If it's your house, I would be very concerned of the cost of putting back your house the way you want it after the rental. Between your initial cost (clearing, storage), the EA costs and the after costs, are you sure it is worth it? From experience, the wear and tears is high in rentals.We are exploring renting our house for a max of 6 months.
I used to think like this. This is my first year hiring an agent. Super professional. The relief in not having to handle stuff. So far I don’t consider the call out charges etc exorbitant. The agents people are very good in who they send out. My contact told my tenant if it was his fault the kitchen sink drain was blocked by him putting down food he’d be charged, needless to say he solved the problem himself. When I met him he proudly to,do me about this, omitting that my agent was going to charge him.The "management" tends to be that they take the calls, but if there's a problem, they inevitably call you, saying they've had their maintenance people (third party contractors) out to the house and they can fix the small issue of the broken handle on the toilet but their maintenance people expect it will cost FIVE HUNDRED EURO., which then gets deducted off the rent the EA sends you at the end of the month.
Yes, like everything, there are good and bad, and sometimes if you pay peanuts you get monkeys. One thing I would say is that it's not super easy to fire the agent if they collect the rent, you have the issue of opening yourself up to the tenant. This particular agent was local and a smaller owner-managed business, which I thought would help. It was not a complete disaster (rent was nearly always paid within reasonable limits (a few days here or there, and the tenants did not overhold (though I gave them them the required (very long) notice period).This is my first year hiring an agent. Super professional.
That's generally difficult anyway if you don't intend to use a cleaning company.the place was pretty filthy, and the tenants agreed that I could deduct cleaning
That happens as well - a stitch up between the management company and their maintainence guys and you get charged a fortune for small matters, plus everything time they inspect they find a list of things which need doing. But it's only landlords who are greedy and dishonest.The "management" tends to be that they take the calls, but if there's a problem, they inevitably call you, saying they've had their maintenance people (third party contractors) out to the house and they can fix the small issue of the broken handle on the toilet but their maintenance people expect it will cost FIVE HUNDRED EURO., which then gets deducted off the rent the EA sends you at the end of the month.
This was my impression in the past, my new agent is not at all like this. Agent is very very strict with the tenants. No messing allowed.Yes, a lot of them are only interested in finding you a tenant, any tenant, as you pay them for that service and if the tenant is a problem, he's your problem. After that, they'll just collect the rent. Your problem again if it isn't paid.
There is not a property ever that I have let that didn't need a thorough cleaning. That's even after good tenants. After 4 years I'd expect to have to paint it. Even this flight wasn't actually an issue for you as you were able to deduct the cost of cleaning? You know as a landlord in Ireland Wear and Tear is a very broad church, we only have to look at the RTB rulings to know the bar is very tolerant of this aspect.after 4 years of letting, when I entered the house, the place was pretty filthy, and the tenants agreed that I could deduct cleaning and repairs from the deposit, but yes, that agent had a different interpretation of the standards to which property should be kept.
This you have to admit is funny ! As it happens I met one of my new tenants for the first time recently, he had no idea, despite being informed, in writing, that I was coming, and descended the stairs around 12 noon half dressed (this seems to be an Irish standard of which I'm' well acquainted)cleaning the grease out of ovens and off kitchen cabinets (amongst many other things) is a bit manky - one of the tenants told me (on the day they were supposed to have left but were in bed when I arrived at the property) that he had stopped cooking in the kitchen because of the state of it, and that he would be more selective about who he would move in with in the future.
By that stage my engagement with the agents was already ending, but essentially they didn't undertake the pre-termination review properly, there were matters to be addressed that clearly should have been at the tenants' expense and should have been repaired before I took back possession (e.g. broken panes of glass), they were not managed so I then had to rectify the issues at considerable inconvenience, even though I did pass on some of the monetary cost to the tenants via a deduction from the deposit - really it should all have been sorted for me before I re-entered - the agent had time to do all that but made no effort - I tried to not be too pernickety and not to overburden the agent but my kindness was taken for weakness!
This is all well and good if your rent is high but spending 2500 minimum to get a place painted every 3/4 years is different when the rent is low. In addition to painting, mattress would need to be changed, silicone and grout redone... And thorough cleaning and diy jobs. Rentals are just places that are not maintained and taken care for the duration of the tenancy. I have decided that if I rent again, it would be without mattresses as I am fed up to have to change them after less than 4 years rentals. (New mattress protectors are provided, but clearly not used)that I have let that didn't need a thorough cleaning. That's even after good tenants. After 4 years I'd expect to have to paint
Yes. Rentals are only required to have white goods, anything extra is the landlords decision. Seems crazy to fully fit out a property when rents are restricted. Is there some reason other than custom why landlords here spend thousands on furniture and fittings? A freshly painted shell with white goods is not unusual in other countries.if I rent again, it would be without mattresses
Also, if long term tenants here were responsible for repairs and maintenance, then you could cut out alot of the regulation and enforcement - no need to be checking up on whether there is a microwave on dings on the skirting boards if those are the tenants responsibility.We may eventually move to a PRS similar to the rest of the EU (or Austria which we’re told is a renters utopia) but furnished or not doesn’t really change the outlook for individual private landlords now - they are so strictly regulated that every aspect of the business seems like a dangerous minefield.
I haven't re-let the property. The family member is still in situ. Not sure I would like to continue in the letting business. My tax rate would be 52.5% on all the income.What did you do for the next rental?
Yes, it seems like you suggest that where the EA is not going to get any further business (at the termination of the tenancy and letting arrangement) that they have "zero interest" in addressing some of the issues that the landlord might be concerned by so perhaps the OP will consider this when appointing the EA and the landlord's general expectations of EA responsibilities.So you got the costs of the repairs back from the tenants and thought the agent should have organised the repairs for you, even though your contract was over with him. Of course the agent had zero interest if he was not going to make any more money out of managing the property.