Finding Property in Autumn – Pro Tips

Now is the time when lettings in Scotland tend to slow down, with fewer people looking for flats and fewer properties available for renting throughout the country.

This September, letting agents uploaded 17% fewer properties onto Lettingweb than they did in August and 27% fewer than they did in June. Those numbers come as no surprise; the same happened last year and has happened for a long time.

Students and other property hunters taking advantage of the warmer months tend to clear out most of the available rentals in the summer, leaving little for anyone looking in the autumn. But if you’ve missed out on your perfect summer house or are faced with a property hunt this autumn, don’t fret.

Just follow our top five autumn property tips:

1. Use Property Alerts

When there’s not much around, it’s imperative you make sure that you get your enquiry for a suitable property in ASAP. Lettingweb have an alerts system for which you can sign up.

Receiving alerts is a lot quicker than trying to trawl all the property websites. Just set your search criteria and sit back and we’ll send you properties as soon as they come available.

2. Allow Let Agreed in Your Results

Most property doesn’t come off the market the moment someone registers an interest in it, and a surprisingly high number of properties that have tenants in place end up becoming available again.

On Lettingweb, properties that are currently in the process of finalizing tenancy details are referred to as ‘Let Agreed’ – they don’t come up on the default search but you can choose to include them in your search results.

Including Let Agreed properties in your search allows you to get first on the list if the tenancy falls through on any property that you may have otherwise missed out on.

3. Consider Contacting Agents Directly

If you see properties you like that are Let Agreed, consider contacting the letting agency advertising the rental property. They may have similar properties, some of which they are posting soon.

Lettingweb’s agent directory has contact information for the agents who advertise properties with us.

4. Widen your search

Rents tend to drop in autumn, so it’s a good time to consider properties you wouldn’t normally look at.

Widen your search to include more bedrooms or to include flats in an area you normally wouldn’t consider because the rents are higher there. You may stumble into a bargain.

5. Look for new pastures

Similar to our #4 tip, expand your horizons by checking out properties that are outside your usual area. This is a good tactic to use in autumn when rents drop, but we advise people looking for flats to try this all year round. If you restrict your searches too much, you’re bound to miss out on reduced rents and surprising bargains.

Remember, stay on top of your property searches with Lettingweb property alerts. It’s free and it’s a time saver!