So I'm working on permanently moving out from my parents' house right now. I want a place to live in an okay area, with parking and two bedrooms. I've got my price range and all the right answers the letting agents want to hear.
1) I work full time on a permanent contract, so no guarantor needed.
2) No pets.
3) No smoking.
4) No kids.
5) I've rented once before.
I'm, basically, the perfect tenant in their eyes.
SO WHY, I ask you, WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT TO GET VIEWINGS?
I went to all the letting agents in Crewe the other day on Saturday morning to mid-afternoon. Here are the following responses I got, from great to reasonable to really stupid.
- "Great, shall we head over now to take a look?"
- "Sure, we've got an opening this afternoon in a few hours."
- "Sorry, we're fully booked all day. How about next Saturday?"
- "We only do viewings in the mornings on Saturdays, so we can book you in next Saturday?"
- "We don't do viewings on evenings or weekends."
- [shop isn't open at weekends]
Is it expected that people with full time jobs book holidays to view properties? Or just plain will pick anything from the fuzzy photos online? How can these agents that are either not open or literally don't open on Saturdays at all get any business? Side note by the way: these shops also close at 5pm during the week. You *have* to book a day off work to do this, which is unreasonable! Don't open during the week for a few days and open at weekends, and boom you get loads more business.
Incidentally, I have half a day's holiday left for the rest of the year. I'm not wasting that on property viewings for companies that are oblivious to the world. I've found plenty of nice places from the other companies that are accomodating, especially the one who took me straight there.
I'll hopefully be moving out by the end of the year.
