General Guidance on Property Letting in Hinckley
If your property is mortgaged or you have a loan secured on the property then you should obtain written consent from your lender prior to commencing with the letting. They may require additional clauses in the tenancy agreement of which you must inform us and they will often charge a fee for giving their consent for the letting to take place.
Insurance
We would always advise that you have suitable cover for letting your property which would include both buildings and contents insurance. It is also wise to inform your insurers when you instruct a letting agent to manage the property, as with all insurance policies failure to disclose information may invalidate the policy.
We will be happy to discuss your insurance requirements and can arrange cover through a specialist insurer that we recommend.
Utilities
Obviously you would need to arrange your own final meter readings prior to tenant occupancy of your property. Included in our managed service we will arrange for all services including council tax, water, gas, electricity and telephones to be transferred into the tenant’s name.
Tenancy Agreement
This is the legal document that specifies the terms and conditions that bind both landlord and tenant as parties to the agreement. It is effectively a contract between the landlord as owner of the rental property and the tenant for possession and use of the property in exchange for the payment of rent. We mostly produce Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreements for our landlords and these usually begin with a fixed initial period of 6-12 months. We provide a comprehensive drafting service to make sure that your tenancy agreement covers every eventuality that may occur during the tenancy and these were produced by a solicitor.
Keys and Alarms
As letting agents we will require a full set of keys to enable us to conduct professional viewings of all aspects of the property and ultimately we should provide one set of keys for each tenant. Where we will be managing your property, we will arrange to have duplicates cut as required.
If your property has an alarm please remember to let us have the alarm code, position of the activation box and arming/disarming procedure
Property Preparation
Whether we manage your property or you choose one of our non-management packages, it is important that your tenant feels comfortable in their new home and feels that they are receiving value for their money. A well-maintained property in good decorative order will help attract a better quality tenant and help towards a smooth-running tenancy. This will also have a positive effect on the rental expectation in the form of a potentially higher rental figure. Moreover, we have found that tenants are more inclined to treat a nicely presented property with greater respect.
Building and Structural Condition
As landlord you are legally responsible to keep in repair the structure and exterior of the property and keep in repair and proper working order the installations in the property for the supply of water, gas, electricity, sanitation and for space and water heating. Repairs and maintenance are at the landlord’s expense unless misuse can be established. Also, interior decorations should be in good clean condition and preferably plain, light and neutral.
Furnished or Unfurnished
The majority of properties on the letting market are ‘unfurnished’. A good working definition of this term is that it will usually include carpeting or flooring, curtains / blinds and a cooker. A ‘partly furnished’ property will usually contain the usual ‘white goods’ kitchen appliances such as washing machine and fridge. We recommend that you leave only minimum furnishings and that these should be of reasonable quality. Any items to be left should be in the property during viewings. Personal possessions such as ornaments, pictures and books should definitely be removed from the premises, especially those of financial or sentimental value. All cupboards and shelf space should be left clear for the tenant's own use.
Gardens
Gardens should be left neat, tidy and rubbish free, with any lawns cut. Tenants are required to maintain the gardens to a reasonable standard, provided they are left the necessary tools. However, if you have very high standards for your garden or if it is particularly large then you may wish for us to arrange visits by a regular gardener.
Cleaning
At the commencement of the tenancy the property must be in a thoroughly clean condition, and at the end of each tenancy it is the responsibility of the tenant to leave the property in a similar condition. Where they fail to do so, cleaning will be arranged at the tenant’s expense.
Information for the Tenant
It is helpful to the Tenant if you leave a ‘useful information’ folder for them containing manuals and documentation for operating the central heating, hot water system, washing machine etc and refuse collection dates.