Letting Agents

Estate Agents Advice: Preparing Your House For Viewings

Posted by Dean Forbes on Nov 30, 2015 in Letting Agents | Comments Off on Estate Agents Advice: Preparing Your House For Viewings

Anyone who wants to offer a property for rent must prepare for the process to receive the biggest return on investment. Finding the right tenant can mean the difference between a lucrative rental agreement and problems that may decrease your profits. Before you welcome new tenants into a building, there are many things to consider when preparing your rental property for customer viewings.

Put yourself in the shoes of the prospective renter – what are they looking for in a place to live, and think about what would appeal to them. First impressions are extremely important when looking for a good tenant. You want your place looking its best before you schedule a walk through with a potential tenant.

Most lettings agents operate in fiercely competitive local property markets, and know the shortcuts to guaranteeing success. Often there can be a trendency to over-complicate the process, but simple solutions can bring terrific results.

Take time to ensure interior and exterior of the property is neat and clean. Hire a professional gardener to mow the lawn, prune hedges, and remove any unsightly weeds. This improves curb appeal and offers potential tenants a great first impression before they even walk inside. Adding a coat of paint to the window frames and door can vastly improve the exterior without having to paint the entire building, or cost a fortune.

How To Choose A Letting Agent

Posted by Dean Forbes on Jul 30, 2015 in Letting Agents | Comments Off on How To Choose A Letting Agent

If you are looking to move from one rented accommodation to another or are thinking of offering up your own property for rent, the chances are good that you’ll need a letting agent. The problem is that there are so many letting agents out there these days, and choosing a good one can often prove to be somewhat of a minefield.

which property management company to choose?

Property is big business, and wherever there’s money there will always be a fair few cowboys ready, willing and able to exploit those who are new or naïve, unfortunately. That is why it is so vitally important to do your homework and not simply opt for the letting agent that is closest to where you live. Thankfully, this article aims to take the pain out of your research by pointing you in the right direction from the get-go.

This sounds like a lot of hard work

It may sound like it’s going to be a real headache trying to sort the wheat from the chaff, but really there are only three main things that you must bear in mind when begin looking for a letting agent. Naturally, there are numerous other points that you can take into consideration whilst doing your research, but these three things will stand you in good stead as you start looking for a new place to rent or for an agent who will help you get your property filled.

Look out for accreditation

Unfortunately, letting agents are not regulated. In the worst instances, a new letting agent can simply set up shop one day and begin dealing with clients that very same afternoon. However, there are some things that you can look out for to ensure that you are dealing with someone who is reputable.

Check for accreditation from the two main bodies, National Approved Lettings Scheme (NALS) or the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA). If your prospective agent has taken the time to become a member of one, or both, of these organisations then it’s a fair bet that they are not going to be as fly-by-night as someone who isn’t. Obviously, this isn’t a guarantee that all will go swimmingly but it is a good place to start.

Look out for the T&Cs

Be sure to take the time to read through your prospective agents terms and conditions before committing to anything. Many will try and blind the layman with science and legalese jargon, and the T&Cs can often run into dozens of pages, but it is important to know what you are getting into prior to making your final decision. If you really want to be 100{f1885cf6b94f351b7b5670d695b9d8dd607d68b7261306e722051d6efb7fc181} certain of what you are signing up for, employing a legal professional with expertise in the lettings field can give you the peace of mind necessary to move forward.

Be sure of what you are getting

Letting property is not a standardised industry so many agents will use different terminology for what essentially boils down to be the same thing. Reading through the letting agents list of services should spell out exactly what you are going to receive from them. If you feel that the way things are worded are a little woolly or unclear, it’s probably best to move on to another agent.

There’s also the fact that you’ll have no real way of knowing that they’ll actually provide the service that they claim they will. This is where a little further research can save lots of heartache further down the line. If you know someone who has used the agent in the past, ask some questions. If you don’t know anyone, scout around online. More and more people are now using the Internet as a way of keeping letting agents accountable.

So, there you have it, the first three steps towards landing yourself a decent letting agent. While these steps will not completely guarantee that you’ll be happy with the service that you receive, they will go a long way to ensure that you get a better quality agent to take of you and your property.