Landlords Only lay down letting agent rules
Letting Agents - 03/11/2006 15:56:25
Landlords have been advised to careful choose the letting agent they want to represent their property.
Bill Sunner of Wolverhampton-based Landlords Only told the New Shopper that there are a number of things that landlords need to keep an eye out for.
Landlords should always check out the services that letting agents offer, as this is a key indicator of how good they are.
According to Mr Sunner, many landlords simple work on the price of the handling fee but this is often unrepresentative as costs do not vary greatly in the sector.
Every letting agent should also be registered with the Association of Registered Letting Agents (ARLA), the industry body for the sector.
ARLA represents most lettings agents and helps to scrutinise the sector to ensure all are reputable.
Mr Sunner advises landlords to ensure that any letting agent looks like they are professional as they should take on the day to day running of a property and their appearance will be an important part of their interaction with tenants.
Landlords should also check the fine print on contracts and ensure that maintenance is included in the cost. The agreement between landlord and letting agent should ensure all the basics are covered, ranging from rent guarantee insurance to property inspections.
Finally, Mr Sunner has called on landlords to choose well marketed letting agents and to investigate how many other properties they look after.
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