Whether you are a first-time landlord looking to rent out your home or a seasoned investor with a portfolio of properties, your reputable local agent will be able to give you a good idea of the achievable rent and how quickly you can expect to find tenants. We would recommend starting a spreadsheet to forecast all of your monthly costs such as landlord insurance, mortgage payments, maintenance costs, service charges, ground rents, letting fees and taxes etc.
Once you know the value and costs involved - now it’s time to select the letting agent that is right for you. Firstly, ensure they are a member of a property redress scheme and a client money protection scheme so that you know they work to a certain standard and any funds they collect on your behalf are protected. The quality of marketing they produce and the audience size they can expose your property to will be the two main factors in achieving the maximum rent possible. Look at their existing listings – do they offer professional photos, floor plans and virtual tours as standard? Do they market on the three main property portals Rightmove, Zoopla & Onthemarket? How do they vet the tenants? Will you deal with one experienced agent as your point of contact or various agents?
First impressions count - if your property has wow factor then it will stand out from competing properties and attract more viewings from the best tenants, so de-clutter to show off the space, tidy and clean, dress the beds and give the place a lick of paint if necessary. Creating the perfect environment for your property’s target market will help in securing a tenant quickly at the best rent possible.
Once an offer is received we’ll come to you with all of the information in advance such as rent level, move date, tenancy length, tenant profile, employment situation, salary, visa status etc. If you decide you would like to proceed, we collect a one week holding fee then conduct references and right to rent checks. We send the reference report to you for final sign-off before we draw up contracts for signature.
Prior to the move-in we can arrange all legislative requirements such as gas safety certificates, EICR’s, legionella reports, testing smoke alarms in addition to booking cleaners and check-in clerks. We also collect the move-in monies from the tenants and ensure there are enough sets of keys ready in advance.
After move-in day depending on who is managing the property going forward the deposit needs to be registered in one of the three government backed schemes and should any issues arise at the property they need to be dealt with promptly in addition to renewal of the various certificates.
When the property is let on a fixed term tenancy, we will make contact ahead of the expiry date to determine if the tenant and landlord wish to renew the tenancy.