rental agents

Alright.  Hubby will be working for his US employer in England for 2-3 years and we're looking for a place to live.  The company will cover some or all of the cost, so I'm hoping that the credit issues won't be such a big deal and we can go through a rental agent if the property we want is listed under one.

I really have no idea how rental agencies work over in the UK vs. the US.

1) If you start talking to one rental agent then you end up renting through a different one, is that un-PC?  In the US I can see an agent getting slightly miffed because they put in some hard work but it is not a huge deal.

2) Can one rental agent access and rent listings of other rental agents, similar to the multiple listing service system that realtors in the US use?

3) Will a rental agent feel comfortable working with a woman, as hubby will be at work and I'll do most of the viewing of properties and narrowing down?

4) Since a handful of us yanks will be moving over from the US for our company, I might be able to work out a deal for a rental agent where they would be our company's preferred agent (our family owns the company).  Do you think an agent would go for something like that?

5) Any other pitfalls or differences I should be aware of?

Hi American Mum,

I am an American living in Nottingham with my own relocation company and i can answer some of your questions. No, there is not a mulitple list system like there is in the US, however, it is not uncommon for a landlord to put his property with more than one agent. A letting agent will have no problem dealing with you without your husband present. Letting agents will charge an application fee when you decide on a property. Don't know if they do that in the States. Technically, the fee is to do a credit check on you which is impossible since you are coming from the States but it is how they make their money. Oh yes, another thing....most letting agents are useless, hopeless imbeciles who make my life a misery.

Much better to hire a relocation agent and let them do all the horrible leg work and negotiating for you. They can give area familiarisation tours, info on the best restaurants, places to park, hair dressers, dentists, doctors, schools, etc. etc. After doing this job for 10 years I can't believe there are people who relocate from other countries without one!

Good luck!

Hi American Mum,

I am an American living in Nottingham with my own relocation company ...

I never even heard of relocation agents! Sounds like a good idea. If you don't mind my asking, how much does it generally cost to hire a relocation agent, and what all do they do? And is there a listing somewhere of agents working in various cities?

Hi there.  Finding a suitable home and moving is SO stressful!

If you can afford to, hiring a relocation agent would maybe be a good idea and since your company is helping out, I assume this may be a possibility.

However, I think that you can easily do this on your own but be prepared to deal with estate agents.  You won't have a problem as a woman.  Since your husband is employed (just bring along proof of employment/salary details on company letterhead), credit and money matters will not be an impediment for you to rent.

But don't expect estate agents to do much work on your behalf! (Generally speaking, most are the laziest, useless, irredeemable and charmless buggers you'll ever meet! at least in my experience!)  Don't feel bad about working with one and renting a property from another.  The market moves incredibly fast, so I would suggest that if you see something you like and have a good feeling about it, you should take it. 

I would make sure that the estate agent is registered with ARLA (http://www.arla.co.uk) as the lettings industry is barely regulated and this provides at least some protection that the agent will adhere to a standard of integrity and professionalism.

Good luck!

Relocation agents generally charge one month's rent. That may or may not include a settling in service. Depends on the agent. Do not confuse estate agents and letting agents with relocation agents. I would disagree that as an ex-pat it can "easily be done on your own". There are all kinds of ins and outs that will be completely foreign to you and as I mentioned before letting agents are pretty useless so you will need somone who knows how to deal with them. However, if you have to pay yourself and if money is tight then you might have to do it on your own which is not impossible - it is just a hassle that a person moving to another country could generally do without.

It is standard in the UK for the landlord to pay the letting agents to fill the property, not for the tenant to pay.  It may be different if you go through a relocation agency, but that is the norm if dealing direct.

Vicky