Our guide to Letting your property
Appraisal
One of the team will visit the property to provide no obligation rental appraisal. We will explain what we do, how we do it and discuss our marketing strategy for the property. We will then provide clear advice about the market and are trained to discuss all areas of lettings in-depth with potential landlords during the initial rental valuation, to ensure that any potential client is fully aware of their legal obligations as a landlord, as well as the agreement between us.
We aim to educate as well as advise, ensuring everything is covered that a landlord may have questions about or has a gap in their knowledge regarding due to our local knowledge and property expertise.
Marketing
We will visit the property and complete a detailed advertising description together with a floor plan and professional photography. The property will be displayed across our extensive marketing network including our own website, Rightmove, Zoopla, Prime Location and OnTheMarket.
Any tenants then registered with us whose details match the property particulars will then be emailed the property brochure the moment it is uploaded.
Tenant Vetting
We want to introduce good quality tenants that match your requirements. Certain limitations can be imposed such as No Pets, (all of our tenancy agreements state that no smoking is permitted inside a property). When receiving enquiries for viewings on your property, we will qualify each applicant to determine whether they will be suitable for your property prior to confirming any viewing appointment.
Viewings
All viewings are by appointment only and are accompanied by a member of the Russell & Butler lettings team, which provides us with further opportunity to make sure the tenant is suitable for you and your property.
Landlords receive a text alert each time a viewing is scheduled, providing them with a date and time of appointment, together with the name of the applicants and the member of staff accompanying them.
Presentation of Suitable Applicants
Once we think we have a good quality tenant for you we will discuss applicants with you. This allows us to confirm that you are happy to proceed with an application based on what we know about them and the information provided to us at this stage.
Applications and Referencing
Only when Russell & Butler, the landlord and the potential tenants are happy, do we then proceed with a full reference check and seek guarantors where required.
Reference checks include a credit check, employer check or accountant check and previous landlord check where applicable. Once all referencing checks are concluded satisfactorily we will then confirm a move in date.
Check-In/Move-In
On agreed move in date, Russell & Butler will ensure that a valid tenancy agreement has been signed by all parties making sure that the tenants are fully aware of their obligations.
The first months rental payment will already have been received, together with their security deposit, which will then be transferred to an appropriate deposit scheme. We provide the tenant with a bank standing order confirming all the details of when the next payment will be due and request that they set this up with their bank. Rental payment moving forward become due on the same date each month based on their move in date.
We will then notify the local council, water, gas and electricity companies where relevant of the tenants occupation and provide them with ongoing meter readings, together with requesting that they close down the landlords accounts, with any closing bills for the landlord to be sent to your home address to settle direct. We will process the first month’s rent to landlord, deducting our agency fees at this time.
Inventory
Before a tenant moves in to a property an inventory of the condition and cleanliness of the property will be created, of which we use two independent inventory companies. This is generally carried out no later than three working days prior to the tenancy commencing, in order for this to be prepared in time.
Photographs of all meters are also taken at this time where accessible and readings documented. The inventory will also include contents held within the property. Prior to the inventory company attending, all landlords personal items must be removed and the property should be cleaned throughout, to include interior and exterior windows.
We require ovens, hobs and extractor fans to be professionally cleaned, an invoice confirming this will be attached to the ongoing inventory with the tenants required to have the same professional cleaning carried out at their expense on vacating the property.
Chimneys should also be swept and an invoice provided, again the tenants will be required to have the same completed on vacating and at least once annually during their occupation. Grass should be cut and all borders weeded.
Periodic Inspection Visits
We will visit the property on a quarterly basis during the first year of the tenancy to ensure that the property is being looked after and the terms of the tenancy are being adhered to, together with advising the landlord of any maintenance issues which we feel require addressing either at the that time, or in the future.
A written report will then be emailed to the landlord together with supporting photographs where relevant. Should the tenant be found to look after the property beautifully during the first year of their occupation with no concerns raised, we will then continue with six monthly inspections.
Maintenance Issues
Russell & Butler will action any repairs and renewals the landlord is responsible for in accordance with your wishes. We will work with a pre-set limit for all minor maintenance issues reported by the tenant unless instructed otherwise, whereby we will proceed with automatic instruction of the relevant contractor for the job.
We will however also email the landlord at this time, providing all details of the maintenance issue raised and advising that a contractor has been instructed. All invoices are received by Russell & Butler with copies emailed to the landlord for their reference, a further copy is then sent to our accounts company to process from the next month’s rent received. All of our contractors are carefully sourced to ensure that they are trustworthy and will provide good quality workmanship at a reasonable cost to the landlord.
Tenancy Renewals and Annual Rent Reviews
We will contact the tenants approximately three months prior to the expiry of their current tenancy agreement, enquiring as to their future plans relating to the tenancy. We will then contact the landlord with any requests from the tenants moving forward in order to gain their approval prior to proceeding.
We will revalue the property on an annual basis and discuss with the landlord whether to implement any rent increase and, if instructed to do so, we will then put this forward to the tenant and action this.
Move Out
Once notified of an intention to move out of the property by a tenant, Russell & Butler will automatically begin to advertise the property for a new tenant with the landlords consent. We will arrange a date for a final move out inspection and will conduct a thorough check against the ingoing inventory and photographs.
If there are any issues, we will email the landlord a detailed report of our findings and offer the landlord the opportunity to also inspect the property to confirm our findings. Once the landlord is in agreement to the content of our report, a copy of this will then be emailed to the tenant for their response.
Any damage or cleaning will be discussed and where necessary, contractors will be instructed to attend to any work required and will inform the tenants of deductions to be claimed from the tenant’s security deposit held. Once all deductions have been agreed by both the landlord and tenant, the remainder of the deposit will then be returned to the tenant.
Legal Compliance
We will ensure that the landlord remains compliant with all statutory and contractual obligations before the tenancy begins and throughout the tenancy. Russell & Butler lettings has a dedicated team for all of your lettings and property management requirements, we fully appreciate that our landlords are entrusting us to look after their most valuable asset. Not all letting agents are the same and as a landlord who is searching for an agent, most agents appear to offer similar services, this doesn’t always mean that you will be provided with the same dedicated level of knowledge, service and experience.
There are now over 170 pieces of legislation which landlords must adhere to and which have been increasing year on year, good agents will be undertaking constant ongoing training in order to keep up to date with all of these changes in order to prevent landlords falling foul of the Law, which can result in serious financial penalties and even imprisonment in some cases, this requires substantial time and investment from agents.
Russell & Butler offer an honest transparent approach to our business, with a drive and passion to provide excellent customer service and advice to our landlords.
Buy-To-Let-Advice
If you are a potential landlord looking to purchase your first investment property and are unsure of the best property or area in which to choose, we can provide expert knowledge and help guide you through the process.
If you would like to discuss the services we offer in more detail together with our fees, please don’t hesitate to contact us on 01280 815999 and select option 2 for the lettings team or visit our website: www.russellandbutler.com
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