Martin & Co franchisee David Rebe, who already runs the brand’s Oxford and Thame branches, has acquired its Basingstoke branch after the previous franchise owner retired. The deal takes his portfolio to three branches in two and a half years, all bought as established businesses rather than opened from scratch.
Founded in 1986, Martin & Co is a lettings and estate agency brand within The Property Franchise Group, which states that all its brands operate the same franchise model, developed over 25 years and based on five-year agreements, one of the property franchises recruiting in the UK.
Rebe joined the network in March 2024, when he bought the Oxford and Thame businesses. The Basingstoke branch, in Hampshire, transfers with its existing team and client base, The Negotiator and Estate Agent Today reported on 28 September 2026. No purchase price has been published.
A strategy built on established branches
Rebe has set out a consistent approach since his first purchase: buy branches that are already trading, keep the team, and change only what adds value, a resale route with a different cost base from opening a new territory, as what it costs to open a franchise in the UK sets out.
He links the growth of his portfolio to the scale it gives him across three offices. “From the initial acquisition, my goal has been to grow a network of branches, as I believe the economies of scale allow us to offer our clients exceptional service through the pooled resources we have access to,” said David Rebe.
He added: “I much prefer acquiring an established, well-performing branch with an established team, and then only introducing changes if they will add value to all stakeholders in the business.”
Resales as a route to multi-branch ownership
The Basingstoke transfer is a resale: a trading franchise changing hands when its owner steps back, as opposed to a new territory opened from a standing start. It is not an isolated case within the network. In March 2026, Estate Agent Today reported that Martin & Co’s Uckfield branch had been resold to a new franchise owner.
Toby Phillips, group managing director of Martin & Co, said: “Basingstoke is an established business with strong local relationships and an experienced team, making it an excellent fit for David and his existing portfolio.”
How a franchise resale works
A resale transfers an existing trading branch, with its staff and clients, to a new owner. Franchising in the UK is governed by general contract law, with no franchise statute and no statutory pre-contract disclosure requirement, so the terms of a transfer are set by the franchise agreement and the franchisor’s consent.
Lettings under the new tenancy regime in England
The deal comes five months into a new regime for the private rented sector in England, where all three of Rebe’s branches trade. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025, and from 1 May 2026 assured shorthold tenancies will be converted to periodic tenancies with no end date, and section 21 evictions will be abolished.
Rebe pointed to the value of franchisor support while that legislation beds in, saying that “the importance of having this type of support cannot be underestimated”.
What comes next for the portfolio
Rebe’s stated priority is to understand the Basingstoke business before identifying where it can develop. Over the longer term, he has described growth through a mix of further acquisitions and organic expansion. Neither Rebe nor The Property Franchise Group has published the turnover of the three branches, the number of properties under management or the price paid.
The next markers will be any further branch purchase in the portfolio and the group’s own reporting on resales across the Martin & Co network. Anyone weighing a resale of their own should read how to choose your franchisor alongside the selling branch’s filings.
