Corporate Services

China Desk

Head of China Desk - Penny Cheung

With a degree in Hospitality Management, Penny spent 10 years working for world renowned Mandarin Oriental Hotels. Joining Benham and Reeves in 2011, Penny worked as a Client Manager before becoming a Director of the Hong Kong office. Penny has now been promoted to Head of China Desk to look after our Hong Kong and China based clients. Penny uses her extensive London property expertise to assist Chinese investors with a one- stop service, from advice on London property investment to leasing and property management. Fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin and English, with her wealth of business and cultural knowledge, Penny works tirelessly for clients ensuring the best possible outcome is achieved.

020 8154 0888

Zhou Wang - Property Manager

Zhou is an enthusiastic member of the China Desk property management team currently responsible for new build properties belonging to our growing base of Chinese landlords. He also looks after all maintenance issues and liaises with contractors to ensure our Chinese tenants have a good experience. A native Chinese speaker, Zhou has an undergraduate degree and Masters in Law which comes in handy for his role that requires attention to detail and good negotiation skills. In his spare time, Zhou unwinds at the gym, likes swimming and table tennis.

London rental market update – March 2020

China – comment by Marc von Grundherr

Coronavirus dampens Chinese investor demand for London property

Chinese investors continue to show interest in buying London property although clearly coronavirus and the current restrictions on travel are having an impact on enquiries. With many Chinese not able to obtain a visa at the moment, investors are unable to visit the UK in person, so enquiries are coming in online and via our Shanghai branch but we expect demand to be slower than usual until the outbreak ends and the situation improves.

Rental demand from Chinese professionals is also being affected and we are seeing a downturn in the number of new applicants moving to London. We are however carrying out regular viewings remotely by video in preparation for when restrictions are lifted. Summer and autumn are the busiest times when it comes to rental demand from students who make up a significant proportion of applicants so this slowdown in rental enquiries is only having limited impact as we are not yet near this peak season. Our Asian landlords understand current difficulties though and realise that properties may take longer to rent at the moment due to fewer applicants coming to the UK from Asia.

Benham and Reeves 蓓司商务咨询（上海）有限公司 China Desk consists of a team of Chinese speaking staff, whose focus is on fulfilling the accommodation requirements of Chinese HR departments and the workforce they represent.

Several unique benefits allow our China Desk to stand out from our competitors:

We concentrate on lettings which means that all our energies are directed towards helping tenants find the right home and settle in.
Our service is professional, highly personalised and geared towards making the lettings process as simple as possible.
We manage two thirds of the properties that pass through our hands, enabling us to promptly detect and solve any maintenance issues.
We ensure hassle free tenancies by acting in an intermediary capacity for even non-managed properties.
Established connections with London’s top developers provide the pick of London’s best new property developments.
A network of 18 branches gives us full coverage of the London rentals market.
Every phase of the rental process is covered by our One Stop Service. Consisting of ten key advice points, this covers optimum locations (including commuter and school-run distances); accompanied viewings; tenancy issues and deposit recovery.

One Stop 10 point plan

1.Dedicated Account Manager

You are assigned a dedicated account manager as your main point of contact right from the start who will walk you through the entire process.

2.Initial consultation prior to arrival in the UK

Some important parameters (company and employee) will need to be set before arrival in London, including:

Location
Property type
Budget requirements
Commuter times
School preferences, local amenities, transport connections.

3.Property search and viewings

Using the above criteria, we will narrow our search and provide a list of suitable easy- to-reach properties for viewing. We will then escort you to the viewings as we can then also point out key amenities and transport hubs.

4.Negotiation and Tenancy management

After a property has been chosen, we will negotiate the best terms, ensuring that all the specific company requirements are fully met.

We will then subsequently draw up the tenancy agreement (or, if required, use the pre-existing company document), register the deposit with an appropriate scheme if the tenancy is in the employee’s name and complete all other necessary documentation required under UK law.

5.Move and pre-move guidance and support

We can assist with certain mundane, yet unavoidable tasks such as inventory checks and the management of utilities prior to moving in. Electric, gas and Council Tax accounts can be set up and appliance instructions supplied.

6.Property Management

A fully managed property ensures that maintenance issues are kept to a minimum and that tenancies are problem-free. Two thirds of our properties have opted for this service.

7.Contactable throughout the tenancy period

Your dedicated account manager is just phone call or email away.

8.Tenancy Renewal

As their tenancy period comes to an end, a good number of our corporate clients choose to renew their agreements. We will be on hand to negotiate a new contract or, if required, to acquire a new rental property on your behalf.

9.Moving Out Assistance

When a tenancy does come to an end, we are on hand to recommend professional cleaners and, if required, to attend any inventory checks.

10.Deposit Resolution

A smooth end to a tenancy agreement is in everyone’s best interest, so after the inventory check-out is complete, we will ensure that any reasonable deductions are made by the landlord with a view to returning your deposit as soon as possible.

Additional Services For Corporate HR Departments

We offer a choice of additional resources for HR professionals including:

Regular meetings with a view to keeping companies fully briefed on market trends and how they can keep their rents in line with any variations.
Guided tours of selected new developments and other properties in our portfolio.