Fire Your Rental Agent If They Don’t Do This
A good friend recently asked me what the “baseline” is for how a rental agent should behave. He went on to explain that his agent took days to return his emails, and asked me if this was normal.
The answer is simple: No.
In fact, you should fire the rental agent immediately if they are not acting in a way you would expect any “professional” to act.
The point is that you should hold rental agents to the same standards as any other profession. After all, you enlisted their services and are (usually) paying for it. Otherwise, you’re settling for less than what you deserve.
So how do you know you’re with a dud? Below are six qualities to look for in a good rental agent.
NOTE: To search for NYC apartments go to frele.com (free service). Or, click for more rental tips
1. A good rental agent is constantly communicating
You shouldn’t be spending a lot of time wondering why your rental agent is not getting back to you. A rental agent should return your emails or call you back within 24 hours. No excuses. In fact, most return emails within minutes or within the hour. Of course it depends on what the situation is, but if you are questioning why it is taking them so long to get back to you, then there is a problem.
If you are meeting them to see apartments in a few days, the rental agent should check in with you frequently. They should give you a heads up on appointments they are planning, and see if they are on the right track. A good rental agent will let you know 1-2 days ahead of time how many apartments you’ll be seeing and at what times, so you can plan accordingly.
2. A good rental agent shows initiative
You may be sending apartments to your rental agent which you have seen online. Your rental agent can see if they are still available and try to make appointments. This is okay. But the rental agent should also be doing independent research and not just relying on what you have sent them. The broker will generally have access to much more inventory than what you are able to see.
3. A good rental agent is never pushy
At no point should you ever feel like you’re being sold an apartment you don’t want. A rental agent should have a good understanding of what you want. The best ones should usually give you reasons why you should NOT take an apartment. It could be beacuse it is not a good “deal”, or maybe they just know it does not match enough of your search criteria.
4. A good rental agent lets you know upfront about fees
People often feel taken advantage of during their rental search. They often tell the story of how they fall in love with an apartment, and then at the last minute they are told about a substantial broker fee on the apartment. Nothing upsets people more. A good rental agent tells you way in advance what the brokerage fees will be on apartments you are looking at so that there will be no surprises.
5. A good rental agent can get you up to speed quickly on a neighborhood
If you’re a newcomer to NYC or someone who’s not familiar with the neighborhood ask the agent to fill you in on the details. A good rental agent should be able to give you a quick summary about a neighborhood, such as where to find the nearest grocery or laundry services, or what kind of people live in the area. This can be a great service, especially when you are likely visiting several apartments in multiple neighborhoods. It can all get confusing pretty quickly.
In sum, a good rental agent may not be easy to find but they add tremendous value to the process. However, if you are stuck with a rental agent who is not conducting themselves in a professional manner nor adding value to your search, you should find another agent immediately.
For more NYC rental tips, please go to frele.com/learn.
This article was written by:
Phil Horigan, NYC Real Estate Veteran
Founder, Frēlē, the free and honest NYC rental marketplace
Producer, Phil’s NYC Rental Tips [YouTube Channel]
Blogger: flowfreely.com
Instagram: @philiphorigan
Phil has been a licensed NYC real estate agent since 2004 working for some of the top real estate brokerage firms in the industry. He founded Leasebreak.com in 2013, and Frēlē in 2017. Frēlē and Leasebreak are free and transparent rental marketplaces to search for or post apartments for rent in NYC
Go to frele.com to search for NYC apartments (free service).