It can be time consuming looking for rental properties, only to ring up and find that they're no longer on the market, and a letting agent will take the stress and hassle out of finding suitable properties that are available. However, they will charge for their services, anything from £25 to £150.

Dealing directly with a landlord will save you money and agents' fees and will help create a good relationship with your landlord, however if the landlord is not always around or out of the country, then this can create problems when getting things like faulty appliances, rectified quickly.