Landlords Info
If you currently own or intend to purchase residential property for
rental in YOUR AREA, you should consider engaging our property management service.
You'll find it both professional and cost-effective. As we are specialists,
we know how to manage property for optimum performance, whilst ensuring
smooth running tenancies, and compliance with the various landlord/tenant
laws. Maximise the return on your investment - contact
us now. If you own or intend purchasing residential property for rental
in any other area, please go to our UK Network
page.
Our Services include:
1. Visiting you at
your property, and providing a rental valuation and any other advice which
you may require about letting your property.
2. Advising you on
compliance with the various safety regulations.
3. Locating suitable
tenants. Your property will be advertised if necessary, however we have
excellent contacts with various company and other establishment personnel
departments, and furthermore usually have tenants waiting.
4. Accompanying
tenant applicants to view the property.
5. Obtaining and
evaluating references and credit checks.
6. Preparing a
suitable tenancy agreement and arranging signature by the tenant.
7. Collecting and
holding as stakeholders a deposit (bond) from the tenant.
8. Preparing an
inventory and schedule of condition.
9. Checking the
tenant into the property and agreeing the inventory.
10. Supervising the
transfer of gas, electricity and council tax accounts into the tenant's
name.
11. Receiving rental
payments monthly in advance, and paying you promptly, together with a detailed
statement from our computerised management systems.
12. If required
paying regular outgoings for you from rental payments.
13. Inspecting the
property periodically, and reporting any problems to you.
14. Arranging any
necessary repairs or maintenance, first liaising with you in the case of
larger works.
15. Keeping in touch
with the tenant on a routine basis, and arranging renewals of the agreement
as necessary.
16. Checking tenants
out as required, re-letting and continuing the process with the minimum of
vacant periods to ensure that you receive the optimum return from your
property.
17. Commissioning /
undertaking Domestic Energy Assessments when required and the production of
Energy Performance Certificates
We maintain a flexible attitude, and are generally able to adapt our
service to meet our client's individual circumstances and needs, for
example by providing a part only service, or alternatively by taking on
additional tasks and duties.
Our Fees
Our initial letting and advertising charge is just £55, and our ongoing management commission is
only 8% of monthly rental payments. We offer more for you
because unlike other letting agents We make NO admin charge for each
renewal of an existing agreement. There is also NO VAT to pay giving
you even greater RETURN ON YOUR INVESTMENT.
There are no other standard fees or charges. No up front charges -
nothing to pay until a tenant moves in and starts paying rent.
Energy Performance Certificates from £50 with a further
reduction for multiple instructions. No VAT is charged.
Home Information Packs from £240* for Freehold
properties (*price increases are a result of
new Local Authority Search charges being introduced from 6th April
2009)
Again No VAT is charged.
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Guide for Landlords
Before a property can be let, there are several matters which the
owner will need to deal with to ensure that the tenancy runs smoothly, and
also that he/she complies with the law. For brief details of a subject
click on a blue link below, or scroll down the page. If you require further
advice or assistance with any matter, please do not hesitate to contact us:
Mortgage
If your property is mortgaged, you should obtain your mortgagee's written
consent to the letting. They may require additional clauses in the tenancy
agreement of which you must inform us.
Leaseholds
If you are a leaseholder, you should check the terms of your lease, and
obtain the necessary written consent before letting.
Sub-letting
If you are a tenant yourself, you will require your landlord's written
consent.
Insurance
You should ensure that you are suitably covered for letting under both your
buildings and contents insurance. Failure to inform your insurers may
invalidate your policies. We can advise on Landlord's Legal Protection, and
Landlord's Contents insurance if required.
Bills
and regular outgoings
We recommend that you arrange for regular outgoings e.g. mortgage, service
charges, maintenance contracts etc. to be paid by standing order or direct
debit. However, where we are Managing the property, by prior written
agreement we may make payment of certain bills on your behalf, provided
such bills are received in your name at our office, and that sufficient
funds are held to your credit.
Council tax
Council tax is the responsibility of the occupier. You should inform your
local collection office that you are leaving the property. During vacant
periods the charge reverts to the owner. When unoccupied but furnished, the
charge is 50% of the normal rate. When unoccupied and 'substantially'
unfurnished, there is no charge for the first six months, and thereafter a
charge of 50% of the normal rate.
The inventory
It is most important that an inventory of contents and schedule of
condition be prepared, in order to avoid misunderstanding or dispute at the
end of a tenancy. Without such safeguards, it will be impossible for the
landlord to prove any loss, damage, or significant deterioration of the
property or contents. In order to provide a complete service to the
landlord, we will if requested arrange for a member of staff to prepare an
inventory and schedule of condition, at a cost to be quoted.
Income tax
When the landlord is resident in the UK, it is entirely his
responsibility to inform the Inland Revenue of rental income received, and
to pay any tax due. However, where the landlord is resident outside the UK
during a tenancy, under new rules effective from 6 April 1996, unless an
exemption certificate is held, we as landlord's agents are obliged to
retain and forward to the Inland Revenue on a quarterly basis, an amount
equal to the basic rate of income tax from rental received, less certain
expenses. An application form for exemption from such deductions is
available from this Agency, and further information may be obtained from
the Inland Revenue.
Important
safety regulations
The following safety requirements are the responsibility of the owner (the
landlord), and where we are to manage the property, they are also ours as
agents. Therefore to protect all interests we ensure full compliance with
the appropriate regulations, at the owner's expense.
Gas Appliances &
Equipment
Annual safety check: Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use)
Regulations 1998 all gas appliances and flues in rented accommodation must
be checked for safety within 12 months of being installed, and thereafter
at least every 12 months by a competent engineer (e.g. a CORGI registered
gas installer).
Maintenance: There is a duty to ensure that all gas appliances, flues and
associated pipework are maintained in a safe
condition at all times.
Records: Full records must be kept for at least 2 years of the inspections
of each appliance and flue, of any defects found and of any remedial action
taken.
Copies to tenants: A copy of the safety certificate issued by the engineer
must be given to each new tenant before their tenancy commences, or to each
existing tenant within 28 days of the check being carried out.
Electrical
Appliances & Equipment
There are several regulations relating to electrical installations,
equipment and appliance safety, and these affect landlords and their agents
in that they are 'supplying in the course of business'. They include the
Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994, the Plugs and Sockets
Regulations 1994, the 2005 Building Regulation - 'Part P, and British
Standard BS1363 relating to plugs and sockets. Although with tenanted
property there is currently no specific legal requirement for a qualified
electrician to carry out an inspection and issue a safety certificate (as
exists in the case of gas appliances), it is now widely accepted in the
letting industry that the only safe way to ensure safety, and to avoid the
risk of being accused of neglecting your 'duty of care', or even of
manslaughter is to arrange such an inspection and certificate.
Furniture &
Furnishings
The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 (amended
1989, 1993 & 1996) provide that specified items supplied in the course
of letting property must meet minimum fire resistant standards. The
regulations apply to all upholstered furniture, and beds, headboards and
mattresses, sofa-beds, futons and other convertibles, nursery furniture,
garden furniture suitable for use in a dwelling, scatter cushions, pillows,
and non-original covers for furniture. They do not apply to antique
furniture or furniture made before 1950, bed clothes including duvets,
loose covers for mattresses, pillowcases, curtains, carpets or sleeping
bags. Therefore all relevant items as above must be checked for compliance,
and non-compliant items removed from the premises. In practice, most (but
not all) items which comply must have a suitable permanent label attached.
Items purchased since 1.3.90 from a reputable supplier are also likely to
comply.
General
Product Safety
The General Product Safety Regulations 1994 specify that any product
supplied in the course of a commercial activity must be safe. In the case
of letting, this would include both the structure of the building and its
contents. Recommended action is to check for obvious danger signs - leaning
walls, broken glass, sharp edges etc., and also to leave operating manuals
or other written instructions about high risk items, such as hot surfaces,
electric lawnmowers, etc. for the tenant.
Preparing the property for letting
We have found from experience that a good relationship with tenants is the
key to a smooth-running tenancy. As Property Managers the relationship part
is our job, but it is important that the tenants should feel comfortable in
their temporary home, and that they are receiving value for their money.
This is your job. Our policy of offering a service of quality and care therefore
extends to our tenant applicants too, and we are pleased to recommend
properties to rent which conform to certain minimum standards. Quality
properties attract quality tenants.
General
condition
Electrical, gas, plumbing, waste, central heating and hot water systems
must be safe, sound and in good working order. Repairs and maintenance are
at the landlord's expense unless misuse can be established.
Appliances
Similarly, appliances such as washing machine, fridge freezer, cooker,
dishwasher etc. should be in usable condition. Repairs and maintenance are
at the landlord's expense unless misuse can be established.
Decorations
Interior decorations should be in good condition, and preferably plain,
light and neutral.
Furnishings
It is recommended that you leave only minimum furnishings,
and these should be of reasonable quality. It is preferable that items to
be left are in the property during viewings. If you are letting
unfurnished, we recommend that the property contains carpets, curtains, and
a cooker.
Personal
items, ornaments etc
Personal possessions, ornaments, pictures, books etc. should be removed
from the premises, especially those of real or sentimental value. Some
items may be boxed, sealed and stored in the loft at the owner's risk. All
cupboards and shelf space should be left clear for the tenant's own use.
Gardens
Gardens should be
left neat, tidy and rubbish-free, with any lawns cut. Tenants are required
to maintain the gardens to a reasonable standard, provided they are left
the necessary tools. However, few tenants are experienced gardeners, and if
you value your garden, or if it is particularly large, you may wish us to
arrange maintenance visits by our regular gardener.
Cleaning
At the commencement of a tenancy the property must be in a thoroughly clean
condition, and at the end of each tenancy it is the tenant's responsibility
to leave the property in similar condition. Where they fail to do so,
cleaning should be arranged at their expense.
Mail
forwarding
We recommend that you make use of the Post Office redirection service.
Application forms are available at their counters, and the cost is minimal.
It is not the tenant's responsibility to forward mail.
Information
for the tenant
It is helpful if you leave information for the tenant on operating the
central heating and hot water system, washing machine and alarm system, and
the day refuse is collected etc.
Keys
You should provide one set of keys for each tenant. Where we are Managing
we will arrange to have duplicates cut as required.
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