Jason Tebb, president of OnTheMarket, promised a new dawn following the acquisition of the formerly-agent-owned property portal by American data and tech firm, CoStar, back in December.

The portal, which has set its signs on becoming the number one property portal in the UK, has entered the Build-to-Rent (BTR) market with a dedicated listings service as part of its expansion plans and efforts increase competition to the portal sector.

As part of a Build-to-Rent membership package, members will be assigned a dedicated account manager providing regular support and quarterly face-to-face meetings.

Those who subscribe to the service will also have access to OnTheMarket Expert which will allow them to use a wide selection of rental tools to provide their business with data, market trends and local insights that can be used alongside its Sprift Market Appraisal Guides.

Mitch Hammond has been brought on board to launch the new service, taking responsibility for strategic sales leadership in addition to developing a BTR sales team. Currently the likes of Cortland and Populo Living are listing their BTR communities on the portal, with a number of operators expected to join in the near future across a range of different subsectors.

Mitch joins as BTR manager, with plenty of experience in the property industry and having spent over six years at Foxtons where he ended his tenure as Build to Rent business development manager.

He also worked at The Ringley Group as head of mobilisation and strategic leasing.

Hammond comments: “[I] firmly believe the new offering can follow the success our New Homes department has enjoyed in recent years.

“As the Build-to-Rent market continues to go from strength to strength across the UK, we have a real opportunity to add value to our customers and bring much needed competition to the sector. Our commitment to fair and sustainable pricing will provide agents, developers, and operators with a fresh option to promote their properties and communities to residents.”

Tebb added: “Mitch brings with him a rich background and knowledge of the Build-to-Rent sector which will prove to be invaluable as we grow this new service.

“He joins at a pivotal time for business, with the acquisition by CoStar Group accelerating our target of becoming the market leader, bringing industry-leading global expertise and significant financial firepower to help deliver even more value for all our customers.

“As with the other sectors we are involved in, fair and sustainable pricing sits at the core of our Build-to-Rent offering. Estate agents, developers and operators now have an alternative product that brings real competition to a growing market.”

OTM’s decision to enter the BTR sector following Rightmove’s recent acquisition of  BTR focused reviews site HomeViews Platform.

HomeViews is the UK’s biggest community of verified resident reviews of property developments, with a particular focus on the build-to-rent sector.