By Steve Roulstone MARLA
Landlords Legal Expenses and Rent Guarantee (LERG) Insurance is a vehicle that has been available for many years to protect Landlords from loss of rent and the cost of taking action against Tenants not fulfilling their obligations. The knowledge their income is protected has to be a serious consideration for all Landlords.
Only one way do it – the right way.
As both a Landlord and a professional Letting Agent holding LERG cover is a position I always recommend. Almost all LERG policies as a prime benefit of full management carry professional referencing as a prerequisite to being able to take the insurance so further credence is given to the Tenant wishing to rent your property when a pass is achieved. In fact, it could be said Landlords without LERG are taking unnecessary risks if, when presented with the option, the Insurance is not taken out.
Security in the System.
Yet amazingly, I have been advised of situations where agents acting on behalf of a Landlord, instead of offering referencing services to their client, simply requested ‘Referees’ from the prospective Tenant and then asked for a Guarantor, presumably because they did not like the look of the Tenant!
Renting your House or Home
I wish here to give as much credence to the ‘Agent’ as possible, but as a Landlord, I would not be happy committing the security of my property to somebody who decided themselves if the person in front of them was a good Tenant or not. We all think we can take such decisions because we have the necessary experience and after the years I have spent in this industry I would consider myself to be a good judge, but I would never put myself in the position of taking a risk with somebody else’s investment! This is simply not a good idea where referencing is concerned.
Follow the professional recomendation.
If industry bodies such as ARLA recommend referencing and or simple credit checks to ensure security through agents, then surely all agents should make such arrangements to protect their clients. But let’s look from an even simpler prospective, if you are supposed to provide professional services as an industry representative, no matter what the industry, surely, you should always offer the best service possible? If instead you cut corners, how can you call yourself a professional?
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