Renting a garage from a private renter vs agent

20vt-rs

Hi all..
I am looking at finding a garage to rent and have seen options from both private and letting agents. The prices are around the same, is there any benefit of going through an agent on a garage, and anything I should be wary of or need to keep in mind? I have not rented anything like this before, so want to make sure I am prepared, as well as knowing if any premium paid is better going to an agent rather than private direct.
Many thanks!

theartfullodger

Nah.  To be a lettings agent in England requires no qualifications, no training, no criminal records check.  Plus they will add their commission onto the price 

Gavin83

theartfullodger said:

Plus they will add their commission onto the price 

As already mentioned the prices are the same so for the renter it really makes no difference. I would expect the landlord to be picking up the tab for the agent which appears to be the case here.

To answer the OP I’ve never rented a garage but have rented several properties, both via agents and private landlords. There are positives and negatives to both:

The level of service you get from an agent, at least in my experience is pretty standard. The level of service you receive from a private landlord can vary wildly. It’s worth noting that the best rental experience I’ve had was from a private landlord but similarly there were situations where I was extremely grateful the agent was there. Some landlords feel they can do what they like and an agent will often reign them in. In this respect a private landlord feels like more of a gamble.

Contact can vary a little. Landlords can go on holiday, fall sick, etc so could potentially be uncontactable for weeks at a time. You won’t usually suffer this issue with an agent. However you might find a private landlord is easier to contact outside of office hours.

Take this how you will but a landlord is likely to take things a little more personally than someone working for a business.

Personally I wouldn’t say there’s a massive difference between the two though and were I to rent whether is was via an agent or landlord wouldn’t influence my decision.

Gavin83

Also it’s worth mentioning there is a 3rd option, in that you rent from a private landlord but that landlord is actually a company, not an individual. In my experience this feels a lot closer to renting via an agent that a normal landlord.

caprikid1

I have rented a garage in the past from a large national lockup garage rental firm. 

For me it would be all about the location and my perception of the security, once I had ascertained this then probably my preference would be the large corporate who may have greater longevity.

20vt-rs

Thanks for the comments, much appreciated. I had looked into national storage firms, but nothing near where I live. 
One thing I am not fully sure about is anything contractually, if renting privately, should the renter or myself do any paperwork to make sure we are both clear on the things like costs, duration and anything else? If it was someone I know then there would be no issue, but if not, then this is where I guess the agent comes in handy.

silvercar

20vt-rs said:

Thanks for the comments, much appreciated. I had looked into national storage firms, but nothing near where I live. 
One thing I am not fully sure about is anything contractually, if renting privately, should the renter or myself do any paperwork to make sure we are both clear on the things like costs, duration and anything else? If it was someone I know then there would be no issue, but if not, then this is where I guess the agent comes in handy.

You obviously need a contract, however basic it is. It should mention the agreed rent and frequency, length of term (or open ended with a notice term). Who is responsible for maintenance, any access restrictions, any usage restrictions, rent review frequency and restrictions. The contract is really important because they won't be any tenancy rights that are enshrined in law like there would on a residential tenancy, so the contract is the only thing that gives you legal rights.

user1977

OP, "renter" is a confusing term to use especially as you seem to be talking about the landlord (if it's used at all, it generally means the tenant).

20vt-rs

silvercar said:

20vt-rs said:

Thanks for the comments, much appreciated. I had looked into national storage firms, but nothing near where I live. 
One thing I am not fully sure about is anything contractually, if renting privately, should the renter or myself do any paperwork to make sure we are both clear on the things like costs, duration and anything else? If it was someone I know then there would be no issue, but if not, then this is where I guess the agent comes in handy.

You obviously need a contract, however basic it is. It should mention the agreed rent and frequency, length of term (or open ended with a notice term). Who is responsible for maintenance, any access restrictions, any usage restrictions, rent review frequency and restrictions. The contract is really important because they won't be any tenancy rights that are enshrined in law like there would on a residential tenancy, so the contract is the only thing that gives you legal rights.

Yes this makes perfect sense, makes it clear for both parties. I will search and find out online if there are templates to use.

saajan_12

Silvercar has some great points, I'd also include 
- how can either side terminate (notice etc?)
- what happens if rent not paid (eg grace period, when can they remove the car, who bears costs)
- what happens if car damaged (scratched vs due to a leak in the garage etc)
- what happens if the garage / their property damaged (eg oil leak, other items broken when you're accessing it)
- who maintains insurance

NameUnavailable

I rent a garage from the local Council. I chose it over a private option as I figured that a private individual renting out their garage could be a situation that could change at any time (month to month contract).

Search to see what your local council offers (also HA's do the same).

Re. insurance, if it's a car then your car insurance covers you (you need to tell them where it's garaged) but if you are storing stuff then you'd need your own contents cover.