The lettings industry is one you don’t really hear that much about the inner workings of. Most people my age probably know more about working in real estate than lettings, even though I’m nowhere near house-buying age. So when I applied for a job as a lettings assistant with a letting agent in St Andrews, I was pretty much going in cold. I had never rented a property and knew very little about the industry as a whole. By the end of summer I had learned enough to actually understand what goes on behind the scenes, so here’s my take on what you need to know.
9-5 means 9-5 in lettings and every other industry
If your working hours are 9-5, that’s what you should be working. This is probably one of the most important things to remember for any job, especially as a student. It’s easy to trick yourself into believing that your worth at work is based on how much extra work you get done, how many extra hours you spend working. But in reality, that just tires you out. I’ve tried it before, trying to do extra besides my actual work when I had my first few jobs in high school. Luckily, my summer job was a 9-5, I was contracted to work 7 hours and an unpaid hour for lunch. I was lucky to work for a company that encouraged employees to work within their limits and maintain a healthy work-life balance. Was it tiring? Of course! I’d never worked full-time before, and it was a lot to take on alongside other activities, but I was never burnt out or exhausted.
every property is different
Every property is different. No matter how identical two flats or houses might look, they will be different in some way. A lot of the rented properties in St Andrews look the same; they’re renovated apartments within older buildings or multiple-bedroom houses, for example. Every home has something unique about it, such as a doorstop designed to look like a real beetle. Anyone who knows me will know how scared this made me! Or my personal favourite, an old wooden pulley in the kitchen! Every home is unique in its own way.
not all your time will necessarily be spent in the office
Much to my delight, my job was pretty much a 50/50 split between working in the office and being out and about in St Andrews at properties. Some of my time was spent working at the office doing admin, paperwork, answering phone calls, and a whole host of other tasks, and this was really informative and fun for me as I’ve always loved the idea of working in an office. But… Let’s be honest, who wants to spend seven hours a day staring at a computer screen? The other portion of my time was spent out at properties, meeting tenants at inspections, taking pictures and notes about the house or occasionally just collecting the mail and taking out the bins. However, I know that not every firm is the same in this respect; some outsource parts of their work, for example. It’s a good idea to ask about this in the interview.
Take advantage of the chance to meet so many people
One of the things I loved most about my job was the variety of people I met and worked with. Companies in the letting industry work with a huge number of different people, landlords, tenants (of course!) and contractors. Some landlords live in other countries and have great stories to tell when they come back. Tenants are also great people to chat to. When I was out at flats doing inspections, I loved talking to them and finding out what they study, where they’re from, etc., as the majority are St Andrews students. Contractors as well, they’re great to have a laugh with and were really friendly. Anyone working in lettings should really make the most of the opportunity to meet so many people.
every day is different
It’s one of those jobs where every day truly is different. There’s always a new property to go to, a new person to chat with, something new to learn, and a new challenge. I would highly recommend this type of job to anyone who loves the idea of working in an office but also thrives on unpredictability and new challenges. Of course, it all depends on the company and the people you work with, but everyone I met and worked with was absolutely lovely. I’d say this is my favourite job I’ve had so far, partly because of the people but also because it was varied and exciting.