Should I use a Letting Agent to find a tenant?
In a market with too few properties and lots of tenants needing somewhere to live it may be tempting to find a tenant yourself and move them in. Why is it worth paying an agent to help?
🏠 Why Use a Letting Agent Instead of Finding Tenants Yourself?
In a market with few properties and many tenants, it might seem easy to find a tenant on your own. But hiring a letting agent is often worth it. Here’s why:
🔑 Trust & Professionalism
An agent adds formality and professionalism to marketing, viewings, and referencing. They act as a trusted middleman, helping you make decisions based on facts, not emotions. It’s easy to like a tenant personally, but financial checks and professional references reduce the risk of renting to someone who might cause problems.
📍 Local Knowledge
Agents understand the local market and can often get you a higher rent than you expect. They also know the legal limits, like the tenancy deposit cap set by the Tenant Fees Act 2019, and can clearly explain what’s included in the rent to avoid confusion.
📋 Handling Paperwork
Letting agents manage all the paperwork—from tenancy agreements to government-required documents—ensuring everything is correctly prepared, signed, and legally compliant.
⚖️ Keeping Up with Legal Requirements
Rental laws and safety regulations change frequently. Even experienced landlords can miss new rules. Agents stay up to date, ensuring your property meets all legal and safety standards, helping you avoid penalties.
😌 Peace of Mind
Finding the right tenant quickly and complying with all legal obligations saves you time, money, and stress in the long run.
Even if You Find Your Own Tenant
It’s still wise to have an agent conduct referencing checks, prepare paperwork, and carry out a property health check. This helps protect you legally and ensures you can regain possession of your property if needed. Tenants’ circumstances can change unexpectedly, and you don’t want to risk being unable to recover your property.
🔍 Choosing the Right Letting Agent
Do your research: ask friends or family for recommendations, check agent websites, verify their credentials (look for Propertymark membership), read online reviews, and speak to the team. Ask plenty of questions to find someone knowledgeable and trustworthy.
If you have questions about tenant find or management services, please contact our office. We’re here to help.
We are here and ready to help in any way we can. 🧑💼
☎️ Call: 01474 321957
📧 Email: Gemmascott@mandmprop.co.uk