How are rural estates performing?

Agricultural and residential assets, on average, continue to provide the majority of income although, depending on location and the mix of assets of individual estates, there are significant differences in the relative contributions of the asset classes. The key performance figures from our 2018 survey are highlighted below:

Trading enterprise

With the marked changes in UK Agricultural policy, it is increasingly important for landowners and managers to understand the impact of the demise of direct payments on the estate’s finance and indeed the effect on the tenant’s finances.

Trading income represents around 6% and 20% of gross income across the average estate in England and Scotland respectively. There are a wide range of trading enterprises and include everything from farming to tourism and renewable energy.

It is interesting to note that, in the UK, more people visit heritage properties every weekend than attend football matches. Location is key but meeting high customer expectations is crucial for success. The house and gardens must be well presented, clean and welcoming but providing good visitor facilities is just as important as the attraction.