LetScotland, the Association of Professional Letting Agents in Scotland, and Lettingweb, a marketplace for lettings in Scotland, have announced that they have merged.
With more than 420 members, the merger creates the largest representative body for letting agents in Scotland. It is the only Scottish organisation representing only letting agents which will act as the voice of agents in the media and in parliament and government. Previously, LetScotland spoke on behalf of just over 40 members.
The representative body will retain the name LetScotland, but will be branded as part of the Lettingweb group to reflect its role as one of Lettingweb's divisions.
The merger is part of a significant increase in the scope and activity of Lettingweb, which is 15-years-old this year having been formed in 1999 as a letting agent-led advertising portal. Since its inception, it has been a popular advertising platform for letting agents.
Lettingweb is now set to become the single leading voice of the private rented sector. Over the coming weeks and months it will announce:
new plans for activity in the area of housing investment;
new plans for a charitable foundation;
new tools to help letting agents operate at the cutting edge of their industry;
a huge boost to Lettingstats, Lettingweb's statistical division;
Alex Watts, chief executive of Lettingweb, said: "LetScotland's ethos matches Lettingweb's perfectly - we are both formed by Scottish letting agents, for letting agents, with only the interests of letting agents at heart. This arrangement is a perfect fit.
"The private rented sector plays a crucial and expanding role in providing homes for people in Scotland. The new, enhanced Lettingweb group will encourage more investment in homes to increase the supply of rented accommodation, which will help tenants who are currently unable to find a property and help our member letting agents run successful businesses. We are looking forward to getting started."
Malcolm Warrack, chairman of LetScotland who will continue in his leadership role for Letscotland as part of Lettingweb, said:
"LetScotland was formed because the letting agent sector had been ill-served by its representatives. There was no body dedicated to Scottish letting agents, so we created one from the bottom-up.
"Our grass-roots movement can now take the next step as we go from being a relatively small voice to by far the largest representative body for letting agents in Scotland.
"The industry needs a single unified voice to speak for it in the media and in parliament. This deal creates that voice."
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Comments
So in a nut shell, use lettingweb or don't be represented!
The reasons behind why both companies are perfect don't add up, if I'm not mistaken lettingweb have some of the most dodgy-its terms of business locking agents in effectively for ever or less you cancel 6 months prior to the renewal date must be on the exact date not a day later or your auto renews for another 18m after your original term.
They also don't send landlord enquiries out at the same time to agents some get them next day, I was told it's just the way the sit feeds them out...caugh caugh
In dependant body should be just that!
seems like a decent idea to me. After all, I've never liked letting agents only being represented in Scotland by a landord organisation.
i like to tend to choose who represents me as an agent...i actively joined the CLA for a reason- i dont appreciate getting a note telling me i am now being represented by a body i did not join. i assume i will be able to opt out
does this mean lettingweb is now just a representative body for agents