Property management in Glasgow - our service, in full
Find out exactly what full property management looks like with Western Lettings - every step, every process, every obligation.
No vague promises
Clear communication, defined processes and straightforward advice, so you always know exactly where your property stands.
No hidden steps
From tenant sourcing to maintenance and compliance, every stage is visible, explained and professionally managed.
Full transparency
Real-time updates, clear reporting and open communication give you complete visibility without needing to chase for answers.
Most letting agents describe what they do in broad terms. We’ve documented the detail and published it openly because you may want to know exactly how we work before you decide to work with us.
Property management services
1
Initial Setup
When you instruct Western Lettings, there’s a short burst of activity in the first couple of days as we get everything in place. Here’s what happens:
- Agency agreement sent for digital signing
- Identity checks completed
- You’re set up on our SME landlord portal and Fixflo maintenance app
- Your dedicated property manager introduces themselves
- Access arranged for marketing photos
- Keys collected and copied
- Any pre-marketing maintenance instructed
All systems are optional - we’re happy to work by phone and email if that’s your preference. If there’s more than one landlord or more than one property, we’ll handle the additional setup without duplicating information unnecessarily.
2
Systems We Use
We’ve invested in systems that make managing your property straightforward - but our aim is always an excellent experience for every landlord, including those who’d rather not use any online system at all.
SME Landlord Portal
Accessible via our website under landlords → landlord login. Your login details are emailed to you shortly after we receive your instruction. The portal contains:
- Landlord statements
- Routine inspection reports
- Invoices from contractors
- Tenancy agreements
- Inventories
You can print bespoke statements for any property across any time period - useful when preparing annual tax returns. You can also see any charges pending against your next statement and whether we’re holding rent on your behalf.
Fixflo Maintenance App
Primarily used by tenants to report maintenance issues, but you can download the app and engage with live maintenance issues if you’d like to. You’ll receive an invitation shortly after we receive your instruction. Fixflo is also used to instruct compliance work - you’ll be notified before we instruct anything, and you can view compliance certificates through the app at any time.
3
Your Property Manager
From the moment we receive your instruction, you have a dedicated property manager. They’ll introduce themselves by email within the first couple of days and remain your single point of contact throughout.
Part of our service guarantee: we pick up your call within six rings and respond to your email on the same day, provided it arrives before 4:30 PM. Our phone system routes your call directly to your property manager. If they’re unavailable, it goes to their backup -  and if needed, to the whole team. You will always reach a person.
4
Compliance
Managing compliance is a core part of what we do. By default, we ensure every certificate is in place and every deadline is met. Where work is required to bring your property up to standard, we liaise with you and coordinate through our network of qualified, insured contractors. If you have contractors you’d prefer us to use, just let us know.
Certificates
We instruct the following checks around six weeks before the current certificate expires:
- Legionella Risk Assessment (LRA)
- Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)
- Landlord Gas Safety Certificate (GSC)
- Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
- Portable Appliance Testing (PAT)
Since an EPC is only required at the point of marketing, we won’t re-instruct an expired EPC until a tenant serves notice. PATs are renewed either when a new tenant is about to move in or when an EICR is due.
Heat and Smoke Detectors
Nearly all heat and smoke detectors have a ten-year lifespan. We track renewal dates and arrange replacements before expiry. Current legislation does not require mains-powered detectors - we’ll normally install compliant battery-powered units, unless the expiring detectors are already mains-powered, in which case we’ll replace like for like.
Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Checked at each annual gas safety inspection. Where a detector is non-compliant or close to expiry, a replacement is fitted.
EICR Remedial Work
Older properties sometimes require electrical upgrades before they meet the standard required for letting. If remedial work is needed and our contractors judge it can be completed for £200 or less, they’ll carry it out as part of the inspection. Anything above that and we’ll consult with you first.
Landlord Registration
It’s not currently possible for us to complete landlord registration applications on your behalf - this needs to be done directly by you, then renewed every three years. We’ll remind you when it’s due and tell you exactly what to do.
Timing
Where you’ve asked us to instruct compliance work, we normally wait until around a week before the tenancy starts. The reason we don’t instruct earlier is straightforward - your situation may change. Our contractors are experienced at working to hard deadlines and are always told the proposed check-in date so they can schedule accordingly.
The only exception is where there’s reason to believe remedial electrical work may be required - in that case we’ll instruct the EICR earlier to allow time for any work to be completed.
If you’re arranging compliance yourself, please forward certificates to us in good time for your tenants’ check-in. We’ll send you a reminder around a week before.
For more on how we handle compliance visit our compliance page.
5
Key Handling
How Many Sets?
We normally require one set of keys per tenant and one set for management. The more sets we have early in the process, the faster we can move - especially if maintenance, compliance and marketing photos all need to happen before your property goes to market. We cut keys almost daily and pass on the discounts we achieve.
Security
All keys are numerically coded as soon as we receive them. Only your property manager has access to the corresponding address. We use computerised key panels so we always know exactly where every set is. Each set carries a tag that authorised contractors can scan to view the property address on their mobile - no address is ever written on a key.
6
Marketing
Your property is advertised across the main letting portals in Scotland - Rightmove, Zoopla, Citylets, Lettingweb and S1 Homes - as well as around a dozen other portals and our own website. Our website ranks number one on Google for most letting-related searches in Glasgow. We produce good quality digital photographs and a 360° virtual tour for every property.
Every property description is written individually by the property manager who carried out the marketing photos. No templates, no generic copy.
Asking Rent
During your initial valuation we’ll have provided a recommended asking rent - one designed to attract good quality applicants quickly. If you’d prefer to try a higher figure, we’re happy to do so. While your property is on the market, your property manager reviews progress at the end of each week and will contact you if they think changes would improve results.
Viewings
We review applicants as they come in via the ‘I’m interested’ button on our website. When your property manager has a strong candidate, they’ll ask for a holding deposit. If they pay, we’ll notify you and - with your approval - proceed to referencing, with an in-person viewing arranged at the same time.
If you or anyone else is resident in the property while it’s on the market, we’ll notify them by text at least 24 hours before any viewing. You can cancel at that point. If you want to restrict available viewing times or receive regular viewing reports, just let us know. If a viewing is cancelled, we’ll let you know straight away.
7
Securing Tenants
We honour your preferences when screening applicants - whether that’s students, mature students or pets. When we find someone who fits your profile and looks like a strong candidate, we’ll ask them to pay a holding deposit. They have one business day to pay before we move to the next applicant.
Once the holding deposit is paid, we’ll contact you with basic information about the applicant and ask if you’d like us to proceed with referencing. We use an external agency to gather referencing material - this normally takes a day or two. References are shared with you as soon as we receive them.
Assuming referencing comes back clean, we move into check-in preparation. Prior to check-in, we ensure compliance is in place, the inventory is current and the property is in good condition. Shortly before check-in - after we’ve received the balance of rent and the security deposit - we prepare the tenancy agreement for digital signing by each tenant and their guarantor. Once all parties have signed, we sign on your behalf.
If a tenant has a pet you’ve approved, we draft a separate pet agreement.
All documents - tenancy agreement, inventory, compliance invoices, pet agreement - are uploaded to your landlord portal. Compliance certificates are available on your Fixflo app.
Avoiding Dodgy Tenants
The most effective way to avoid problem tenants is to price your property correctly from the start. A well-priced property attracts a strong pool of applicants, which makes it straightforward to find someone who’s a good fit and likely to sail through referencing.
8
Security Deposits
We ask for one month’s rent plus £200 as standard. If a pet has been approved, we add a further £200. The maximum permitted under Scottish legislation is two months’ rent - we set deposits below that level to avoid putting good applicants off.
Every deposit must be protected in one of the three government-approved schemes within 30 working days of the tenancy starting. We also provide tenants with a Prescribed Information Sheet confirming where and when the deposit was protected. The deposit amount is detailed in the tenancy agreement and prescribed information sheet.
9
Tenant Check-In
You’ll be notified of the planned check-in date following satisfactory referencing. We visit the property one or two days before check-in to capture photos and take meter readings. Utility companies and council tax are notified.
On the day of check-in, tenants collect keys from our office. The following documents are shared with them via cloud storage:
- PRT tenancy agreement and easy-read notes
- Compliance certificates
- Condensation factsheet
- Tenant information sheet
- Client money protection certificate
- Balance receipt
The property inventory is provided via the Inventory Hive app. The first routine property visit is scheduled six weeks after the tenancy start date.
Scheduling
We schedule check-ins a minimum of two business days after the previous occupant moves out. This gives us one full business day for compliance updates, check-out inspection, cleaning, check-in photos and any outstanding maintenance.
Pre-Tenancy Cleaning
If you’ve asked us to arrange cleaning, we use tried and tested contractors who know the standard required. If you’re organising it yourself, your property manager will verify the property is up to scratch before check-in. The pre-tenancy clean before the first tenancy is the only one you should ever need to fund.
Mattress Protectors
Where appropriate, we install replacement mattress protectors at the start of each tenancy at a charge of £15 per protector. It avoids disputes and prolongs the life of your mattresses.
10
Routine Property Visits
The first visit takes place six weeks after the tenancy starts, with subsequent visits every six months. If there’s good reason to attend sooner, we will.
Regular visits serve a clear purpose: they signal to tenants that any serious breach of the tenancy agreement will be picked up and dealt with. During each visit we check for:
- Breaches of the tenancy agreement
- Major maintenance issues - roofing, gutters, leaks
- Garden maintenance
- Dampness or condensation
If tenants are present, we check there are no unreported maintenance issues. Visits are not intended to address lifestyle matters such as untidiness, unless it’s likely to cause excess wear and tear.
You receive an inspection report on your landlord portal on the day of the visit - date and time-stamped, signed off by the person who carried it out. We never outsource routine property visits.
11
Maintenance & Repairs
We act on any issue we believe can be resolved for less than £200 without consulting you first - though you’ll always be informed by email immediately so you can intervene if needed. Anything above £200 and we’ll come to you before taking action. Emergencies are dealt with immediately.
White Goods
If a white goods issue is reported, we send a contractor to attempt a repair. If the appliance is deemed uneconomical to repair, they’ll provide a quote to supply and install a like-for-like replacement, including removal of the old appliance and the original call-out cost.
Preferred Contractors
If you have contractors you’d prefer us to use, we’re happy to work with them provided they hold public liability and professional indemnity insurance. If they’re unwilling to collect keys, we’ll arrange delivery and collection at a cost of £30 + VAT.
Factors
We liaise with factors on your behalf as part of our standard service - including common repairs and insurance claims where the factor handles the building policy. They’ll normally require written authorisation from you before dealing with us. For overseas landlords, we can settle factor bills and recover costs from rent if you’d like us to do so.
12
Rent Processing & Tenant Check-Out
Rent is due on the same date each month as the tenancy start date. The accumulated balance is paid out to landlords every Tuesday and Friday - processed to arrive the following business day. You receive a statement by email each time a payment is processed, also uploaded to your landlord portal. All contractor invoices are itemised on your statement and accessible in full through the portal.
Where tenants who are sharing pay rent on different dates, you’ll receive the balance of the first part payment if a payment run falls between receipts.
Tenant Check-Out
When tenancies are managed with care, check-outs proceed without drama. We send tenants an explainer video and check-out instructions in advance so expectations are clear. We capture photos, update the inventory and issue a check-out report to you detailing our findings.
Where cleaning or other work is required, we attempt to agree any deductions from the security deposit without dispute. If a dispute is unavoidable, we enter it on your behalf. Meter readings are taken and passed to you and the utility companies. The council tax office is notified of the change of occupant.
Final Rent Payments
Because tenants can end their tenancy on 28 days’ notice, the final rent payment is often not for a full month. We calculate the pro-rata amount and inform the tenant.
Security Deposit Deductions
Deductions can be made for any loss resulting from unreasonable tenant behaviour. In most cases we reach agreement without going to dispute. Where a dispute is unavoidable, the burden of proof falls on the landlord - and if we were your agent at the start of the tenancy, we’ll have the evidence to support your claim. If we don’t, and you suffer a loss as a result, we’ll make an appropriate compensation payment to you.
Mail Handling
We’d ask you to arrange mail redirection. Any post we discover during visits is brought to our office - we’ll let you know we’re holding it and ask what you’d like us to do. We can forward it, dispose of it or hold it for collection. If we don’t hear from you within 30 days, we dispose of it.
Our commitment to every Western Lettings landlord
We’ve shown you exactly how we work. This is what we’re prepared to put behind it.
- If we mess up, we mop up. If we make an error that results in a financial loss for you, we make good the loss and compensate you for the hassle.
- We guarantee to answer your call within six rings. If your call goes to voicemail before we answer, we credit your account with one month’s management fee.
- We guarantee to respond to your emails on the same day. If you send an email before 4:30 PM on a business day and we don’t respond, we credit your account with one month’s management fee.
We’re not aware of any other letting agent who backs their service with a guarantee this specific. There are no tricks here. When you call, our system routes directly to your property manager. If they’re not available, it goes to their backup - and if needed, to the whole team. Someone always answers. When you email before 4:30 PM, you get a response the same day. These are the standards we hold ourselves to. They’re high – but that’s exactly how we like them.
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I have been renting out my Glasgow West-end flat through Western Lettings for the past 10 years. I have found them to be totally trustworthy and their service has been exemplary. They are efficient and their landlord reports are superb. It’s not easy managing a rental property from the other side of the world (Australia) and I consider myself very fortunate to have discovered Western Lettings. I cannot recommend them highly enough.
Already with another agent?
Switching letting agents is simpler than you think - and we handle the entire process, including notifying your outgoing agent. Find out how it works.
Renting through Western Lettings?
We manage both sides of every tenancy with the same care. If you’re a tenant with questions about renting through us, here’s where to start.
You’ve seen how we work. Here’s how straightforward it is to get started...
1. Start with a conversation
We’ll talk through your property, your goals and your current situation - and give you a clear picture of what working with Western Lettings feels like.
2. We handle everything
We’ll take care of marketing, compliance, viewings, vetting, contracts, maintenance and reporting. All managed by one person.
3. Rest easy
You’ll have respectful tenants, transparent updates, and a letting agent who is as committed to your property as you are.
As a tenant trying to view a property, I was greeted with an AI Receptionist which didn’t understand me or understand the answers to the questions it was giving me. It resulted me not even physically being able to get through until my second or third attempt. Thankfully they removed this AI however arguably made it worse to contact them.
Now as a tenant trying to view, you’re told to put a note of interest online then it hangs up on you, which is all well and good however when you’re discussing an application you’ve submitted online or a prebooked appointment, you’re scunnered as you cannot get through to them.
As an example, I received a call to discuss a property, the gent left me a voicemail to call them back, but I cannot, and couldn’t make it. But couldn’t get in touch to reschedule?
I have given 2 stars as staff I spoke to are genuinely lovely, however these practises and systems are a reflection of a company that doesn’t want to speak to potential tenants and deliberately make it hard to do business.
Hire a receptionist and train them to qualify customers instead of binning them.
Quick to respond to any issues/queries we have, really friendly and professional team (thank you Mark!)
Always quick to quell any worries when they arise.
It's rare you get such a good team of landlord and estate agent these days, but here we are!
Thank you again for letting us rent with you!
Your Glasgow property is most likely your biggest asset, don’t leave it in the wrong hands
The wrong agent isn’t always obvious. They’ll have a website, a phone number and a list of services that sounds much like anyone else’s. What you won’t see is what happens behind the scenes - whether deadlines are being met, whether anyone’s paying attention when something goes wrong.
Not every agent could publish a page like this. We can - because the process is there and we stick to it. If that’s the standard you’re looking for, speak to us.
