Rental advice: multiple listings and longer-term contracts

I hope someone can enlighten me...

My partner and I are starting our search for a new rental in North London. I've noticed that some flats are listed with more than one agent. Is this common?

I'm confused because I thought a landlord would engage the services of one estate agent to manage a property and see to the letting of it.

Why would it be listed with more than one agent? Is it the first to secure a tenant gets the contract?

Also, we've been in our flat for a year and now have to leave because it's being sold. Is there any trick to finding a longer-term rental, i.e., for more than a year?
 
The thought of possibly having to move every year is bumming me out.

Thanks in advance for any help/ideas.

You probably won't have a hard time trying to rent long-term if you find the right landlord.    I think that landlords may be amenable to accepting a lower price than advertised, even, if you were to agree to occupy the property for a year, maybe longer.

However, it seems to be the norm that flats are listed with more than one agent.  I'm not sure why this is, but I think that most agents don't charge fees to landlords until they successfully secure a tenant.   So, if you're a landlord, it is beneficial to have multiple estate agents at work on finding tenants. 

Which is great for landlords but really stinks for flat-hunters if you put in an offer on a place and submit references only to find out a day later that the flat has been let by another agent! 

(We *almost* ended up getting a fantastic one bedroom recently but were trumped by somebody else at another agency. It was surprisingly in our price range with a terrace, skylights, lots of closet space and modern fixtures and it was on a garden square near Hyde Park....I cried when I found out someone else got it!)

Flat hunting really $ucks, man!  Try not to get bummed out...easier said than done, I know....  Bonne chance

What Chocoholic just said!

When I got rid of idiot tennants (yes ! its not just us landlords who are bad!!) I listed my place reluctantly with a number of local agents. I was just lucky to get a private let again just a week or so later, so I rang them all up real quickly to say it was off the market !

They still call me up saying if I want to let it though em - but I always say nopes!

DtM! West London & Slough UK!

Thanks for the replies.

Yeah flat hunting is not fun but i'm not too stressed yet. We found our current flat with relative ease and its a decent price for a 2-bed in this area. Unfortunately too good and we'll have to down-size to a 1-bed if we want to stay here.

Given that most of the flats in London seem to be individually owned and open to being sold I'm still concerned that there's potential we end up having to move again next year.  That kinda depresses me but one must soldier on and deal.

Many of the flats listed online are both for rent and sale at the same time so I've taken to looking at the sales list in addition to the rentals ... might as well not bother with those.

It would be great to find a block of flats that are strictly rentals or a managment company not involved in sales.

The only way to avoid having to move due to sale of property or non payment of mortgage by property, is to get on the property ladder.  Buy a place.   Renters unfortunately don't have much rights over here when it comes to lenght of tenancy. 

Renters do have rights as tenants, so if you have a long term lease and the owners sells your tenancy agreement must be honoured.

Vicky

The managing agents has been fair and have no complaints. They've done everything by the book so far. The lease has been honoured and we were served with a two-month notice.

I was just wondering if there was a trick to finding a rental where a group of flats were owned by a single entity, which in my mind means it would be a long term investment for an owner and less likely sold on a whim, which sometimes seems to be the case or more likely with an individual owner . . . but thats the breaks of London real estate.

Buying? I wish but it's not in the realm of possibilities for me (unless UB1970, you'd be so kind enough as to give me a hefty down payment)

It sounds as though an housing association property might be more what you need.

Vicky