Things to Consider When Choosing a Letting Agent

Things to Consider When Choosing a Letting Agent

The letting agency business is a very competitive one.

And with so many different agents to choose from finding the right one to let your property can be bewildering.

That’s why we came up with these tips to make our landlord’s lives easier.

Here are six things to consider before you instruct a letting agent to market and possibly manage your property.

1)            Do they have a track record in renting properties like yours? Ask for evidence of properties like yours that they have let and achieved a good monthly rent on.

2)            Do they have client testimonials? A good agent will always have previous clients who will vouch for them or have positively reviewed them.

3)            Do you like them? You’ll be working closely with the agent you choose so it’s important that you like and trust them. If in doubt, go with your instinct.

4)            Fees and costs. Remember the old saying ‘If you pay peanuts you get monkeys’? Well it’s never truer than in the world of estate agency. Those agents who offer very low fees are often desperate for instructions so they go in very low on commission fees.

5)            Where do they advertise? Increasingly buyers begin searching on the internet. So, ask the agents where they advertise. It’s also worth asking an agency how its marketing strategy differs from its competitors. What makes it stand out from the crowd? Do they do floorplans?

6)            What is their average void period for properties between tenants? Ours is 4 days!

7)            Choose an agent who are members of a Client Money Protection Scheme, the National Approved Letting Scheme (NALS) and a property redress scheme.  We are member of Safe Agent, NALS and The Property Ombudsman.

Thanks for reading and if you have any other property related questions in addition to those above please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us – we’d love to help you.