Letting agency Edinburgh area - recommendations?

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 james1978 28 May 2018

As the title suggests.

I've been offered a new job in the Highlands so will need to let my flat. I've never had to do this before so I was wondering if anybody had any agencies that they could recommend in Edinburgh/ Central belt or equally advise against? 

Also, how much do they take as a percentage? What's the standard going rate if such a thing exists?

Thanks in advance for any help.

James.

 ShoePolice 28 May 2018
In reply to james1978:

We have used Braemore, originally because they were also the factors so did a good deal. They've been good - useful and honest generally.

 

The whole experience is frustrating regardless, though. You just can't tell people to be sensible. 

OP james1978 29 May 2018
In reply to ShoePolice:

Thanks very much ShoePolice, I'll bear them in mind as a possibility! 

Does anybody else have any recommendations? Or more importantly, had any nightmares and got any names to avoid like the plague?!

Thanks, James.

jac the lassie 29 May 2018
In reply to james1978:

Avoid Orchard and shipman. They were awful when we were renting just outside Edinburgh. We regularly spoke to the flats owner because of various problems and she said she'd made a mistake using them. 

OP james1978 30 May 2018
In reply to jac the lassie:

Just read their Google reviews and it seems that you aren't the only one that isn't impressed! Thanks for the heads up.... I'll give them a wide berth for sure!

 Rob Parsons 30 May 2018
In reply to james1978:

Even the large well-known companies can be poor.

I attended an Edinburgh Council meeting once at which the representatives of Retties were censured for letting a property as an HMO without having the necessary licence. Their reply: 'oh, that's only a bit paper.'

Beggars belief - but it shines a light on how they *really* view their business.

 Martin W 30 May 2018
In reply to ShoePolice:

> We have used Braemore, originally because they were also the factors so did a good deal. They've been good - useful and honest generally.

That's interesting, if only because factors in general seem to have a worse reputation than rental agents!  I know (because I ended up on the committee) that factoring for the development I first lived when I came up to Edinburgh was taken over by the owners of the individual properties precisely because the factors appointed by the developer charged a lot and delivered very little.  If Braemore really are a beacon of light amidst the general gloom then all power to them.

In response to the OP: how long is the job in the Highlands for?  If it looks like a long term gig rather than a fixed-term contract then might it not be easier to bit the bullet and sell the property in Edinburgh?

A relation has accumulated properties in various locations due to job and lifestyle changes.  She can't bring herself to sell any of them so they're all rented out and she's now at the point where she's basically working full time as a landlord, and travelling up and down the country to deal with issues when they arise.  (It doesn't help that they are mostly "character" properties that take a fair bit of looking after, while also being difficult to rent because what most renters want is a newish, quirk-free property that they can live in more or less like a self-catering hotel suite.)  It's by no means a life of luxury and leisure she's ended up with (and I'm not sure how sustainable it is to have them all mortgaged on an interest-only basis, if it comes to that).

 Bob Aitken 30 May 2018
In reply to james1978:

We had good service from Dove Davies when we needed to rent out our flat for a year when we were overseas.  That was a long time ago, but maybe the fact they're still in business and apparently thriving proves something.  Friends report similarly positive experience much more recently, and online reviews suggest that they still do a good job. 

At the end of the day, of course, you're still largely in the hands of your tenants.  We were advised that it might help to avoid setting your rent too high, so that tenants would start from the premise that you were reasonable people rather than Rachman clones, and would therefore be more respectful of your properly.  But maybe that's overly optimistic.


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