Whether you are a landlord for the first time or building your existing portfolio we can help you step by step. We will give you advice on where and what type of property to buy. We can offer mortgage advice from our in house mortgage adisor and put you in touch with well known and friendly solicitors, if required. We can also offer insurances from building and contents to landlords rent guarantee cover. Whilst your purchase is going through we will start to market your property to find a prospective tenant for you. If you already have a property you want to let we can arrange an appraisal to give you a rental valuation and advise you if there is anything which will help to market or increase the rental value of your property. When we find a tenant for you we will fully research their credit history and ability to afford to rent your property and with our experience of people see if they are a suitable candidate for you. We will move them in as quickly and conveniently as possible and once they are in your property we will make regular checks to ensure your tenant is looking after it. We will be there to answer your questions from the start and throughout the tenancy.
Fully managed
Fees- 50% of the first month's rent & 10% monthly commission +VAT
Our full management service offers a complete letting and management service for our landlords. What we will do for you:
- Full Marketing and Advertising
- Conducting viewings at the property
- Tenant selection and full referencing
- Preparation of tenancy agreement
- All bonds covered through My Deposits
- Full inventory
- Schedule of property condition
- Rent collections
- Monthly statements
- Administration of safety checks
- Arrangement of routine maintenance and repairs
- Arrangement of emergency repairs
- Tenant 24 hour emergency number
- Regular inspections
- Arrears monitoring and pursuit
- Handling tenant queries
- Notifying utilities at the start and exit of the tenant
- Free tax advice
- Eviction of tenant (additional cost)
Optional Extras Landlords insurance products available:
- Building and Contents Insurance
- Landlords Rental Guarantee Insurance
To qualify for the rental guarantee tenants must pass every section of the credit referencing. However for tenants who have an overall pass they may be able to have a guarantor which will still allow you to have the landlords guarantee.
Let only
Fees- 65% of the first month's rent + VAT
If you are confident and have the time to manage your own property we will still endeavour to find you the right tenant. Your prospective tenant will go through the same checks as those we manage fully. It is only when we are fully satisfied that we have found the right tenant for you and all legal documentation has been completed that we will collect the first months rent and the bond and hand over the case to you to manage. If you are considering managing your property yourself it is worth looking at the convenience of this i.e. Do I live locally to my property to enable me to look after my tenants and any problem which might occur, this may be anything from a dripping tap to a faulty boiler or a nuisance neighbour and may occur at any time on any day of the year. Am I happy with doing my own checks on the property, having given prior notice to my tenant to do so. What happens if my tenant loses his or her job and their circumstances change. Do I want to have to recover my money myself and perhaps have to attend court and evict my tenant. These are just a few of the considerations you will need to make when you decide how you want to let your property through us. We all want the perfect tenant but as uncertain as life is it can and sometimes does go wrong. Remember we will give you advice and help you all of the way, but it is you who will have to do the work. What we will do for you:
- Full Marketing and Advertising
- Conducting Viewings at the Property
- Tenant Selection and Full Referencing
- Preparation of Tenancy Agreemant
- Transfer of Rent
- First Months Rent and Bond Collection
- Initial Safety Checks
Record keeping
We at Homes Lettings use a system which controls your account fully, giving an itemised monthly statement of your account, which is ideal for your audit trail.
Accounting for your property.
We can advise you of all the requirements and obligations to Revenue & Customs for tax purposes, but as this can be quite complex we will only cover the basics at present. You must keep records of all of your income and Expenditure for the property for tax purposes these must be from the 6th April each year to 5th April. Tax liability Will I pay tax on my rental income?Tax is due on the net profit from your rental income. To achieve this figure you will take the income less all allowable expenses. If you rent your property furnished you can also claim a wear and tear allowance which at the present time is 10% of the income. Any loss can be carried forward to the next year but cannnot be offset against any other income.
Mortgage consent from your lender
If the property you are going to rent is mortgaged you must either have a buy to let mortgage or you must obtain consent from your lender before you rent your property out.
Consent for leasehold properties
If your property is leasehold you must check to see if you can sub let without prior permission this will be on your Headlease. If you require permission to let your property you must obtain this from the freeholder or head leaseholder. This should not be withheld from you unreasonably.
How can we find a suitable tenant for you
No one can guarantee that they will find the perfect tenant for you but with our years of experience in dealing with people we believe that we can identify the right type of person for your property.It is so important that your property is looked after and this is why we have full credit referencing for each tenant, as we believe that the information we receive from our referencing builds a picture of the type of person applying to rent your property.We will market your property in good time to find a new tenant when your existing tenant vacates as we understand that you do not wish to have an empty property which you may be paying a mortgage and rates on.
What happens if there is any damage to your property
Prior to your tenant moving into the property we make a full inventory keeping a paper based record but also when applicable we take photographs.On the day a tenant moves into your property not only do we ask for one months rent in advance but we also ask for a bond which is held in a ring fenced segregated account for your tenant.When your tenant vacates we do an exit inventory and should there be any damage to your property we will take the cost from the bond prior to repaying this to the tenant. It is however worth noting that we cannot charge the full cost of replacement in most incidences as wear and tear has to be considered.
Repairs and maintenance
We can control the maintenance of your property on a tailored basis to suit your needs. If you wish we can control all repairs and have any checks completed on your behalf making the payments from your account which will show on your monthly statement or if you wish you can advise us of a maximum spend for any one repair. You may wish to control this yourself in which case we will let you know what is required. All repairs will be charged to the landlord at cost price.
Gas safety
As a landlord you have an obligation to ensure that all mains and bottled gas appliances supplied in your property have a safety certificate. This includes fires, cookers, heaters, boilers, water heaters and gas fridges. These must be serviced by an engineer who is GAS SAFE REGISTERED for domestic appliance work. Once the check has been made and your appliance has been confirmed as safe you will receive a gas safety certificate. You must give the tenant a copy of this. You must properly maintain your appliances and have a gas safety check annually.
We require that a gas safety certificate prior to the tenant moving into the property.
Energy Performance Certificate
From 1 october 2008 all homes being let will be required to have an Energy Performance certificate, which will be valid for 10 years. An Energy Performance Certificate is required prior to marketing your property.
Electrical safety
The landlord is responsible and must ensure that all electrical appliances supplied in the property must be safe to use. We can arrange an electrical inspection to be carried out for you if you wish.
Smoke detectors
All new houses built after June 1992 must have electronically linked mains operated smoke detectors by law. These must be installed on each floor. We would strongly recommend that all rental properties, even those that do not fall under the law have smoke detectors on each floor and one situated next to the kitchen door in the adjoining room or hall.
Fire safety - furniture and furnishings
The regulations were amended in 1993 for furniture and furnishings. This requires that all upholstered furniture and furnishings in a rental property pass the"cigarette test". If any property does not comply the landlord may face fines or imprisonment or both. All landlords letting a property for the first time must comply with these regulations immediately. Any furniture which does not comply must be immediately removed prior to the tenant moving in and before the tenancy commences. Any landlord who has an existing rental property who replaces any item during a tenancy or in a void period must adhere to these regulations. As a general rule most new furniture purchased after March 1990 should comply with the regulations and will be labelled accordingly. But you must remember that it is your responsibility to ensure that all furniture is safe.
Please ensure that all instruction manuals and booklets are left at the property and made available for the tenants reference.
We have a team of dedicated contractors who look after all our maintance requirements.
