Only 2 minutes to change letting agent and we’ll do the rest!
For too long now landlords have put up with sub-standard service from their letting agent but for many it felt like too much effort or too big a step to move agent. ‘Better the devil you know’ after all!
But… switching agent isn’t such hard work after all. In our experience it should only take a landlord two minutes then the new agent will do the rest.
Some of the most common concerns;
- The current agent knows the property and saw it before the tenants moved in
- The current agent should have carried out a thorough inventory, with photos before the tenants moved in. On switching agent, this document would be passed to the new agent, so they can refer to it when the tenants check out. The new agent will carry out an initial inspection following the switch so that they’re familiar with the property and things like the boiler and smoke alarms and in case of any future maintenance issues.
- Switching agent will disrupt the tenants
- If a landlord is unhappy with their agent’s service, it’s highly likely the tenants will feel the same so they’ll welcome a move to a new agent who will be more responsive for any maintenance issues. Switching agent should be hassle-free for tenants too; all tenants need to do is change their monthly rent standing order to pay the agent each month. An initial inspection is a great opportunity for the new agent and tenant to introduce themselves and for the tenant to raise any maintenance issues that might be dragging on.
- The current tenants belong to the current agent
- A letting agent is only ever acting on behalf of a landlord so there is no problem at all in the current tenancy agreement being passed to the new agent and continuing to run.
- The current agent has all the safety certificates
- On switching agent, the new agent will request a list of all paperwork associated with the property and the tenancy including all safety certificates. This is a great chance to make sure there are no gaps in the property compliance and to get any missing certificates carried out so the property fully compliant with lettings legislation.
- But what about the tenancy deposit
- It’s a straightforward process to transfer the tenancy deposit from one Tenancy Deposit Scheme to the another and this is dealt with by the two letting agents, so no involvement needed from the landlord.
- But I’m under contract with my current agent
- Different letting agents will have varying notice periods outlined in their Terms and Conditions. Some agents will state 1 month, others 3 months and others will try to hold landlords until the end of the current tenancy. That said, if a landlord is really are unhappy with their agent it’s likely that the agent has failed on their side of the agreed Terms and conditions, so the landlord will be able to switch agent as soon as they like (it would be up to the old agent to pursue the landlord if they felt aggrieved). It’s normally best to give at least a couple of weeks’ notice to their agent to give them time to gather all paperwork and to inform the tenants of the change of agent.
So, there you have it; switching agent is an easy process for landlords and there’s no reason to delay.
If you’re interested in switching agent to Umega Lettings and benefitting from our award-winning 4.6 star Google-rated service, just contact [email protected] or call us on 0131 221 0888 and we’ll let you know how you can make the move nice and easily, with us doing all the hard work for you!