Not all letting agents are the same, we’re different. Our teams put in 150-200 hours of hard work to find you the best long-term tenant. We take care of your tenant ensuring they stay for a good length of time and when they do decide to move on, we’ll quickly find you a new tenant so your property is never left empty.
This guide aims to give you insider tips on successfully managing your property, creating a lasting relationship with your tenant and how we can support you throughout the duration of the tenancy.
It goes without saying that we would love to manage your property. An empty property for three weeks equates to the amount we charge in management fees for a whole year. This is one of the key reasons why we have such a strong following of professional landlords.
Top tip
To start your tenancy off positively, send in a maintenance engineer in between tenancies to sort out all the little jobs before your new tenant moves in (and make sure the property is sparkling clean).
Tenant management
A tenancy is a partnership between the occupier and the manager of the property. A successful partnership results from great communication between both parties. Not only are first impressions crucial but tenants will then need regular contact, help and support throughout the years of living in the property.
If you are managing the property yourself, you need to be on hand and accessible to help your tenants with any questions and offer speedy resolutions when issues arise. This is why all of our property managers work in an office no more than 15 minutes away from the properties they manage.
Tenants are excited when they first move into their new home and want to be proud of where they live. Great property management is about enhancing this feeling, with good communication from check-in to check-out.
Our aim is to help your tenant keep their property in the best possible condition. Whilst they are in charge of the everyday upkeep of their home, we are here to stay on top of maintenance with your tenants as our eyes and ears.
The property needs to be fully prepared before the new tenants move in and it is essential that everything is in working order with access to all manuals and useful information, as well as being professionally cleaned.
Top tip
We are available 24/7 for our tenants and we recommend you plan to provide the same service to your tenants. If you are spending time abroad, particularly in a different time zone, your tenants will need a UK based contact.
Property management
Just like your own home, your investment will need regular servicing, updating and maintenance. Making a success of your investment needs a plan, a list of routine jobs and good habits. This is best approached with a preventative maintenance plan.
This proactive approach has several advantages, such as:
• Maintaining a better relationship with the tenant
• Helping tenants look after the property
• Keeping costs down in the long run
• Making sure that the property remains attractive to tenants
A preventative maintenance plan differs from one property to the next - a house or a converted flat being the most complex but even a brand-new flat needs regular work, especially if your property has a garden.
We have an in-house team of maintenance engineers who are on hand to keep costs down and help stay on top of the little to medium sized jobs ranging from loose toilet seats and hinges to jet-washing patios. We can also help prolong the life of the boiler by organising a service at the same time as the annual gas safety certificate is carried out. These preventative measures reduce the likelihood of costly repairs and put the tenants mind at ease.
The rewards are reliable, long-term tenants, steady rental income and your asset continuing to gain value.
Safety and legal compliance
The work we do in finding the tenant, setting up the tenancy agreement, helping arrange appropriate certificates and check-in formalities, covers you for many of the risks at the start of the tenancy. There are now over 170 pieces of legislation for a landlord to keep on top of, the key ones being:
Electrical safety
All rented properties require an Electrical Installation Condition Report to be carried out every five years. You will also need to provide a copy to your tenant within 30 days of the certificate being issued. Please remember to check the Competent Person Register before instructing a contractor, to confirm that they are competent and qualified to carry out the EICR and any remedial works.
Risk of Legionnaires’ disease
Legionella can develop when water becomes stagnant. If your property has been empty for a while, we recommend carrying out a Legionella risk assessment.
Annual gas safety check
Any property containing a gas supply needs to have an annual Landlord’s gas safety inspection. You will also need to provide a copy to your tenant within 28 days of the certificate being issued, otherwise you won’t be able to serve a Section 21 notice to end the tenancy. If there is a communal boiler in the building; supplying heat and hot water to the property, you will need to provide a copy of the communal boiler gas safety certificate to your tenant.
Property inspections
Regular visits to the property during the tenancy will help you make sure the property is being looked after, there are no maintenance issues the tenant has missed and the smoke alarms are in working order.
Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors
Your property needs to be fitted with a smoke alarm on each floor and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a gas appliance. Both smoke and carbon monoxide alarms will need to be tested and working on the day of move-in and whenever you visit the property. Any expired alarms must be replaced before the tenancy starts. If you have a more complex fire alarm system in your property, it may need six monthly servicing with a specialist contractor and tenants will need to be provided with information on how to operate and test the alarm system when they first move into their home. Failure to do this could invalidate your insurance policy.
Top tip
Plan regular inspections and set reminders for the key dates during the tenancy, such as the expiry date of the Gas Safety Certificate.
Houses of multiple occupancy and licensed properties
We recommend staying in regular contact with the Local Authority to understand any changes to licensing schemes that affect your property.
If you rent to three or more unrelated tenants it’s likely that your property will be considered a ‘House in Multiple Occupation’ (HMO) and there are more legal requirements for this type of let. In some instances, regardless of how many tenants you have, you may also require a licence from your local authority in order to rent your property out. Licensing schemes are constantly changing, so we are here to help you keep on top of new schemes or amendments to existing ones.
There are a few differences when you manage a property with a licence or a HMO:
• You may need additional certificates such as a fire risk assessment and PAT test
• There is a requirement for more frequent formal inspections when the property is licensed
• Fire safety is very important and you, not the tenant, will need to regularly test and service any fire safety precautions; such as, smoke alarms, fire alarm systems, heat detectors, fire blankets, fire doors, thumb turn locks and extinguishers to ensure that they remain effective if there is a fire
• The licence may require you to send a receipt to your tenant as soon as you receive a rental payment
• The licence, certificates and your contact details will need to be displayed prominently in the property
• Provide adequate provision for refuge storage and recycling
It is quite usual for the local authority to inspect your property and check its condition. They particularly look for issues with damp, mould and condensation, fire safety, waste management, security and check that the right number of people are living in the property. If they have any concerns they can issue an improvement notice which has to be acted on immediately.
Not having a licence when one is required or not following the conditions of a licence is a criminal offence and can lead to substantial fines. Managing a HMO or a property with a licence can be very time consuming and requires prompt action. We strongly recommend you ask us to manage any HMO or licensed properties.
Additional fire safety
Communal areas of buildings
If you own a property which shares a communal hallway with one or more residential properties, you will need to establish who the Responsible Person for the building is - which will normally be the freeholder or block manager, as they will be responsible for fire safety in the common parts.
Types of fire safety measures required in the common parts could be:
• Annual Fire Risk Assessments
• Fire alarm systems, fire doors, emergency lighting, sprinkler systems and EICR for the common parts
• Testing and servicing alarms and fire safety equipment regularly - and maintaining records
• Providing a copy of the Fire Evacuation Plan and fire safety information to the tenants annually
• Attaching the Fire Evacuation Plan to the wall in the common parts of each floor
Higher-risk buildings
If you own a property in a building that is at least 18 metres or seven storeys high, and contains at least two residential units, please speak to us for further advice.
Taking out insurance
We would strongly recommend taking out both Building and Contents insurance when letting out a property, to provide you with complete protection. Buildings insurance covers the cost of repairing the structure of your property, for example, damage caused by bad weather, fallen trees, frozen or burst pipes, fires and explosions. Contents insurance protects everything you have supplied in your property, such as electrical appliances, white goods, furniture, carpets etc.
Top tip
We have lots of reliable contractors to call on when needed, we recommend you do the same. Let your tenant know who to call in the middle of the night if there is an emergency or when you are away on holiday.
Help, advice and ongoing support
We want your relationship with the tenant to be a success and our objective is to help you keep the tenant in occupation for as long as possible. We will be right behind you throughout the tenancy and will stay in regular contact with you.
Our role is to make sure rent is paid and that the tenancy is renewed in plenty of time. We ask that you leave this to us and also contact us immediately if your tenant is considering leaving early or wants to change the Tenancy Agreement in any way. Our agreements are finely tuned to look after your best interests and we are keen to manage these processes for you.
By following the advice given, your property will remain in good condition and will rent quickly without a void period, should you need to find new tenants.
Management services
Our services at a glance for full peace of mind.
We extensively advertise your property
We have a team of local lettings experts who will spend an average of 200 hours working to find you the best Tenant and arrange the tenancy
We carry out viewings six days a week and out of hours if requested
Our Lettings teams are available seven days a week from 8am to 8pm
We access 10,000 corporate Tenants per annum through our Corporate Lettings and International Relocation Team
We negotiate terms and draw up a bespoke Tenancy Agreement
We take out thorough references including exploring a Tenant’s credit history, previous Landlord and employment status
We arrange for any pre-tenancy work to be carried out to the Property
We hold all client monies securely in a designated and audited client account and protected by RICS client money protection
We arrange an independent inventory, check-in and check-out
We offer Tenants the Dexters No Deposit Option
We provide safekeeping of your keys throughout the tenancy
We can arrange for a Carbon Monoxide detector and smoke alarm to be installed
We ensure that standing orders for Tenants are properly set up
We issue monthly rental statements and collect rent
We transfer utilities at the start and end of the tenancy
We provide help in recovering rent arrears in the very rare event it happens
We provide an annual statement of account, if required
We agree the terms of tenancy renewals , securing rent increases where possible
We provide a Design and Refurbishment service if needed
We will keep you updated with any relevant changes in legislation
We provide direct access to a dedicated local property management team
We meet and greet your Tenant as they move in
We visit the Property during the tenancy and produce a comprehensive annual report
We act as intermediary with insurance companies or block managers as required
We provide a 24 hour emergency service for you and your Tenants
We have our own Dexters maintenance engineers available to visit your property at short notice
Where necessary we instruct and pay contractors on your behalf
We ensure all contractors have the correct insurance prior to commencing any work
We arrange works and give access to best value contractor prices
We arrange repairs, maintenance and refurbishments, as required
We review the check-out report, advising on deductions from the deposit and agreeing any Tenants payments
We will continue to manage your property through any vacant periods at no further cost whilst we find a new tenant for you
A professional check-in included in our fee
A professional inventory included in our fee
A professional check-out included in our fee
An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) included in our fee
An Annual Gas Safety Certificate (GSC) included in our fee
An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) included in our fee
Installation of Carbon Monoxide (CO) detector included in our fee
