About Girlings Retirement Rentals

Girlings is a private, family owned business that manages a portfolio of retirement properties. These properties are available to rent on life-long tenancies and are situated in purpose built retirement developments across the UK.

Girlings was launched in the early 1990s as the result of its CEO, Peter Girling, realising that there was a huge gap in the property market. As a former Housing Manager for Help the Aged and a Director of McCarthy & Stone Care Services and Peverel, Peter was well placed to understand the evolving retirement housing industry. Even though there was then a deep recession, the demand for retirement property was growing with purchasers being unable to buy new property without releasing equity from their homes. There was the additional problem of the increasing number of unoccupied retirement properties where owners had died or moved to nursing homes, where families were having difficulty in both selling and servicing the outgoings. With a surplus of empty accommodation yet a thriving demand for occupation, the concept of renting in retirement was born. If the retired could rent then the second-hand market would pick up and ultimately so would the market for new properties.

As the acknowledged leader in the provision of private retirement property to rent on Assured Tenancies we have many hundreds of satisfied tenants and landlords who can commend us and our professional service.

What We Do

Today, Girlings is letting and managing around 2500 properties in over 500 retirement developments throughout England, Scotland and Wales.

The properties are predominantly one bedroom apartments within purpose built retirement developments with some two bedroom apartments, studios and a small number of bungalows and cottages also available.

Through its partnership with Aviva Investors and its association with Grainger plc, Girlings is able to let the majority of its properties on Assured Tenancies which provide security of tenure for life and peace of mind to the tenant. All the properties are within developments managed by agents which are members of the Association of Retirement Housing Managers and thus follow its Code of Conduct.