Should A Landlord Opt For A Letting Only Service?
In the UK, landlords can either try and rent out property by themselves, or hire a letting agent to do the job. Doing it on their own can mean doing a lot of work. Firstly they will have to place advertisements in the local newspapers to let people know about the property. Then they will have to do everything next to the phone because potential clients can call anytime and would require information over the phone. Now if these clients like what they hear, they would want to see the property and the landlord will have to show them around. If everything goes smoothly, the landlord would then have to get the tenancy agreement made, and in case there is any repair work to be done, he/she would be required to take care of that as well.
Not hiring a letting agent might save you some money, but you will waste a lot of time doing the job yourself. Now a lot of potential clients would prefer if you hire a letting agent. They would feel more at ease dealing with the letting agent instead of the landlord.
Letting agencies would survey your property and make an estimate for the rent. If they are happy with what they see and think they can get you the required rent, they would list your property in the record. Now they will take care of the advertisements for the property, talk to interested clients and show them the site. Once everything gets to the final stage, they will call you and get the tenancy agreement made. They will also take care of any other paperwork.
Some of these agencies also provide maintenance crew. This way once a tenancy starts they give out maintenance services as well. They will try to get the tenancy contract extended or find new client before the term is over. Landlords who don?t have spare time, or the ones with multiple properties, like to use these agencies to make their lives easier.
Prospective tenants nowadays visit the websites of letting agencies. They search the properties for rent through search features available on the websites. Once they find a suitable place, they call the letting agency. This is a media that private landlords cannot use. Secondly, letting agents know how to deal with the landlords and the tenants. In the case of any dispute, they try to have it resolved amicably. So, there are several plus points for using a letting agency.
Landlords, this way, are free from the hassle of searching for tenants. A landlord is also not burdened with managing tenants during their tenancy and providing maintenance services. Also, when a tenancy is about to end, they find new tenants. Hence, a landlord may not have any period when his property lies vacant.
You can hire a big letting agency or even a small one working in one district only. The agency has to maintain a good reputation or they might lose their license and clientele. They will have information about all the relevant laws regarding tenancy. This is why they provide these services and are a better option than a solicitor is.
You would be better off using an agency if you are a landlord. They know what is required and would find a better tenant. As a landlord, you will be looking for someone who pays all the dues on time and does not do any damage to the property. A letting agency will always keep this in mind and whatever you pay them will be covered as a cost for the services and you will not have to go through any hassle on your own.
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