We pride ourselves in offering a high level of service to landlords and are keen to add quality properties to our portfolio. We let and manage individual properties for landlords, small portfolios and new development schemes for individual and corporate clients and can tailor our services to your specific requirements.
We would suggest you find a local agent who is well established and has the following
Having chosen your agent, you will be required to prepare your property for rental and below we list a few guidelines to assist you:
For landlords before letting:-
The most common tenancy for domestic lets are “Assured Shorthold Tenancy” and the “Company Tenancy” which we are dealing with.
a) Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) This tenancy is attractive to landlords as it offers market rents without security of tenure beyond the contractual term and the majority of tenancies are based on this format. However, certain criteria must first be met:
If the property is let under an Assured Short hold Tenancy, the landlord can issue a section 21 Notice to guarantee possession, provided the term of the Shorthold has expired and not less than two months’ notice has been given by the Landlord stating he requires possession.
If court action is needed, this can be obtained on a number of different grounds against the tenant. However, it should be noted that is a criminal offence under the Protection from Evictions Act 1977, for a landlord to threaten or forcibly evict a tenant from their property.
b) Company Tenancy
This is governed by contract law and is not regulated by the Housing Acts of 1988 or 1996. It is used when a private or public limited company (excluding partnership or sole trader) wishes to enter into a tenancy.
There is no security of tenure and rental payments are often made on a quarterly basis by prior agreement.
You will need to decide whether you require your agent to simply market your property and find a tenant which is our “Let only Service” or whether you would prefer to have your property fully managed.
Once you have made that decision, your rental property will be displayed in our office and feature on our website as well as on rightmove, onthemarket, facebook and twitter. We also contact any listed prospective tenants, local companies and relocation agents through our database.
Should you decide to employ us as your agent, we will also handle calls, arrange viewings, vet prospective tenants and obtain references, draw up contracts and advise you on your safety and repairs obligations (see LEGAL DUTY OF CARE).
Thorough credit checks are carried out on all prospective tenants and we reserve the right to decline an application where necessary in the interests of protecting the landlord’s investment.
Referencing is carried out by an independent referencing company - UK Tenant Data (ADD LINK).
This is equivalent one month's rent plus £150.00 and is collected from the tenant at the commencement of the tenancy.
By law the deposit needs to be protected by a Tenancy Deposit Scheme. On our managed properties we provide the Tenancy Deposit Scheme. On a let only service the landlord can choose to go with us or select his own Tenancy Deposit Company.
This deposit is held for the duration of the tenancy, at the end of which the property will be inspected and subject to dilapidations (if any) the deposit is refunded. In the event of a dispute over dilapidations (if any), then either party may notify the Tenancy Deposit Scheme.
This is usually done on a calendar-monthly basis and is forwarded to the Landlord via electronic transfer after any agreed deductions have been made for contractors etc...
Under common law, the landlord must ensure that properties to let are safe and failure to comply with safety legislation is considered a criminal offence resulting in legal action and prosecution.
As your managing agent, we will carry out safety checks upon your request, deducting the cost from your rent.
NB: The penalty for failure to comply with statutory safety legislation is currently a maximum of £5,000 and/or 6 month’s imprisonment for each offence. This can be harsher in the case of injury or fatality.
The above is only a guide to the legal safety requirements and should you have any further enquiries, we would recommend that you contact a qualified solicitor who will be able to verify these in full.
You are considered an overseas landlord if you live abroad or go to work abroad for a minimum of 6 months.
It is important to firstly note that the Inland Revenue regulations apply even if you are a non-UK resident. Moreover, non-resident landlords must apply to the Inland Revenue Financial Intermediaries Claims Office (FICO) for authorisation (by way of an exemption certificate) to receive payment of property rental ‘gross’, that is without deduction of income tax by the letting agent or tenant as required by law.
NB: The above is merely a guideline and for fully qualified advice, you should contact an appropriate accountant or tax expert.
Our charges for a Full Management Service inclusive of disbursements are an initial letting fee of £474.00 (includes VAT) on the first let only and a monthly management fee of 12% (includes VAT) of the rent achieved.
Our charges for a Let only Service are £594.00 (includes VAT).
When we provide a Let Only Service there would be an additional charge of £60.00 (includes VAT) to administer and register the deposit and £114.00 (includes VAT) for a move out, final inspection and inventory check; if we provide these services.
£90.00 (includes VAT)