Landlords Level Of Service

3 Levels of Service at a Glance	Let Only	Managed Rent	Fully Managed
Market Appraisal / Valuation of the property
Arrange an EPC if required *
Property Advertising / Marketing Plan
Accompanied Viewings
Tenant Referencing and Credit Checks
Drafting and Signing Tenancy Agreement
Collection of Damage Deposit
Collection of First Month’s rent
Arranging Gas Certificate as appropriate*
Arranging Electricity Safety inspections (PAT) as appropriate*
Notifying the Utility Companies & transfer to the tenant
Checking in of Tenant
Rent Collection Service
Landlord Statements
Managing Tenants Enquiries / Problems
Registering Deposit**
Chase any rent arrears and manage disputes
Provide an Inventory and Schedule of Condition*
Tenant Checkout Service / Handling Deposit Refund
Property Inspection and Report to Landlord
Managing Property Maintenance
Serving Notice on the Tenant
* Charges apply ** Charges may apply

Landlord Information on Services Provided

Let Only Service

Market Appraisal & Valuation, we will meet with you and carryout an inspection of your property, and provide you with an accurate valuation of achievable rent taking into account the location and the current market. We will also offer advice on any improvements that can or need to be made to further maximise your rental income as well as complying with all housing and letting legislation.

Arrange an EPC, (Energy Performance Certificate) if required (charges apply). The property must have a current certificate in place before the property can be let.

Advertising & Marketing plan, once we receive your instructions, we will look at your requirements for your property and set out a structured plan for advertising and marketing your property to attract suitable tenants. We will cross check your property particulars with potential tenants on our data base, as well as advertise on our website. We will display our eye catching To Let board outside the property for maximum exposure to passing trade.    

Accompanied property viewings, appointments for prospective tenants are arranged through us, and we are happy to attend viewings with or without the landlord present.

Tenant Referencing & Credit Checks, once a prospective tenant has been identified,we willpersonally be responsible for vetting the tenant’s references and a specialist agency will be performing the credit checks.

Drafting the Tenancy Agreement, we will draw up the Shorthold Tenancy Agreement and any other documentation or notices required, and arrange for the agreements to be signed.

Collection of the Damage Deposit, we will collect the deposit from the Tenant and will transfer it to you the Landlord within 5 days of receiving it. You the Landlord must then register it with a Governments approved Tenancy Deposit Protection Scheme within a further 25 days if the Tenancy is an Assured Shorthold Tenancy. If you fail to do so the Tenant can take legal action against you/the Landlord in the County Court. The Tenant will be supplied with all this information in the welcome pack. We can arrange the deposit to be protected with the DPS (charges apply).  

Collection of the first months rent, we will collect the first months rent from the tenant. When the funds have cleared we will transfer the funds, less our fee and any other costs incurred, where previously agreed. Receipts and statements will be issued to both the tenant and landlord.

Arrange a Gas certificate, it is a requirement by law to have a Gas supply and appliances / boilers checked annually by a qualified installer, we can arrange this if one is required (charges apply).  

Arrange Electricity Safety inspection, there is currently no legal requirement (anyone who lets residential accommodation is required by Law to ensure the equipment supplied is safe) for an electrical safety certificate (except in the case of all houses in multiple occupation HMOs) we would recommend that an annual safety check and / or a Portable Appliance Test (PAT) be carried out, we can arrange this for you if required (charges apply).

Notifying the Utility Companies, we will arrange the transfer of the utility accounts to the tenant, as well as taking the meter readings.

Checking in of the tenant, when all other monies and checks have been processed, we will hand over the keys of the property and give the new tenant a welcome pack. This pack will give the tenant all the legal information that they must have as well as helpful information like instruction manuals for the cooker and bin collection days, and so on.  

Once the tenant is checked into the property our service will cease, it is then the responsibility of the landlord to undertake their own property management. However you may be assured that advice will be available throughout the tenancy.

Managed Rent Collection Service

This will include everything covered in the Let Only Service, as well as the following.

Rent Collection Service, we will monitor the rent payments each week/month. The rent will be paid by standing order, unless a special arrangement has been agreed. When the funds have cleared we will transfer the funds to you as quickly as possible, (no interest will be earned on any clients accounts), less our fee and any other costs incurred, wher previously agreed. Receipts and statements will be issued to both the tenant and landlord.

Landlord Statements, you will receive a monthly statement showing you the amount of rent paid, minus any money that has been paid out by us, and our agent’s commission fees. At the end of the tenancy or the financial year we will issue you with a full financial statement.

Tenants enquiries / problems, during the term of the tenancy we will be the first port of call for the tenant. If there is something not working or broken we will investigate and try and resolve the issue, if we can't we will then contact you so you can instruct your own tradesmen to address the problem.  

Registering the tenant’s deposit, the Government has introduced the Tenancy Deposit Protection Schemes for all Assured Shorthold Tenancies where a deposit is taken, this is found in the Housing Act 2004. The Deposit will be placed with the Deposit Protection Service. We will arrange and set up an account in your name with the DPS, or you can set up an account with one of the other governments approved schemes:-

• My Deposits, this is an Insurance based scheme (charges apply).
• Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS), this is an Insurance based scheme (charges apply).

You the Landlord must register the deposit within 30 days if the tenancy is an assured shorthold tenancy. If you fail to do so the tenant can take legal action against you/the Landlord in the county court. The agent will inform the tenant which scheme will be used for your deposit and give them all the relevant documentation, charges will apply.

Rent arrears and disputes, if the tenant fails to pay the rent or there is a short fall in the rent payments, then we will investigate this and keep you informed at all times until the rent arrears have been paid in full. If there are any disputes we will do our upmost to resolve them. If we cannot, we can call on other services to to help resolve the problem like the Property Redress Scheme or the Eastern Landlord Association to name a few.    

Fully Managed Service

This will include everything covered in the Let Only and the Managed Rent Collection Services, as well as the following:-

Provide an Inventory & Schedule of Condition, wewill provide a full inventory of contents and condition in the property and condition of each room. We will also cover the garden and the external appearance of the property. This will be supported by a library of digital images. This will help identify any loss or damage to the property or its contents. Having this will help if there is a dispute between the landlord and the tenant. This is prepared prior to the beginning of the first tenancy and updated each time the property is re-let. We are also happy for the Landlord to supply their own inventory, if preferred.

Property Inspection & Reports, during the tenancy we will conduct a midterm (3 months, then every 6 months thereafter ) inspection of the property. These visits allow us to see the tenant in the property and to check they are looking after it. It also helps us to get to know the tenants better. We will also take the opportunity to check that all the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are in good working order. Should these visits bring any maintenance issues that need attention, we will (within the confines of our management agreement) arrange or recommend any necessary repairs. We will send a report to you the Landlord and a copy to the tenant.

Managing Property Maintenance,  during the term of the tenancy we will be the first port of call for the tenant. If there is something not working or broken we will investigate and try and resolve the problem or if we can fix it ourselves we will, (charges apply for parts / materials), if we cannot we will then instruct one of our experienced contractors to carry out the necessary work (within the confines of our management agreement).  

Serving Notice on the Tenant, if we need to remove a tenant from the property we will serve all the necessary documentation and do our upmost to make sure it runs as smoothly as possible.

Tenant Checkout Service & Deposit Refund, when the tenancy comes to an end we will checkout the tenant. Part of the checking out process is to ensure that there has been no loss or damage to the property or its contents, taken into account fair wear and tear. The Inventory & Conditions report will be re checked and the outcome of the inspection will determine the amount of the damage deposit that will be returned.

We will also take meter readings so that we can close out the tenant’s accounts, and collect the keys.

Our property management services can be tailored to your individual needs just select any service and then we will build a letting package to suit you.

Other services we can offer are:-

• PAT testing
• Gardening
• Window and Gutter cleaning
• Decorating
• Carpet cleaning
• General House cleaning

If you wish to download more information just click one of the links below -

Legal obligations