Help - understanding letting agents and general advice on finding a house to let

[misscph1973]

We have been living in a rented house for 5 years now, and unfortunately the house is getting too small for us. I am looking to find a new long let, ideally a 4 bedroom house in the Wiltshire area that allow pets. But every time I find a suitable property, I ring up immediately, and it's already been let! I search Zoopla and Rightmove daily.

How can I get my hands on a house to let? What is it about letting agents? They never ring me back, the owner is always on holiday, they probably don't allow pets, and they are not sure if it's a long let even though the ad says it is.

Should I register with an agent? Or do they just use their database for "bulk"?

We are not looking to buy as we haven't got enough money for the downpayment.

We rented a while ago between houses. My experience was that the good stuff goes fast so much better to visit the local estate agents / letting agents and tell them what you want. Then phone them v regularly whether they have anything on Rightmove or not. The flat we took didn't make it as far as Rightmove . So , no magic answer , it was a question of just putting in some time and talking to these people constantly.
PC

get yourself on lists.

pets are an issue - what is the animal? Most landlords will say 'no pets' due to the damage and smell, BUT if you can mitigate those issues then all things are possible.

for instance, if it is a caged pet, not a problem. If it is a dog, the landlord will want to know that it is not left alone for ages, that it is restricted to certain areas of the house, that the excreta is bagged and binned not piled in the garden and that you will replace any damaged carpets and underlay.

cats are actually more problematic as (bitter experience) they can do vastly more damage to woodwork and carpets, even though they don't bark and tend not to smell. So again, what can you offer?

Thanks, poppy. I will register with agents and start ringing them.

special, it's a well-behaved dog. We both work from home so she is rarely on her own.

Yes, register with the some agents get a rapore going so they remember you. They will then call when they get a sniff of a property.

As a LL I would allow a dog if you both worked from home but I would request a higher deposit.

sounds good mitigation to me - flag that up with the agents. Dogs with company a) don't bark and b) don't get bored and wreck things!

Just to follow on from Special - we actually had a dog. We ended up paying one and a half or twice the usual deposit . If you are in a position to offer that it may level the playing field a bit between you and a prospective tenant without a dog and put the LL mind at rest a bit.
Good luck

Right move have a way of searching for stuff that's been put in in the last x about of days.
Set it up and honestly every spare minute just check. The minute one comes up ring up and view ASAP and offer practically there and then if you want it. Things are moving that quick

We already rent (6 years now), and when we first moved in, we had 2 dogs. This was not a problem, as I recall it, we paid a little more on the deposit, that's all.

Damn, I already use the search function you describe on Rightmove. I also signed up for alerts, but they didn't seem to work.

Yes, make a list of the agents who are renting the properties you're missing out on, then call them and get your details on their list and ring them daily if necessary (in the morning) until you're burned into their brain as a serious prospect. They ring the people they think are their best bets first. This is how we got our last rented house, it never made it as far as Rightmove, we were the first viewing.