Finding Tenants

By Chris Chambers

This article augments information provided at www.proudhouseproperty.co.uk

This article aims to provide information for our landlords, tenants and potential clients. All opinions are our own and do not constitute formal advice; none of the content is intended to form a contract or promise of services outside of our Service Agreement. Please feel free to browse these articles and use as an informative resource for lettings and property management. We would be delighted to discuss your needs in more detail; for Lettings in Yeovil, Sherborne, Somerset and Dorset please contact us on 01935 388456

Finding Tenants

At Proudhouse Property Management we believe that tenants are our greatest assets. Without them, there would be no landlords, letting agents, rental properties or Buy-To-Let mortgages. Yet we are amazed at how poorly some tenants are treated within the industry. Our policy is to get our landlords the best tenants, in a home where the tenants want to be. A tenant who is not in the right home for them will end up leaving or possibly not respecting where they live. Similarly, a poorly sourced tenant who ultimately fails the landlords expectations also represents a failed letting process - if the landlord asked for no pets and this requirement has not been met then the happy love-triangle of agent-tenant-landlord is going to fall apart!

Vetting: We vet tenants - by this, we mean short-listing tenants to those who are suitable for the property and who meet the landlords reasonable requirements. We do not however, discriminate - we will not work for landlords who wish to select tenants based on sex, race, religion, sexual orientation, disabilities or age. However, tenants who smoke, have pets or have other activities which may have an adverse affect on the property can be deselected if the landlord wishes.

Referencing and Credit-Checking: We use specialist and comprehensive credit checking and referencing services to ensure that tenants are able to afford the rent; we also check the tenant has no history of arrears, disputes or poor tenancy with previous landlords or agents. Sometimes a great tenant may fail the initial round of checks - we'll continue to try and find a solution, eg; could a guarantor help the tenant with the rent? Can we find alternative references etc? Sometimes however, a tenant is simply not suitable in which case we'll politely but truthfully manage everyone's expectations and then continue the search.

ID: We take photocopies of tenants' passports and take reasonable steps to ensure applicants are who they say they are. There is a new requirement this year for landlords to comply with the Immigration Act and check tenant's rights to be in the country and taking up residence. We undertake these checks as part of our letting process.

Financial Considerations: Not all tenants can pass a credit check - but that does not necessarily mean they are bad tenants. We will always help a tenant if we can - perhaps rent can be paid upfront in a lump sum, or perhaps a guarantor is needed. We will help and provide guidance with this when we can.

Proudhouse Property Management strive to provide excellent service. We are an ARLA licensed firm and members of The Property Ombudsman Scheme. For a letting agent in Yeovil, Sherborne, Somerset or Dorset then please call us - we would be delighted to help you.