Key Points
- H&H Group plc has agreed the sale of the residential estate agency and lettings division of H&H Land & Estates in Cumbria to regional estate and letting agency My Property Box for an undisclosed sum.
- The transaction was completed on Tuesday 22 September 2026 and forms part of H&H Group’s wider strategic realignment and its focus on agriculture and the rural economy under its “Rural Matters” vision.
- Pauline Carrera Silva will transfer to My Property Box as Director of Sales and Lettings in Cumbria, while the existing team, including Branch Manager Paul Doyle, will also transfer.
- My Property Box’s expansion gives it an established presence in Carlisle, Penrith, Cockermouth and Kendal and marks its first move into the North West.
- The acquisition is My Property Box’s 18th acquisition in seven years, according to Bdaily and Estate Agent Today, and follows a multi-million-pound investment from BGF secured in 2024 to support the company’s expansion strategy.
- H&H Land & Estates will retain its specialist land agency and rural property operations across the North of England and southern Scotland.
- Existing agency agreements will remain on the same terms and fees, while the office and contact telephone number will remain unchanged.
- H&H Group Chief Executive Richard Rankin said the transaction formed part of the group’s continuing growth and realignment, while My Property Box Managing Director Ben Quaintrell described it as a significant acquisition for the business.
- Bdaily reported that Burnetts Solicitors advised H&H Group on the transaction, while Weightmans acted for My Property Box.
H&H Group plc has agreed the sale of H&H Land & Estates’ residential sales and lettings division in Cumbria to My Property Box for an undisclosed sum, with the transaction completed on 22 September 2026. The deal transfers the residential operation and its existing team to My Property Box while H&H Land & Estates retains its specialist rural property and land agency activities across northern England and southern Scotland. The acquisition also marks My Property Box’s first expansion into the North West and gives the company an established presence across several Cumbrian locations.
What has H&H Group agreed to sell to My Property Box?
H&H Group plc has agreed to sell the residential estate agency and lettings division operated by H&H Land & Estates in Cumbria to My Property Box.
The financial value of the transaction has not been disclosed. According to the report published by PenrithTown on 26 September, identified as PTN rather than an individual journalist, the transaction involves H&H Group’s residential estate agency and lettings operation and was completed on Tuesday 22 September 2026.
H&H Group’s own announcement, published through H&H Land & Estates, confirms the same transaction and describes it as part of a broader strategic realignment of the group.
The transaction concerns the residential sales and lettings activities in Cumbria rather than H&H Land & Estates as a whole. This distinction is important because H&H Land & Estates will continue operating its specialist land agency and rural property business.
Its continuing activities include the sale and management of farms, estates, land, smallholdings and rural property, as well as land management, valuation and professional consultancy services.
Why is H&H Group realigning its residential property business?
According to H&H Group Chief Executive Richard Rankin, the sale forms part of the company’s continuing growth and realignment as it brings its businesses closer together and increases its focus on agriculture and the rural economy.
In a statement reproduced by H&H Land & Estates and the PenrithTown report, Rankin linked the transaction to H&H Group’s “Rural Matters” vision.
Rankin said the sale was an important part of the group’s continuing growth and realignment and connected the change with its increased focus on agriculture and the rural economy.
He also said My Property Box had specialist expertise in residential property sales and lettings and described the company as a growing regional business.
Rankin said H&H Group believed My Property Box was an appropriate new home for the residential business and that the existing team transferring to the buyer would help maintain continuity for clients.
He also thanked the residential sales and lettings team for its contribution to H&H Land & Estates and said the group was pleased to have found a way forward for the business.
The change therefore separates H&H’s residential estate agency and lettings activities from its specialist rural land agency operations, allowing H&H Land & Estates to continue concentrating on services connected with farms, estates, land and rural businesses.
Who will transfer to My Property Box?
The transaction includes the transfer of the existing residential sales and lettings team.
Pauline Carrera Silva will move to My Property Box as Director of Sales and Lettings in Cumbria. Branch Manager Paul Doyle will also transfer, alongside the wider existing team.
The retention of the existing personnel is significant for customers because the transaction does not require the residential operation to be rebuilt under a completely new team.
H&H Group said the existing team would provide continuity for clients and allow current property sales and lettings to continue without interruption.
My Property Box has similarly stated that customers of the former H&H residential operation will continue dealing with the same local team.
This means the ownership of the business changes, but the people handling existing customer relationships are largely transferring with it.
Where will My Property Box expand after the acquisition?
The acquisition extends My Property Box’s geographical presence into Cumbria.
H&H Group said the transaction establishes a presence for My Property Box in Carlisle, Penrith and South Cumbria. Other reports provide a more detailed list of locations covered by the residential operation, including Carlisle, Penrith, Cockermouth and Kendal.
Bdaily reported on 24 September that the acquisition establishes My Property Box in Carlisle, Penrith, Cockermouth and Kendal.
Property Industry Eye, in a report by Marc da Silva published on 25 September, likewise reported that the deal gives My Property Box branches in Carlisle, Penrith, Cockermouth and Kendal.
The expansion represents a geographical shift for My Property Box, which had established operations across the North East and North Yorkshire.
According to H&H Group, My Property Box has offices in Darlington and Newcastle. Other reporting also identifies Northallerton among its locations.
What does the acquisition mean for My Property Box’s North West expansion?
The deal represents My Property Box’s first move into the North West.
Ben Quaintrell, Managing Director of My Property Box, said the acquisition takes the company into the North West for the first time and gives it an immediate presence across Cumbria. He also said the transaction would make My Property Box one of the county’s largest estate agencies.
Quaintrell said the company was acquiring an established business with an experienced team and considerable local knowledge.
He added that, for H&H clients, it would be “business as usual”, with customers continuing to deal with the same local team while gaining access to the additional resources and expertise of My Property Box.
The geographical expansion is therefore accompanied by an attempt to preserve local operational knowledge rather than replacing the existing customer-facing structure.
How many acquisitions has My Property Box completed?
The transaction represents the 18th acquisition made by My Property Box in seven years, according to Bdaily and Estate Agent Today.
Bdaily reported on 24 September that the Cumbria transaction was the company’s 18th acquisition in seven years. The report said the expansion forms part of a buy-and-build strategy supported by multi-million-pound investment secured from BGF in 2024.
Estate Agent Today, in an article by Graham Norwood published on 25 September, also identified the transaction as My Property Box’s 18th acquisition in seven years.
Property Industry Eye’s Marc da Silva similarly reported that the deal was the group’s 18th acquisition during the seven years.
The acquisition therefore sits within an established expansion strategy rather than representing an isolated transaction.
How did BGF support My Property Box’s expansion strategy?
My Property Box’s acquisition programme has been supported by investment from BGF.
BGF announced a multi-million-pound investment in My Property Box in July 2024. According to BGF, the investment was intended to support the estate agency’s ongoing buy-and-build strategy.
BGF said My Property Box had made 10 acquisitions since 2019 at the time of its 2024 investment announcement. The company, founded by Ben Quaintrell in 2012, specialised in residential lettings and also operated an estate agency arm focused on residential property sales.
BGF said the funding was intended to help My Property Box expand its platform in the North East.
James Baker, an investor in BGF’s Yorkshire and North East team, led the investment. BGF also said Richard Smith, a buy-and-build specialist, joined My Property Box as non-executive chair as part of the investment.
The 2026 acquisition of H&H Land & Estates therefore follows an investment-backed expansion strategy that was already in place before the Cumbria transaction.
What will happen to H&H Land & Estates after the sale?
H&H Land & Estates will continue operating its specialist land agency and rural property business.
The company works across the North of England and southern Scotland, providing services to farmers, landowners, estates and rural businesses.
Its retained activities include the sale and management of farms, estates, land, smallholdings and rural property. The business also provides land management, valuation and professional consultancy services.
The sale therefore does not represent an exit by H&H Group from property-related activities generally. Instead, the residential sales and lettings operation is being separated from the specialist rural property and land agency side of the business.
That distinction is central to H&H Group’s stated “Rural Matters” strategy, which Richard Rankin connected with the company’s greater focus on agriculture and the rural economy.
Will existing H&H customers see changes after the acquisition?
The companies have stated that existing customers should experience continuity following completion of the transaction.
According to PenrithT’s report, existing agency agreements will remain in place on the same terms and at the same fees. The office and contact telephone number will also remain unchanged.
My Property Box Managing Director Ben Quaintrell said customers would continue dealing with the same local team and that the team would be supported by My Property Box’s additional resources and expertise.
H&H Group also highlighted the transfer of the existing team as a means of ensuring that current property sales and lettings could continue without interruption.
The immediate effect is therefore a change in ownership and corporate alignment rather than a stated change to the existing customer arrangements.
Which advisers acted on the transaction?
The transaction also involved legal advisers representing the two businesses.
Bdaily reported that Burnetts Solicitors advised H&H Group on the transaction, while Weightmans acted for My Property Box.
This information was not included in the supplied PenrithTown report or H&H Group’s main announcement but was reported separately by Bdaily in its coverage of the acquisition.
The involvement of advisers reflects the corporate and contractual work required to complete the transfer of a residential estate agency and lettings operation, including the transition of staff and existing business arrangements.
Such transactions also require operational planning to ensure customer relationships, property sales, lettings and agency agreements can continue during the ownership change.
What does the transaction mean for Cumbria’s estate agency market?
The acquisition increases My Property Box’s presence in the Cumbrian residential property market while retaining the existing H&H residential team.
My Property Box previously operated primarily across the North East and North Yorkshire. The acquisition extends its geographical footprint into Cumbria and the wider North West.
For H&H Land & Estates, the transaction allows the company to concentrate on its specialist land agency, rural property, valuation and consultancy operations.
For My Property Box, the deal provides an established local operation, an experienced workforce and an immediate presence in several Cumbrian locations.
The companies have not disclosed the purchase price, so the financial scale of the transaction cannot be assessed from the announced consideration.
The strategic rationale, however, has been stated by both parties: H&H Group is realigning its business around agriculture and the rural economy, while My Property Box is extending its residential estate agency footprint into a new region.
What did the companies say about the future of the business?
Richard Rankin said H&H Group believed My Property Box would provide the residential business and its team with a platform from which to develop.
He also thanked the residential sales and lettings team for its contribution to H&H Land & Estates and expressed the group’s best wishes for its future under the new ownership.
Ben Quaintrell said the acquisition was significant for My Property Box because it provided entry into the North West and an immediate presence across Cumbria.
He also emphasised the established nature of the acquired business, its experienced employees and their local knowledge.
Quaintrell said H&H customers would continue dealing with the same local team and that My Property Box intended to maintain the service standards customers had come to expect.
The statements indicate that the two businesses are approaching the transaction from different strategic positions: H&H Group is narrowing its operational emphasis towards agriculture and the rural economy, while My Property Box is using the acquisition to expand its residential property business geographically.
What is the wider business context behind the H&H Group sale?
The transaction illustrates how regional property businesses can use acquisitions and divestments to reshape their geographical and operational focus.
For H&H Group, the residential business sale forms part of a stated effort to bring its businesses closer together and strengthen its focus on agriculture and the rural economy.
For My Property Box, the acquisition continues a multi-year buy-and-build approach. BGF said in 2024 that My Property Box had already completed 10 acquisitions since 2019, while the latest reporting places the H&H transaction as its 18th acquisition in seven years.
The transaction consequently has two distinct elements: a strategic realignment by the seller and regional expansion by the buyer.
For professionals following Management, the transaction also provides a practical example of how organisational restructuring, ownership changes, workforce continuity and regional expansion can affect an established UK business without requiring the entire operating team or customer arrangements to be replaced.
As the residential operation transfers to My Property Box, H&H Land & Estates will retain its specialist rural property and land agency operations, while My Property Box takes responsibility for the acquired residential sales and lettings business in Cumbria.