Renting: how to find a good agent (as a tenant)?

HouseHunter9

Hi,

Not posted before here, but I've got to rent privately for the first time in my life (only rented student accommodation before through the uni), and I'm not sure how to pick a good agent.

In the town I'm looking at there seem to be 100s of agents, some are obviously chains and others local, but I don't know how to go about finding out which are reputable.

Obviously I can go and ask them all what their fees are, but this will take a while, and I still don't know if they're any good, so just wondering if there is any way of finding out (local forums, forums specific to this topic)?

I know people can't post specific recommendations on this forum though.

Thanks for any tips!

princeofpounds

Often it depends which person you deal with in a given agency! There are no hard and fast rule, but the one thing you must ALWAYS bear in mind is that they are not your agent, they are agents for landlords. You actually have no contract with them.

Otherwise, you can tell a lot from how they treat you when you phone/visit.

Are they polite?
Do they volunteer information on their fees and T&Cs or do you have to ask?
Do they show you round rubbish and make up vague promises like 'the landlord is going to redecorate of course' or are they agents for a good product?
Do they actually listen to what you want and are telling them?
Do they reply to your communications in a timely manner?
Have they (agency and person) been in business a good while?
Are they a member of ARLA? (Which doesn't mean much, but is better than nothing - and you might want to actually check with ARLA as it's not unknown for them to quite but keep the sticker)

It's all common sense stuff, which makes it both easier, as you can get somewhere with your own judgment, but harder, in that there are no rules.

Jowo_2

It'll probably be subject to being disputed, but generally agents that belong to professional bodies such as ARLA, are a better bet. There are other professional bodies.

The letting profession is entirely unregulated. No skills, qualifications, knowledge or experience is required to set up in business as a letting agent. These professional bodies should exclude the worst of cowboys, since they have indemnity insurance, should ring-fence client money from business failure, have codes of ethics and complaints procedures.

tbs624

Jowo wrote: »

The letting profession is entirely unregulated. No skills, qualifications, knowledge or experience is required to set up in business as a letting agent.

Good to see you passing that message on Jowo That point is why LAs categorically are *not* a "profession"

A minority may behave in a professional manner, but that's different from calling their role a profession

tbs624

What you have to remember OP is that all LAs act for the LL, not for you as a T.

I agree with Jowo that it's probably better to aim for someone signed up to NALs, ARLA, TPOS, NAEA but do check that membership online rather than taking what may be on the letterhead etc. That said, being signed up to NALs didn't seem to make much difference to this LA, who was also franchisee of one of the "big names"

Have you thought about going direct and trying the local LL association for contact info for those who self manage their properties? The local Council may also run an accreditation scheme for local Private Rented Sector LLs.

Always ask for a copy of the tenancy agreement to allow yourself time to go through it before signing up to anything, or paying over even a "holding deposit"

HouseHunter9

Thanks for the general tips guys.

Do you know where I could find out about a local LL association?

Also wondered if there is anywhere I could find people's comments on their specific experience of local agents, e.g. "I've used Fred Bloggs and they were great", or "I had a really bad time with Smith and Co.".

Owain_Moneysaver

"Do you charge tenants any fees?"

If yes, then walk away. Agencies act for the landlord and taking any fees from tenants is a fundamental conflict of interest.

vl2588

I have always been charged fees from letting agents!

Best one was a small family run one but I don't know if that is a trend or down to chance.

Jowo_2

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

"Do you charge tenants any fees?"

If yes, then walk away.

As long as you don't mind ruling out 99.9% of agents as most charge tenants fees.

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

Agencies act for the landlord and taking any fees from tenants is a fundamental conflict of interest.

But it is a totally legal and a common practice. The agents act on behalf of the landlord and are intermediaries for them, so yes, they act for them, and provide a service for them to their tenants.

tbs624

HouseHunter9 wrote: »

Do you know where I could find out about a local LL association?

Google your town and landlord association, contact the NLA or RLA and ask if they have local contacts, check with the private sector rentals officer at the local Council

HouseHunter9 wrote: »

Also wondered if there is anywhere I could find people's comments on their specific experience of local agents, e.g. "I've used Fred Bloggs and they were great", or "I had a really bad time with Smith and Co.".

https://www.allagents.co.uk

Is there an online forum for your town/area? It's the sort of thing that gets discussed there.

tbs624

Jowo wrote: »

But it is a totally legal and a common practice. The agents act on behalf of the landlord and are intermediaries for them, so yes, they act for them, and provide a service for them to their tenants.

The fact that it is legal and common does not make it right. They should cover it all in their charges to the LL, who after all is at least able to set it down for tax purposes.