Preparing a property for letting

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

A question I often get asked, especially by first time landlords, is "what do I need to do to prepare a property for letting?". Well, there is all the objective stuff: gas safety certificate, electrical safety check, energy certificate etc. But what about the subjective stuff? Eg; standard of decorations? New carpets? Often the landlords who ask me this have a property which is already in great shape! They tend to be letting their former home and want to do the very best but they also run the risk of over preparing. Of course, I experience a few landlords who are the total opposite and underestimate the required standard. So here is a summary of some of the most common situations:

Get the little jobs done.

1) Finish all the unfinished jobs! Many tenants have taken a life-style choice to rent and therefore expect quality homes which are well maintained. You must bear this in mind when preparing - don't expect tenants to have the same approach to you when it comes to living with dripping taps, toilets which don't flush properly, lights which don't work and doors that are not closing/opening freely etc. Walk around the property and be super critical and make a list of all the things that need doing. Get them done!

Mould in cupboards - a sign of poor ventilation

2) Water, damp and condensation. Damp ingress, condensation and water damage can become a long term problem if not properly managed. Often damp problems are caused by condensation - give your tenants every opportunity to alleviate damp issues by ensuring extractor fans are installed in bathrooms/WCs, ensure your double-glazed windows have trickle vents installed (they can often be retro-fitted if required), fix any sources of penetrating damp (such as poor guttering/roofing) and ensure the wet areas of bathrooms and showers are adequately waterproofed/sealed (you may even need a professional specialist survey to identify sources of damp). Often tenants will no have awareness whatsoever of these issues - as an agent we regularly advise and check these aspects on our quarterly inspections. Some properties have damp issues as inherent problems (although this is rare), in which case dehumidifiers or specialist positive pressure systems can help.

3) Decorations. It is often the case that professional landlords and developers will fully decorate a property and present it to the rental market in a newly decorated state. However, for a first time landlord I advice you strike a balance; there is no need to fully decorate the whole property unless really needed so don't gobble up several months worth of rent by being a perfectionist. If the property has been decorated in the past 3 - 5 years then it is probably OK. If the decor is very garish, or of a specific taste, or is from a previous era (and distastefully dated) then definitely decorate and bring the interior up to date. Bear in mind that gloss paints can take several days to dry so don't use them the day before the tenancy starts! Also, allow sufficient time for skirting boards to dry before fitting new carpets (otherwise you'll get furry skirting boards!). It's a good idea to decorate in neutral colours - it's cliched but it works - it is also very easy to touch up/repaint when required.

...it doesn't have to be this sparce!

Remove the clutter...

4) Tidy up, and de-clutter. At the stage of marketing the property the aim is to get prospective tenants through the door and viewing - the key to this is excellent photographs. Photos of a cluttered and "lived in" property will not excite tenants. Declutter the rooms - it's of course completely understandable that people live in their houses and have often accumulated possessions, souvenirs, photo-frames, toys, trinkets, ornaments, fridge magnets, appliances etc etc. If you have lots of stuff then prioritise the premium rooms in the property (kitchen, main reception, master bedroom, bathroom) and temporarily decant your stuff into the other rooms. You are aiming for tidy, uncluttered, organised rooms with a

simple arrangement of furniture - some rooms can be "dressed" - perhaps the kitchen can make some use of bread bins, tea caddies, spice racks, cookery books etc to suggest a homely feel but use them sparingly! We use high-end equipment to get quality photos and then keep the photos on file for re-letting at a later date if needs be. The effort put in for photo preparation and also viewings is well worth it.

5) Clean! This is a no brainer - a dirty house won't appeal to prospective tenants. A dirty house at tenancy check-in will also get the tenancy off to a very bad start... the level of cleanliness needs to be very, very good. Everything needs cleaning - we provide a full check-list of all areas. If you don't like cleaning then get a professional service. To give you an idea of the level of work involved, our professional cleaners require one whole working day, with 2 people, to clean all areas of an average 3 bedroom property (with average levels of dirt, grime etc - a "deep clean" might be 1-2 days). If you are not prepared to put in the equivalent effort then you will be unable to expect the tenant to leave the property in a high state of cleanliness. Cleaning can be a contentious and emotive subject - and it's required to be done at one of the most stressful times (moving house!). Make early plans and allow time for it.

Frayed and tatty carpets should be replaced

6) Carpets and flooring. There is no need at all to provide new carpets and flooring - a well fitted carpet in good condition and clean is fine provided there are no tears, rips, frays etc. If you're thinking it's not worth replacing carpets because "we're only renting the house" then you're probably in the wrong mindset - damaged carpets can be a trip hazard and create an unsafe home. As a general rule, ensure underlay is of a good quality - budget carpet can be replaced every few years and the underlay reused.

There are many areas to be considered - Part 2 of this article will be published soon and cover other areas such as curtain poles, appliances, furnishings etc

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.