Using a letting agent

[DarlingNikita]

I'm thinking about the possibility of letting my flat (in London) and living overseas somewhere in mainland Europe for a bit. I'd want to use an agent to manage day-to-day issues with the tenants. Does anyone have any good/bad/horror stories, or tips, about using an agent in this scenario?

becoming a landlord is a complex and risky business needing rather more than tips and horror stories. the buck will always stop with you.

go lurk on andlordzone for a while. and also read the how to rent guide for tenants which will start you off with your legal responsibilities.

have a plan b for your return if the tenants dont leave - London evictions can take up to a year.

I use an agent. Not in London though. I’m around and not abroad but as it’s all done by text and email it doesn’t make much difference.

First of all, a good agent will take you through the legal position re gas certificates etc. They will also find you tenants. This is important as they do financial checks. You have to decide if you want 6 months or longer and what the options are on terminating the agreement. You have to decide about pets, who cuts the grass and what they can and cannot do, eg put screws in walls for pictures etc.

Get every single thing in good working order. It should be serviceable. You don’t want anything going wrong if you can avoid it. A good agent will sort out trades for you but you might have to agree to estimates if anything goes wrong. So don’t let it out with a dodgy boiler!

The agent should arrange for an inventory and take the deposit and hold it with a designated company. My problem has been getting the agent to work for me in getting deductions for breakages. This can be frustrating. The inventory says what is fair wear and tear and what’s down to the tenants but I still get shoddy service. The house not being clean really gets me!

The big problem is evictions. I’ve only had one tenant in 20 years who was awkward but he scarpered when he was wanted by the police so it saved me Court fees. It was a nasty position to be in and I lost about £1500 through unpaid rent. It’s not all a bed of roses and some tenants are lovely but there is the odd shit one about. Get your agent on side to find a nice tenant. My last lot have gone back to Spain (health professionals) but broke things. Expect to have to deep clean when you come back or get a deep clean written into their contract. This seems to happen in London but not where I live.

The agents don’t seem to vary much in the service they offer but you can shop around for fee level. As you will be abroad you won’t have much choice because I don’t see how you can manage it from abroad. You don’t need day to day management but you do need faults repaired quickly. That’s where the agents will be good! And vital.