Albany Lettings · Guidance for Edinburgh landlords
Trusted property managers in Edinburgh
Know who is looking after your property, what is happening and what comes next.
Choosing a property manager means trusting someone else with decisions that affect your property, your rental income and your tenants.
You should know who to contact, how repairs will be handled and when you will be asked to approve a cost. You should also understand what your management fee covers, rather than finding out when something goes wrong.
Whether you are letting your first property or reviewing your current agent, here are the questions worth asking before you decide who to trust.
What should you expect from your property manager?
Start with the practical details. A useful conversation should leave you understanding how the service works, what you will receive and where you still need to make decisions.
Who keeps me informed?
Ask who handles day-to-day enquiries, who follows up on an outstanding issue and what happens when that person is away. A specialist team can be valuable, but you should not have to work out for yourself who owns the next step.
Ask for: the contact arrangements, expected response times and route for escalating an unresolved issue.
How are repairs and costs handled?
Find out how tenants report a problem, how its urgency is assessed and when your approval is needed. Ask what happens outside office hours and how you will be told that work is complete, not just that a contractor has been contacted.
Ask for: the repair process, spending-authority arrangements and any additional maintenance charges.
What will an inspection tell me?
A useful inspection report should tell you more than whether someone visited. Ask what it records about the property's condition, how concerns are brought to your attention and who follows up on work identified during the visit.
Ask to see: an anonymised example report and an explanation of how follow-up actions are tracked.
How will I keep track of the rent?
You should be able to understand what has been received, what has been deducted and what is still outstanding. Ask when statements and payments are issued, how deductions are explained and what happens when a tenant misses a payment.
Ask to see: an example landlord statement and the process for reporting and following up late rent.
What does the management fee include?
Look beyond the headline percentage. Check letting and re-letting fees, inspection charges, maintenance administration and any other extras. Ask whether quoted amounts include VAT where applicable, and how the agreement can be brought to an end.
Ask for: the full fee schedule and written terms, with costs explained for your property.
What will still need my attention?
Be clear about which tasks the agent will coordinate and which decisions, approvals and records remain with you. Discuss how safety checks, tenancy documents and important dates will be managed, rather than assuming that “fully managed” explains every detail.
Ask for: a clear explanation of the service boundaries and what the agent needs from you.
Professional standards you can check
People carrying out letting agency work in Scotland must be registered on the Scottish Letting Agent Register and follow the Letting Agent Code of Practice. These are essential checks, not optional extras.
Registration
Check the company name, registration number and status against the official register. Make sure you understand which business you are appointing and that its details match your agreement.
Read the registration guidance (opens in a new tab)Client money and insurance
Letting agents must have professional indemnity insurance. Those holding client money must also have separate client accounts and client money protection insurance. Ask for confirmation of the arrangements in place.
Understand client-money protection (opens in a new tab)A clear complaints procedure
An agent must have a written complaints procedure. It should explain how to raise a concern, the stages and timescales involved, and how an unresolved complaint can be taken further.
Read Albany's complaints procedureGet to know the people looking after your property
Albany has been working with Edinburgh landlords since 1995. Our services include tenant referencing and tenancy setup, routine inspections with photographic reports, maintenance coordination and safety-certificate management.
Our team includes specialists in lettings, property management and client accounts. Before you appoint us, talk through the support your property needs, how contact will work and what is included in the proposed service.
The questions on this page are questions you can ask us. Tell us what matters to you, whether that is understanding the paperwork for a first let, keeping track of an existing tenancy or getting clearer information about a property you own from a distance.
Already have a property manager?
You do not need to wait until something goes wrong to review how your property is being managed. Even when the relationship is working well, a conversation can help you check that the service still fits your needs.
Start with your current agreement, latest inspection report, recent statements and any outstanding maintenance. Look at what has happened and what still needs a decision, rather than judging the service on one busy week.
Review the record
Can you see the property's condition, rent position and outstanding work? Are the documents and updates giving you the information you need?
Discuss the gaps
Where something is unclear, ask for an explanation. Be specific about the information missing or the part of the service you would like to improve.
Agree what happens next
Confirm the action, the person responsible and when you should expect an update. Keep a written record so you can both refer back to it.
Considering a change? Talk to Albany about what you need from your next property manager. Before making a decision, check the notice requirements, fees and handover provisions in your existing management agreement.
Choosing a property manager: your questions answered
How do I choose a trustworthy property manager in Edinburgh?
Check registration first, then look at how the service works in practice. Ask about communication, repairs, inspections, rent reporting and fees. Request example documents and read the written agreement. Reviews can help you understand other people's experiences, but they should sit alongside practical checks on the service you are considering.
How often should my property be inspected?
Ask the agent to explain the proposed inspection schedule and include it in the agreed service. Check how visits are arranged with the tenant, what is recorded and how any concerns are followed up. Routine visits should not be treated as a substitute for required safety checks or for responding to repairs between inspections.
Should I choose the agent with the lowest management fee?
Compare the complete service and total charges, not just the headline percentage. Check what is included, what costs extra and which tasks you would still need to handle yourself. A useful comparison puts the same property and the same management requirements in front of each agent.
Will I deal with one person or a wider team?
Ask how the agent's team is organised rather than assuming everything will sit with one person. At Albany, different specialists support different parts of the tenancy. The important questions are who to contact at each stage, how information is shared and who takes responsibility for following an issue through.
Can I talk to Albany while another agent manages my property?
Yes. You can speak to us about your property and the support you are looking for before deciding whether to make a change. Have your current management agreement to hand so you can check notice periods, any charges and the arrangements needed for a handover.
Looking for a property manager you can feel confident about?
Talk to Albany about your Edinburgh property, the support you need and the questions you would like answered before making a decision.
This page provides general guidance, not legal or financial advice. The management agreement should set out the services provided. Appointing an agent does not remove responsibilities placed on a landlord by law. Seek qualified advice about a specific legal issue or dispute.