street.
Our new-look Plymouth office has been purposely designed to enhance the customer experience.
We’ve tried to create a welcoming environment that we hope feels more like home than a business.
It’s also great for our hard-working sales and lettings teams to have a new, fresh base from which to operate – especially after a difficult last couple of years.
Find out more about our office here.
As Plymouth’s leading estate agency, we take our responsibility to our community and the environment very seriously.
That’s why this year we have added to our fleet two new fully electric smart forfour cars, courtesy of Mercedes-Benz of Plymouth.
These eco-friendly vehicles allow us to travel to and from appointments more efficiently, as well as reducing our carbon footprint. We’ve even installed additional charge points at our Plymouth office on Mutley Plain.
Working with and for the community in Plymouth
Over the years we have proudly supported a number of local charities and organisations.
They include Plymouth Argyle, Raiders (now Patriots), Arguam RFC and the successful relationship with Plymouth Cricket Club.
In 2022, Lang Town & Country was proud to officially become the new headline sponsor for the Britain’s Ocean City Running Festival.
Thousands of runners and spectators descended on Plymouth’s waterfront area on June 19. They included a team from our offices, who raised more than £1,500 for our chosen charities, The Primrose Foundation and the Plymouth and District Leukaemia Fund.
Meet our runners here.
Lang Town & Country has been out and about as part of a new Plymouth litter-picking project to tidy the streets around its offices.
Every couple of months the team will take part in events across Britain’s Ocean City – and we want other local businesses to get on board and get involved to support our community.
More than 30 golfers took to the course at Yelverton in September 2021 to raise over £1,000 for the Plymouth and District Leukaemia Fund.
And our very own James Clarke has been training hard for this year’s ’Strictly Hugs Dancing’ competition in aid of Hugs Children’s Cancer Charity.
James will be putting on his dancing shoes at Plymouth Pavilions on Saturday, October 15, to help raise money for this wonderful charity which supports local families affected with childhood cancer.
If you would like to donate, please visit his Just Giving page here.
Supporting our amazing customers and clients
Lang Town & Country has three locations across Plymouth. Our lettings operation is run mainly from our head office on Mutley Plain.
Together, our dedicated and personalised team helps landlords and tenants alike on a daily basis by offering four different management services: Tenant Find, Rent Collection, Managed, and Managed +.
Each category carries a different fee structure and each requires varying levels of involvement from you as the landlord. Click here to see which one is right for you.
Our consistently high levels of customer service has led to an increase in the number of positive reviews, of which we are hugely proud.
Head to Google and read our five-star reviews to discover what sets us apart from other estate agents.
Looking to the future of Lang Town & Country
Richard Rabin says: “It certainly does not feel like it’s been 25 years since I first set up the company Town & Country Lettings that has now evolved into Lang Town & Country.
“I am delighted to be one of the longest-established residential letting agencies in Plymouth, offering quality rental properties to both companies and individuals alike.
“We continue to specialise in the residential property market, offering advice to new and established landlords looking to rent out or purchase new or existing properties.
“The future is bright for lettings, with an increase in rental prices across the board offering landlords better yields.
“We will continue to maintain a medium-sized portfolio managed by a small but dedicated team which offers landlords a personal service that they have come to expect from Lang Town & Country.
“Here’s to the next 25 years!”
If you’re thinking about selling or letting a property, or would just like some advice, get in touch on 01752 201010 or via the Lang Town & Country website here.
