Landlords were asked to rate various professions involved in the buy-to-let process in terms of effectiveness, and mortgage advisers clearly topped the poll.
50% of landlords rated mortgage advisers as highly effective both in terms of quality of service and value for money. Lawyers also scored well in regard to quality of service with 46% of landlords rating them as highly effective: however, only 36% considered them so in terms of value for money.
35% of landlords identified letting agents as highly effective in quality of service and 33% rated them as highly effective in terms of value for money. Surveyors were considered slightly less effective on both counts, with 33% and 29% of landlords ranking them as highly effective in quality of service and value for money respectively.
Estate Agents were rated least favourably with only 21% of landlords stating they found them highly effective in terms of value for money, and 19% ranking them as such for quality of service.
Nicola Severn, Marketing Manager at Mortgage Trust, comments: “Landlords are obviously very pleased with the level of service they receive from mortgage advisers and feel that they enjoy good value for money. This confidence among landlords puts paid to the theory that the non-regulatory environment of buy-to-let has attracted rogue intermediaries, and shows that mortgage advisers are providing an efficient and valuable service to today’s landlords. However, estate agents are clearly finding it difficult to convince landlords that they can really add value.”
