Whether you wish to rent a room, a studio, mansion or even a real estate the first thing you do is contact some flat managing agents. You choose the best agent out of many to take care of the entire process for you and save you much of the time and hassle, which would arise when doing it on your own. Managing agents provide a wide spectrum of services, right from collecting property rent and managing regular running of the property, to taking care of all the legal aspects on your behalf.

This article gives an overview of their activities along with tips of choosing the right one for your purpose.

 Services offered by management agents

The management agents act as a linchpin between property owner and tenant, and are responsible for carrying out the following activities:

• Advertisement of property to prospective clients or tenants.
• Ushering more and more tenants towards your property, while choosing only a selected few who are reliable and have a chaste legal record. The agent also accompanies those suitable clients to the property and highlights its positive aspects well.
• Obtaining background information on the tenants and performing some sort of credit checks on plausible tenants before the final agreement is made.
• Being the middle man in all legal procedures and keeping first-hand knowledge of safety policies and tenant rights.
• Organising and collecting rent deposit from the tenants.
• Dealing with the legal aspects of tenancy, like evictions, rebates, harassment, squatter problems and non-payments
• Arranging for necessary repairs while inspecting the property on a regular basis and giving you feed backs on the same.
• Providing tenants with an issued notice, after the tenure of tenancy ends.

How to opt for the right agent?

Searching for and banking on a certain flat managing agents amongst many others is like finding a needle in the haystack, especially in a place like UK. Here are a few things to consider when choosing one:

• Check their qualifications: One of the most important things to consider is the qualification of the management agent. He or she must be a licensed member of Association of Rental Letting Agents. It is essential to be on the lookout for property management agents who possess sufficient accreditation from renowned associations.
• Pay heed to recommendations: Good recommendations really go a long way in deciding on a final management agent. Ask around in your social circle and peers for details of management services, they may have employed in the past, and understand their experience with those agents. This will make you more certain about their services and help you to make a well-informed decision. There are quite a few cheats in this business, so beware of hiring an agent without doing some background check, else you may be at the risk of murky affairs.
• Know the full range of services offered: Once you have short-listed a few potential flat managing agents, take the trouble to negotiate with them and understand the range of services offered by them. Majority of letting agents offer letting as well as complete management services, but it is always best to understand their work policies, before you decide to seal the deal. This will also help you to compare and contrast the services offered by several letting agents in accordance with their price value.

Finally, do not get tempted by agents who offer cheap price in exchange for services. Once you have signed on an agent, keep him motivated by negotiating mutually satisfying fees, that will make him stay and invite as many tenants as possible.