Home Search Assistance

Brief history and concerns faced during the programme...

BTR International was authorised by a client to support their newly appointed board-level employee to secure a home in UK following a 3-year assignment with his previous employer in Manila. The complexities for this VIP were that an exact UK destination was not initially known prior to arrival in UK with residence options being London, Edinburgh or the Midlands.

Services Authorised...

Orientation, home finding and settling in services
Household goods shipment by air and sea

Service Delivery Details...

PRE-ARRIVAL

Needs analysis calls with the assignee and spouse to discuss needs and expectations
Location differences talked through and supporting information provided
Variance in location budgets discussed and supported with real time property links
Rather than 1 needs analysis call a total of 10 were held as essential that the host location was defined prior to shipment of household goods and booking of serviced apartment

Expectations clarified on the following points:

Housing budget in each potential location
Types of property available on the market in each potential location
Limited availability of rental properties explained and confirmed in writing
Real estate market practices and landlords expectations explained
Updated reports following the call sent to the clients Global Mobility team

PRE-ARRIVAL

Airport pickup - Executive car arranged with baby seat
Temporary accommodation – serviced apartment secured

ON ARRIVAL

BTR director on site to ensure:
Cot assembled and made up with personalized blanket
Welcome basket and essential items placed in the services apartment, in cupboards and fridge
Serviced apartment made ready for a very late arrival with curtains closed, beds turned out and lighting dimed
Airfreight unpacked and clothing hung in wardrobes

POST ARRIVAL

BTR director liaised with the family over the weekend to ensure they had all they required

Home Search & Settling in...

BTR consultant conducted a general overview of expatriate neighborhoods and viewing of prescreened properties in the assignees’ allocated budget
An ideal property is viewed but is furnished. Negotiations with the landlord secured his agreement that he would remove the selected items

Property documents and landlord verification completed by BTR consultant for the property selected by the assignee

Fully legally reviewed Lease provided to the Assignee by BTR consultant.

Concerns during the program...

The host locations being so varied initially caused the assignee some concern but BTR was able to reassure him that if necessary we would provide him with home-finding services in all 3 locations
Our assignee was travelling with a young baby
Properties were limited at the time of viewing so quick, decisive action was required by all parties
The household goods sea shipment was significantly delayed

Initiatives taken by BTR International...

Our assignee was appointed a BTR Director with countless years of experience to ensure the relocation went smoothly. One point of contact ensured a trusting relationship was quickly established
Prior to arrival the host location through a series of needs assessment calls was chosen and allowed for the serviced apartment to be reserved and the home finding itinerary to be worked on
To ensure hygiene was maintained a cot was purchased for the assignee with assembly carried out by BTR and the new bedding made up in preparation for the assignees arrival. Baby seats were provided in the executive chauffeured car that collected the family from the airport and in the car that was used by our BTR Consultant for the home finding and orientation tours
Property market at the time had limited rental availability with landlords dictating previously unheard of rules. Time was of the essence for viewings and for decisions. Choice was incredibly limited so a great deal of pre-arrival research was conducted by BTR to ensure viewings could be booked based on the assignees specifications secured in the needs analysis calls
Due to the significant delays in the shipping arena being the worst on record BTR proposed that rental furniture was secured to allow the family to be settled in their new home prior to Christmas

Conclusion

BTR successfully delivered services in UK and continue to deliver top quality relocation support services globally

BTR has a dedicated team of experts who can address any concern from expectation setting, knowledge of availability of goods and services, housing inventory to cot assembly and essential food shopping!
From the outset of the programme our BTR consultants set expectations and overcomes any hurdles
Our BTR consultants negotiate with the landlord on the requirements of the assignee and the client company.
Our BTR consultants maintain support even after completion of the program and checks on assignee and family on regular intervals. This is our standard process.

In all my moves across many locations in 25 years, this has been my best experience so far. BTR has a great team of professionals who have an eye for detail and excellent follow ups. They are always willing to go the extra mile, including working on weekends, to ensure a seamless experience. Our baby adores his personalised blanket

We thank the BTR team for their commitment to ensuring that our employees are relocated safely, quickly and seamlessly around the world. Nothing is too much trouble. They have a solution to all the issues that a relocation can incur.