VanHan, the prime London agency run by Rory Penn and Thomas van Straubenzee, has set up a lettings and management division alongside its sales and buying services.

The new arm will be overseen by ex-Knight Frank, ex-Cluttons and ex-Foxtons staffer Matilda Macpherson, who has worked in prime central London for over eight years.

The agency says the move into lettings follows a record 12 months on the sales side – it claims that while transaction volumes in London generally were down 31.3 per cent in the first quarter of this year according to data firm LonRes, the agency’s own transactions actually doubled in the same period.

Highlights have included three residential sales of around £50m, including one of Kensington’s largest ever transactions.

“Moving into lettings is a natural progression. Clients are increasingly looking for a more boutique and bespoke offering, and this very much applies to lettings as well as sales” claims managing director Rory Penn.