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Find Property Manager / Letting Agent

It can be hard to find a property manager or letting agent. Especially a good one! That's why we have gathered together the best ones to put you in touch with. Even better, we've negotiated special offers and discounts with them for you. Just start by picking the area you're interested in below.

How to choose an agent

It can be tempting to choose an agent based on price alone. This could be dangerous, as standards of service in the industry vary wildly. Even if you wanted to choose on price, this is hard because the headline management rates are usually not the end of the story.

If you see a very low headline rate, you can be sure that there will be other charges, as an agent will barely cover their overheads at this level. If that is not the case then you shouldn't expect much of the service, as they will unavoidably be cutting corners!

And what if you only want the agent to find a tenant? Choosing an agent for a tenant finding service on price alone is also a mistake. Extensive marketing costs money. A cut price service means your property is not getting the market exposure you need.

Benefits of using an agent

I have always said that although there are obviously costs involved in using one, the benefits of employing a good agent will always outweigh them:

You are free to concentrate on growing your portfolio -- you're working on your business and not in it.
You'll often have shorter voids as agents have access to a larger pool of waiting tenants and greater marketing reach.
There's a buffer between you and the tenant. This can't be underestimated as it stops you getting emotionally involved with them and feeling you should let them off with late rent and such.
You don't get called in the middle of the night or on holiday.
You have someone looking out for your portfolio full time rather than you doing it part-time.

Bad agents

One reason owners will decide to self-let rather than use an agent is not to save money but because they've had a bad experience with an agent. In fact choosing a bad agent can be very damaging, if they provide an unsuitable lease, give bad advice on legislation or don't take action when things go wrong.

So take care in choosing the right agent and you'll significantly reduce the risk of things going wrong in the future.

What to look for in an agent

These are some of the things to look for in a good agent:

Member of a regulatory bodies, such as The Property Ombudsman or ARLA
Advertise on all the major web portals
Has a continuous staff training programme
Has a thorough tenant vetting procedure
Has testimonials or references available from satisfied customers
Actively manages rent increases
Performs periodic property inspections
Will pay your rent out on time. A good agent will realise that you most likely have a mortgage to pay and will pay rent out to you as soon as they receive it.
Has proper office space, in good locations. This will attract better tenants. Some letting agents work from home, and are unable to attract quality tenants.

Save money and time

Using an agent can save you money as well as time but choosing the wrong agent is a mistake which has cost many landlords dearly. Look for things like professional accreditation and customer testimonials to give yourself confidence that your agent will live up to their promises.