Finding Tenants

Finding the most suitable tenants for your property is a standard service offered by letting agents. This normally involves marketing your property with professional photographs, detailed floor plans, and advertising the property optimally to reach your ideal audience.

Your letting agent will carefully vet each prospective tenant by organising viewings, gathering references, performing right-to-rent checks and credit checks, and assessing their financial stability to ensure they can afford to rent the property.

 

Tenant Management

If you have multiple properties to manage or feel you cannot dedicate enough time to managing your rental property on your own, your letting agent can take full control of its management. This can include everything from rent collection to regular correspondence throughout the tenancy to organise repairs, maintenance, inspections, and safety checks.

Your letting agent can take care of every aspect of your tenancy management, including setting up the tenancy agreement, creating a property inventory, checking in, checking out, and returning the deposit. They can also act as an intermediary, helping to resolve any rent or deposit disputes.

 

Property Maintenance

There are currently around 145 pieces of government legislation for landlords to be aware of and comply with. Many of these cover the responsibility of providing safe accommodation to tenants through regular gas and electrical safety testing and maintenance.

Your letting agent can devise a schedule and arrange for qualified professionals to complete all mandatory health and safety testing. They will also communicate directly with the tenant to arrange for any reported issues with or damage to the property to be fixed quickly and efficiently. This gives landlords great peace of mind, knowing their property remains in good condition and is compliant with current legislation.

 

Legal and Administrative Support

A professional letting agent will be up-to-date with the latest legislation that governs landlord and tenant responsibilities and will ensure both landlord and tenant are in full compliance. They can provide support with many legal aspects of managing your rental property, including drafting legally binding tenancy agreements and handling deposit disputes.

Because it is a legal requirement for tenant’s deposits to be held in a government-approved Client Money Protection (CMP) scheme, your letting agent will act on your behalf to ensure you adhere to your legal financial obligations as a landlord.

Financial Management

A professional letting agent will offer services that include tenant rent collection. This means you can place the burden of ensuring your tenant pays their full rent on time in the hands of your letting agent, and they will chase up any rent arrears or late payments.

Your letting agent will keep you informed should your tenant fail to pay their rent and advise you of effective ways to recover outstanding rent from your tenant should they continue nonpayment, such as negotiating an affordable repayment plan and offering tenants debt advice.

They can also serve notices on your behalf and act as an intermediary during landlord-tenant disputes over nonpayment of rent. Many letting agents work with a network of professionals who provide valuable services to landlords, such as accounting and tax advice, which can help boost landlords’ portfolios.

 

Marketing and Advertising

Professional letting agents, such as Crown Luxury Homes, use various effective property marketing strategies to attract the right tenants for a particular property. Here are just some of the proven marketing approaches used.

 

#1. Online listings

Property portals are a good way to attract tenants. Letting agents will ensure that the property is professionally photographed to show it in its best light and emphasise its most attractive features. The listings will include detailed descriptions, including floor plans and EPC ratings, rental charges, local amenities, and availability.

 

#2. Agent websites

Letting agents use their own high-quality websites to showcase available rental properties. Prospective tenants can narrow their search for a perfect rental property by using filtered searches based on their preferences. They can then register their interest and book a viewing.

 

#3. Property viewings

Letting agents will book and conduct convenient viewings for prospective tenants. They will highlight the property’s best features and provide information about the local area. The agent can answer questions on the spot, ensuring the prospective tenant isn’t left with any lingering concerns or questions.

 

#4. Targeted advertising

Letting agents are skilled at creating targeted online advertising through social media and Google Ads. Depending on the property type and location, the ads will be created to appeal to specific demographics, such as working professionals, families or students.

 

Tenant Evictions

Disputes should be resolved through open communication if possible. However, if talks between a landlord and tenant fail, eviction may be the last option. There are strict procedures that landlords must follow to remove a tenant.

Ensure you record your correspondence and that any agreements made are in writing. When communicating over the phone, follow up with an email stating what was said and agreed to. This can be used as evidence that you did everything possible to resolve your dispute and acted reasonably.

Should you decide to serve a notice, ask your tenant to sign a receipt. It can help to complete Form N215, which is a certificate of service in civil cases. You can use this to inform the civil court of what notices you have served your client and at what time if your tenant refuses to vacate your property by a specified date. The completed form can be used to apply for an accelerated possession order.

 

In England, a landlord can consider two options for terminating a tenancy:

  • Section 21 Notice: if you want your property back after the fixed term has ended or during a periodic tenancy
  • Section 8 Notice: if you need the property back for any other reason, such as if the tenant has broken the terms of the tenancy

 

With a Section 21 Notice, you serve them with a form called Form 6a for a no-fault possession notice on an assured shorthold tenancy. You must issue your tenant at least two months’ notice to quit the property, and you must not serve notice before the first four months of the tenancy have elapsed. Should the tenant refuse to leave on the specified date, you have six months to apply to the court for a possession order from the date the notice was served.

When serving a section 8 notice, it must be given on a form called Form 3: notice seeking possession of a property let on an assured tenancy or an assured agricultural occupancy. You must give a sound reason for evicting a tenant under Section 8. There are two types of acceptable grounds:

  • Mandatory grounds 1–8, where a court judge must decide whether granting possession is reasonable.
  • Discretionary grounds 9–17, where a court must grant possession for these grounds.

 

Cost-Benefit Analysis

While hiring a letting agent involves costs like commission fees and marketing expenses,

the potential benefits often outweigh these. Agents bring expertise in:

  • Tenant Finding: Efficiently marketing properties, conducting viewings, and thorough tenant screening saves landlords significant time and effort.
  • Legal Compliance: Staying up-to-date on complex and evolving legislation ensures landlords avoid potential legal pitfalls, minimising financial risk.
  • Rent Collection and Management: Timely rent collection, managing tenant queries, and handling maintenance issues frees landlords from day-to-day property management stress.

 

Letting agents can save landlords time by handling tasks, save money by preventing costly mistakes, and reduce stress by managing tenant relationships and property issues. This enables landlords to focus on other priorities while ensuring their investment property is well-managed and profitable.

 

Contact Crown Luxury Homes today to discuss your property needs and discover how our comprehensive services can benefit you. Our dedicated team is committed to providing tailored solutions that exceed your expectations.