Introduction
Relocating employees is no longer just about executive transfers or high-value assignments. Today’s workforce is younger, more mobile, and often relocating for new roles in cities like Dublin, Amsterdam, or Berlin. For HR leaders, this shift presents a new challenge: how to choose between a full-service corporate relocation company and a more focused housing specialist.
Both options have their place—but they serve very different needs. In this guide, we’ll explore how to assess what’s right for your workforce, depending on your team structure, relocation volume, and budget.
What Does a Corporate Relocation Company Offer?
A corporate relocation company provides an all-in-one solution for employee mobility. Their services often include:
- Immigration and visa coordination
- International removals and shipping
- School search and family relocation support
- Short-term accommodation
- Tax and compliance services
- Cultural integration
- Home search and lease negotiation
These packages are designed for high-level, high-complexity moves—typically for senior staff or expat assignees. While comprehensive, they come at a high cost and are often more than what early-career or domestic hires need.
What Is a Housing Specialist?
A housing specialist like PropSupport focuses exclusively on the rental and housing side of the relocation journey. We help employees—particularly junior or mid-level hires—secure safe, reliable accommodation quickly and securely.
Our services include:
- Guided property search and local area insights
- Scam prevention and rental risk assessments
- Property shortlisting
- Lease document preparation and support
- Optional in-person or virtual onboarding
This narrower focus allows companies to offer meaningful support without paying for extras their employees don’t need.
Choosing Based on Employee Profile
Not every employee requires the same relocation approach. Choosing the right partner depends on factors like seniority, location, and complexity of the move.
Senior Executives: Best suited to full-service relocation firms, particularly for international moves with dependents.
Junior Staff or Graduate Hires: Most need housing support above all else. These employees are often capable of managing the rest of the move independently—with the right tools and a bit of guidance.
Mid-Level Professionals: May require a hybrid model. They often need some housing support and limited relocation help, but not the full white-glove treatment.
Remote Relocations to High-Demand Cities: In markets like Dublin or London, where rentals are competitive and fraud risk is high, housing support should be the priority regardless of job level.
Cost Comparison: Housing Support vs. Full-Service Relocation
One of the key advantages of working with a housing specialist is cost control.
A traditional corporate relocation company may charge €5,000 to €10,000+ per employee for bundled services—even if your employee only needs help with accommodation.
In contrast, PropSupport offers packages starting at a few hundred euros, with flexible pricing models that can be tailored per role, team, or region. This allows HR departments to scale relocation support across more employees without blowing the budget.
Why the Industry Is Shifting Toward Specialisation
HR and global mobility teams are increasingly moving away from one-size-fits-all solutions. Instead, they’re building relocation frameworks that:
- Use housing specialists for junior and mid-level hires
- Reserve full-service relocation for senior or complex moves
- Leverage internal HR for onboarding and documentation
- Combine digital tools with on-the-ground support when needed
This agile approach reduces spend while improving the employee experience across job levels.
Dublin as a Case Study
Cities like Dublin highlight why housing specialists are becoming essential. With sky-high rents, a shortage of available units, and growing scam activity, relocating staff without local support is risky.
PropSupport’s team in Dublin provides companies with trusted housing solutions that protect employees from fraud and secure suitable homes before arrival.
And while we started in Ireland, our model applies equally well to relocation hotspots across Europe and beyond.
How to Choose the Right Partner
When deciding between a corporate relocation company and a housing specialist, ask yourself:
- What level of relocation complexity do our employees face?
- Are we mostly hiring early-career professionals or senior staff?
- Is housing the main challenge, or do we need immigration and compliance support?
- What’s our relocation budget per employee?
- Do we need scalable solutions across multiple locations?
If housing is the key pain point—and especially if you’re relocating younger talent—then a housing-first model will likely offer better ROI and a faster onboarding experience.
Why PropSupport Is the Right Fit for Housing-First Relocation
PropSupport offers a modern, tech-driven solution for companies that want to support junior or mid-level employees without paying for unnecessary extras. We’re not a traditional relocation agent—we’re a housing support platform tailored for the way companies hire today.
- Modular service tiers
- Transparent, budget-friendly pricing
- Trusted by global employers
- Dublin-based expertise with European reach
- Employer-paid or employee self-pay models
📩 Want to learn more?
Contact us at info@propsupport.com or call +353 1 529 2756 to discuss your housing support needs and request a quote.
