Renting: Landlord or Agent? Who do you prefer to rent with?

Delvis

Delvis

Delvis

Caporegime
Joined
7 Nov 2004
Posts
30,204
Location
Buckinghamshire
Hello

Just a quick one, do people prefer to rent with an agency or a landlord directly? I know there are pro's and cons either side but im just interested.

Also, do people know of ways to find landlord to let propertys? Other than walking around a town trying to find post-it notes in windows? I've been told to look on gumtree in the past but i was wondering if here were other means

Thanks :)
 
If possible the landlord directly, agency staff are horrible to deal with and rip you off.

Much easier to get a fairer deal going directly through a LL
 
Subscribed. Have to move in 6 weeks and would like to know the best option, also anyone know any other good sites to search for places other than gumtree? or is gumtree the best place to find something.
 
Landlord without a doubt - My experiences of letting agencies have only been bad ones, there seems to be no duty of care, just get you in the property and worry about the rest later.

Letting agents also charge a fortune to fully manage a property, so you can probably save a few quid going for a Landlord who manages it all himself.
 
landlord - any half decent landlord will hands down beat any agent out there.

both parties are all about the money, but the landlord direct is much more personal and ultimately gets the job done quicker and easier without the fees!
 
Every person I've dealt with at an agency has been an incompetent scum bag. Go directly through a landlord if you can. :)
 
Thanks for the input so far :)

Likewise, i've dealt with our landlord whenever something happens, the agency just doesnt seem to care one bit
 
Aside from student halls i've dealt with one agency and one landlord (where I currently live).
The agency were completely incompetant, take ages to sort out maintenance and charge you for agency fees. So upfront I had to pay £300 first months rent, £300 deposit, and £75 fees for a house which didn't feel like a home, you could describe it as a box with furniture in.
The place where I currently live is through a landlord, the only problem I've had is that there's been quite a few visits in the last couple of weeks by architects as the loft is being converted. Aside from that the house is maintained very well and the house itself is really nice, you wouldn't look at it and label it a 'student house'. It's a bit more per month (£320 each) but we didn't have to pay fees.
 
FNGsam said:
Subscribed. Have to move in 6 weeks and would like to know the best option, also anyone know any other good sites to search for places other than gumtree? or is gumtree the best place to find something.
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Someone on here recommended www.spareroom.co.uk and I can only pass on the same. It's a fantastic site, brilliant search/customisation/notification options and I found loads of places within a VERY short time.
 
A good agency, or a good Landlord. Not a crap agency, and not a crap landlord.

Both are equally as good, and both can be as equally crap.

Agencies tend to have better "resources" when it comes to things like needing a plumber and so forth, as they will have one plumber co. to attend/maintain the pipes in all the properties they manage - thus the plumber wants the repeat business and will make an effort. The Private Landlord won't have this, and in my experience will send their cowboy brother/cousin/mate round to do a crap job.

However some agencies charge you over the odds for things like "admin fees" (Foxtons: £300? LOL!) and there will be a premium on the rent you pay/the landlord takes but this is usually not going to affect you, as you'll only pay what the going rent for the place is, so it'll be coming out of the landlords take.

Some agencies are complete idiots only interested in getting you to pay rent and don't care if you live in squalor, as long as you keep paying - however a lot of landlords are like this as well.
 
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I've heard horror stories of people paying deposits to landlords then never hearing from them again... money gone, nowhere to live, fail.

I went through an agency with my last flat, they screwed us over a little but for the money involved it wasn't worth arguing.
 
Funny how everyone says landlord

I rent through a really good agency and find them excellent. Have had no issues getting things done that need to be, obviously getting hold of them is easy, they have office hours and are open then etc etc They make sure all regulatory checks such as gas inspection happen on time without fail.

Its probably true if you find a really superb landlord you will end up with a better service, but how you find one that is that good I don't know. word of mouth I suppose
 
robskinner said:
Funny how everyone says landlord

I rent through a really good agency and find them excellent. Have had no issues getting things done that need to be, obviously getting hold of them is easy, they have office hours and are open then etc etc They make sure all regulatory checks such as gas inspection happen on time without fail.

Its probably true if you find a really superb landlord you will end up with a better service, but how you find one that is that good I don't know. word of mouth I suppose
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Can i ask the company for giggles sake?
 
I'm in the same boat as robskinner. The agency managing my flat are superb, they have handled all problems promptly, and have also been a great help for problems that have been outside of their remit (such as giving us helpful advice about utility and other service suppliers when we had some difficulty with them).

http://www.royaldocks.com/ are the agents we're with.
 
Best service I have had is from the Richard Worth Agency. All issues resolved quickly and efficiently including them forcing the owner to redo the garden as it wasn't low maintenance as described. Their inspection when I moved in was extremely thorough, noticing things I missed and when I left common sense was used in the exit inspection. Would not hesitate to use them again.

Romans on the other hand were horrible - they even entered my property without asking and left the door unlocked after a viewing.

As per earlier post you get good agencies and bad landlords and vice versa
 
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