PROPERTY MATTERS
What’s happening in the rental market?
Is letting my property a good option?
Kerry Smart, Franchise Partner at Hunters
Stoke on Trent, answers some of your questions
Q: “We let our house to a friend because
we thought it would be easier than using
an agency. Unfortunately they have not
kept up with the rent payments and the
house is now in need of repainting and
cleaning. Moving forwards, how do we
choose the right agent to let our
property to avoid these problems in the
future?”
Jonathan, Baddeley Green
Q: “I worry about a tenant not paying
the rent and making me short for my
mortgage. There are so many costs
involved with letting out my flat”
Lee, Newcastle under Lyme
Q: “I rented my last house direct from a
landlord as I didn’t want to pay the
agent’s fees – now I’ve left the property
he has said I didn’t look after it and
won’t give me my deposit back. I will
use an agent to rent my next house but
how I can be sure the same won’t
happen again?”
Lisa, Longton
A:“Sorry to hear you had problems like this.
Many landlords like to look after their
properties themselves (as is their right) but we
would always suggest using an agent to find
and thoroughly reference prospective tenants
for you, and even to potentially fully manage
your property.
As well as someone who offers a full range of
lettings services, choose an established agent
with a proactive and co-ordinated marketing
strategy. Find out what their customers say. At
Hunters over 94% of our customers would
recommend us or use us again*.
A:“Subject to a fee, we offer Rent Recovery
Plus, a specialist rent guarantee insurance
which can cover the total monthly rent of a
property for up to six months, giving you peace
of mind. To find out more about how this
works, please feel free to give us a call.”
A: “When you rent through an agent your
deposit should go into a tenancy deposit
scheme, and a thorough inventory of the
property should be carried out before you move
in. At the end of your tenancy the property is
checked carefully again and any deductions to
cover damage to the property, over and above
normal wear and tear, are agreed between you
and the landlord. If anything is in dispute and
an agreement cannot be reached the matter
will be referred to the relevant body for
arbitration.
We’d love to hear from you if you have any questions about the property market. Contact Kerry or Dan
at Hunters Stoke on Trent ([email protected] or 01782 626522). Watch this space for more
handy tips, ideas and insights in upcoming issues of Leek Life.
*On average 94% of Hunters customers who responded to our questionnaire in 2013-2014 said they would recommend us or use us again
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