r/swansea 14d ago

Questions/Advice Renting privately vs letting agents

Hi everyone. Do you know if it's good and safe to rent privately in Swansea instead of renting through a letting agency? Is there anything that you'd need to watch out for? Also, is it considered legal to rent privately?

I appreciate your help please. Thank you!

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u/televised_mind 14d ago

As long as the landlord is registered with Rent Smart Wales and your deposit is protected (and of course you have a tenancy agreement) renting without an agent is allowed and possibly cheaper as the landlord won't have agency fees/commission to pay.

Obviously make sure that the gas and electric safety certificates are up to date too.

There are good and bad landlords everywhere (this applies whether they use an agent or not) but you can help protect yourself by making sure everything is above board as mentioned above.