Landlords Guidelines
letting your property
We have one of the largest residential property portfolios
in Hampshire dealing exclusively with the quality market.
Our strengths:
- offices in Winchester, Romsey, Bishops Waltham,
Stockbridge, Titchfield
- extensive market coverage covering the M3 and M27
corridors
- 17 years experience as letting agents offering a truly
personal service
- the majority of our business is through personal
recommendation from satisfied clients
- 6-day operation - Monday (9-6) to Saturday (9-4)
- website updated daily
- all properties advertised on Prime Location and Right Move
international property portals and
- in our weekly half page
advertisement in the Hampshire Chronicle and Extra plus
other relevant press
- close business links with Relocation Agents and local
businesses such as IBM, BAT, Pirelli, Esso, MoD, Vodafone, Ericsson,Cibavision Tandberg TV
- ARLA (Association of Residential Letting Agents) members
giving peace of mind to landlords and
tenants
- Investors in People recognition
- all staff trained by ARLA to their stringent standards
- a truly personal service from an independent company
- high quality properties attracting good quality tenants
- largest letting agent in Winchester
- privately owned company
what penyards can do for you
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- visit you at your property and advise on rental value,
legal requirements and how to prepare the property for let
- market the property on our website, Prime Location and Rightmove and in the local press
- accompany all viewings
- reference the tenants and report to you
- prepare a detailed inventory and schedule of condition
including photographs (by a professional Inventory Clerk)
- prepare an appropriate tenancy agreement for signature
- arrange for final accounts for utilities
- obtain a deposit from the tenants, normally one and a half
times the monthly rent
- arrange for the tenant to pay the rent monthly by standing
order
- account to you monthly
- visit the property quarterly to check it is being looked
after by the tenants
- arrange for repairs/ maintenance work on your behalf as
instructed by you
- at the end of the tenancy check the property and establish
any dilapidations which may be paid from the tenants deposit
landlord responsibilities
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- to ensure that the property is handed over to the tenant
in good and safe repair
- insure the buildings and their own contents
- professional clean to include carpets, curtains, windows
and garden tidy prior to the tenancy commencement
- gas and electrical checks prior to any tenancy commencing
- maintenance and upkeep of the property throughout the
tenancy
preparation for letting
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furniture-
- there is far more demand for unfurnished properties than
unfurnished
- in an unfurnished property it is normally expected that
carpets, curtains, light fittings and white goods are left
- if it is essential that you let your property furnished
then only leave the essential items (ensuring they comply
with Fire Regulations) and nothing personal. It is not
necessary to leave linen
- the more electrical items left in a property the higher
the potential cost to you for breakdowns/electrical checks
and replacement
décor-
- finish to a good standard
- a neutrally decorated and carpeted house will normally let
more quickly than one that is over personalised and fussy
- good quality neutral curtains are preferable
- linoleum/tiles are more hygienic and preferred in
bathrooms and kitchens
gas appliances-
- must all be serviced and checked annually with a Gas
Safety Certificate being provided to the tenant prior to the
tenancy commencement in accordance with the Gas Safety
(Installation and Use) Regulations 1994 as amended 1996
electrical installation and appliances-
- the installation must be checked every 5 years
- the appliances must be checked annually
smoke detectors-
- must be installed prior to a property being let
carbon monoxide detectors-
- it is strongly advised that these are installed
keys-
- 3 sets of front door keys should be provided to the agent
(2 for the tenants, 1 as a management set for the agent)
- Other keys should be left in the property (in a kitchen
drawer)
instructions-
- instructions for household equipment, central heating and
other useful information should be left in a file at the
property
- copies of all guarantees should be left with the agent
inventory-
- prepared by a professional independent Inventory Clerk
- this is prepared for the benefit of both landlord and
tenant
- it is recorded on a room by room basis with a list of all
items and the condition of those items and the décor,
furnishings etc
- it is supported by photographs - particularly relevant for
the garden
- items of a lessor value than £5.00 are normally excluded
- standard garden tools will be listed but general items
stored in garages, outbuildings will be recorded as
“miscellaneous”
- china/cutlery/books will be listed by number
- at the end of the tenancy we will guide as to the cost of
dilapidations
- fair wear and tear must be taken into account and cannot
be charged to the tenant
- the age of an item will determine the proportion of any
cost that can be fairly charged to a tenant
maintenance contracts-
- these are recommended for items such as central heating
systems, alarms, white goods and lawn mowers with the
contracts being lodged at our office
telephone-
- the landlord must ensure there is a working telephone line
at the property
- it is the landlord’s responsibility to give up and take up
the telephone service as the agent cannot do this on your
behalf
oil, solid fuel and lpg-
- where relevant the tank should be left full at the start
of the tenancy and the tenant will then fill the tank before
vacating. The same applies to solid fuel
council tax, electricity, gas and water services-
- we will arrange for final accounts for council tax,
electricity, gas and water except in the case of a water
meter where you should arrange for the meter to be read
(allowing at least 2 weeks for the water board to do this)
mail-
- you should make arrangements for your post to be forwarded
to you
chimney sweep-
- chimneys should be swept prior to the tenancy commencement
and the tenant will be expected to do the same at the end of
the tenancy
garden-
- should be handed over in good seasonal order and tenants
will be expected to leave the same at the tenancy
termination
general
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housing act 1988 as amended 1996-
- designed to protect Landlords and Tenants alike
- created an Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST)
- particular attention paid to landlords rights of
repossession
- there is now no difference between security of tenure for
the tenant in an unfurnished or furnished property
- no minimum time period for an AST but a landlord cannot
normally recover possession within 6 months from the start
of the tenancy
taxation-
- rent is classified as “unearned income”
- if you are UK resident you will be responsible for
declaring your rental income to the Inland Revenue
- if you are resident overseas whilst letting your home it
will be necessary to complete a form NRL1 in order to be
able to receive your rent gross from your agent
- alternatively Penyards will be required to deduct tax at
the basic rate from your rent prior to forwarding it to you
mortgage-
- you will need to obtain formal approval to let your
property from your lender
- this can take some time so it is imperative to contact
your lender immediately you consider letting your property
leasehold-
- written confirmation from the landlord that the letting is
permitted must be obtained
- the Head Lease must not expire prior to the tenancy for
your tenant
- a copy of the Head Lease must be provided to the agent to
attach to the tenancy agreement
- covenants and/or rules and regulations for your property
must be provided to the agent to attach to the tenancy
agreement
legal expenses/loss of rent insurance-
- this is automatically arranged on your behalf, currently
at a rate of 2.89% of the monthly rent per month (please ask
for a leaflet or click on the link)***
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