Yeah I ' m quite familiar with what ' s going on with them I ' ve a vested interest to keep an eye on that industry . But even if fares go up . they ' re still BETTER than the alternative . I ' ve never had an issue with a private landlord . Go over the contract , discuss terms , get a third party to perform an inventory prior to moving in . Take a lot of your own photos . Upon moving out if there ' s any disagreements take them to small claims court boom . It ' s not hard . Done . My stepfather is an estate agent and has been 45 years . I ' ve also handled properties on behalf of friends too in which we ' ve had no issues . It was so easy to do it did not interfere with my full time job and I considered it as a favour to them not something to gouge ridiculous rates . I do not see the need for the expenses or the parasitic nature of the majority of estate agents .