Negotiating with letting agents

[TykeMerc]

WRT negotiating, I think I may be on to a loser.

Here's how fast stuff goes in this town.... flat goes on the market on Thursday so I phone to book a viewing for Monday next week (it's the earliest I could do in this case). Let has been agreed by late Friday/early Saturday

This has happened to me twice now within a week. Got an appointment for a couple of others on Monday but I get the feeling that someone else will be right behind me to agree the let without bothering to negotiate terms/price.

Ah, in that context you've bugger all negotiating room, that being said you can always ask.
The landlord may be in favour of flexibility, the only way to find out is ask.

[GettingBy]

As an aside - If the agreement is under 6mths, the landlord may be unhappy because it wont be an AST.

[northernladuk]

As an aside - If the agreement is under 6mths, the landlord may be unhappy because it wont be an AST.

A good point but you are getting it the wrong way around. The landlord won't allow anything but an AST it's the OP that will be unhappy

[ASB]

An ast can be for less than 6 months. The potential issue is that the tenant can unilaterally choose to extend it in effect be ause none of the grounds for possession will apply for 6 months.

[SuperZ]

You can always negotiate. As others have said you don't ask you don't get.
You're probably more likely to get a shorter lease if the agent is acting as a finder only where the landlord will take on management of the property. They might not even put your offer to the landlord if they're going to be managing the property.

I have once before negotiated a shorter lease (3 months). Some landlords would rather have a tenant than none. At the moment landlords might rather wait for another tenant given how buoyant the letting market is.

A few things you can try are offering more money for a shorter lease and/or paying full rental up front. I'm working with a client who this time only offered a 3 month extension and I had to find a new place to live. As it's a nice holiday place I offered the full 6 months payment up front but knocked 10% off. So even if I leave client half way though I will see out the lease and might even just take a few months off to enjoy the location.

Some would have the attitude that they could leave at any time if they really had to, but you'd lose your deposit and to be fair to the landlords should expect to lose a months rent which might make them happier knowing they still have income covering a period while the property is empty but during which they can market it again.

[kingcook]

Any low notice period would suit me, from either side of the deal. I have my main residence elsewhere in the country - i'm just looking for something very local to client for Mon-to-Fri sleeping. If they want to come along and say they want me out next week that is fine with me, i'll just carry on staying at Ibis or Travelodge as I have been doing.

I've put the idea on hold now until after xmas, it's been impossible trying to find a letting agent who's interested in < 6 months. Also, the project i'm on could possibly be canned due to some internal politics going on at client co