Tips for landlords

Great tenants at the best price

Our objective for landlords is simple – to get the right profile of tenant for your property paying full market rent. We will work with you every step of the way to achieve this. Below are the various things you should consider when renting your property:

When do you want to let your property?

Think about the date you want your property to be let by. You should contact us at least 6-8 weeks before this date. This will give us ample time to market your property and find a selection of prospective tenants. It may be that the first people to see the property are the right ones – or it may take a little longer. Remember, it’s not just the price they are willing to pay that counts; you also need to be comfortable that they are the right people.

Be flexible

The London lettings market moves quickly. Prospective tenants expect to be able to view at short notice and sometimes immediately after walking into our office. So once your property is on the market be prepared for calls from us to access the property. If you have tenants living in the property, let them know they will be receiving calls from us requesting permission for viewings, often when they may not be there. If you’re flexible on your move date, this may help enormously in negotiations with tenants as they may be keen to move in sooner than the advertised date.

Remember that tenants want to make the property their home for the time that they are there and so may ask for a few small changes which may be worth accommodating. For instance they may ask for furniture to be added or even taken away. They may also ask for some minor works to be carried out – we are here to guide you on whether or not these requests are commercially viable.

Presentation of your property

Your property needs to have a welcoming, homely feel for tenants to want to live there. If your property has been vacant or had previous tenants, take some time to give it a good spruce up. This includes thorough cleaning, a lick of paint where things may look tired and fixing or replacing any damaged furniture. If you don’t have time or don’t live locally, our Property Refurbishment Department may be able to help you with these improvements.

If you’re currently living in the property or have tenants there, make sure the place is tidy, welcoming and free from clutter. Homely touches such as fresh flowers, an open fire and pictures on the walls can make a huge difference.

If you have pets, try to keep them out of the way and tidy away evidence of them. Not everyone loves animals and they can distract prospective tenants from seeing the property in its best light.

Consider how the property smells. It may smell stale if it’s been vacant, or it could smell of your pets or last night’s supper. Give the place a good airing and make use of air fresheners or scented candles.

Consider the up-front costs

There are several up-front costs associated with letting your property which you’ll need to budget for. Most may be deducted from the first instalment of rent – these include are Gas Safety Certificate, Energy Performance Cerficate, Electrical Certificate, Inventory, Tenancy Agreement Fees, Commission Fees. We can help you calculate the full costs where required.

Guiding you through the legislation

There is a huge amount of legislation relating to letting property these days. We help all our landlords comply with the relevant rules and regulations for their property. Below are the key ones to consider:

The Furniture & Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 &
The Furniture & Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) (Amendment) Regulations 1993
As from 1st March 1993 it is a criminal offence punishable by a fine and/or a prison term to let a property with furniture or soft furnishings which cannot be proven to comply with the above fire safety regulations. Furniture manufactured before 1st January 1950 is exempt from the regulations.

Items covered by the Regulations include:

  • Beds, headboards, mattresses, sofa beds and futons
  • Sofas, armchairs including loose and stretch covers
  • Scatter cushions, seat pads and pillows

Items which are exempt from the Regulations:

  • Sleeping bags
  • Bed linen including duvets, pillowcases and mattress covers
  • Curtains and carpets

All new furnishings should display the following swing tickets depending on their ratings. They must also be fitted with permanent labels, which must be securely attached to the furniture. Each piece of furniture must have an attached label.

The permanent label must display the following information:

  • The Caution (CARELESSNESS CAUSES FIRE)
  • Batch/Identification Number
  • Whether a fire resistance interline is included
  • Summary of measures taken to ensure compliance with regulations

Should you be in any doubt about any furniture complying our Management Department will be able to advise you.

Gas Safety (Installation And Use) Regulations 1994
It is a criminal offence to let premises with gas appliances (including but not limited to gas boilers, fires, heaters and gas water heaters) that have not been checked by a CORGI or CAPITA Registered Engineer.

You will need to provide a valid Gas Safety Certificate for the Tenant at commencement of and throughout the Tenancy and have the appliances tested and certified annually.

Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994
Whilst it is not yet law that a Landlord or Managing Agent has an Electrical Safety Certificate for a property they are renting, they would nonetheless be liable for any accident or damage caused by any failure to comply with the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994. You are responsible for providing instruction manuals for all items of electrical equipment for your Tenant, and will be responsible for ensuring that all electrical installations and appliances within the Property comply with the above regulations.

Plug And Socket Regulations 1994
All plugs must have a safety sheath and the correct fuse. All sockets must comply with the current regulations, which state that they should have an “off” switch and must be flush with the wall.

Energy Performance Certificates
As of October 2008, all properties marketed for letting need a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). The Landlord is responsible for ensuring a valid EPC is made available prior to a prospective Tenant receiving written details of a property or first viewing a property. If you already have a valid EPC for your property we will require a copy or we can arrange on your behalf for an EPC to be prepared. The EPC is valid for five years.

Repairs/Statutory Repairing Responsibilities
Sections 11 to 16 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 state that you must:
(a) keep the structure (including the drains, gutters and down pipes) and the exterior of the Property in good order and repair);
(b) keep the appliances for supply of gas, electricity and water in good repair;
(c) keep the appliances for supply of space heating and water heating in repair;
(d) keep the sanitary appliances in repair.
The Landlord is obliged under the terms of the Tenancy Agreement to ensure that necessary repairs are carried out. Should he fail to meet his obligations, with the result that the tenant withholds all or part of his rent, we reserve the right to instruct contractors at our discretion and to deduct any costs incurred from rents received.

Tenancy Deposit Scheme
This scheme was introduced in April 2007 by the government to improve the often difficult area of damage deposits. It is essentially designed to stop landlords withholding tenants’ deposits or making arbitrary deductions. The scheme requires that all tenancies must have a professionally prepared inventory attached to them at the commencement of tenancy and that the tenancy is registered on the Scheme by way of one of the nominated companies that have been set up to administer the deposits should a dispute arise. We are members of The Dispute Service Limited and, as required in law, will automatically register all Assured Shorthold Tenancies on the Scheme.

Consider Property Management

Property Management can be crucial in getting maximum rental returns on your property. Many corporate tenants will insist on renting only managed properties and are often prepared to pay a premium for the peace of mind that any issues with the property will be swiftly and professionally resolved.

If you instruct Mountgrange Heritage to manage your property, we will look after the general day-to-day management and more complex issues such as emergency repairs, collection of rent, transfer of utilities and much more.

Completing the process

When we receive an offer from a prospective tenant, we will contact you with full details and negotiate on your behalf. Once an offer has been accepted, we will do the following:

  • Collect references from the tenant/s
  • Prepare and arrange the signing of Tenancy Agreement by both parties
  • Collect the initial rent and deposit monies
  • Organise an inventory to be prepared and checked with the Tenant
  • Transfer the Utility Accounts