The Rettie Blog

Since the reopening of the housing market in June, we have been flooded with enquiries when we are launching properties. With many applicants keen to secure properties and tenancies on the strength of video tours alone, we are putting properties to closing dates, lessening the time that properties are on the market and reducing void periods. One flat was launched at 9am and was let by 5pm!

Did you know that staged properties are known to let up to three times faster? If you are looking to reduce the vacant period of your property, here are our top tips for getting a property ready to attract the right tenants fast.

A fifth of households in the UK are privately rented. As a landlord, it is good practice to put yourself in the renter's position and think: if you were renting a property, would you like a landlord like you?

Letting a property or investing in a rental property is a key way for our landlords and investors to achieve their long-term goals. Whether you've just decided to let your property or are looking to optimise or expand your portfolio, Rettie will be there to provide unrivalled support and advice. Here are seven ways that Rettie is helping our landlords and investors this year.

If you're a prospective landlord or investor, the Gorgie and Dalry area should be on your radar. It's certainly somewhere we've been helping investors acquire property recently. But why is that? As investors and locals of this area ourselves, we put together a brief overview of why this part of Edinburgh is popular with tenants and landlords alike.

There was a bit of panic in the year prior to the Private Rental Tenancies kicking in when it became apparent that we were no longer going to be able to keep tenancies in line with academic terms for House of Multiple Occupation (HMO) properties. A few landlords left the market and some abandoned the student market for the professional one.

It is vital for any landlord that your buy-to-let property is properly insured. A let property is a major investment and specialist landlord's insurance is essential to protect you—and your bank balance—from an unexpected incident that can lead to an insurance claim.

The Scottish letting market is a fasted paced and ever-changing industry. Over the last few years further compliance measures have come into effect alongside a change in legislation regarding Private Residential Tenancy agreement (PRT), which came into force in December 2017.

2019 has already proven to be a busy year in the Scottish property market. The property market has hit an 11-year high, debunking initial fears that Brexit might bring the entire market to a halt.

When people ask me what I do for a living I sometimes say I’m a portfolio manager and at other times that I’m a property manager. The first is usually met by a nod and the occasional question about ‘the market’; the second by a frown and a rant about experiences of either being a tenant or a landlord of a letting agent.

Families move to Scotland for myriad reasons—to work, to study, or to set up a business—but mostly to enjoy a superb quality of life for themselves and their families that few other countries can offer. Moving to a different country, let alone a new city, can be an overwhelming and uprooting experience.

Rettie is pleased to announce the acquisition of a 100-strong portfolio of residential properties in Edinburgh’s city centre from Crichton-Stuart Management. The portfolio includes a large number of HMO (house in multiple occupation) flats in prime student areas, including 3-4 bedroom flats in the Marchmont area of the capital.