Landlords who use easyProperty may find it no cheaper than a traditional agent – and could lose out heavily.

Richard Lloyd, of specialist recruitment company Lloyd May, says that costs would be almost identical.

In his blog – see below – he says that a landlord who wanted tenant find, advertising, property particulars, tenancy agreement and deposit protection, hosted viewings, and inventory and check-in services, would pay a high street letting agent £500, while easyProperty would charge nearly £511.

However, says Lloyd, the landlord could lose out on rents achieved because as an online agent, easyProperty might not have local knowledge of market rates.

Rents locally could have increased. Alternatively, they might have gone down, meaning that the cost of marketing an over-priced rental property turns out to be an expensive mistake.

Lloyd also says that letting agents do not get paid until after they have done a considerable amount of work – and then, only when the landlord has confirmed they are happy to go ahead.

Here is what he says:

Not so EASY… by Richard Lloyd

There will always be an element who want to fully embrace technology and there will always be people who will only ever pay the bare minimum regardless of what is on offer, but to claim that easyproperty.com will make huge savings is way off the mark.

Comparison of Tenant Find: Online Offering versus Local Agent (outside London)

1. Fixed Tenant Find Fee is based on 50% of the first month’s average rental value outside London of £800pcm
2. Free with DPS
3. Hosted viewing of 8 views per hour will require 2 hours at £79.99 per hour to meet average views of 12 per rental

Where is the added value?

What the online offering is unable to provide is an in-depth knowledge of how rents can vary on a local level and how rents may have increased or decreased over a given timeframe.

It is a known fact that up to one-third of landlords are achieving below market rate, because they either have not been advised or are not aware that the market may have increased over a specific timeframe and not reviewed accordingly.

An online offering can never be able to provide this level of detail to a landlord, which ultimately could end up saving him or making him a lot of money.

The cost of marketing an overpriced rental property can be an expensive mistake, which will result in lost rent, and an undervalued rental will hammer yields.

This gets me back to proper advice from an experienced agent who can provide historical trends and offer real time comparisons within a local market. This value-add is ignored by an online offering, which is when its model starts to fall down.

The viewing to rental ratio outside London is 12, which means the cost of hosted viewing will roll into another hour with the cost doubling to £159.98. How will these viewings be monitored and who will be there to check?

Potential tenants are notoriously bad at turning up on time. Again, how much knowledge will the “host” have on market or local specific questions like amenities, schools, etc. Will this person be fully aware of whether the landlord will accept children or pets?

Given the rentable stock is likely to be spread firmly across the UK, how will the logistics of keys be dealt with?

A good lettings agent will screen for the right applicants and will properly qualify suitability by confirming job, income, credit record, number of occupants and, for example, pets prior to setting up viewings, thus saving valuable landlord and agency time.

This person will also go out of their way to select the right tenant, not just any tenant, and so mitigating the risk of an impending disaster.

Also how detailed will the inventories be and who will be on hand to deal with discrepancies and disputes? In my experience there will be many!

People tend to forget that lettings agents work 100% for the landlord and it is their sole aim to achieve the best possible rent and source the best available tenant.

Nobody gets paid until the landlord has confirmed that he/she is happy to go ahead and the tenant is in situ. No money changes hands upfront.

Unlike the online model, agents work 12 hour days and weekends on behalf of their landlords and vendors, and the vast majority are highly professional and passionate about offering excellent service to their customers.

Clearly technology has a place in this rapidly changing world, but it is my firm belief that the winners in this cyber race will be the people that combine recognised property brands with an excellent online offerings coupled with highly competent boots on the ground.

Given the choice, I know who I would use.

If it was so ‘easy’, surely everyone would be doing it.

* Lloyd May specialises in placing mid to senior estate agents and property professionals across London and the home counties.