Why choose to rent? Hear from Les Shapero about why it offered him reassurance when making his move

When Leslie Shapero (95) was looking to move, the choice to rent his new Renaissance home was the perfect decision for him.

Leslie and his wife Brina had been married for 5 days short of 74 years when she sadly passed away last year.

“My wife Brina was a beautiful woman. We met when I was seven and we played together until the outbreak of war started in 1939. We had met in 1934 and were friends but then we were both evacuated to different places. I found her and we corresponded throughout the war, although over a hundred miles apart. After the war, I was in the air force and was posted just down the road from where she lived so we ended up being thrown together again and from there we took off you see.

“We lived most of our married life in Birmingham and 25 years ago when we were about 70 we decided to retire down here and lived in Canford Cliffs. We liked going away to Bournemouth in fact our first holiday together as a married couple was there in 1948. We’ve always thought of this area as a second home and the best part about living here is being near Sandbanks. If ever we got the chance and it was a nice day we’d always go to Sandbanks.”

Les had initially looked at moving away from the area to be closer to his son and family but soon changed his mind:

“My son Jonathon lives in the Midlands with his family so I originally looked to move closer to him but I realised I didn’t know the area and Brina had died, so I wouldn’t have known anybody there. That’s when I started looking for other retirement places down here and then I heard about this one. 

“From the moment I walked in here and I met Angela (Lifestory Sales Advisor) and Karen, our Lifehost, they’ve both been very good to me. They’re lovely apartments as well. I know my son Jonathan was surprised when he visited. It’s like walking into a hotel. People are impressed with the layout, you come out of the lift and the corridors are so wide. I think Jonathan was more impressed than he expected he would be.

“The complimentary Homemoves service was very good too, they packed everything so well. When I moved in they must have had about 100 carts all beautifully packed and they worked for two days. During the war, Brina and I had written to each other all the time and when I moved here I found a lot of the old letters that she had sent me that I'd kept. Overall, I’ve been very happy with all the assistance I’ve had.”

Les had decided to rent his new home at Renaissance as it offered him more flexibility and meant he didn’t need to worry about the future:

“When I was looking at moving here I thought I’m 95, I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be here and I didn’t want my son to have the problem of looking after and selling my home for me. He’s 150 miles away and so I knew if I rented, he wouldn't have to worry which has given me peace of mind. Once I had the choice to rent in a retirement home, I decided that was the best option for me.

“The people I’ve met so far are great. I’ve made friends with a couple and a woman on her own and we get on well. 

“On Wednesday afternoons we have a joint tea downstairs and on a Monday we have a games afternoon where we play rummikub for a couple of hours and recently over the last couple of weeks the four of us who play games on a Monday have decided to start playing canasta on a Friday afternoon. I’m enjoying becoming part of the community here.”

All our homes at Renaissance Sandbanks Road are available to buy or rent with choices to suit your needs. Discover your next chapter in coastal Poole with prices starting from £370,000 or rent from £2,072 PCM.

Call our team today on 01202618564 or email [email protected].