About Gavil Group, Investment Company in Surrey

Founded in 1954 by Edward Morris, Gavil Group has grown into a respected name in property investment and management. With nearly seven decades of experience, we specialize in identifying and nurturing opportunities that drive long-term growth and value.

Our focus lies in residential investments and portfolios, high-street retail in affluent areas, and properties tailored to educational needs, such as day nurseries and special needs schools. We also actively invest in convenience store spaces, ensuring our portfolio remains diverse and aligned with evolving market demands.

As a landlord, Gavil Group is committed to excellence in tenant care. Our dedicated in-house maintenance and property management team is always on hand to address issues swiftly, ensuring our properties remain comfortable and well-maintained. This tenant-first approach has been a cornerstone of our success.

Our highly qualified team of property professionals empowers us to act decisively and effectively when opportunities arise. Whether it’s acquiring new assets, managing existing ones, or developing properties to meet specific needs, we pride ourselves on our ability to deliver results efficiently and responsibly.

At Gavil Group, we remain driven by our founding principles of integrity, innovation, and investment in quality. We continue to seek new ventures that align with our vision for sustainable growth.

Gavil Group History

The Woodgavil Group was established by EJ Morris in 1954. Born and brought up in New Malden, Eddie had worked as an apprentice for a local estate agent and thought that the only way he could enjoy his role as a rent collector would be if the rents due were owed to him and not his boss’s clients! Eddie formulated a plan and set himself up as a developer, building modest house extensions to learn the building trade. His business grew and before long he had built a number of blocks of flats in the New Malden area. In the early 1960’s cash flow had improved sufficiently to allow him to retain certain flats in Charter Court as investments. He had begun to fulfil his dream.

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In partnership with a local estate agent, Eddie then saw an opportunity to develop war damaged commercial premises. Properties of this type were not subject to the onerous planning regime and red tape that followed the 1947 Town & Country Planning Act. Eddie quickly established a considerable commercial portfolio in New Malden and sought to diversify geographically when he swapped a small estate on Coombe Hill for various commercial premises in Exeter and East Devon. At that point he decided that, whilst he would continue to maintain cash flow by the development and sale of residential units, he would never sell his commercial portfolio which he would establish as the cash cow for the continued growth of the Group. Up until the mid 1980’s, residential investment was governed by the Rent Act legislation whereby rentals were restricted to fair rents established by local Rent Tribunals. As well as controlling rentals well below true market values, the Rent Acts offered tenants security of tenure for their entire lifetime. Eddie’s bias towards commercial premises under the less onerous Landlord & Tenant Acts was entirely understandable. Nevertheless, Eddie had the foresight to retain several substantial residential investment blocks that still form the nucleus of the Gavil Group portfolio today.

In the 1970’s, to maintain a sensible geographical diversity, the Group acquired commercial investment properties in Reigate & Ashford whilst retaining a considerable residential building program. The rental return from the commercial portfolio allowed Eddie to pursue his development activity without significant financial gearing. As a result, he was able to survive the various cyclical downturns that proved the death knell for so many of his property contemporaries.

The 1980’s saw the gradual loosening of Rent Control in the residential markets. The new style Assured Tenancy emerged whereby occupiers still retained security of tenure, but landlords were able to charge market rents for their properties. Still seeing lifetime security of tenure as a significant obstacle, Eddie realised that if he sought to satisfy the growing demand for student accommodation in the Kingston area, the transient nature of his tenants would provide significant comfort. Woodgavil become one of the first registered Assured Landlords in the UK and quickly established the significant student portfolio in which Gavil Group continues to specialise today.

The downturn that followed the late 80’s boom also provided some excellent opportunities for the Group. With the banks trying to reduce their exposure to property, credit was extremely tight and commercial property values spiralled. A cricketing friend introduced a significant good quality and well let industrial portfolio that was acquired for less than it would have cost to build the units – analysing the deal, the cost of the land was free and the quality of the tenants (including Barclays Bank and several other “blue chips”) completely ignored. Our lack of gearing and excellent relationship with our bank manager allowed us to pursue several similar opportunities in the early 1990’s, before a stronger market heralded a period of consolidation for the Group.

By the turn of the century Eddie saw the need to seek advice in relation to IHT planning. Aware that his brother and individual family members working for the Group may wish to pursue different interests, he sought to establish independently controlled individual companies. As a result, the portfolio was divided into 3 subgroups with our part of the portfolio (most easily recognised as the Woodgavil Group) controlled from the original Walton on the Hill offices.

In recent years Gavil Group’s philosophy has evolved from the original acquire/develop/hold principle to a more dynamic approach to financial management. The Group now focuses on a wide range of investment sectors to continue the growth and diversification of the portfolio.

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What We Do

Gavil Group specializes in the investment, development, and management of properties across London and the Home Counties. Our current portfolio is composed of 60% private residential tenants, 30% student and HMO accommodations, and 10% commercial properties.

With a forward-looking approach, we are actively seeking new opportunities to strategically expand our portfolio. Decades of experience have shown us the enduring value of long-term property ownership, with real estate proving to be a reliable hedge against inflation and a consistent driver of capital appreciation.

At Gavil Group, we remain committed to deploying our capital wisely, ensuring sustainable growth while continuing to build a portfolio that reflects both resilience and opportunity.