blog

Letting Agents in Glasgow seeing a slow down?

Mon, 14 May 2012 15:13:11 +0100

Having had recent discussion with a rep from a property website who we were in discussions to advetise with, they pointed out that at lease two of Glasgow major letting agencies are struggling to get new properties to let in Glasgow.

So why is this? A few reasons spring to mind.

1) There have been so many new letting agents sprung up in Glasgow over the last 12 months. Most wont be about in 12 months either but some are offering deals that look very good to new landords. In fact one Glasgow letting agent is offering no set up fees 3 monthe free management and free gas safety. So their income for a 6 month rental will be about £100. So £16 a month !!! Interesting can you really provide a quality letting service for this kind of money? Of course not. Good luck to their landlords.

2) Too high fees. Some of the larger agencies still think they can get away with 14% plus vat as a monthly management fee and as they had it in the past in Glasgow think they will always get it. With most agents averaging around the 10-12% mark these Glasgow Letting Agents are starting to lose business.

3) More people are selling rather than letting? MMMMMmm there has been more activety so maybe.

Here at CB Letting Shawlands we offer a great Glasgow Letting Agency service at affordable costs, call us for details.

Tenancy Deposit Scheme Scotland

Wed, 09 May 2012 18:11:22 +0100

At last we now know that the Tenancy Deposit Scheme Scotland will start on the 2nd July 2012. Lots of Glasgow Letting Agents will now be running around looking to find some money to put their tenants deposits into the scheme.

Here at CB Letting we think this will be a good thing to tidy up the Letting Industry, however we do fear that many private landlords will simply ignore the scheme and make a mockery of the legislation. We do hope that the powers that be follow through with their threats to fine landlords and letting agents who fail to pay into the scheme.

Roll on the 2nd of July......

Demand Still High in Glasgow

Wed, 09 May 2012 18:04:31 +0100

Demand is still high in Glasgow for property. We have seen a huge demand for Glasgow rental property in Shawlands and the West End. Houses in all area are going very fast and getting maximum rental figures. On of the most common questions is should I leave furnished or not?

Our belief is that houses 3/4/5 bedrooms should be un-furnished to let in Glasgow. Reason being most people looking to rent a 4 bedroom property have most of their belongings already. They probably have let from a Letting Agent in Glasgow a 3 bedroom property before and therefore will only need white goods in the kitchen. Beds are always a funny one with tenants and quite a few look to bring their own anyway. With the cost of storage in Glasgow it may be better for Glasgow landlords to store at their current location.

1/2 bedroom properties can be let either way but in places like Glasgow city centre letting a flat unfurnished may prove a bit harded and we recommend furnishing the flat.

So if you need advice on letting in Shawlands or Glasgow call us on 0843 289 5530

tenancy deposit scheme scotland

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:39:59 +0100

When is it happening we are all asking? What is the delay?

Letting Agents Shawlands

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:19:25 +0100

CB Letting.co.uk have moved into new offices at 3 Mount Stuart Street, Glasgow, G41 3YL. They cover the whole of Glasgow and are always seeking new property to let in Shawlands and surrounding areas.

They still continue to offer a FREE rent guarantee policy for all new landords. So if you have property in and Shawlands to let call them on 0843 289 5530. As part of Campbell Bain Property they are a company to trust to look after your property.

Safety info from Letting Agents Glasgow

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 15:28:01 +0100

When letting a property in Glasgow it is essential that your property is safe for future tenants. If you are using a Glasgow Letting Agent then they should ensure that all the safety aspects of letting a property are met.

Gas Safety Check

The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 deal with landlords’ duties to make sure gas appliances, fittings and flues provided for tenants are safe. Landlords are duty bound to ensure that an annual check is done by a Gas Safe Certified engineer. A record must be kept for 2 years and a copy of the gas safety certificate is issued to the tenants annual. Letting Agents in Glasgow will keep you reminded of when the renewal date is due.

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

It is now a mandatory requirement in Glasgow that all tenanted properties require an EPC. This gives details of how energy efficient a property is and how this may be improved in a property. The certificate last 10 years.

Electrical Safety

There is currently no statutory annual testing interval but landlords must insure that all electrical appliances, equipment and the supply must be safe. In order to meet the requirements it is still important to have the electrical equipment tested on a regular basis.

Smoke Alarms

Section 20 (1) Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 states that all Letting Agents Glasgow must ensure that all let properties must have a smoke alarm in a property before a tenant moves in. If a tenant moves into a property after September 2007 then this smoke alarm must be wired mains.

Furniture & Furnishings

Landlords and Letting Agents Glasgow must ensure that all residential properties upholstered furniture must comply to The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988.

Why you should use a Letting Agent in Glasgow

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 21:48:07 +0100

As the letting market in Glasgow continues to thrive more and more investors and individuals rent out their properties a common question asked is should I use a Glasgow letting agent or not? There are a number of benefits using a Letting Agent in Glasgow compared to managing a property yourself.

One of the main benefits is that the agent has the ability to check potential tenants past history and carry out a uk credit check. So many landlords do not check the past of a tenant and take tenants that have been evicted from other properties. If you also use a recognised agents who uses an insurance company like HomeLet, if your tenant passes the vetting process you will be able to obtain rent guarantee insurance. This insurance can cost as little as £20 a month and will cover you if the tenant fails to pay the rent. Some agents actually offer this free of charge for 6 months.

Glasgow letting agents can also deal with tenant problems 24 hours a day. Do you really want to take a call at 10PM to say the tenant has a small leak in their sink? Or on a Sunday morning to advise that your toilet is block? Well agents use out of hours emergency services to ensure you do not have to and give you an annual statement for your tax return.

Monthly statements are normal produced to show what rent has been collected and any deductions. It is also important to regularly check the condition of the property. A recent survey showed over 80% of landlords that manage property themselves never visited the property to do a standard walk through inspection. This means that the tenants have the run of the property and as you will be aware some tenants would take advantage of this.

Most Glasgow Letting Agents will inspect your property on a quarterly basis to ensure the property is been looked after. This is generally a walk through inspection designed to look at the main inventory items and to advise on general condition inside and out. A report would then be produced and send to the landlord to keep them informed of their investment. Most landlords also look track on important dates e.g lease renewal, gas safety check renewals etc etc.

Glasgow letting agents typically have software systems that remind them on all these items and more and will act on these very quickly. That means the landlords are safe and keeping within the law. Costs, typically a Glasgow letting agent will charge you a monthly fee of around 10-12% of the monthly rent plus vat. This is a small price to pay to ensure your investment is maintained.

Campbell Bain Property are Letting Agents Glasgow

Tenants Deposit Scheme Scotland

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 21:43:04 +0100

We recently took part in a discussion with another few letting agents in Glasgow regarding the new proposed tenancy deposit scheme and we all seem to have different views on the matter. We actually believe it will be a good scheme if it does not cost any money for agents, tenants and landlords. Other letting agents in Glasgow told us that they were against the scheme as they thought it would be an administrative nightmare and would take up lots of their time. But with so many letting companies going bust and to be honest their directors running off with clients rent and tenant’s deposits surely this will bring back a bit of credibility to the Scottish letting profession.

It is one of the most difficult parts of a letting agent’s job and in about 60% of the time causes an argument between agents and landlords. You have to be fair to both tenant and landlord, allowing for fair wear and tear but charging for damage. In fact most of our disputes are over cleaning issues, with tenants having unreasonable ideas of what is or what is clean. We ask our tenants two weeks in advance giving them a tick list of what needs to be cleaned and to what standard, yet 80% of them leave a property needing cleaned. It is not clear from the legislation, but all Letting Agents Glasgow are going to have to produce far better inventories with picture evidence of pre cleaning, which we do currently. A recent client asked for her full deposit back and we retained £90 for cleaning as the whole house needed cleaned, we produced before and after pictures and she was left with nothing to argue about.

So we don’t know if we will need to outsource inventories or not. Any legislation that protects tenants deposit is welcome here but it may be a nightmare for landlords and agents until the scheme is up and running fully.

We will post updates as they become available.

New Glasgow Lettings Agents Office

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:00:40 +0100

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