Landlords FAQ’s

To be direct we are confident that we offer a better service than any other local letting agent. We are not perfect and can make mistakes but aim to be the preferred choice for all landlords and tenants in our local area and constantly strive to improve. Over the years we have probably seen 20 “new letting agents” come and go leaving disasters in their wake. Often being “cheap” is their main selling point although this is very far from the truth when you consider the risks they will subject you to. We have stood the test of time and many of our clients have been with us over 20 years now. Below we have listed just a few of the things we know our existing clients appreciate;-

Owned and run by successfull, professional and qualified landlords who understand the business and work within it providing unrivalled experience Specialising in residential lettings, we are not estate agents whose interest lies elsewhere

We have as strong team with broad experience meaning holidays are covered

We still provide virtual tours on our own website! as well as on the portals and YouTube.

Advertising more than other letting agents using Rightmove, One the market Facebook, Twitter, YouTube & Google Adwords as well local newspaper. We know what works.

Excellent in house referencing we not just do farm out the selection of tenants to the cheapest insurance company who will never have even meet the tenant!. We have built our reputation finding very responsible tenants and have very low rates of damage or rent arrears as a result.

Achieving higher rent yields through extensive marketing and smaller rent voids with quick tenant turnarounds from pro-active marketing

Attracting better clients through a higher level of customer service. Happy tenants and happy landlords.

Inspecting our managed houses every 12 weeks not 6 monthly!

Paying landlords every weekday not weekly or even monthly like some!

If you have a serious problem you will be able to meet or speak to one of the company directors/owners Shaun or Steve

Our long standing relationship with the government key workers that work with Bae systems

Our website is up to date, very easy to find, modern and comprehensive like our service

Keeping abreast of internet developments for marketing, we were actually using Google maps before Rightmove!

Operating from just one location and weekly meetings help ensure all staff are up to date

Having a large team of contractors from painters and plumbers to roofers and electricians all local, tested and trusted

Having an excellent relationship with Bae and gain a very significant proportion of their demand for corporate accommodation

Yes we most certainly are, indeed being the first local letting agent to join many moons ago! If you are wondering the importance of this you are right to do so. We pay nearly £1200 monthly for this service and do so because it is the main place people look. Tenant selection is and always will be the most important choice you make after agent selection. If another agent is suggesting they don't need to be on there what they are not telling you is that they are most likely missing out of 60% plus of the market! Not only does this mean it will probably take longer to let your house it most likely means you will let it for less. Asides from all this you will be selecting a tenant from a very significantly diminished pool making the acceptance of a higher risk tenant much more likely.

Most of our tenants are working and come from Bae systems and the Royal Navy. We of course have many other tenants from almost every other walk of life although we try to only deal with low risk tenants in terms of credit history and financial management. We have a high standard and operate a very risk adverse policy. Due to the quality of our marketing we will often gains several applicants rather than having to just settle for any application.

Landlord services

We have two main services relating to letting properties, these are a full management service and a let only service which are detailed below. Both include full Rightmove advertising. We also provide insurance and valuation services both specifically for the residential lettings industry. We are happy to tailor a service to your needs and can discuss this with you when we look at the property for rent. We offer a free property appraisal and rental valuation service, during this we will provide advice & tips on how you might maximise the potential income from your property. We will also explain your legal obligations as a landlord as well as describing our services and fees. Please just contact our office on 01229 83 1111, unfortunately we cannot book these appointments via email.

Full management Letting Agent's Service

A full management service is designed to ensure you have as little to do with the property as possible. We ensure you receive as high as possible rent paid in full, on time and that property is looked after and maintained. Specifically it involves the following although listing everything we might do is impossible!

• Significant promotion of the property through various media & accompanied viewings
• Tenant vetting & referencing including significant credit and personal checks
• Formation of legal documents regarding the lease between you and the tenant
• Composition of a thorough inventory of the property and contents
• Formal agreement of condition of property with tenant at beginning of tenancy
• Collection and administration of all rents and deposits with monthly statements
• Regular property inspections with written feedback to you every time (eleven weekly -more than any other agent we know)
• Organisation of maintenance and repairs upon your instruction
• Organisation of all legally required safety checks upon your instruction
• Recording of all activities relating to the tenancy on bespoke computer systems
• Final inspections of the property with the tenant present to agree any deposit deductions
• Arrangement of any cleaning/repairs at the end of any tenancy
• Re-direction of mail from previous tenants and other parties
• Free advice and updates on changes within property law and the market in general
• Our standard fee is a set up fee of £195.00 plus v.a.t. followed by a management fee of between 10.5 and 12.5% dependant on level of service subject to v.a.t.

Let-Only Service

A let only service is for landlords who are happy to manage everything themselves but just need help finding the right tenant and ensuring your legal standing is sound. We do not recommend this for people with no previous experience. The standard cost of this service is one month's rent inc. vat, after an initial fee of £100.00 plus v.a..t although larger properties are priced at the valuation.

• Significant promotion of the property through various media & accompanied viewings
• Tenant vetting & referencing including significant credit and personal checks
• Formation of legal documents regarding the lease between you and the tenant
• Composition of a thorough inventory of the property and contents
• Collection and administration of any deposits via recognised deposit protection scheme
• Formal agreement of condition of property with tenant at start of tenancy

We can still produce leases, move tenants in/out, lodge deposits or prepare inventories etc for you but would charge individually for these services allowing you to choose exactly what you want.

As a private landlord in the United Kingdom you are required by law to inform the inland revenue of any rental income this is usually done via a self-assessment. From the total rent received in a tax year you can normally deduct, for tax purposes, the following:

• Our fees
• Fair wear and tear & repair costs
• Safety checks such as portable appliance tests and gas safety checks
• Interest paid to the Building Society or Mortgage Company - this is now changing see below
• Insurance premiums
• You then pay tax on the remainder of the rent.

Please bear in mind that we are not accountants and have no qualification to provide this advice. Should you require further tax advice please contact a qualified accountant.

Yes it does as you need to be registered as a "non-resident landlord" for tax. This is important and if you go here you can fill in the required information. Our non-resident landlord agency number is NA 046071. Once you are registered we will receive a "fico" number and are able to pay you as normal. Other than this you being abroad is no problem for us but communication can of course be more difficult so please make sure you give us the following information. The email address you actually use most An up to date number for you at home and at work as well as  mobile and any required overseas dialling codes A window of UK time best to call within and the time difference you have All the details for your house i.e. fill in the property information form and permissions sheet fully Contact details for a local friend or relative (not always required simply useful on occasion) A Uk address to send non-essential post to (not always required simply useful on occasion) In reality it makes little difference to us as your agents. Communication with you will be over email more than phone, which many prefer anyway.

From 1^st Yes you need a smoke alarm on every floor or where dictated by regulations for newly rewired or built homes -still a minimum of one per floor. You also need a carbon monoxide alarm in any room where solid fuel is used (fire or gas burner) and should have one in any room with a gas or oil boiler and any room with a gas fire. In our own experience gas fires pose the most common risk. Carbon Monoxide (co 1) alarm advice pc! lettings strongly advise the following allocation of co 1 alarms to prevent the risk of people becoming ill or dying from carbon monoxide poisoning. As the gas has no smell the alarm is the only real means of warning. Any room where a real fire, wood burner or any solid fuel device is in use must have a co 1 alarm fitted. This is a legal requirement. In addition to this one co 1 alarm should be fitted in any room with a gas fire or boiler. The only exceptions would be if the boiler is outside in which case none is needed, integral garages within the house are not outside. If the boiler is situated in bath/shower room the co1 alarm is best fitted in the hallway or room next to this. Rooms with gas hobs or cookers do not require a co 1 alarm Many agents simply shrug their shoulders with this issue. We have taken advice from Cumbria Fire Safety and the local Environmental health department as well as legal advice to ensure our advice is accurate. As usual our advice is based on experience and sound common sense. Further information   If the required amount are not present we will supply and fit the legal requirement as well as carbon monoxide detectors. Please contact us if you are at all unsure. For more information please feel free to read this document which is the official guidance.

Yes assuming access is agreed with the tenant and you only complete works you are qualified to or use a qualified person. You MUST NOT WORK ON ANY ELECTRICAL ITEM OR GAS APPLIANCE OR SUPPLY unless specifically qualified. With your own contractors the best thing to do is give us all their numbers and let them know we have permission to instruct them for you. So long as they are only working on things they are qualified for and have public liability insurance this is fine. They cannot work on gas or electrical items unless qualified to do so and must arrange access with us or the tenant directly. They can either invoice you directly for payment or send the bill to us, if they send the bill to us it must be a full invoice with all their details and a bank account, name, number and sort code we cannot pay them via cash or cheque, they will be paid from the next month's rental income or if you transfer the money to us we can pay them sooner.

We are not and have no plans to become a memebr of Arla this is by choice as we do not agree with some of their "guidelines" one clear example is their long standing suggestion that a burnt carpet should be charged at £25.00! We don't agree and feel there is no benefit of joining. We are a member of the property redress scheme ( Number PRS 5000781 ) and have full client money protection via Client money protect ( Number CMP 005382) This is for the protection of both landlords and tenants alike. We are a trusted high street agent not a one man band operating from home.

For managed customers yes we will inform the council tax department, water, gas and electric suppliers and the tenants become due from the first day on the tenancy and/or meter readings which we will take at the move in appointment. ( conducted as part of the let only or managed service or via separate charge) We do not inform phone, broadband, oil or television providers but if you are cancelling these services be careful that the phone line is not disconnected as a result otherwise a fee of £124.99 (approx.) will be requested from Bt/ other phone provider. Let only customers are helped with the post check in administration of utilities but not the post departure unless we are conducting the check out for you.

There is an online register for all Energy performance certificates so you can check if you have one or get a copy here http://www.epcregister.com/ there is also a very helpful faq area on there website here https://www.epcregister.com/faq.html Since 2020 all tenancies require a minimum E rating i.e. including tenancies that are month by month (statutory periodic) which have previously been exempt. It is unlawful to rent a property which breaches the requirement for a minimum E rating, unless there is an applicable exemption. A civil penalty of up to £4,000 will be imposed for breaches.

Yes, please just give us a call we will happily come to meet you at the property and run through everything with you as well as providing a valuation and discussing our fees. All of our valuers team are highly experienced. If you are out of the area or very pushed for time we can still complete a valuation if you provide a key but we do much prefer to meet you in person and chat through everything.