Renting out privately or via an agent

propertyrental

lr1277 said:

Regarding getting things fixed, ensure you know good contractors/tradesmen. You are free to use the tradesmen suggested by the agent. Obviously you have no control who is used if the agent is managing the property.

In my experience tradesmen coming through an agent charge more than if you had gone to them direct. I imagine it is the same if the agent calls them for a job.

Other oints to note:

How close do you live to the property? How easy is it for you to attend? If a tradesmen is coming along, are you going to be there to supervise the work or are you expecting the tenant to do that? Will the rest of your life accommodate the time required to spend on the property?

But if the agent is managing the property, will they supervise any tradesmen in the property? Or will the agent just give the tradesmen the key?

Not necessarily. It depends on your contract with the agent. You might

* leave repairs entire;ly up to them (costly as suggested)

* allow them to do repairs up to, say. £100, then seek your authority

* refer all repairs to you so you can use your own contractors

or some combination of the above.

Many people assume they have to agree to whatever process, or contract, the agent proposes, but the agent works for you. So make clear in the contract what you do or don't want them to do.

lr1277

Thanks @propertyrental that is good infomation.

I came from the standpoint of managing the property myself, which can be hard work. And sometimes I just didn't know any good tradesmen fo a particular job so asked the agent.

propertyrental

lr1277 said:

Thanks @propertyrental that is good infomation.

I came from the standpoint of managing the property myself, which can be hard work. And sometimes I just didn't know any good tradesmen fo a particular job so asked the agent.

My sister did the same. She inherited a tenanted property 200 miles away and obviously knew no local contractors, so left it up to the agents. When they quoted her a particularly exorbitant price to re-instate a garden fence, she googled, rang a local fencing contractor  got a quote for 1/4 the price and instructed the agent to give him the keys and get him to do the job.

BonaDea

Going back to the OP, it looks like the property owner is trying to avoid having to pay for the services of a letting/managing agent by getting a family member, who at this point is not competent to do so, to take on the job.  Just for 12 months.

For that family member it will be an extremely steep learning curve at the beginning. Shiraz99, if you're contemplating taking this on for your relative, book a week's leave (or more) from work and spend it getting up to speed with housing law and regulation before anyone starts looking for a tenant, and then expect to regard it as a part-time job for the next year.  Given the likely burdens involved it would be entirely reasonable to charge the family member a fee for your services, perhaps 4/5 of what they'd have to pay for a professional who knows what they're doing?

leonard_455

I’ve been managing my own place for a while and yeah, it’s a lot, especially early on. What helped me was getting everything organized through TurboTenant. It’s not perfect, but it keeps all the basics in one dashboard (ads, apps, leases, even maintenance requests). Cuts down on the back-and-forth and makes it easier to stay on top of things when you’re not local or just busy.

Murphybear

Bookworm105 said:

legally, as the owner will be abroad, they must provide a UK address at which "they" can be contacted by their tenant

pro and cons of family member v letting agent is a fruitless comparison as we know nothing about the level of knowledge of the family member re tenancy law
The family member may have in-depth knowledge, but have useless interpersonal skills and so be unable to deal with tenant requests
Letting agents often show only superficial knowledge despite claiming "professional qualifications" and are always acting in their own interest first, landlord second.

has the owner registered for the (HMRC)  non resident landlord scheme?

Many many also have professional training and pass exams.  I have ARLA Advanced Legal exams in which I got a distinction.  Until I retired I knew everything I need to know about landlord/tenant law.  

mlz1413

I have done both options,  but in the OPs case I would use an agent.

The owner is abroad and as pointed out by replies given, there are rules on this. Which I doubt OP or Owner knew about.

The Renters Rights Bill  is coming soon so tenants will have more rights and notice periods will have to be given correctly.  Again is OP and Owner aware?

If this is a short let of 12 months or so I think it is worth the % to pay a ARLA registered agent.  This is ultimately their home and they will want it back.

Try and get someone recommended,  use a local FB group or similar.

Uriziel

If they are not going to be in the country they should definitely be hiring an agent. If anything happens how are they going to help out a tenant? Will they text you? And then you will tell the tenant that you can pop by after work and expect tenants to be without water for a couple of days? You are thinking only about yourself and your parents. What about the tenants? What do you think is good for them? I think having someone who is always available and probably also close is better for them. Hire an agent.