Managing your rent through a letting agency may present you with a few challenges. Letting agencies can be problematic for many people when it comes to unfair fees or maintenance of the property.
No matter whether the letting agency is taking too long to repair your house or they're simply difficult to contact, we've all experienced a letting agency mishap at some point.
You will find all the information you need to know here to help you deal with letting agents and hopefully avoid any pitfalls.
The information in this guide is sure to be helpful to both first-time renters and those who have been renting for a while.
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Letting Agencies: What Do They Do?
Most landlords manage their properties themselves, but those without the time usually opt to hire a letting agency. Landlords benefit from letting agencies in many ways, such as saving time, vetting tenants, and ensuring their rent is paid on time.
Landlords can hire letting agencies to find tenants and arrange a rental agreement. They also will collect rental payments on their behalf, and manage other aspects of renting the property, such as maintenance
Prepare Properly Before Choosing An Agency
There are a number of ways in which you can ‘vet’ an agency to get a good idea of whether they will be suitable. We’ve included some of the key things that you can do before going ahead and choosing an agency below:
1. Check out online reviews
If you are unable to visit the agency before renting, find online reviews from previous tenants who have used the agency. You should read as many reviews as you can to get an idea of what the agency offers and how it has handled previous tenancies.
2. Fees should be discussed
Many letting agencies don't clearly explain what their fees cover. While most companies provide this in writing, it certainly raises red flags if they don't. Before agreeing to rent a property, ask what the fees cover and why they are being charged.
3. Don't forget to protect your deposit
Most letting agencies in the U.K. provide tenants with a deposit protection scheme to ensure they can get their deposit back at the end of their tenancy. If you do not choose an agency that offers this level of protection, you could find yourself in an uncompromising position at the end of your tenancy.
4. Consult MousePrice
Mouseprice is the leading online source for UK property market information. With the provision of comprehensive and up-to-date housing data, we hope to make the property market more transparent and thus more fair for everyone, including renters.
Dealing With Common Letting Agent Issues
Unfortunately, many people find that at some point, they have to deal with a letting agent issue. Of course, sometimes this isn’t the case, especially if you do your own research ahead of settling with an agency.
One example of a common letting agency problem is unfair fees. In the U.K, tenants are no longer charged a lot of fees, and agencies cannot charge tenancy renewal fees when a fixed-term contract ends, references, credit checks, or immigration checks.
Tenants whose contracts began on or after 1 June 2019 are no longer subject to the aforementioned fees. If your tenancy started before this date, however, the ban only applies to fees collected after 1 June 2020.
Review Your Contract Details For Unfair Terms
A tenancy agreement must include fair terms. Before signing, you should have a reasonable amount of time to carefully review the terms outlined.
The tenancy agreement should not include terms that are considered unfair by law. Among these are break clauses, high-interest rates on unpaid rent, no overnight guests, your landlord's right to enter the property at any time, and your responsibility to fix repairs that the landlord should fix.
Complaints About Letting Agencies
While renting, you may encounter issues that need to be addressed. In some instances, agencies fail to handle things promptly, which can lead to further problems for some people.
It is possible to file a complaint regarding unfair fees or contract terms with your letting agent.
Whenever you have an issue, you should raise it with the letting agent first. However, if the problem cannot be resolved, you can take further action.
In the United Kingdom, every agency belongs to a scheme called the letting agency redress scheme. There are several schemes set up across the country that can assist you with a wide variety of complaints.
You Can Take Court Action If Neccessary
Depending on the situation, you may be able to file a lawsuit that is going to be heard in court. To counteract an unfair charge or claim your money back from a letting agent, you can take them to small claims court.
Citizens Advice can provide more information about small claims courts.
Find a reputable and trusted letting agent
MousePrice will connect you with a letting agent who offers wonderful houses for rent at a very reasonable price.
To find a home that you can rent with complete peace of mind, you can start on our website. Visit MousePrice today and find an agency in your area that you can trust.
