Six Ways ‘Real’ Letting Agents Help Landlords in Cardiff

In this 3-minute read, we look at the reasons landlords in Cardiff need to think carefully about how they let their rental properties out.

If you believed everything you heard from many online-only letting agents, you’d be thinking us ‘traditional’ agents are a doomed breed.

However, the good news (for us and local landlords) is that reports of our death have been greatly exaggerated.

But what do we mean by ‘traditional’ agents and online-only companies?

As a traditional agent (sometimes referred to as a ‘real’ agent), we have an office people can visit.

We meet most of the landlords and tenants who we work with, and we’re based in the areas we serve.

Many online-only agents carry out their work, unsurprisingly, via the internet. This means they might often be based miles away from the areas they are trying to attract properties in.

There are many reasons why many ‘real’ letting agents are not just surviving but also thriving in this digital age.

Here are six reasons why we believe real ‘traditional’ agents are better than their online equivalent.

1. Experience – An experienced local letting agent is more equipped to find a better, more suitable tenant and usually at a higher rental price. 
2. People – The lettings industry is, and always will be, a ‘people’ business. Does a landlord want to rent their property to somebody who they (or their agent) have never met before? Somebody that’s just filled in a form online and then been processed by a faceless person in a centralised hub miles away?
3. Personal – Personally vetting tenants and landlords is one of the most important things we do as an agency. We’ve seen plenty of situations where it all looks good on paper, with decent references being provided, but the tenant has turned out to be unsuitable. By meeting potential tenants, you can learn a lot about them. A face-to-face meeting gives an insight into their personality in a way which email or phone conversations can’t.
4. Proactive – Online agents often use a ‘computer says no’ approach. This means some applications are overlooked simply due to them not ticking a particular box. This usually happens without speaking to the applicant first. A phone call can often lead to learning about information that wasn’t on the forms. It also gives the letting agent a better feel for the person and whether they will make good tenants.
5. Knowledge – We know each of our landlords and tenants personally and we know the properties we look after and the local Cardiff and market.
6. Availability – We take calls from landlords and tenants in the evenings and weekends in cases of emergency. Our landlords have a dedicated initial point of contact, so they are never passed from pillar to post.

AND if you are under our full property management service, we will take care of EVERYTHING for you.

This makes your life easier and gives you complete peace of mind.

Which is something very ‘real’ that we all love to enjoy.

Thanks for reading.

If you’d like more advice about dealing with tenants with pets, get in touch. Here at Harry Harper, we can provide a detailed briefing about how to stay on the right side of the law and protect your property.