The Letting Agent's Role
By Don Suter 

Next Page

Letting agents play an important role in the buy-to-let industry and a good agent can help make or break your lettings experience. So what should you expect from your letting agent?

Professional reputation

To attract good tenants, the agent needs to be well established in the local area and have a good reputation. Try to find agents that are members of national letting organisations, such as ARLA, as these will provide peace of mind for both you and your potential tenants.

Credit checks and references

Once a tenant's offer has been accepted, the letting agent will do some background research to ensure they are suitable.

Credit references from the bank or building society, plus personal references from employers and where applicable, previous landlords are all standard. For the self-employed, references are expected from an accountant or solicitor.

Through their own experience, letting agent's should be able to assess the suitability of potential tenants and advise if they feel that somebody would not be suitable.

Inventory

Once the suitability of the tenant is assured, an inventory and condition report will be drawn up. This records the condition of the entire property, including carpets, curtains, furniture, wallpaper and paintwork, along with a list of the entire contents of the property.

At the end of the tenancy, the inventory is used to check that the contents and condition of the property are the same as they were at the start. Changes resulting from general wear and tear are taken into account.

Continued on next page

Next Page