Feeling fed up? Speak to Prestige - about the more professional stress free way!
Does your letting agent constantly get maintenance wrong or send the wrong person – costing your more money?
We have heard so many times form landlords that letting agents get the basics wrong. For example, has your letting agent ever sent a gas contractor to a tenant report of a ‘boiler not working’ when in fact you don’t have gas and the tenant have simply mis-described the hot water tank? This is a story we hear a lot and quite often the letting agents simply do not investigate the problem fully before just sending out a contractor.
At Prestige we pride ourselves on knowing your property well. All of our team will have seen you house and know the layout and basics about its plumbing and fixtures. We ensure that inventory photos include photos of boilers, timers, tanks, appliances etc so that when we get a problem we can identify it correctly and take the correct action.
Our team has a full background in maintenance and a good working knowledge of how many items in the home work. Sometimes resolving a problem can be as easy as talking a tenant through an issue, sending a user manual, or even popping out to check before sending in a contractor. By doing this we know that we keep maintenance bills as low as possible for our landlords, as when contractors are required there is a genuine reason for it.
Does your letting agent mark up on all the work they carry out for you – as well as charging a management fee?
It is common knowledge that many letting agents use maintenance as an extra income and any works they arrange for you are clearly marked up by as much as 10-15% on top of the charge, or some letting agents with less integrity can even have commission agreements with their contractors – making your bills larger without being clearly notified of this.
At Prestige we have absolutely no contractor commissions and, whilst we do have a set fee for arranging certifications – no matter size or type of property, any maintenance works or breakdowns / repairs work we organise for you as a landlord will be passed on at cost and not marked up in any way. As MK’s only letting agent Approved by Trading Standard under the ‘Buy With Confidence’ scheme we are proud of this fact and can assure landlords that we do not use maintenance as an income stream and you can rest easy knowing any issues we report are genuine and not an excuse to make extra income.
Tenants not looking after your property?
We know that it is often difficult to check how a tenant lives before they move in and whilst a tenant may seem good because they pay the rent on time and cause little issue – how are they living and is the house being kept well?
A common complaint about other letting agents is that they do not keep a close enough eye on properties. The second biggest element of property management is to inspect properties regularly and most importantly – do this well!
At Prestige we carry out the first inspection around 13 weeks into the tenancy. This is a perfect time as it is long enough for any issues (such as lack of cleaning or gardening) to be very evident, but not long enough for serious damage to have occurred. We also check basic plumbing such as airing cupboard and under sinks etc, bath / shower seals, and check every room of the property for issues.
Most properties have no issues and you will receive a written report confirming this. On the odd occasion problems are found we always take photos to show you the issues and take corrective action and take tenants to task and carry out more frequent inspections depending on the severity of the issues noted.
Assuming no issues are noted at first inspection properties are continually inspected every 6 months throughout the entire tenancy length going forward.
Does your current letting agent have a huge list of charges?
Many letting agents will advertise their fees on their website. Whilst it has been a legal requirement for some time to display ALL fees charged, it is common knowledge that many letting agents still advertise only their main headline fees and will have others they charge once you come to sign up. Some letting agents charge for extras including marking up of maintenance works, check in / out fees, rent guarantees, giving references, property inspections, serving notices, copying documents such as tax / end year statements, attending court, and so on.
At Prestige Estates MK we have a very simple fee structure as we always ensure we operate ‘Fair and Transparently’ at all times. All fees can be found on our website and we do not have any other charges than shown on our website or in our brochure – making it easy to understand and with no hidden costs.
Have you had poor quality tenants?
Due to the operation nature of many letting agents who pay their staff commission for letting a property their focus is sometimes on the ‘quickest’ deal rather than the ‘best’ tenant for your property. This is because even if you are sole agent with a particular letting agent, they can still have fierce competition within the office between staff for the all important commission.
At Prestige we do not pay commission or have any form of competition between staff as we are a small team of people dedicated to finding the right tenant for your property and are rewarded by end of year results overall as an office. This helps all staff focus on the best long term tenant for you and your property and do our best we possibly can to ensure a smooth tenancy with the least chance of tenant issues.
