Dover Letting Agency

I wanted to find a letting agent to manage my modest portfolio of buy-to-lets, as I am to be abroad for extended periods (and am also finding it increasingly tedious to keep abreast of the unending new regulatory legislation dictating landlord duties). I researched and met with a few companies who do lettings management in Dover (largely focussing on those who were not also involved in sales). My initial impressions were quite positive for some of these, although I wanted to be especially cautious as I had not been fully satisfied with a previous agency (now no longer in business) that I had used. I decided to give Dover Letting Agency a try for a variety of reasons, including: - The team, who are on the friendly side of courteous, have about 3 decades of lettings management experience (despite this company only being about 2 years old) and I had positive reports on them from local suppliers I checked with. - The fees they agreed with me for rental management, although not the lowest, were in line with most other offers I received from other companies and also seemed to offer very good value for the level of service they commit to. - They said they would be able (in my absences abroad) to manage everything required for my properties, including any refurbishing and re-letting following vacancies . . . plus even legal coverage could be included within the fees we agreed. - Their services include inspections of the properties every three months and rent collected is paid to the landlord within 24 hours! - Their charges to tenants, especially the new tenant introduction fee (including referencing, credit check, contract and check in), were lower than the usual charges from other companies researched, which meant that, all other factors being equal, they are more likely to be chosen by tenants over others charging more. - Dover Letting Agency is a member of the NLA's UK Association of Letting Agents (UKALA), a member of the Ombudsman Scheme and registered with Safe Agent, ensuring client money protection. - In case they did not prove satisfactory for my requirements, an agreement for them to manage could be terminated with 3 months' notice. I have been with them for just over 2 months now and their performance has not only been consistent with what was agreed to, but has exceeded that. They found suppliers to do maintenance and redecoration for a vacancy at very good prices and, once it was ready, were able to let it – to a company and at a higher than the previous rent achieved – in under 2 weeks. Other tenants of mine have reported complete satisfaction with their services and suppliers. When I turned my property management over to them, I withheld one for which I was going through an eviction process. Although they were not managing this one yet, Dover Letting Agency were supportive and freely gave me helpful advice on the process. They even attended the appointment with the bailiffs to gain possession (including arranging for a locksmith to be present to change the lock). The tenant's cat was still in the premises and their office manager went to great trouble to find and arrange its placement in a cat sanctuary. Moreover, as the property in this case still contained the evicted tenant's possessions, they have gone well over and above the call of duty in agreeing to meet and accompany the tenant into the property for a limited number of times so he can arrange to remove what he can of those (a task which needs to be managed professionally and in a no-nonsense business way, and one I certainly would not have relished doing given how poorly this tenant has treated me and the property). From my experience of Dover Letting Agency to date, I highly recommend them. My one regret at the moment is that I did not seek the services of this company sooner.