by Steve Hatch

Having a ‘Property Managed’ is one thing, but as many Landlords will tell you having it ’ProperLy Managed’ is something altogether different…  Finding an agent who will take the time to actually care about you, your property, and your tenants come to that, is far easier said than done 

A professional agent will effectively pay for themselves over the course of the tenancy, so best advice has to be ‘don’t make the mistake of going with the cheapest agent’.  It will cost you far more in the longrun and you could end up with some really poorly referenced tenants, the lower an agents fees are, the more properties they need to turn over to make a profit!   

One thing that always amazes me is that a potential landlord will often ask how much we charge before finding out about our service, our qualifications and our experience… Now there is nothing wrong with this, but once the fee has been mentioned, that is often the thing being compared, rather than the service, qualifications and experience.

So how do you decide which agents to call in?

The best bet is to find out for yourself what other landlords and tenants have experienced with the local agents.  It’s no good relying on testimonials either, which agent in their right mind would post bad comments on their webpage?  No, it has to be an independent review site that the agent has no control over.  Just type in your area and select the local agents. 

Here are some good questions to ask the agents:

How many properties do you have manged?

Do you charge a renewal fee if my tenants stay on?

Will you call my preferred plumber/builder/handyman in the event of an emergency, or do I need to use yours?  

Once the tenants pay my rent in, how soon after will it go into my account? 

Important stuff Landlords need to know:

If you are going abroad you have to apply for a NRL number (Non Resident Landlord), if you do not have this the agent (or Tenant if no agent is involved) must, by law, deduct tax from your rent and pay it to HM Revenues and customs.  You will be surprised how many agents fail to mention this.  More info here  

All residential rental properties are required to have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) by law since 1st October 2008.  The good news is that they are valid for 10 years and they are relatively cheap at around £40

I will be more than happy to answer any individual property questions… just click here, or go the the ‘Ask us a Question’ tab above.