Moving house and looking for advice on letting agencies Post Reply

[Loopedoo]

Dear NPN Mums,

My husband and I and our two boys are relocating abroad at the end of the summer and are looking at renting our house rather than selling up.

We have contacted a couple of agencies but before committing to any of them, I thought I would draw upon the wisdom of NPN mums and see if any of you have recommendations/advice regarding letting.

We live on Clapham Common Northside in a 5 bed house which is fully extended, so I guess we are looking at attracting a family rather than individual tenants. Someone told me that the best thing to do is go for a company let, but I'm not sure whether all letting agencies do these or whether you need to find a specialist company letting agency.

Obviously it's our home and with two small children isn't in perfect condition - we are going to repaint, both externally and internally, but how PERFECT does the house need to be?

Any advice gratefully appreciated!

[NYE31]

Whatever you do, do not use REALM Estates to rent out your home, they are without a doubt the worst estate & letting agents that I have ever come across.

We used James Pendleton but there is lots of choice out there, the condition of your property will be reflected in the rental rates that you are quoted.

I think there are some specialist company letting agencies but some of the High Street ones may do as well.

[SamLovesProperty]

Hi Loopedoo,

A company let is a good option for anyone looking for a good alternative to a standard letting agent.

The benefits include: Long term guaranteed rent, so no worrying about void periods, free furnishing and refurbishment and managed maintenance.

With a company let you get rent paid whether the rooms are filled or not. If an agent has to arrange for maintenance to be done they wont be so careful with who they use and how much they charge whereas the company let professionals will often pay for all maintenance and repairs themselves.

Company lets are available through some agencies but you will have to pay the agents management fee and the company who manages the property will be doing all the management for you.

I run a company in South West London that specialises in company lets. If you would like anymore information then please don't hesitate to contact me on PM. I would be more than happy to talk you through the process or answer any other property queries you may have.

Kind regards,

Sam

ps We have just taken on a 4 bed property in Abbeville Village and would love to add another property to our portfolio in this area. We love Clapham!

[Mum2two2012]

Have to say SamlovesProperty sounds great.

There is also Courtenay Estate Agents in Lavender Hill which is a family run business who have been in the area for over 40 years and totally thrive on their reputation. Richard a Brassard knows the area, lives in the area and has a no nonsense approach. No hard sales either. Sandy a Brassard is very professional and very hands on.

Also there is Palace Gate in Nothcote Road who have been in the area for over 30 years. Very professional and good calibre of Tenants. Have used Charlie over the last two years and have been very impressed.