bemo Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Hi, I am currently looking at the service letting agents give to both tenants and customers. I have experienced service as a tenant and as a landlord, both good and the not so good! What are the main things that you LIKE about them? What are the main things that you DISLIKE about them? I just thought it maybe interesting to get a discussion going involving tenants, landlords and agents!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bemo Posted February 28, 2009 Author Share Posted February 28, 2009 Tenant application fees, just how much is a fair charge? £50 £100 £0!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte_24 Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Personally, i think anything over about £50 is too much. And it isn't just the application fees tenants need to take into consideration, for example will you be charged for renewing your contract? Will the agency charge to provide a reference when you leave? Will they charge you an additional check in or inventory fee? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bemo Posted February 28, 2009 Author Share Posted February 28, 2009 Are you a tenant Charlotte_24? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bemo Posted March 1, 2009 Author Share Posted March 1, 2009 What do tenants look for in a good agent? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrejuan Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 (edited) A good Agent should take all the worry out off letting a property, they should handle every part of the process from start to finish. The important thing for me is the legal stuff (should be bang up to date with the latest legislation) the 6 monthly inspections, and the references. Regarding charges to the tenant, I think anything over £50 is excessive. I use Norrow Estates, generally they are ok, but I recently had to remind them about inspections. I have never used them as a tenant. The charges to landlords are varied to within a few percent, but the levels of service are vastly different amongst Agents. As a landlord you have a choice how much you pay and with whom you place your property, the prospective tennant has no choice usually ie. if they want a particular property they have to pay what that agent charges them. They shouldn't be ripped off. A good tenant is worth there weight in gold, so if you are lucky enough to have a good long term tenants then treat them well, I attend to any problems immediately day or night. I once rented a property for 6 months through an Agent, I paid over £200 pounds in total for various bits of paper during the complicated application (13 years ago) The agent checked the property twice in the six months, and upon leaving they checked the place on the last day to make sure I had cleaned it properly and left everything in tact. At this point they said the cleaning was not thorough enough and wanted the paintwork washing down or they wouldn't return my bond, I showed them the photos I took when I moved in and asked them to compare the level of cleanliness. Suddenly they thought my last day clean was more than adequate!! Edited March 1, 2009 by andrejuan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte_24 Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 The charges to landlords are varied to within a few percent, but the levels of service are vastly different amongst Agents. As a landlord you have a choice how much you pay and with whom you place your property, the prospective tennant has no choice usually ie. if they want a particular property they have to pay what that agent charges them. They shouldn't be ripped off. A good tennant is worth there weight in gold, so if you are lucky enough to have a good long term tennants then treat them well, I attend to any problems immediately day or night. Can i ask you, as a landlord do you also factor in what the agent will charge a tenant when selecting one? I have heard several people say that they've seen a great house at decent rent, but wouldn't go for it as they didn't want to deal with the particular agent marketing it (not the same one every time). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte_24 Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Are you a tenant Charlotte_24? Yes, but i'm also speaking from a professional point of view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrejuan Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 (edited) Can i ask you, as a landlord do you also factor in what the agent will charge a tenant when selecting one? I have heard several people say that they've seen a great house at decent rent, but wouldn't go for it as they didn't want to deal with the particular agent marketing it (not the same one every time). Yes,because it is important to me to know the tenant is not going to get ripped off. In an ideal world, I would like the Agents to pay all the setting up costs, after all, they will make money from the percentage they charge; money they will collect for years in many cases without doing a great deal of work. Regarding your point about an unpopular Agent putting off a prospective tennant, this happens, there are Agents out there I wouldn't touch with a barge pole, be it as a tenant or a landlord. Some years ago I saw some business premises to let. They were what I wanted but it said on the board "all enquiries via the agent" I didn't want to deal through the agent ( they always complicate things and it takes longer because negotiations have to go through an extra person) so I rang the owner direct, on this occasion it was a major supermarket chain, I explained I wanted to deal direct and after a short chat they agreed. This is not always possible with residential(or advisable), but worth a try if you know what you are doing with the legal stuff. Looking to the future, things will have to change I think. The stock of available housing for rent has increased substantially over the last few years. The number of Agents has increased. There is more competition for both, this is great, it means landlords cannot any longer rent out damp dirty and dangerous houses just because they know if you move out someone else will move in. Agents will have to look again at what they charge because if they don't they will be replaced by one who does. Edited March 1, 2009 by andrejuan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bemo Posted March 2, 2009 Author Share Posted March 2, 2009 Do you think it is important for agents to be associate members of bodies such as ARLA, NAEA, UKALA, NALS? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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