Professional Landlord? Questions Tenants Should Ask
A professional landlord will always make any fees clear up front. But don’t place the onus on them and leave the situation to chance. So, how do you know whether a landlord is professional?
Well it can be difficult to tell, but generally those who place their properties with the bigger, more well known agencies will be a good starting place. Letting will be their core business and since they have a reputation to uphold, they are likely to have policies and procedures in place to protect their credibility. Of course their are professional landlords who don’t use the bigger agencies, some actually prefer not to use agencies at all. In these cases your option is to protect yourself by making sure that you have your own agreements in place.
You can also limit your exposure by asking questions surrounding their existing portfolio. If there is an agency involved, on viewing you could quiz the agent asking questions about their relationship with the landlord. How long have they been working with this particular landlord? How big is the portfolio? Ask questions about any previous tenancies. And always get professional advice from a solicitor or accountant before signing anything.
