Letting Your Property - Some Simple Tips

This article contains some basic information for landlords wanting to successfully lease their property.

Using a letting agent

Try to use a letting agent, which is registered with a regulatory body such as UKLA (UK Association of Letting Agents) or ARLA (Association of Residential Letting Agents). By doing this you are making sure that the agent is adhering to a strict code of practice provided by these organisations.

Designing a tenancy agreement

Use the services of an experienced leasehold solicitor in order to draft a comprehensive tenancy agreement. If you believe that you are able to draft this document on your own then it is a good idea to at least have this checked over by a solicitor.

When getting the leasehold agreement drafted try to highlight areas in which you are willing to be more flexible towards tenants. In the current financial market finding tenants has become more difficult. Think about your stance on pets, smokers and restrictions on decoration when you are drafting the relevant provisions. Not only this but consider whether or not you would be open to accepting short term lets. Short term lets are not always a bad thing, they can provide you with some quick no fuss income. There is also the chance that a short term lease will develop into a long term arrangement in the future.

Showing your property

In order entice tenants into letting your property it is important that you present your property well. This includes redecorating where paintwork has become shabby, or replacing old furnishings. The more appealing your property is the more chance you will have of renting it out and more than likely the wider choice of tenants you will have to chose from.

Keep phoning your letting agent and find out exactly what steps they are taking towards getting your property rented. If you have received no interest after a considerable period of advertising, ask the advice of your agent as to why they think this might be. It may be that your lease agreement needs tweaking or that the rent you are asking for is unrealistically high.

Energy performance certificates ('EPC')

A landlord must provide an energy performance certificate for all prospective tenants wanting to rent a property. The purpose of this certificate is to show these tenants how energy efficient the property is. The EPC shows both the energy efficiency rating and environmental impact rating for the property. An EPC report is valid for 10 years, you do not need to re-commission another report when your current tenant moves out.

The EPC report will contain some recommendations for the property in order to lower its ratings. Although a landlord is under no legal obligation to make these changes, if the change is a physical one to the property itself then it is normally the landlord whom is responsible, not the tenant. If the report contains some behavioral advice for the occupiers of the property, then it will be up to the tenant if they want to follow this advice. If the EPC report comes back with particularly high ratings then you should take steps towards improving this prior to renting out the property.

by: Tim Bishop

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