Complaints against Estate Agents have increased despite the property market slump state the Ombudsman for Estate Agents with one trade body reporting that they expect the majority of complaints to shift toward letting's in coming months.
ARLA - the Association of Residential Agents has sites that one of the reason for this is that many Estate Agents are shifting their business into lettings as house sales have been low. ARLA aslo stated that in their survey amongst its members as many as 76% reported that Estate Agents in their area had started to do lettings.
SurreyLets Director, Sally Asling comments " Its hardly surprising to hear that complaints are increasing, to be a good letting's agent you need to know a lot more than just negotiating an agreed rental price, which is what many Estate Agents think is involved. I hear many negotiators in the industry who have been roped into letting's to boost business think it really is as easy as getting an offer and agreeing a rental. One only hopes that their is a great deal of expertise in the branch to follow the let through correctly"
Ian Potter from ARLA states, "This is a big concern for Landlords and Consumers.....In order to make the transition from an Estate Agent to a Letting Agent, they need to have studied more than 100 different pieces of Lettings Legislation, and pass a minimum competency test to ensure their ability to advise clients to the required standards"
Sally Asling, SurreyLets comments " I agree 100% with Ian Potter. Estate Agents who do not have the required competency could be doing a huge dis-service to their clients and may not protect them because they do not have the right knowledge. Historically, I have seen Estate Agents issue the wrong tenancy agreements, not serve correct notices and not advice clients of the correct legislation leaving them with the problems further down the line."
Sally Asling is also keen to points out that Landlords who are most vulnerable are first time Landlords. As many homeowners cannot or do not want to sell in the downturn, they look at lettings instead. However the Letting's Market has undergone total transformation in the last decade and Estate Agents who are not trained in Letting's may not be equip to ensure they are able to service Landlords who will not be aware of legislation regarding the Law and Letting's or knowledgeable in issuing correct advice about Tax, Management, Notices etc. Letting's is an ongoing client relationship, and Landlords should look for expertise in their Letting Agent.
SurreyLets Director, Sally Asling has 18 years experience in Residential Letting's and Property Management and is a Fellow member of the Association of Residential Letting Agents. SurreyLets are dedicated to ensuring their clients receive the very best advice so they may make informed decisions.
There are definitely some very bad letting agents out there. We had one who didn't tell us the tenant hadn't paid for six weeks, we only found out when we checked our monthly bank statement.
ReplyDeleteThen when the tenant did a runner and trashed the place, we found out the only referencing the agent had done was taken a photocopy of the guys passport. No bank statements, driving licence, national insurance number, employers reference. Absolutely nothing to help track the guy down.
To add insult to injury the agent then claimed the carpet was totally wrecked and would cost £2,000 to replace. At which point we had, had enough and drove the 100 miles over to the property to inspect it ourselves. We got a professional carpet cleaner to look at the carpet and he fixed it for £100.
Moral of the story is make sure you get someone who is professional, knows what they are doing and cares about supplying a quality service. From reading Sally's blog and talking to her on the phone I would rate her as a safe pair of hands to look after your property.
Matin - your story is one I hear all too often, and it never stops amazing me. Your testimonial to me personally is very generous, thank you. I ensourage Landlords to get to know the agent personally and understand what they offer in real terms and how deliverable the promises are. Ofter the salesperson a Landlord meets is not the one who will be dealing with or have any control over the accounting or property management functions. A property is a huge asset to people, possibly the most expensive thing that you own and invest in and for that reason its crucial you trust who is looking after it for you.
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