Posts Tagged ‘letting agents’

Working with a Letting Agency

April 30th, 2010

Before you know the advantages of a letting agency, it is a good idea to know what one is. These are companies that offer services for those people with rental property portfolios. Many people who own rental properties don’t have the time or know how to properly manage them, and need someone with the experience and expertise that it takes to keep a property functioning properly, this is where a letting agency comes in.

There can be a whole host of advantages to utilizing the services of a letting agency for handling a rental portfolio. Such a service can be sure to rent the property to those that will take care of it. This is true of both commercial and residential rentals. Such services can also perform credit and criminal background checks. They can also draft contractual and leasing agreements. In many instances, a letting agency can work as a liaison for collecting rent or making deposits.

A letting agency also handles all of the evictions for tenants, and takes the brunt of complaints the tenants may make. They are there to protect your privacy, so you don’t have to deal with these people in person. They also hire contractors to come in and do improvements, as well as routine maintainance people who do grounds keeping for you properties.

Another huge positive found with a letting agency is that it can be significantly more helpful when handling paperwork associate with landlord/tenant agreements. Issues related to the housing market can also be overseen by the letting agency. For example, the agency understands how to set prices that can rent at a higher rate or how to affix a price that rents faster. The professionals that operate such an agency also posses the extensive knowledge needed to provide effective advice of buying and selling the actual rental property.

One of the more complicated aspects of renting entails insurance and tax issues. The letting agencies can help in this regard. They have the ability to take all the proverbial guesswork out of these processes since they are clear on the ways in which to handle paying taxes and insurance coverage. Such an agency never falls behind on the components needed to be successful in such areas.

Using a letting agency can take a lot of the stress out of owning rental properties, allowing your to reduce your own workload. If you ever have any kind of questions, they are almost always available to you, and can provide help and information on just about any subject that has to do with property rental, management, and maintenance.

Here is a major aspect of working with a letting agency: you need to hire the right one. There are some agencies that can offer more services than others. This could lead to paying a higher cost. In general, a letting agency can cost anywhere from 5-15% of the income from the rental. This means you should shop around in order to find the proper agency for your needs. And never lose sight of the fact that the cheapest service may not be the best service.

It is possible to locate the proper letting agency for your own individual needs. You might be able to find a number of excellent agencies on-line as well as through local resources. Look for an agency with a pleasant demeanour and a professional approach. And, of course, an efficient service that caters to your needs can be considered another major plus to consider when selecting an agency.

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What You Should Look For In A Letting Agency

April 9th, 2010

Engaging the services of a letting agent is, more often than not, very rewarding. Especially if the agent engaged proved to be very very good at his craft. Nevertheless, as simple as it may seem, still it entails great effort and consideration on the part of the property owner when he decides whom to engage. After all his choice will either make or break his opportunities.

So, if you were a landlord and your planning to engage the services of a letting agent, it would be helpful if you can consider the following before making your choice:

So, if you are a landlord and your planning to engage the services of a letting agent, it would be helpful if you can consider the fact whether or not the agent is first, familiar with the location of your property. It is important that your letting agent knows or is familiar with the community where your property is located. Familiarity of the customs and traditions of the community where your property is situated gives the agent a general idea of the kind of tenants the property is suited for.

Belonging to a professional organization helps minimize frauds and scams. Although it is not fool proof, still it deters would be scammers from perpetuating their vileful acts. Organizations police their own ranks, and provides for a grievance procedure, which is liberally construed to protect the rights of the landlords from substandard efforts as well as breach of contract.

Because the relationship between a landlord and a letting agent is fiduciary, it is important to remember that as agents they must always act to promote the interest of the landlord. Hence, an agent must be honest in all his dealings with his landlord as well as with everyone and trustworthy in his actions as well as decisions in behalf of the landlord.

And lastly, is he professional in all his dealings with you as his employer or does he boss you around and that he does not listen to your expectations. Because the relationship between a landlord and a letting agent is fiduciary, it is important to remember that as agents they must always act to promote the interest of the landlord. Hence, an agent must be honest in all his dealings with his landlord as well as with everyone and trustworthy in his actions as well as decisions in behalf of the landlord.

If you find yourself confronted with the fact that in all this considerations the letting agent answered no, then its time to move on to someone who is keener in giving you money’s worth.

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Why Investing In A Letting Agent Is A Sound Investment

April 8th, 2010

In real property business the decision to engage the services of an agent can sometimes spell the difference between success and failure. With the continued evolution of letting properties management models, from simple board and lodging for a few days to a yearlong tenancy agreement or rent contract, the necessity of property letting agents has become a rising standard.

Letting agents do not act on their own. Their relationship with the landlord is one of trust and confidence, in which the letting agent acts in behalf of the landlord in dealing with future tenants. Hence it is very important that the landlord imparts whatever information he may have about the property to his agent.

Letting Agents, although they offer many and varied services, operate on a legally binding trust and confidence with the owner. Even with a “No Let, No Fee” policy, still, all actions of an agent are construed to protect the property owner’s interest as well as the relationship it hopes to create between the property owner and the tenant, with the agent as intermediary. Payment of agent’s fees is only made when a deal is closed and inked. And usually, it is a percentage fee from the value of the rent.

The letting agent receives only a commission based on the amount of the rent agreed upon. Because of the fiduciary nature of the relationship, the fees vary with every landlord. That is why, every landlord can demand and expect the agent to work better so that if the rent is higher then the agent’s commission will be higher too.

Choosing an agent is a big decision. It requires careful consideration and a lot of research. However, it is worth noting that the capability of a letting agent to deliver the desired results does not depend on how much his commission or agents’ fee will be. As in all fields, big account agents do not necessarily mean success and agents with minimum fees do not also mean low capabilities. However, what often contributes to the success of the agent is the cooperation of the property owner in terms of giving information, clear and distinct guidelines, as well as expectations.

Fifth and final point, letting properties nowadays has become complex. Laws and ordinance have been recently passed to protect the landlords from unscrupulous agents. Also, letting agents are now organized and they police their own ranks in conjunction with the State. That is why the risk of engaging a letting agent has been minimized.

So, Why should you invest in a letting agent? Simple; because it works.

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categories: real estate,property,property management,letting agents

Property Management – How To Deal With Late Payments

February 28th, 2010

There is nothing more annoying for a landlord than when their tenant that usually pays their rent on time starts going down the slippery slope of not paying on time or even worse not at all. However this is your fault too.

Why My Fault?

Anytime you take on a new tenant at one of your property’s it is your responsibility to set the rules and make sure they agree by them.

With all new tenants there is normally a learning curve, it’s your job to ensure that the time spent on this curve is as small as possible.

Just like all tenants are not the same, not all landlords are the same either, as a rule of thumb just assume that their previous landlord didnt mind late payments. This way you wont be shocked when it happens. Always ensure they know from the start thought that ths is not the way that you opperate.

The first way to make sure that you start of well is to have it clearly in the agreement how late fees will be dealt with. Normally this is a percentage of the rent plus additional cost per day that the payment is not received. Obviously you should include a maximum which he late fee will not go over.

Next is to contact the person and simply state that if payment is not sent within a specific time frame then you will be providing them with a letter which states either pay the rent or you will be evicted.

I’m not a lawyer and I don’t claim to be one so please seek advice on the laws in your area before taking my advice.

Next step to take should you still not receive the money is to deliver the letter demanding that they leave unless they pay immediately. Make them understand that this will affect them from now on when trying to rent.

The final stage if payment has not been received is to issue a letter for immediate eviction. Unless you have legal experience, this is always a job left up to the professionals. If not done correctly this can cause all sorts of trouble.

The only company I could really recommend and whom I still use myself are Learmonts. They have offices in both Glasgow and Paisley so are well suited to someone looking for Letting Agents Glasgow or Flats To let Glasgow. Follow any of those links for more!

Letting Agents Glasgow – Make The Right Choice

February 26th, 2010

With so many letting agents in Glasgow, how do you make sure you choose the one which is right for your needs? It’s a very important decision so you need to give it some thought.

Many people prefer to think of their chosen letting agency as an investor or a member of staff. Rememeber you are giving them control of a very valuable piece of property. I always advise people to take into account certain factors before making any decision.

Stand By Reputation:

Make a list of firms which you think are in with a chance of getting your business. The most reliable way to start doing this is just by what you have heard of the various companies around. Normally you won’t be long and finding out bad experiences, everyone has had a bad experience at some point with a letting agent.

Remember, any letting agent in Glasgow who doesn’t at the very least have some testimonials of satisfied customers on their website should be avoided at all costs.

Inside Information Is Always Useful:

Having someone manage your property who has inside information about the area your property is in can be at the difference between filling your property 6 months of the year or 12 months. It really is important.

If you are looking to have someone manage your properties in the Glasgow area then having a letting agency with an office in Glasgow is a must. While it’s possible to get results without having an office in the local area, past results show that you just don’t get anything close to the same results in terms of rental price or the total time unoccupied.

Treating You As An Individual:

Not all letting agents offer a personalised service but I always use this as a quick sniff test to sort the real deal from the rubbish out there.

You want to ask the question, “will I get a personal letting expert”, as I said not everyone does this but the good ones do. You shouldn’t see an increase in price either as with the best ones this comes as standard.

Whether personally looking for Flats To let Glasgow or more often than not a Letting Agents Glasgow I alway use and recommend the same company, Learmonts; for more information follow one of the links, you won’t get a better service anywhere else.