Letting agent
Letting agents manage rental properties on behalf of owners.
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
You will:
- advise clients about the letting process
- set up viewings and show potential tenants around the property
- select responsible, reliable tenants
- prepare tenancy agreements and inventories
- check tenant references
- make sure all aspects of the letting meet legal requirements
- meet landlords and advise on rents
- arrange for maintenance to be carried out
- work with solicitors, builders, cleaners and suppliers
- handle any problems with the property
Working environment
You could work in an office or visit sites.
Career path and progression
With experience, you could progress to a management role or move into estate agency work.
You could specialise in particular types of letting like commercial property, holiday or student letting services.
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- customer service skills
- the ability to sell products and services
- the ability to use your initiative
- business management skills
- active listening skills
- excellent verbal communication skills
- persuading and negotiating skills
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
Restrictions and Requirements
You'll need to:
- have a full driving licence
How to become
You can get into this job through:
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
- specialist courses run by professional bodies
Apprenticeships relevant to this role include:
- housing and property management assistant intermediate apprenticeship
- housing and property management advanced apprenticeship
- senior housing and property management higher apprenticeship
You may also be able to gain relevant experience for lettings agent work through a junior estate agent intermediate apprenticeship.
Entry requirements
To get onto an apprenticeship, you'll find it useful to have:
- some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship
More Information
You'll usually start as an administrator with a lettings firm and learn on the job. You'll find it helps to have relevant skills and experience like sales or customer service.
Employers are likely to be more interested in your skills and experience than your qualifications. Some may ask for GCSEs in English and maths at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) or equivalent.
You can study for the National Federation of Property Professionals qualifications in Residential Letting and Property Management while looking for work.
The Chartered Institute of Housing also offers qualifications in Letting and Managing Residential Property.
Professional and industry bodies
For professional development and networking opportunities you could join:
Further information
You can get more advice about careers in property letting from:
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This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.