Starting to click into place

If you buy a house via the internet, you can visit a number of property websites. But try renting a home through the web and there is far less information. "Rental is definitely something that needs to be done more efficiently," says Simon Agace, chairman of Winkworth estate agents. "But it is growing in popularity and the inter-net is the way forward."

Letting over the web comes into its own when you want a lot of information quickly. "To get an idea of rents, the internet is brilliant," says Juliet Hill, partner in Knight Frank's Kensington office.

After an enquiry, Knight Frank emails details of the relevant properties back to the client, who then makes an appointment.

At the moment there are three ways in which you can find a property to let over the net. The first is to visit the website of an established letting agent. Many agents offer a two-tier system: properties that are currently available and those which will be on the market in the future. If you are unfamiliar with an area and its agencies, the second approach would be to visit one of the property websites acting as hosts for agents nationwide. I tried www.propertyfinder. co.uk for a house purchase and it immediately took me to a local estate agent. Unfortunately, it couldn't find me anything to rent in north London in my medium-to-low price bracket.

Another site, www.find-aproperty.com, took me to north London estate agents Wilkinson Byrne, where I found a twobed flat to rent. This illustrates that the host property websites are only as effective as the number of agents on their books, so visit a few to avoid limiting your choice. The slickest and most thorough host site I tried was www.propertyworld. com. I was able to browse properties to rent by area or view a list of agents across London. It also has a directory of related trades and professions, such as surveyors, carpenters and builders. You key in the profession you require and your postcode and up pops a contact website and address.

The third option is the small but growing number of websites dedicated to both tenants and independent landlords with no agent intermediaries. The websites www.houseweb.co.uk, www. loot.co.uk and www.easy let.org.uk are either free or charge a nominal fee. These websites are funded by advertising, which can be quite useful, as long as you remember this bias. www.letonthe net.com, which costs £35 plus VAT to register, concentrates on the London rental market, but I keyed in some vaguely fashionable postcodes (Hackney, for example) with my rental requirements and did not find anything.

The problem is that most of these schemes are still in their infancy. Knight Frank's Hill says: "Property is a personal thing and the net will never cut out the agent. But as an initial marketing tool to browse through, it is fantastic."

When you use any of these sites, check whether they are affiliated to a respected regulatory body such as the Association of Residential Letting Agents (Arla). You should also find out what sort of come-back the company can offer you if something goes wrong.

Arla says that it will not accept some companies because they are, in effect, cutting out the agents.

Homes & Property will report on future developments in this fast-moving field. Meanwhile, as with all important transactions, it pays to do as much homework as you can.