Landlords shy away from using property management companies because they believe they can do the job themselves, an expert has claimed.

Kevin Cox, of IglooLets.com, argued that managing a property for rent is more than simply re-painting once a tenant has left or taking out an insurance policy for landlords in case things go wrong.

The contacts that letting agents have within the industry means that issues can be resolved quickly, while a good specialist agent "is aware of all current legislation", which currently stands at around 100 separate statutes, he wrote on Bristol247.com.

Gary Whittaker, director of Rentman Software Ltd added “a good agent will also have the technology that enables them to effectively and efficiently perform all the tasks required to keep legally compliant and administratively prompt. A happy landlord is confident his legal obligations are sorted, tenant issues are resolved and income received promptly.”

Gary goes on to say “Rentman reduces the amount of time letting agents spend on administration so freeing them up to concentrate on winning instructions and giving that personal touch to their existing landlords”

Kevin added that good management pays for itself as tenants are happier and therefore are more inclined to rent from a landlord for longer.

For Gary this is evidence that the ROI of a tried and tested software package like Rentman will soon become evident. “Better tenant retention, contented landlords, smaller administrative burden, improved efficiency and less stressed staff all improve the bottom line”