Is it safe to rent directly from a landlord?

RascalFlatts

Hi,

I haven't rented before. Can anyone tell me what differences/potential pitfalls there are in renting through an accredited agency (like Rightmove/Zoopla) when compared to renting directly from a landlord?

Thanks.

silverwhistle

It means only the landlord can shaft you, instead of the agency as well.

Bear in mind there are plenty of good landlords who will be renting direct for exactly the same reason and saving on fees..

fairy_lights

Rightmove and Zoopla are not agencies, they're just websites advertising properties on behalf of other agencies.

ian103

Just used a letting agent to rent our house out, the fees involved are quite high, but in fairness they have done all the running around, just wonder what the tennants fees are in addition to the monthly rent. Last tennants were through a private rent, worked well for both sides as we both saved a few pound.

TrixA

I've rented directly from landlords and much preferred it to going through an agency, provided you have a good landlord and a good relationship with them.

The advantages I found were: fewer upfront fees to set up the tenancy, quicker to respond to maintenance requests, lower rent increases (agents tend to increase by the maximum they can get away with, whereas if you're a good tenant some landlords will accept lower increases because they want you to stay), greater sense of security in the property, greater flexibility of what you can do in the property (many agents will adopt blanket prohibitions against pets etc).

The main potential disadvantages are that some landlords are ignorant of their legal obligations, so for example they may not protect your deposit properly, or may not understand that they need to give you a certain amount of notice before entering the property. They may also have unrealistic expectations in terms of how the property is kept, for example not understanding the principle of fair wear and tear.

On balance I'd go for a direct rental every time.

Newlyboughthouse

I would never go through an agency again. Fees tend to be extortionate, and the agency never gives a s**t about the tenant.

With direct from landlord, in my experience, it has just been the rent to pay. No ridiculous 'admin fees' etc. If repairs need doing, you just get onto the landlord - not the useless letting agent as the 'middle man'.

Just my opinion though I would avoid agents like the plague. Saying that though I've always rented direct from landlords who know and respect their obligations as a landlord. I guess you as the tenant have to check the landlord to some extent by reading your contract thoroughly and checking your deposit is being correctly protected etc.

benjus

With the exception of one firm I rented from in Nottingham (who were really a company of Chartered Surveyors that did some lettings, rather than a dedicated lettings agency), EVERY time I have rented through an agency I have regretted it. Trying to claim all the deposit for spurious reasons, being useless when it comes to repairs, frequent inspections, high fees, etc etc.

The times I've rented direct from a landlord have always been fine. Always got my deposit back without issue, no fees, infrequent inspections.

Maybe it's partly because I got to meet the landlords before deciding to take the property, so I could decide if they were people I wanted to do business with.

tom9980

I found it interesting that not one of the 10+ applicants asked me to prove I owned the property when showing them around last year. I had evidence with me and believe it wise to check, so please do ask. Lots of agents seem to check this now in my area many tenants don't seem to be so cautious.

benjus

tom9980 wrote: »

I found it interesting that not one of the 10+ applicants asked me to prove I owned the property when showing them around last year. I had evidence with me and believe it wise to check, so please do ask. Lots of agents seem to check this now in my area many tenants don't seem to be so cautious.

Last time I rented from a private landlord I didn't ask for proof, but did check for myself on the land registry website. If someone was fraudulently trying to pose as the owner of a property, I suspect they would carry a forged printout of a land registry entry to show people. So I wanted to get the information directly from the source, even if it cost me a couple of quid.

Bart1

Much better to deal directly with the Landlord, an agent will try to charge you all sorts of fees on top of the rent.

RascalFlatts

Thank you all for the replies. I'm glad I asked. Can anyone recommended a good website or two for finding lettings by landlords and cutting out the middle man? I've checked Gumtree but only some are direct from landlords, many are from agencies.