lettings industry

What is the biggest challenge in the letting industry today?

This is a question I ask letting agents regularly, and it seems that winning new instructions is one of the biggest letting industry challenges out there at the moment. With rental properties being in such high demand there has never been a better time to rent property. With the average tenancy term increased and more people renting – it’s simply supply and demand. So what can letting agents do to increase their rental listings?

Where do most of your tenants find your listings at the moment?

Letting industry shop window

The internet is the majority of letting agents’ biggest shop window and a lot of the time it is better than any shop window on the high street. The problem is that many agents neglect their own website thinking that just because it is live it will get them new listings from landlords. However, the internet is a very busy high street and if you’re not managing your website correctly the competition is going to attract the lion’s share.

I mean, you would not open a letting agency and not place a sign over the door or advertise the fact that you are a letting agency, would you? I would not have thought so, but this is what some agencies are doing on the internet. So how can you find out how easy you are to find on the internet for potential landlords, and tenants for that matter? Begin some search engine research today! SEO or search engine optimization is important for all businesses, including those within the letting industry, who have an online presence nowadays. For more information on SEO, see our blogs below.

Blogs which may interest you on this topic

Following on from the cheque cashing scam its important to remember that not only the agent / landlord who is the potential target in property rental scams. Through out my career within the lettings industry I have spoken to numerous tenants who have experienced such a scam. The fake landlord scam is where tenants hand over a deposit and possible rent upfront to a fake landlord. This scam normally happens as follows.

A home hunter responds to an ad normally on a free advertising website but could also be on a property portal, local paper etc. The home hunter arrives to view the property which is priced below the norm in a well sought after area. The tenant very much interested and in assuming they are getting a bargain is convinced to hand over a deposit. So what is wrong here you ask? Well this landlord is doing this to every set of tenant who has called to view the place. The landlord could do this for the whole day in 30 minute intervals or even a couple of days. The first time anyone is made suspicious is when the phone number the tenant contacted the landlord on is no longer reachable. Here is the story of a particular case in Dublin of such incidence.

In some cases the brazen fake landlord will also arrange to meet, sign a lease, hand over keys and collect the rent in advance perhaps in a hotel lobby or coffee shop. When the home hunter arrives with lease and key in hand at the dream property the key does not work. There might even be a queue of new tenants looking to see if their key works. Here is such a case where once again the con man was caught.

So as you can see just because someone has possession of a property it does not mean they are the owner or acting on the owners behalf. It is ever so important to know who you are handing the deposit over to. Bank draft & cheques are always the best way to give a deposit as they are traceable. Under some genuine circumstances a property may require something to hold it for a night. Perhaps until you can get a draft and if you are placing a cash deposit it should be only a token amount to show you are serious. I would say nothing more than €50, this should be ok for one evening. Most if not all professional agents and landlords will be fine with this and if they are not it might be better to walk away.

The above incidents happen to a very, very, very small percentage of rental properties. But it can happen and it is always better to be safe then sorry.

Other blogs which may interest you are The Rental Property Scam & Property Rental scam cheque cashing

by Andreas Riha

Tag: lettings industry

Letting industry challenges

What is the biggest challenge in the letting industry today?

Rental property – Fake landlord scam