General Information

Tenancy Agreements: Our tenancy agreements comply with the Housing Act and are written in plain English. These are easy to understand and contain no unfair terms or conditions. The agreement also complies with the office of Fair Trading recommendations. They are designed to fully protect your rights as a landlord and are subject to regular review to take account of new legislation.

Inventory: A detailed and accurate inventory is one of the most important documents you will need when letting your property. Our detailed inventory and schedule of conditions is prepared by our experienced staff and provides a comprehensive record of the contents as well as the condition of the property on check in and check out.

Property Maintenance: We have developed strong relationships with a wide range of professional contractors whom we know to be experienced, qualified, reasonably priced and reliable. Our contractors are on hand to deal with problems large or small, even outside of regular office hours in case of an emergency.

Buy to Let: Our advice is completely impartial. We have an excellent understanding of the buy to let market nationally and locally. We will advise you on many important factors involved such as location, how much to spend, how much rental income to expect and how to prepare your property.

Landlords

Whether you have just acquired a property you wish to let, or have a large existing portfolio that you need managing, we can provide a service tailored to your needs, one which will be dedicated to looking after your financial and legal interests, your property and your tenants to the highest professional standards.

Read on to find out more about the landlord services we provide, and to identify those that meet your specific requirements.

Tenant Finding Service

This service is suitable if you live near the property, and are confident of dealing with tenancy matters yourself. We provide a comprehensive package which:

Advises you on the potential rental income, the type of tenant that would be best suited, how to prepare the property for letting and your obligations as a landlord;
Markets the property widely to achieve an early letting and the best possible rent yield;
Interviews prospective tenants, accompanies them on viewings and negotiates offers on your behalf;
Provides you with a written report including the results of identity and credit checks and references from previous landlords and employers;
Provides advice ensuring the tenancy will be compliant with Gas, Electrical and Fire and Furnishing Safety Regulations.
Prepares a legally binding Tenancy Agreement and if necessary legal notices to protect your right to regain possession of the property;
Collects a security deposit from the tenant and transfers it into an approved Tenancy Deposit Protection Scheme;
Collects the first month’s rent and arranges a standing order mandate for all subsequent months of the tenancy term;
Provides a detailed statement of account and VAT receipt and a copy of the inventory if we have arranged this;
Handles renewal or termination of tenancy and renegotiates terms or remarkets property as appropriate;
Carries out a “check-out” inspection at the end of the tenancy and provides written report.

Rent Collection Service

The Rent Collection Service is suitable if you have financial commitments and are reliant upon receiving regular rental income. In addition to all the features of the Tenant Finding Service we will:

Provide a detailed account statement itemising: rent receipts, our commission fees, agreed outgoings, taxes (if applicable) and VAT;
Pay rent to your account within 4 banking days of receipt (please be aware that it can take between 3 and 5 days for funds to through the banking system);
Demand rent payments in cases of non-receipt, including, if necessary, visiting the property on your behalf;
In all non-insured cases, recommend solicitors for you to appoint to serve notice and take appropriate action;
Diarise annual gas safety and electrical appliance inspections, and provide you with a quote from a suitably qualified contractor;
Inspect the property at three monthly intervals and report to you in writing and make recommendations on our findings.
Insurance to protect you against non-payment of rent, and the legal cost of court proceedings to recover possession is available as an option with this service.

Fully Managed Service

The Fully Managed Service is suitable if you live outside of the area, or have a portfolio of several properties, or do not have sufficient time to commit to the day-to-day management of tenancy matters.

Included are all the features offered by the Tenant Finding and Rent Collection services. In addition we will:

Notify utility companies of meter readings at the start and end of tenancies and advise them and the council tax authority of change in occupier and the billing address for closing statements;
Arrange for an inventory to be drawn up, checked at the end of each tenancy and updated for each re-letting;
With your approval, deal with your tenant’s requests for property maintenance, arranging for contractors to provide a quote, gain access to carry out the work and receive payment;
Make recommendations as to any amounts that would be appropriate to claim from the tenant for unfair wear and tear or other breaches of the Tenancy Agreement.

*Full terms and conditions for all of the above services are available on request.