Letting agent some advice as a new landlord

CraftySaver2689

Hi

We have decided to rent out our property and after meeting with various agents thought I had chosen a good one. They came on Thursday to take pictures for it to go on rightmove and others but since then I have had no contact.

I was told it would be posted today, it wasn't, so I phoned to be told it would go up Monday. Not a huge issue but I wanted to view the pictures and information being put online before hand.

My next concern is that I made it very clear I wasn't renting the property to anyone receiving house benefit and on Thursday they came with details of someone who is interested but had HB top up :mad:

My question having never done this before is: is the normal? I'm a project manager by trade so I'm used to managing and being in complete control. People are due to be shown round the house next week as we are away on holiday but now I'm thinking do I pull it from this agent and try again.

Guest101

CraftySaver2689 wrote: »

Hi

We have decided to rent out our property and after meeting with various agents thought I had chosen a good one. They came on Thursday to take pictures for it to go on rightmove and others but since then I have had no contact.

I was told it would be posted today, it wasn't, so I phoned to be told it would go up Monday. Not a huge issue but I wanted to view the pictures and information being put online before hand.

My next concern is that I made it very clear I wasn't renting the property to anyone receiving house benefit and on Thursday they came with details of someone who is interested but had HB top up :mad:

My question having never done this before is: is the normal? I'm a project manager by trade so I'm used to managing and being in complete control. People are due to be shown round the house next week as we are away on holiday but now I'm thinking do I pull it from this agent and try again.

Ye, let the poor sleep on the street!

Ahem- presumebly you ran checks on the agency, got references, checked so ail media, etc. ?

CraftySaver2689

I never asked for an opinion on who I was renting too that is my choice and many agencies don't deal with people on HB.

Yes all that was done

Guest101

CraftySaver2689 wrote: »

I never said for an opinion on who I was renting too that is my choice and many agencies don't deal with people on HB.

Yes all that was done

Public forum, expect opinions. It's alright, the taxpayer can supplement emergency housing at 2-3x the cost...

Agencies work for the LL, if a LL wants people on HB, that who they 'deal with'.

So your checks didn't show any negative experiences from this agent? They had glowing 5/5 reviews?

Who did you get references from?

Mrs_pbradley936

I would use an agent because there are far too many things that can go wrong if you don't know much about it all.


I do not want HB tenants because my insurance goes up if they claim. That said I have someone claiming that wants me to evict her so that the Council will be forced to house her. I never knew she claimed HB until 3 months ago and she has lived there for 3 years! Make of that what you will.


There are good and bad agents as well as tenants. Things I have come across are 12 people living in a flat where 2 signed the tenancy. A neighbour complained about comings and goings at all hours and the Council asked her to keep a diary - they contacted as for help in getting them out because of the overcrowding issue. We thought 2 nurses had the flat but they allowed porters and other nurses all on different shifts to rotate the beds and sofa.


The perfect tenants are working adults - they just sleep/shower there and boil a kettle in the morning because they eat out or bring in a takeaway and send their clothes to the cleaners. Such people do not cause a great deal of wear and tear.


In terms of wear and tear people with babies/small children are the worst. They have prams that damage paintwork, pets that pee and/or chew and if it is furnished you will have to buy new mattresses when they leave because a small child will wet the bed more than once.


I hope I have not put you off but if you have half an idea of what to expect you will not be unpleasantly surprised.

CraftySaver2689

Mrs_pbradley936 wrote: »

I would use an agent because there are far too many things that can go wrong if you don't know much about it all.


I do not want HB tenants because my insurance goes up if they claim. That said I have someone claiming that wants me to evict her so that the Council will be forced to house her. I never knew she claimed HB until 3 months ago and she has lived there for 3 years! Make of that what you will.


There are good and bad agents as well as tenants. Things I have come across are 12 people living in a flat where 2 signed the tenancy. A neighbour complained about comings and goings at all hours and the Council asked her to keep a diary - they contacted as for help in getting them out because of the overcrowding issue. We thought 2 nurses had the flat but they allowed porters and other nurses all on different shifts to rotate the beds and sofa.


The perfect tenants are working adults - they just sleep/shower there and boil a kettle in the morning because they eat out or bring in a takeaway and send their clothes to the cleaners. Such people do not cause a great deal of wear and tear.


In terms of wear and tear people with babies/small children are the worst. They have prams that damage paintwork, pets that pee and/or chew and if it is furnished you will have to buy new mattresses when they leave because a small child will wet the bed more than once.


I hope I have not put you off but if you have half an idea of what to expect you will not be unpleasantly surprised.

Thank you this is helpful and summarises many of my own views
No hasn't put me off but maybe I'm just expecting too much from the agency at the moment will see what happens in the next week

slopemaster

CraftySaver2689 wrote: »

My question having never done this before is: is the normal? I'm a project manager by trade so I'm used to managing and being in complete control. ... now I'm thinking do I pull it from this agent and try again.

I know where you're coming from with this as I often feel that if I want something doing properly I have to do it myself.

Yes, this is I think fairly normal - but that doesn't mean you have to accept it as normal. Let it be known that you are not v impressed by them proposing tenants who don't fit your criteria. Re-iterate that you want to check the details - they're quite likely to get something wrong if you don't.

Let them know that you are a demanding client but not an unreasonable one.
And continue to double-check everything they do.

jjlandlord

You should look for more specialised and professional forums to get good advice and avoid value judgments and OT comments.

Many agents must be kept on a very tight leash. You should also make sure that your instructions to them are in writing.

Innys1

Guest101 wrote: »

Public forum, expect opinions. It's alright, the taxpayer can supplement emergency housing at 2-3x the cost...

Agencies work for the LL, if a LL wants people on HB, that who they 'deal with'.

So your checks didn't show any negative experiences from this agent? They had glowing 5/5 reviews?

Who did you get references from?

This kind of observation is fairly common on here. I'd be interested to know if such posters would feel similarly if they were landlords themselves.

At any rate, it's irrelevant - what the OP chooses to do with an asset work tens of, if not hundreds, of thousands is their business not anyone else's.

I'm a landlord and would never consider DSS. Someone I knew was badly burned by a DSS tenant a while back and I'm not willing to take the same risk.

[Deleted User]

I just wonder, if a working person left a property in a really bad state, after deciding to not rent to HB recipients because a friend had one bad experience with someone on HB.., would they then decide to leave the property empty?

Or would they perhaps decide to do better prospective tenant checks regardless of background?

Probably too mind blowingly simple. Safer to stereotype and rent to no one.

Guest101

Innys1 wrote: »

This kind of observation is fairly common on here. I'd be interested to know if such posters would feel similarly if they were landlords themselves.

At any rate, it's irrelevant - what the OP chooses to do with an asset work tens of, if not hundreds, of thousands is their business not anyone else's.

I'm a landlord and would never consider DSS. Someone I knew was badly burned by a DSS tenant a while back and I'm not willing to take the same risk.

Well since not everyone on benefits is a scum bag, I'd take every application on it's own merits. I certainly wouldn't discount someone based upon one factor.

Someone I knew was hit by a Nissan driver, so I suspect all Nissan drivers are careless. And dangerous now.