By Steve Roulstone

I have just read a report in the Daily Telegraph, about the rise in Accidental Landlords over the current year and the reasons why so many are looking at the Lettings Industry as a viable method of allowing them to ‘move on’ during this period of inactivity in the property sales market. The reason given for the lack of sales is the locked position of seller and buyer not wishing to negotiate on price, but fails to point out the reason why there is an impasse, which is the difficulty potential buyers have in either amassing the deposit or affording a mortgage. This points more to buyers being unable to negotiate any further and therefore the actual need is for sellers to lower their expectations, or indeed, turn to the rental market!

And why not!

Because this is a very viable alternative and one that is continuing to increase year on year (Let’s face it,  Estate Agents up and down the Country should be praising its growth, because without it, many more would have been in grave danger of closing their doors) and a market which offers many professional Letting Agents, who, because of the manner that Accidental Landlords come to the market place, never actually speak to Professional Letting Agents, rather sticking with the Estate Agent who has been unable to find a buyer, without the knowledge that (I would suggest) there is another layer of services available from our industry which when visited, would open the eyes of these new Landlords to what our market is about and how property can be looked after.

Registered by Law?

Now that does not mean that all Estate Agents do a bad job in the rental market, of course not. No more than all Letting Agents are perfect, far from it. But an interesting statement is made in the article about all Estate Agents needing to be registered by Law, because this does not apply when they all started to manage property in the rental market (if you read my pages often you know what is coming now!) because no registration is needed for a Letting Agent and it is something that we have been asking the Government to address for many years now. But I feel it is somewhat short of the mark to suggest in this statement that Estate Agents are better able because of registration, because if Letting Agents were asked to prove that they were professional, many of the Estate Agents who fell on our industry as a lifeline two years ago, would not be able to qualify.

So the difference!

This is really what my point about this article is, it proves something that I have seen all over the Country, that sellers who turn to the Letting Industry and rent their property instead, should make sure they speak to an agent for advice and judge the difference for themselves. The Letting Agent they choose should be a member of a professional body and registered with Safe Agent, the Industries latest attempt at providing re-assurances for its customers. I believe that no matter what the local market charges (because not all of the country is able to charge 15% (London?)) they will not only have price competition, but knowledge, experience, training and service competition as well. vive la différence!!

 

 

 

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