FAQ FOR LANDLORDS

1. Are you a member of a professional body?
2. Do you deal with commercial property?
3. What kind of services do you offer?
4. Are you registered with a deposit protection scheme?
5. What other regulations should I be aware of?
6. How will you market my property?
7. Do you take on tenants on housing benefits?
8. How do you vet potential tenants?

1. Are you a member of a professional body?

We are a member firm of The Association of Residential Letting Agents and The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Therefore we conduct our business in accordance with extremely stringent Rules and Guidelines. We are also fully bonded under The Association of Residential Letting Agents and The Royal Institution of Charter Surveyors to comprehensively protect the client’s monies at all times.

2. Do you deal with commercial property?

Yes. We deal with commercial property letting and management on behalf of individuals and company clients whose tenants include Sears Group, National Union of Teachers, Reliance Security Services, KFC, Thomas Cook and many others. Therefore, we have a depth of experience and knowledge in respect of property management, both residential and commercial.

3. What kind of services do you offer?

We offer two levels of services:
A) Lettings Only:
• Free valuation to agree a marketable rental value
• Marketing of the property
• Arrangement of viewing appointments with potential tenants
• Screening and vetting of potential tenants
• Inventory - to create a record of the current state of the property
• Tenancy Agreement and all initial paperwork
B) Property Management:
• All the above is included, plus:
• Rent collection on monthly basis
• Inspections on regular basis
• Maintenance and necessary repairs
• Dealing with all other day-to-day matters with the tenants

4. Are you registered with a deposit protection scheme?

Yes, and it is a must under new legislation. We are a member of the Dispute Service Ltd's "Tenancy Deposit Scheme", whereby we can retain all deposits rather than forwarding it to another body to keep. If there is any dispute about the deposit, the matter will be referred to the Dispute Service. More information is available on request.

5. What other regulations should I be aware of?

Some of the other regulations and legislation you need to be aware about and need to comply with are as follows:
• The Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations 1998
• The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulation 1998 - as amended 1993
• The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994
• Plugs and Sockets (Safety) Regulations 1994
• Building regulations part P, Electrical safety in dwellings
• The Housing Act 2004 - selective licensing and houses in multiple occupancy (HMOs)
• Taxation of Income from Land (Non-Residents) Regulations 1995

6. How will you market my property?

As well as displaying the property on our office window and office enquiries, we will call registered applicants waiting for suitable properties. We advertise available properties in local newspapers, our own website, and also property websites such as Rightmove and FindaProperty.

7. Do you take on tenants on housing benefits?

Generally we do not, unless we receive your approval. Should you decide to proceed we will seek to get extra deposit and/or advance payment of rent, as well as a guarantor for the tenant.

8. How do you vet potential tenants?

We use Letsure Ltd, which carries out all necessary checks on the tenant. His/her income is checked against affordability, a reference is attained from previous landlord, and a search is carried out on the tenant in respect of any CCJs, credit ratings, voting roll information and linked addresses. There are different levels of assessments, and this will depend on the circumstances of the potential tenants. The costs for this will be picked up by the tenants.

If you require any more information, we will be happy to provide further details.