When you first get started with renting out your Edinburgh property, it can be easy to assume you will be able to pick up some of the aspects of letting for yourself, such as advertising the property, finding your tenants and managing maintenance. 

But the reality is that letting your property can quickly turn into a major hassle and a drain on your time when you’re left juggling critical tasks by yourself – especially when you may have other priorities like work or family to manage. 

While some agents do offer landlords the option to opt into different levels of service, there are some significant pitfalls you should be aware of. For example, how would you know whether you have fully vetted a potential tenant without access to credit checking and tenant reference services that are available to a letting agent? Can you guarantee your plumber is available at late notice when your tenants have an emergency? And keeping up with the evolving legislation around letting a property can be a minefield of its own – with serious consequences if you inadvertently overlook the rules and regulations. The risks of going it alone are high. 

Letting services – and prices – can vary from agent to agent so it is important to carefully consider your needs and whether they will be fully met before signing on the dotted line. 

Complete Property Management 

One way to avoid the headaches that come with letting a property in Edinburgh is to look for a letting agent that provides a comprehensive property management service. A complete property management service does exactly what it says on the tin – it manages everything for you so you can sit back and relax. From preparing the property for rental to sourcing reliable tenants, and answering emergency calls, it’s all taken care of. 

This includes any maintenance and repairs that need to be carried out during the tenancy. Letting agents that offer this service, like Clan Gordon, will have their own regular contractors who carry out work ranging from fixing a dripping tap to fitting a new kitchen. 

Finding Reliable Tradespeople 

At Clan Gordon, we use only reliable local tradespeople who are tried and tested, fully insured, and who we trust to deliver an exceptional service at a reasonable price. But what if you want to use your own contractors to carry out work on your property? What are the pros and cons? 

While you may want to use your own trusted tradespeople, this means you will have to deal direct with them and manage everything yourself, including overseeing the budget and sorting any issues or snags along the way. Choosing your own contractors can be challenging unless you’ve previously worked with them and have experience of the quality of their work. Managing the work can also be tricky, especially if you don’t live close to the property or have time on top of your own job. 

Leave It To Your Letting Agent 

There are many advantages to allowing your letting agent to manage any repairs and renovations for you – and it doesn’t mean you lose track of the budget or what you’re spending. 

At Clan Gordon, we use only the best tradespeople who consistently deliver an excellent service so you can be certain of a job well done. We check their qualifications to ensure they’re certified for the work they are undertaking – crucial for gas and electrical installations – and we carefully inspect everything along the way to ensure it’s up to our exacting standard. 

Keeping You In The Loop 

We understand that our landlords want to be kept informed, especially when they’re spending more significant sums of money on renovations. But we know every penny counts so we make sure they see every invoice no matter how small, and we keep them regularly updated about progress. 

The biggest key benefit of using your letting agent’s contractors is the speed and quality of service provided. Using your own contractors could mean waiting longer for the work to be completed, and you’ll be taking a chance on it being carried out to a high standard.  

 At Clan Gordon we have a bank of trusted local tradespeople who we work with on a regular basis. We know they provide a consistently high quality of work, whether it’s refitting an entire kitchen or replacing a broken bath panel.  

Using a letting agent’s contractors to quickly complete the work not only benefits landlords but also their tenants who don’t want to be kept waiting when maintenance or repairs are required.  

Key Benefits 

In summary, the benefits of using your letting agent’s contractors are: 

• Fast service 

• Professional, tried-and-tested tradespeople 

• Carefully managed budget 

• Project overseen in detail  

• Full sight of all invoices 

At Clan Gordon, landlords trust us to look after their property and manage any repairs and renovations to the highest standard. To find out more about our complete property management service, schedule a call with our Business Development Manager.