Letting Agents

gburrows

Hi,

I am looking to rent out my house and am wondering how to choose a letting agent. Could anyone give me any idea how to pick a good one? Is it right that there is no omburdsman for letting agents?

Imp

Pretend to be a tenant looking for a house to rent. See how they treat you and whether you would want to rent a house through them. After all, if they treat tenants (your customers) badly or well, then that will determine how quick your house is let out.

After that, check they are a member of the ARLA and check their fees for both tenants and landlords. Ask for a copy of their agreement with you and their AST and make sure you are happy with every line in it. Check for all the hidden charges against them. See if you can find out if they have any court proceedings brought against them.

JustJewels

Hi gburrows

My strategy has been to invite 3 local letting agents over for an appraisal of my property, be quite upfront with each of them that that is what I am doing, and bluntly ask what they can offer.

One agent was removed from the list for not bothering to confirm their terms in writing (as well as being late), whilst the other was removed for not budging on price.

My reasoning being that if they can't be bothered to engage me professionally before they get my business, what are they going to be like when I've signed the contract?

The agent who got my business was punctual, gave a realistic (not inflated) rental figure and agreed to make the fees inclusive of VAT rather than exclusive.

Hope that helps

JJ

gordonstights

Imp wrote: »

Pretend to be a tenant looking for a house to rent. See how they treat you and whether you would want to rent a house through them. After all, if they treat tenants (your customers) badly or well, then that will determine how quick your house is let out.

I second that! I have rang letting agents (as a tenant) and found many to be incompetent and quite frankly don't give a s*** whether they get an appointment for a viewing or not.