use of estate agent (or not) to rent out UK property

[LouisCribben]

In Ireland, a lot of people rent their property themselves without using an estate agent. Daft.ie seems to be the choice of many when when trying to cut out the middleman.

In the UK, is there a website similar to daft.ie which is universally used by potential tenants ?

Rightmove.co.uk is very popular in the UK, but it's for estate agents only.

What are the best options in the UK for renting out a property (and cutting out the estate agent)

cheers
Louis

 

[ennisboy]

There is not one that I know of.
Estates agents in the UK charge approx 10% on rentals.
From experience it can be a false economy to do it yourself especially when the washing machine breaks down on a sat night!

 

[LouisCribben]

There is not one that I know of.
Estates agents in the UK charge approx 10% on rentals.
From experience it can be a false economy to do it yourself especially when the washing machine breaks down on a sat night!

10% is a good bit when a property is making a big loss already.
And there are always other charges (VAT obviously, and other "fees" like tenant finder and renewal fees etc.

Also in the UK, the estate agent usually (maybe always) charges the tenant a fee upfront for finding him/her the property. Typically this is around £300.

Cutting out the middleman is definitely worth considering

 

[ydontu]

10% is a good bit when a property is making a big loss already.
And there are always other charges (VAT obviously, and other "fees" like tenant finder and renewal fees etc.

Also in the UK, the estate agent usually (maybe always) charges the tenant a fee upfront for finding him/her the property. Typically this is around £300.

Cutting out the middleman is definitely worth considering

i'd agree with that - although rentals in the UK are strong at the moment I dont see rental values going up yet.

I suppose that is the up side of no one being able to get a mortgage!