Yorkshire’s largest independent estate agent, Dacre, Son & Hartley is expanding its offering by re-entering the residential lettings and property management market in York, Harrogate and Ilkley.

The move comes just over three years after the estate agency, founded more than 200 years ago, sold its residential lettings and management division to Linley & Simpson.

The new division will be headed up by Sophie Tillisch at the firm’s Harrogate office and several new recruits will be announced imminently to support its growth.

Tillisch has worked at Dacres for nine years and has more than 15 years’ experience working in both property rentals and sales.

The lettings division will initially focus on the markets in and around Harrogate, Ilkley and York. Its services for landlords include both a fully managed offering and a tenant sourcing service.

Tillisch said: “We’re thrilled to be returning to the lettings market at a time when demand for quality rental property is soaring. We will be providing a bespoke package of services that will reflect the landlord’s individual requirements.

“We know from our sales experience that investors are beginning to return to the market, as competition amongst mortgage lenders intensifies, which is further good news for the market as it should help to alleviate the lack of rental stock that has caused rents to significantly increase in recent years.

“We’re already talking to landlords and taking instructions on properties throughout our catchment area and would urge landlords to contact us now for a free, no obligation rental valuation and market appraisal.”

Patrick McCutcheon, head of residential at Dacres, added: “It’s more than three years since we agreed the sale of our lettings division, which managed more than 600 homes, but we still regularly receive enquiries from landlords looking for an agent with a wide-reaching branch network to manage their investments.

“During our break from the sector there has been a lot of legislative change, which makes it increasingly difficult for landlords to manage rental property themselves, and this is where Sophie and her team, with their significant lettings experience, can add genuine value.

“When all this is combined with the depth of expertise in our wider team and our ability to market properties far and wide, both on and offline, there’s no doubt that we can offer landlords and tenants a very compelling service. That’s why it’s the perfect time for us to expand back into the lettings market.”