Find a leasing agent
There are multiple reasons why you are considering renting a property, however in ALL cases it is imperative that you spend some time ensuring that you select and form a relationship with a reputable and reliable rental agent that suits all of your requirements. . If you’re using the Internet to locate an agent in your area, it’s not surprising that you’ll feel a bit overwhelmed with the sheer number of rental agencies offering their services, but with a little advance knowledge, you can quickly narrow down the list to a few. Few who will. follow your needs.
There are several factors to consider in narrowing down your list of potential leasing agents. These include:
- property types
- Service level
- Experience
- Fixed Office Rental
- professional membership
- Agent Availability
- Rates and Fees
Property Types
If you own a 4-bedroom single family home in a quiet suburban neighborhood, don’t consider using a leasing agency that specializes primarily in city student rentals. This may seem obvious, but it is often overlooked and is a quick way to narrow down your list of leasing agents. Choose an agent who is currently listing properties similar to yours.
Service level
Different agencies offer different levels of service. These tend to fall into three categories:
- complete management
- Real estate rental and rent collection
- basic introductions
In all cases, the agent should try to locate a suitable tenant through their own channels and additionally advertise their property through other online channels such as rightmove or primelocation.
professional membership
To the extent that leasing agents are not regulated by specific government statutory boards, there are several principle leasing organizations for these leasing agents that have specific codes of compliance controls and practices that are strictly implemented to ensure the high degree of compliance. professionalism exemplified by its members. Notable organizations include the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)tea Association of Residential Leasing Agents (ARLA) and the National Association of Realtors.
Leasing agency websites should advertise fairly obviously whether or not they are affiliated with these organizations, and if they are, it gives you a degree of assurance regarding their credibility.
Office rent
There are many people who advertise their services as rental agencies. You should take note of which agents have a fixed address and a real office. A good office location sends a message to clients that you are serious about the quality of the services you provide. This allows both you as a landlord and prospective tenants a place to meet with the leasing agent and discuss your arrangements or find a property to rent, respectively.
Agent Availability
It is more convenient for tenants if they can discuss matters with their leasing agent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The least tenants would want to experience is the inconvenience that comes with renting a place, so it is absolutely important that the rental agent offers the best methods of communication. They should have working phone lines that are available for inquiries on weekends in case their office is closed on those days. They should also have a website or email address that is regularly checked for inquiries from tenants residing in faraway places.
years of experience
Look for agents who have a long history of renting properties like yours. There are many that specialize in one type of property, but may have branched out and started renting other types, especially after the recession; however, you should ultimately deal with an established rental agent with many years of experience in the most appropriate market.
Rates and Fees
Don’t be immediately drawn to leaving agents with lower service fees. This should not be an incentive until you have a list of potential rental agencies you want to deal with and only then when you have contacted each remaining agency to ensure they will provide you with the best service, should you consider looking at rates. that they charge You don’t want to sacrifice quality of service and reliability for a small difference in rates.
ultimate choice
When you have successfully produced a list of potential leasing agents, the next step would be to contact each one in turn. The most important tip here is to communicate well with each rental agency.
Be specific with your requirements.
If you are only looking to rent to families or working professionals please specify this in your requirements, if you are happy to rent your property to pet owners, students or unemployed persons please specify this in advance as this will greatly assist the agent in locating potential tenants. . Also consider if you are thinking of renting short-term or only want to rent long-term.
By using the information above, you will be able to locate the perfect rental agent for your needs.
