Aug/090
Landlords And Letting Agencies
Thousands of landlords face financial disaster because of the wrong choice of agents, agencies or the tenants. They face a rapid devastation because of their over confidence and sometimes for their too short planning. In the present day, it seems difficult to find and choose the real and professional letting agent, as there is a great rush of agencies in England and outside. By following certain careful steps, many small landlords can go for the safe side of the case.
First, mark it that you are wrong if you consider that an agent is an angel, and you shall start collecting rent just by handing him over the keys of your property. You need to evolve a counter check system and must have a written legal contract, which should also be endorsed by the authorities.
There are numerous new landlords who lay importance to this aspect and later they suffer as described above. As a result, they hand over their property to bad tenants. These bad tenants become the worst nightmare, as they do not pay the rent and sometimes cause your property enough damage. In many other cases, the landlords are fined heavily due their tenants. You cannot do anything about it if you have no proper documentation.
The choice of a wrong agent is like a stinking heap that can engulf the whole stuff with its ever-growing bad affects. The success of the agent lies in his proficiency and efficiency of choosing the reliable tenants. If he fails to do so, you should not even think of the income for months.
In addition to the above-mentioned dilemma, you should be prepared for all the maintenance of your property without getting any income. There have been cases where tenants run away without paying the rent, because the agent have not secured the landlord's interest due to his inexperience. You can at least secure yourself, and get the damages recovered from the agent, but you must have a legal contract with him or his agency.
You can choose a good agent by making sure about the good quality of service. You should preferably choose an agent who is a member of a recognised industry body. Check if they are capable of having, or training staff up to the industrial standards. Have a look at their work experience in the field and ask them the criteria they have to hire the tenants. Do they bring the tenants by themselves or use the referring agencies?
You must check whether they have some knowledge about the premises of your property, and do they have any prior experience in that particular area. You should also check their schedule of service charges prior to establishing any contract fee. You must also check the charges of other concerned agencies of similar category.
In case you do not want the services of any agent, then there is a big risk for you and you need to take a lot of care in opting for any tenant. You must know all the background and reputation of the probable tenant and make a written agreement for your own safety. You must know the tenant's affordability level so that you could asses his ability to pay you rent. Check their past records with the legal authorities, police records, and the places they have worked before.