Seven Benefits to Tenants of Dealing Directly with a Landlord

Any agent who ignored repairs notified to him by a tenant quite simply is not fit to be an agent. Undoubtedly the landlord is the agent's client, but he also owes a duty of care to the tenant and needs to remain objective.

I agree with you entirely TG. We have a small portfolio of 5 properties and have managed the lettings ourselves since setting up around 5 years ago. Other than one disrespectful tenant where we required legal process for eviction, we have had no trouble. We have had tenants with us since the start 5 years ago with the prospect of them staying for years to come, which suits us fine.
You are absolutely right about keeping local and I can travel to all our properties within 10 mins from home, which makes thinks much easier to control and also made things a lot easier when we were preparing the properties for letting at the start.

My sentiments entirely! Well done "TG, Oxford" for putting many persons' opinions into words!

We have a small portfolio of 17 properties and have allways managed them ourselves over the past 10 years or so. Who need agent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rip of merchants that all they are

ripped of by two agents for over £5000, never again use agents

At OpenRent we are trying to push this sentiment exactly - we set up a tenancy (referencing, contracts, deposit etc..) for landlords to manage, because we think they're the best at it!

Because we're simply an enabler for landlords, our fees can be MUCH lower. In fact, the first listing is totally free!

If anyone has any further thoughts on what we can do to help private landlords manage a single property, or an entire portfolio, just let us know. We're constantly releasing new improvements, and the feedback so far has been really helpful.

Hi all, I agree with a lot of the sentiments here. Landlords are generally a lot better at handling tenancies. A large majority of tenants prefer to rent via the landlord, see here http://lovemypad.com/tenants-prefer-meeting-landlords-agents/
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Gary

I have to tell you that I have never left a comment anywhere before but felt compelled to when I read this piece of rubbish.
I have never seen such a load of baloney in one place before. I am a letting agent of many years and I am sure many, many tenants will identify with what I am about to say.
When a tenant phones me to tell me their boiler has stopped working I immediately call an engineer out. Many landlords will not even answer their phone or could well be out of the country etc etc. Only today I had a call from a landlord of a property we DO NOT manage asking me to arrange a visit by a gas engineer as his tenant had rung him to say he had no hot water and the landlord happened to be on a beach in Spain. I of course obliged.
I am sure the writer of this item is a conscientious individual who responds to his tenants' needs promptly and efficiently but I can assure you that is far from always the case. In fact I have had many tenants who have told me they would never have taken the property if they had realised it was not being managed by ourselves.
Just imagine having shop premises and having an irate tenant coming in and screaming that their boiler isn't working in front of applicants or landlords etc; a nightmare, don't you think? It would never be allowed to happen. There is no such control on a delinquent landlord unless they are so bad that the local authority gets involved and, believe me, that happens too.
David Benson
Ellis & Co

An agent registered with a professional body is the perfect answer to all the above moans about poor agents. They care for both landlord and tenant, it is in their business interest to keep everyone happy. My tenants also have my email address so I am contactable on the beach or out enjoying family life, if there is an issue with the agents care. Which there rarely is any problem.
I can concentrate on the macro business picture content the agent and tenant are happy in their micro business environment.
Long live quality agents.

Good to hear that you appear to be a paragon of virtue as far as your provision of a good LA service is.
Unfortunately LA like you are rather thin on the ground.
I'm afraid there are far more bad LA than good ones like you advise you are.
This would be evidenced by you still being in business and seemingly having a good name and doing things above and beyond your terms of reference.
Such behaviour can only earn you 'brownie points' and I am sure you will continue to grow your business.
However whether you like it or not, you are an exception as far as LA go.
Of course there are bad LL, but it is very difficult for a LL to do arunner with deposit a rental monis to Spain.
LL assets by their very nature tend to be things you CANNOT run off with; not so a LA.
It has been debated at length on various forums; but perhaps the only way to ensure things are managed correctly is to professionalise the LA and LL profession.
The problems seem so intractable that even I who am against regulation am being dragged towards the inevitability and necessity of regulation for LA and LL.
I suppose a bit like solicitors who have to comply with certain requirements or not practise.
At least with regulation LA aqnd LL will all be playing on the same level playing field.
this will get rid of the baduns, both LA amd LL.
I draw an analogy with mortgage brokers who recently were required to pass certain exams as to their professional competence or leave the profession.
As result there are considerably less mortgage brokers and introducers around.
That tells you everything.
Perhaps the letting industry needs a similar shakeup.
Trouble is where is the money going to come from.
It does strike me as strange that such a vital part of peoples' lives does not warrant some govt assistance in setting up regulatory regimes for stakeholders in the industry.