When you're a landlord, there will inevitably be maintenance issues you'll be expected to fix, which is why working with a letting agent that has your best interests at heart is vital to your success, and peace of mind.
That said, when choosing a letting agent that suits your needs, it's essential that you work with a reliable local business - nothing less will do.
Why, you ask?
Well, the reason is elementary: By signing up for the service of a faceless letting agent or distant branch you've had little to do with in a personal sense, you run the risk of your maintenance calls being routed to an outsourced call centre filled with call centre staff have never even seen your property.
The result?
In cases like this, faceless agents will often instruct an engineer to carry out work at your expense - every time - despite that fact that quite often, it could be the tenant's fault and should be them paying for the maintenance work to be carried out.
The solution?
On a fundamental level, the solution is simple: When you’re dealing with a potential maintenance issue always ask the agent where the maintenance team is based. If it is a central call centre, it's more than likely that they will never have laid eyes on your property, and as such, the agent will not be physically looking at the areas of focus that matter most.
So, if you don’t like the answer you receive from the agent in question, you should go elsewhere and choose a business that is personally invested in every single property it manages - someone that will be able to mediate and someone that will provide the kind of service, and solution, that has your best interests at heart. Someone like us.
Before you dive into any professional relationship as a landlord, you should make sure you do your homework, follow your gut instinct and make sure that you are comfortable with every aspect of your agreement before committing.
One of the most valuable things you can do as a landlord is to choose a local agent that knows the business and your locale, inside out.
There are several reasons this is beneficial. To paint a clearer picture of the importance of local, read our case study, 'Property Patter: Landlords, Is Local Really Local?'