Our Services

It is our aim to take away any stress in the letting process, so that you can be confiis managed in a professional manner and by an agent who fully understands the laws of letting property and is up to date with current legislation at all times.

Our full management service includes:

• In-house legal advisor
• Comprehensive advice before and after tenancy
• Full marketing packCareful tenant selection and comprehensive referencing
• Extensive tenancy agreement
  
  
• Collection of rent and chasing arrears
• Liaison with council for housing benefit
• Weekly payment to landlords by BACS
• Itemised statement report on all managed properties
• Itemised 6 monthly property inspections
• Check in / out inventory with photographs
• Extensive maintenance service
  
  
• 24 hour telephone maintenance line
• Full refurbishment service
• Large database of tenants awaiting properties
• Landlord float / savings account

Other services include:

• Preparation of inventorie
• Find a Tenant (Let Only)
• Property Watch

Moving In

Inventory / Check In / Check Out

An inventory of household contents together with a description of the property is essential to avoid any confusion or misunderstanding at the end of the tenancy.

With our full managed service this is included.

Our inventories are carried out in accordance with the Association of Professional Inventory Providers “Best Practice” , to which we are members.

Why is an inventory Needed?

However well the tenant looks after the property it stands to reason that the condition will not be the same at the end of the tenancy as it was at the start.  The tenant is allowed to live peacefully without interference in the premises.  By mere occupation this will cause wear and tear to flooring, carpets, fittings, decoration and other fixtures.

However, the property may suffer further because of the tenant’s

• Carelessness
• Negligence
• Misuse
• Deliberate damage

The inventory process helps determine what changes have taken place during the timescale of the tenancy and to who or what those changes are attributable.
The inventory comprises:

• Recording the state of the property prior to the start of the tenancy
• Obtaining the tenant’s agreement to the condition at the start of the tenancy
• Recording the condition at the end of the tenancy

This information must be gathered in a standard and consistent way.  This will allow a direct and valid comparison acceptable to all parties regarding the state of a rented property at the beginning and end of a tenancy. It will also help us assess what changes have taken place and where responsibility lies.

The Security Deposit

The tenant will be required to pay a security deposit (usually at least one month’s rent) which is used to hold against the property for any damages at the end of the tenancy, or to repay any rent which may have been due after the tenant moves out.

This deposit is logged with mydeposits.co.uk. The money is kept in a non-interest bearing bank account and lodged accordingly. We are audited on this account twice yearly to meet government regulations.

We will hold the deposit as “stakeholder” between the parties until the end of the tenancy. We will return the deposit to the tenant only after any deductions for material repairs or damage have been agreed between the parties. We are only authorised to make payments from the deposit to you or a third party with the consent of the tenant, and if a dispute arises we must withhold the deposit until agreement is reached this is generally put to an arbitrator for a decision, the arbitrators word is final.

It is therefore important that all claims against the tenant are reasonable and justifiable and it is worth remembering that ‘fair wear and tear’ must be allowed when assessing the condition of your property at the end of the tenancy. Any property will suffer some sort of deterioration just by way of being lived in. Whilst the tenant is responsible for material deterioration or damage the landlord’s expectations on termination of a tenancy must not be unrealistic. We discourage deduction from deposits of small amounts for minor deterioration which should be allowed as ‘fair wear and tear’.

Marketing

Websites

All available properties are advertised on the leading property portals within the UK, Rightmove.co.uk, propertyfinder.com, primelocation.com, findaproperty, email4property, zoopla.co.uk, propertylive.co.uk and many more!  Each property has up to 12 photographs together with a detailed description to market your property in the best possible way.  All updated every 40 minutes direct from our database.

Other

Properties are also advertised in a number of other sources; local papers, yell.com, yellow pages, local post offices and also, ‘To Let’ boards.

As a main high street agent in a popular location next to Argos we have a constant source of walk in enquiries. Although recent surveys dictate that over 80% of our enquiries are from websites, and our properties are updated every 40 minutes, direct from our database.

My Tenant

Prior to marketing your property we will run through your requirements for renting your property, without discrimination. We can however, match the correct tenant to you, for example you can stipulate the following, no pets, no smokers, working couples only. It is important to be thorough, bear in my mind the more restrictions you place may make the property harder to let, we are more than happy to discuss any of this with you through our experience and expertise.

We carry out extensive tenant vetting prior to the tenant moving in and we will run through this once the applicant is successful.

Tenants generally have to give one months notice if they are currently renting also allow 2 weeks for referencing.  We then arrange for a suitable date/time for the tenant to sign up for the property and pay their monies.

When a tenancy has been agreed:

• You may need to arrange to have your post  redirected (we cannot do this for you)
• Final meter readings need to be taken
• Notify utility companies and the local council as the tenant takes responsibility for these during the tenancy
• It is a good idea to provide tenants with any useful information concerning the property e.g. instruction manuals

Tenancy Agreement

We will prepare the legal documentation including the tenancy agreement/contract in duplicate. This can also include additional clauses to cover any specific requirements, together with any disclaimers or covenants you may wish to include.

It is essential that this paperwork is prepared correctly and is up to date with current legislation.

Money

We collect all rents on your behalf, keep full accounting records of rents and any maintenance bills and produce weekly statements by email. Rents are processed each Monday  to landlords for monies received the week prior, a full statement will be sent by post that day or emailed direct from our database. Rents are paid by BACS, once the rent is processed your account is normally credited within 5-10 working days.

We will notify you as soon as possible if any rent fails to be paid on time.