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International property management agents A good letting agent can be a godsend says Andrea Page, particularly if your property has suffered from the recent flooding that’s gripped the UK Flooding in Britain this autumn has created huge repair headaches for property owners, not to mention endangering house-price values. For an expatriate landlord, it’s one situation where a good letting agent can be a financial lifeline. International Property Management Agents & Jenny Dixon Jenny Dixon, partner at White Rose Property Management in York (one of the areas worst-hit by flooding), says water had only affected one property on her books at the time of writing. It meant rapidly organising work to pump out water and ensuring that central heating was constantly on to dry out the house. “The quicker you can react, the better,” she says. Expatriates considering investing in rental property, or letting a family home, must take this sort of risk on board. It’s a strong argument for paying for the services of a professional agent who will proactively sort problems out. “We’ve certainly got a better feel than a landlord for what’s going on in the marketplace. Lettings is contra-cyclical to sales and people’s demands change all the time,” says Jacqueline Ironside, proprietor of Ironsides in London. International Property Management Agents & Letting Services There are three main types of letting services: marketing the property and finding the tenant for a typical fee of 10 per cent of gross rental income; finding the tenant and collecting rent for around 12-13 per cent; and finding the tenant and ongoing management of the property for around 15-16 per cent (add VAT to this). Most expatriates choose letting and full management for obvious reasons. Some agents will provide variations on these, for instance Knight Frank and Hamptons International will also do full management as a stand-alone service for 6 per cent plus VAT - useful if you’ve already found a tenant. It’s worth trying to negotiate the fee down slightly for a larger property, or if you’re intending to let for a few years. Many agents involved in letting also do estate agency or investment buying services. A big corporate agency can certainly provide large-scale marketing. Hamptons’ separate corporate services department focuses entirely on developing relationships with companies’ human resources staff to source quality tenants for its lettings arm, while its website features all rental properties and is updated daily (overseas landlords can also log on securely to track payments into and out of their client account, rather than waiting for financial statements to arrive by snail mail). International Property Management Agents - Letting Agent A reputable letting agent should point out that there are important tax implications for overseas landlords, although many recommend getting advice from an accountant. Hamptons’ dedicated tax service for overseas landlords brings that under one roof too. At a flat £250, it’s cheaper than using an accountant, claims area director Bill Borrett. Smaller agencies’ service is necessarily personal. At Beaney Pearce, with two offices in South Kensington and Chelsea, associate partner Sophie Head stresses the importance of local knowledge, a shop-front presence, and strong links with relocation agents. International Property Management Agents & Caroline Cope In terms of the actual service, Caroline Cope, associate partner at Simmons & Sons, with offices in Marlowe, Henley and Basingstoke, says: “We’re all doing the same thing, but we do it differently.” This raises several issues for an expatriate looking to let property, particularly regarding a full management service. Information must be regular and reliable - the agent should send a statement with every rental instalment showing the rent received, its fee, bills or other expenses, plus copies of the relevant paperwork and details of any sundry outgoings. 
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