Landlords

At your request we will be happy to visit your property to inspect and advise on the letting potential and also to answer any further queries not covered by this website.

Following your instructions to proceed with the rental, we make every effort to ensure the respectability and suitability of any applicant. We require references, normally from bank and employer, and it is only when these are found to be satisfactory that we prepare the rental agreement.
 
You may wish to place restrictions yourself on the type of tenancy e.g. no children or no sharers. We would not normally allow pets in any of our managed properties. Unless you specifically request a Solicitor to act on your behalf, we will prepare the Tenancy Agreement. This is usually an Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement, unless otherwise instructed by the Building Society or Bank holding the mortgage on the property (if there is a mortgage). The mortgagor must be informed of your intention to let the property and may put restrictions on the tenancy before granting permission.
 
The Tenant pays the rent to us monthly in advance, usually by Direct Debit, into our Clients Account. It is normal to take a deposit of one months rent, but this can be varied according to the quality of furnishings etc. The deposit is subsequently returned to the Tenant at the end of the Tenancy providing the property and contents have been left in good order and all bills have been paid. 

We would ask you to provide a fully itemised inventory of the contents of your property and garage with qualifying statements as to the condition. At the end of the Tenancy we will check the inventory thoroughly. We can prepare an inventory for you but we would have to make a small charge for this as it is obviously time consuming.

When the Tenant is ready to move into the property, we arrange final readings on the gas and electrical services. All outstanding bills are paid by us from rent money. This includes any standard Council Tax incurred whilst the house is empty, water rates, insurances, chief or ground rents and any other bills you would like us to pay. We do ask Tenants to inform us immediately should any problems arise and these are dealt with straight away. We do inspection visits to properties and maintenance checks are carried out on the property annually ( or half yearly if requested) but we also ask Tenants to keep an eye on things as they would in their own homes and to let us know if they are concerned about anything

 Apart from advising your Building Society or Bank of your intention to let your property, you should also inform your insurance company, as they may wish to restrict cover. Income Tax is payable on net rental income. If you are living or working abroad, then we will advise you about the Overseas Landlords Tax Scheme and provide relevant documentation. We will prepare an annual rental statement for tax purposes for any owners who request one.
 
Net rental income is normally calculated by deductions from gross income of the following:
 
            Mortgage interest
            Insurances, Ground or Chief Rents
            Repairs and maintenance (but not improvements)
            Fees to managing agents
            10% allowance for wear and tear
 
Our normal management fee is 10% of the gross rental income received, plus a Set-up Fee. If owners want to do their own management, then we would charge a Letting fee for finding suitable Tenants and preparing the lease and notices etc.