Principle Estate Management opens Manchester office as it plans North West property push

Midlands group appoints Matt Kirk as property director for the North West

A growing Midlands property management firm has opened an office in Manchester city centre as it pushes into the North West.

Principle Estate Management already employs more than 100 at its bases in Birmingham and London. Now the business says it has invested more than £300,000 into its office in Piccadilly and to recruit four people to lead its rollout.

They include Matt Kirk, new property director for the North West, who has two decades’ experience in property and led and built up Rendall & Rittner’s Northern operation. He has now been tasked with growing Principle in the North West to manage more than 5,000 homes by 2028.

Principle was founded in 2018 to offer property management services and today looks after more than 26,000 units nationally. Its focus is on residential contracts, with high-profile schemes including Charlesworth House and Portman Towers in London, but it has also seen recent commercial property wins including at 12 St George Street in Mayfair.

Joe Jobson, joint managing director at Principle, said: “Manchester boasts outstanding buildings, a growing residential market and real opportunities to make a difference to both clients and residents.

“We know from working in Birmingham and London how important it is to have a local presence on the ground, so the decision to open a dedicated offer in the North West was a natural one to make.

“Taking office space in central Manchester puts us right at the heart of life in the city and we have ambitious targets to grow revenue in the region to £2.5m within three years.”

Matt Kirk, property director for the North West, said: “I’m really excited about this new opportunity with Principle and we are already gaining traction in the region, with a new instruction on Urban Splash’s Albert Mill conversion in the heart of Manchester.

“We are really pleased with this early show of faith and look forward to working with the residents to positively impact their homes and their community and, in doing so, grow our reputation locally”.

Brett Williams, managing director of Principle, said: “This office is an important milestone for our business. We’ve taken the time to find the right person to lead our growth in the North West, and now we have the right base to support him and the team he’s quickly building.

“The Piccadilly office will manage a growing portfolio of residential and mixed-use developments across Manchester and the wider region, with the company continuing to win new contracts through its existing offices in Birmingham and central London.

“We understand that the landscape of property management is ever changing. Our role has never been about bricks and mortar but about the people in the communities we service and the positive impact we can have on their everyday lives. This is the vision and commitment we are bringing to Manchester and beyond.”