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We believe that the best way a landlord in Thanet can run successful rental property portfolios is to

work with an experienced, knowledgeable and conscientious letting agent.

Now, more than ever, landlords must know what they are doing and have access to expert advice.

Below is an example of what can happen when that doesn’t take place and how much it can potentially cost a landlord.

The wrong (and right) way to find ideal tenants

Mr Smith is a landlord. He has marketed his property himself, putting it on a local Facebook group. He rented it to the person willing to pay the highest monthly amount.

Mr Smith didn’t bother with references as the person paid a deposit, and he also ‘saved’ himself money by using an online tenancy agreement template.

What Mr Smith didn’t realise was that he limited his number of potentially suitable tenants by only marketing in one place. He also didn’t check his tenant’s background and employment status.

If he had, he would have realised his tenant has a track record of falling behind with their rent, leaving properties in bad condition and generally being problematic.

Now, we must stress most tenants are responsible and reliable.

But by cutting corners to save a few quid, Mr Smith has potentially cost himself thousands of pounds in lost rent, the cost of court proceedings and damage to his property.

A good letting agent would have marketed his property across multiple platforms to showcase it in its best possible light and to the widest possible audience.

This creates demand for the property and gives Mr Smith several suitable tenants to choose from.

A good letting agent would then advise Mr Smith on the most suitable tenants (not just someone willing to pay the highest rent). Then, stringent referencing checks covering employment, rental history and financial backgrounds would ensure the risk of the tenancy turning sour is dramatically reduced.

Not only that, but once a tenant is in place, a good letting agent can manage the maintenance and repairs of a property so that small issues don’t become big, costly problems. Again, saving a landlord thousands.

We believe the key to unlocking your rental property’s potential (and saving you time, money and hassle) is working with an agency like us, now, more than ever.

So, if you are a landlord who wants to do things the right way, contact Cooke & Co Estate and Letting Agents today.

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