The Big Central London Landlord Problem: Rent to Rent
One in five applicants who put forward offers to rent a flat last month were caught during our referencing process as being service apartment providers (short term renters), looking to rent a property in order to sublet on sites such as Airbnb. We have had another 3 applicants just this week. All were discovered in the first day of referencing....
One in five applicants who put forward offers to rent a flat last month were caught during our referencing process as being service apartment providers (short term renters), looking to rent a property in order to sublet on sites such as Airbnb. We have had another 3 applicants just this week. All were discovered in the first day of referencing causing no damage to the landlord but the obvious time wasting. Since Covid this has become a huge issue in Central London! So how do our GLP team prevent this?
Airbnb has always been an issue in Central London however never have we seen the amount of false and illegal documentation being provided by prospective tenants – and it only seems to be getting worse. So how do we protect our property owners from these potential fraudulent tenants?
We have always boasted an external and internal referencing procedure and whilst applicants often find this initially time consuming, ultimately it protects our landlords but also ensures our current tenants don’t get unwanted parties and hen do’s next door to them!
After external checks, our internal referencing team will check every document individually to see if they are legitimate, including every transaction on bank statements. Background checks on all applicants are undertaken, their landlord and employer (not just the previous one but often the one before this who is more likely to be honest if a there was a problem). Every document is cross referenced, and names are searched on short let websites such as Booking.com/Spare Room and Airbnb. No stone is left unturned. There is no excuse for any agent to put short let tenants into a property.
If you are currently registered with us and are planning to sub let the apartment please don’t waste your time, we will not proceed with your application..
If you are genuinely searching for a new home in Central London to live for 6 months plus, rest assured your neighbours will be long term genuine tenants.
If you would like to talk to our team about this or anything else to do with Central London Property, please do not hesitate to call our team today on 020 113 1066.
To view the properties currently available please visit our website www.glp.co.uk.
If you are a landlord and your current agent has let a sub letter slip through their referencing net, we would be delighted to assist in providing you a first class tenant.
We offer free Sales and Lettings Valuations – for more information please call our Residential Team on 0207 734 4062.
Warm Regards
The Greater London Properties Residential Team