I’ve seen other training products on the market, why choose you?

For a number of great reasons! Firstly, from our experience of setting up our own successful agency years ago, we teach a high-quality, proven blueprint that has worked for us and countless agents we have trained.

Secondly, we are GENUINE people who don’t hide behind anonymity, we always welcome the opportunity to meet our clients in person on our intensive training courses. See our photos, profiles and videos on our website – that’s us, the real deal, no gimmicks.

Thirdly, we don’t just sell a business package, we are experienced property professionals who train established estate and letting agencies across the UK through our corporate training channel, Property Agency Training. While many new agents set up with our core Business Package alone, we are confident that once you discover how effective our approach and training are, you will also choose to attend our range of courses and take advantage of our additional services, like so many others have. In this way training with us is both flexible and affordable, allowing you to build up skills at a pace that suits you.

Do I need qualifications, a licence or previous experience?

No, this business is a true equal opportunity and will suit whether you are male or female, young or old. Like many service businesses, letting agency is about dealing with people so being an effective communicator is an advantage. Other than that, basic administration skills (for example the ability to keep records and type letters and emails) and a commonsense approach are all that you will require.

There is no need to obtain formal qualifications and there is no licence required to become a letting agent. With the information in our Business Package you will soon build up the experience at a fraction of the cost of formal training. Plus if you want you can choose further courses with us later to develop your knowledge, skills and confidence – the things that really matter in lettings.

I’ve seen lettings franchises advertised, how do these compare?

Franchises are an option for anyone looking to set up a letting agency, but the price tag of £10,000-£25,000 makes them very expensive especially when you consider that there is still no guarantee of success. Our core Business Package is a low-cost, easy way to obtain all the information required to start an agency with far lower risk and initial investment. There are no ongoing franchise fees payable to us, and we do not impose any restrictions on how you choose to operate your business, but you still benefit from our unlimited telephone and email support.

How long will it take to get started?

It depends on how quickly you absorb the information in the Business Package. We advise setting aside some quality time to absorb the information contained, as there is a lot to learn and familiarise yourself with. However, having said that, we have previously had new agents contact us within 10 days to tell us they have gone out there almost immediately and let their first property. With our Business Package you can study at your own pace and start whenever you feel ready and confident to launch your agency!

What if there’s a question about lettings that I can’t answer?

Don’t worry! We provide unlimited telephone and email support for as long as you require it when you purchase the core Business Package (on its own or part of any combination package). You get peace of mind whilst you learn the business, and the answers to your questions are just a phone call or an email away.

There is lots of competition in my area. What does this mean?

A number of letting agencies in your area means that the market for lettings is prosperous and lucrative. In fact nationwide trends forecast continued growth in residential lettings for a number of years to come, as the property sales market remains subdued and demand for rental properties rises. In any competitive market, however, you must do your local research, pinpoint how you can market your services by offering something different, and ensure that you target the potential niche effectively. Then with all the right knowledge and confidence, you will put yourself in the best position to succeed.

I keep hearing in the news that the "housing market" is flat / falling, what does this mean for letting agents?

Put simply, it means big business and big profits for letting agents! It is important not to confuse the rental property market with the property sales market. Whilst the housing market for selling property is currently going through a definite correction in many areas, the lettings industry itself is very strong, partly as a consequence of this weaker sales market.

In fact, few people outside of the lettings industry recognise how much potential this trend is providing to letting agents. "Let to move" is a popular solution for those struggling to sell - letting their property out to provide an income whilst the sales market is uncertain. In turn, buyers are likewise deciding to 'wait and see' what happens with house prices and therefore renting properties in the meantime, providing a steady stream of applicants to letting agencies, just like you could be running yourself.

In addition, increasing government legislation relating to lettings has seen a surge in demand for letting agency services from landlords needing professional assistance in matters such as the handling of tenant deposits. This demand is set to stay and indeed grow as more legislation and regulation governs the letting of properties. Running your own lettings and property management business with our training will allow you to profit from this - just as we have done in our own agency!

Do I need to make a large initial capital investment, e.g. on offices?

Not at all, you can easily run the business from home. In fact, we recommend this option for most people as it means you can build your business up with low overheads and low capital investment. Once you combine a solid portfolio of managed properties with regular ‘let only’ business, you can explore moving into office premises if you wish. With regard to your start-up costs, it really is up to you how much you invest, but it is possible to be up and running on a proverbial ‘shoestring’.

How are fees / commissions collected?

The business of letting agency is especially good when it comes to getting paid. All of your fees and charges are either paid in advance or ‘at source’, in other words you receive the rent from the tenant, deduct your commission and then pass the remainder to the landlord. This means no invoicing, no late payers and a cash flow friendly way to get paid. On the rare occasions where a tenant defaults and fails to make a rental payment then we explain in the business package the exact procedure to follow in order to resolve the situation.

How expensive is advertising my letting agency?

There’s no need to spend vast amounts on advertising to make your business a success. An entire section of the business manual is devoted to this important aspect of the business, as we show you the best ways to get the most from a selection of low-cost yet responsive advertising and marketing techniques. If you wish to further develop your knowledge and approach to marketing your new agency, we run a dedicated one-day training course solely focused on this key part of lettings called ‘Bringing In The Business’ which you can choose to attend later.

Do you provide a website and property management software?

The Letting4Success Business Package doesn’t include website templates because such generic templates don’t give your new business a very professional look. Our aim is to keep the cost of the core business package as low as possible to get you started quickly and keep your spending focused on the things that count at the start, so you have a choice as to what website you use.

We have however developed a user-friendly website system for letting agents and estate agents, which is perfect for those who want a professional and cost-effective web presence with no web experience required. For details please visit www.websites4lettings.co.uk.

With regard to property management software, you do not need this to start your business: the Business Package provides all of the information needed to run a successful letting agency using simple and easy-to-use Word and Excel documents. However, there are professional management software packages available to letting agents that can save you time and improve your efficiency once you are up and running. With this in mind we can recommend a software system from one of the leading software companies in the industry which will give you the chance to see whether using property management software is suitable for you. For further details on this please click here.

How do I order my business package?

Whether you are ordering our core Letting4Success Business Package, choosing one of our upgraded packages or tailoring your own selection of our training services / products, the simplest way is to order online. To use the ordering facility on our website please click here.

Alternatively, to order via credit / debit card please call 01722 414 300.

For payment by cheque / postal order please complete and return our order form (click here to download). Note: For personal cheques please allow 7 working days for funds to clear before we can send any training materials.