A Fife letting agent has challenged any suggestion by a housing charity that all letting agents are “unscrupulous”.
Myra Blaik, letting manager with Martin & Co Kirkcaldy, contacted The Courier after reading about Shelter Scotland’s Rethink Renting campaign, which is calling for an end to the “destructive cycle” in which private tenants are forced from pillar to post on short-term tenancy agreements.
Campaigners from Shelter were in Kirkcaldy High Street last week to ask the public and local politicians to sign up and support its call to the Scottish Government for positive reform of the sector that is now home to more than 290,000 families and individuals across Scotland.
Shelter Scotland wants the Scottish Government to make private renting “affordable, safe, secure and fit for families”.
It says pressure on accommodation leaves those in need of safe, secure and affordable private rents uprooted from their communities and “exposed to bad housing and unscrupulous landlords and letting agents”. But this has been challenged by Mrs Blaik, who said: “A responsible letting agent wouldn’t dream of questioning the professionalism of Shelter, yet Shelter has of late been persistent in its criticism of letting agents.
“To put the record straight, Martin & Co Kirkcaldy would not consider offering a six-month let to a family needing long-term security.
“When offering a property we consider the individual needs of the applicant. We ask the age of the children and which schools they attend.
“We consider the properties on offer and make it very clear to the applicant whether the tenancy is only for six months or could be extended though I must add we cannot offer 100% certainly as the landlord’s situation can change.
“Shelter should be working with us instead of hitting the headlines with the suggestion that all letting agents are unscrupulous and driven only by profit with little or no concern for our clients.
“I would like to invite a member of Shelter to visit our office to see first-hand the service we offer.”