Re: Advice on searching for a rented flat needed
Windmill
>Does anybody have any good advice on trying to find a rented flat (not a
>flat-share) in Edinburgh?
You seem to be looking for something a little larger than I could offer
you (and I might not want to risk any possible falling-out with someone
who posts to these NGs :-) but I can vouch for the crappiness of
several agencies.
Gerlings Property was recommended to me by a friend (on the basis of
having met Mr. Gerlings in the Conservative Club).
It became Gerlings Stewart Property then went bankrupt with debts to me
and others, including tenants, of about 200,000 == 1000,000 in today's
money.
Speirs Parnie were recommended to me by my lawyer (who was dealing with
the Australian former tenant who refused to switch away from Gerlings
and deal with me directly - until he lost his deposit to the
bankruptcy, when it became all my fault).
They gave keys to a tradesman to fix a shower leak. He arranged with a
wood preservation company across the street from his own premises to do
a 2700.00 repair job which a surveyor should have cost 1000.00 at most
(and it didn't look as though the work was necessary). No estimates,
just verbal authorisation from Speirs Parnie (or so he claimed).
The flat was left full of plaster dust, needing redecoration, and the
shower still leaked into the flat below.
Speirs Parnie gave me no help in dealing with this, and after I stopped
dealing with them they found an accounting error which meant I'd been
overpaid by 50.00 - and threatened me with legal action when I told
them where to go.
(The manager was a former bank manager, according to my lawyer!).
Speirs Parnie no longer exist.
Central Letting were told by me not to let to students, but claimed not
to know anything about that, after a flat was completely vandalised by
the mad Irish artist who sub-let (illegally) from the student, about to
become a teacher, who was (but should not have been) the legal tenant.
They too are no longer in business.
The next time an agency tries to get me to let through them, I'm going
to ask for a 10,000.00 'performance deposit' from them. I doubt if I'll
hear from them again.
--
Windmill, Really t m i l l
Til...@Nonetel.com @ O n e t e l
. c o m
M Holmes
>>Does anybody have any good advice on trying to find a rented flat (not a
>>flat-share) in Edinburgh?
Steyn Lettings dealt with us well as tenants.
FoFP
Mark Cairney
> Hi,
>
> Does anybody have any good advice on trying to find a rented flat (not a
> flat-share) in Edinburgh?
>
> with websites (or quite unbelievably, without) of varying crapness [1]
> (and possibly varying up-to-date-edness) and it's quite a wearying task..
> [1] Note to letting agents: what floor the flat is on, what Council
> Tax band it is in, and decent good-sized well-lit photos of the interior,
> are not optional information.. You waste your time and mine if you don't
> give a fair impression of what the flat is actually like before phoning
> up to actually arrange a visit.
>
>
>
> If anybody has any opinions on which agencies are particularly good from
> a tenant's perspective (for a 'professional' let (my budget doesn't
> stretch to 'executive', mind you)), that would be really helpful. (I'll
> assume that agencies that don't get mentioned would be unmentionable for
> 'special' reasons - or you could just share the horror stories.. ;-)
Not so much advice on who to go with but more who not to- avoid Grant
Management like the plague. We put up with a leaky roof and mould for
the bulk of our 18-month let in one of their flats, and gettimg someone
to look at it, let alone fix it was a "joyous task". They were however
very good at getting their admin fees and rent on time.
We're currently with Alba Residential- they aren't fantastic but they're
a lot better than Grant Management were and there's the added
convenience of their office being downstairs from our current flat :-)
As far as finding somewhere, we basically just trawled lettingweb.com
narrowing down first by cost, then by area and then by the info provided
on the website.
Now is probably a good time to look for flats though as you won't be
competing with 20,000 students looking for flats like in Summer/Autumn!
Cheers,
Mark
Jack Campin - bogus address
> If anybody has any opinions on which agencies are particularly good from
> a tenant's perspective (for a 'professional' let (my budget doesn't
> stretch to 'executive', mind you)), that would be really helpful.
Until some time into Thatcher's reign, nobody used agencies - you rented
a flat direct from the owner. Generally it worked better - the agencies
went to a great deal of effort bullshitting people into believing they
were indispensable, but it was never true. They are probably even less
indispensable now, when you can just use Google as your agency.
==== j a c k at c a m p i n . m e . u k === <http://www.campin.me.uk> ====
Jack Campin, 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland == mob 07800 739 557
CD-ROMs and free stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, and Mac logic fonts
Mike Dickson
>> Does anybody have any good advice on trying to find a rented flat
>> (not a flat-share) in Edinburgh? [...]
>> If anybody has any opinions on which agencies are particularly good from
>> a tenant's perspective (for a 'professional' let (my budget doesn't
>> stretch to 'executive', mind you)), that would be really helpful.
>
> Until some time into Thatcher's reign, nobody used agencies - you rented
> a flat direct from the owner. Generally it worked better - the agencies
> went to a great deal of effort bullshitting people into believing they
> were indispensable, but it was never true. They are probably even less
> indispensable now, when you can just use Google as your agency.
Well, agencies may be useful for the renter, but the property owner may
disagree, and the more of the latter there are the less private rentals
there are likely to be. As a landlord myself, I can assure you that the
prospect of factoring is one I would much sooner give over to an agency,
as is the business of collecting the rent itself and dealing with errant
tenants who think they can pay whenever they like.
I also have to add that using a reputable agency means that the property
is never empty, a situation that was not always the case when I was
renting the premises out privately.
You're right that agencies are not essential, but they are enormously
useful.
--
Mike Dickson, Edinburgh
Free Music Project: http://www.last.fm/music/Mike+Dickson
Or http://www.mikedickson.org.uk/
Windmill
>I also have to add that using a reputable agency means that the property
^^^^^^^^^
So you haven't dealt with them for very long?
>You're right that agencies are not essential, but they are enormously
>useful.
s/useful/useless/g
Jessica
Suitability:
Suitable accommodation for a couple or 2 single persons, no more than 2 persons are allowed in the
flat. All tenants must sign the contract.
Flat Description:
Living/dining room (wood floored, with bay window)
One double bedroom (with fitted wardrobe)
One single bedroom
Fitted kitchen (inc. oven, fridge/freezer, washing machine)
Shower/bathroom
White meter heating (night saving energy)
Furniture provided
Location:
St. Leonards Lane
About 12 min walking distance to the Old Town (Edinburgh’s historical town)
Within 3 minutes walking distance to bus stops (on main bus route)
About 3 min walking distance to Arthur's Seat (provides a view over Edinburgh)
About 3 min walking distance to the Meadows (a large green area)
St. Leonards Lane is situated in a prime residential area of Edinburgh and to the south of the
city centre. This property is a part of a modern building block and has small gardens to the front
and rear of the building. Communal areas, such as staircases, electrical devices and gardens are
commissioned to and well-maintained by professional companies.
Rent:
650 pounds per month, excluding bills.
Availability:
Accommodation available from 20 September 2009 for a 6 month contract. A new contract may be
signed in 6 months time.
Contact Information:
If you are interested, please contact us by email or by phone as given below to arrange for a
viewing. Thank you.
Jessica jess...@inf.ed.ac.uk Tel: 01506 463 324 (H)
07717 708 079 (M)
Albert a...@macs.hw.ac.uk Tel: 07717 000 499 (M)