Any letting agents that can help me?

[absolutelyknackeredcow]

Posting in chat for traffic.
We need to rent for six months (London) while our new house goes through substantial building works.
It's me, DH, two children and a cat.
Have tried to avoid going through letting agents to avoid fees and because they don't seem keen letting for six months (understandable).
Do most contracts have a six month break clause and am I doing myself a disservice telling them this up front ?
I don't want to be dishonest - and have tried posting on informal sites /Airbnb etc - but getting nowhere.
Any tips greatly appreciated ? Thanks

Some one is going to be paying those fees - it’s not like the agents are doing it for free

Letting agents will be less widely used if they increase their costs to landlords. Some landlords will adapt and manage properties themselves, others will sell. Many letting agents will go out of business, and others will go online only. Letting agents are bottom feeders; rinsing tenants and landlords for spurious services whilst encouraging rent inflation and tenant turnover to line their pockets. The more landlords who start to do without them the better. It's not as if renting through agents means you get a more reliable tenant anyway! Plenty of landlords have horror stories of nightmare tenants who passed all the checks 🤷🏼‍♀️

@CodenameVillanelle

Indeed, but for those who require the security of a one year contract, they are still going to be stiffed on agency fees for another year..

Yes, that's true.

Have you tried the Next Door forum? I often see properties to let directly, mostly for short term on there.