Tessa Shepperson s Ten Top Tips For landlords Ten really important points which all landlords need to consider when renting property
1. Make sure you have any permissions needed to let For example: Check your mortgage (should be OK though if its a buy to let mortgage!) If it is a leasehold flat, check your lease you may need the freeholders permission Check your insurance you will need insurance appropriate for landlords or it may be invalidated
2. Work out the tenancy type Most tenancies are ASTs but check to make sure yours is If you are renting to sharers, decide if (a) they will all rent together or (b) rent their own room with shared use of the rest of the property If (b) you will have to pay Council tax but consider including all bills in the rent
3. Check if the property is a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) Are there more than 3 unrelated people living in the same building? If so it could be an HMO If so speak to your Local Authority. You may need a license You will also need to comply with the HMO Management Regulations
4. Make sure your property is in good repair Otherwise: You can be sued for compensation The Local Authority may serve an improvement order on you You may be liable to tenants if they injure themselves in an accident Note also that it is difficult to do repairs with tenants in situ so best done now Note you will also need to provide an Energy Performance Certificate consider implementing the recommendations
5. Get your gas safety certificate if you have gas appliances Faulty gas appliances can kill so be careful about this You need a certificate from an installer registered with the Gas Safe Register There is also helpful information on the HSE website www.gassaferegister.co.uk www.hse.gov.uk/gas/
6. Make sure all electrics are safe You don t want compensation claims from your tenants or the property burning down! Only HMOs will need an electrical safety certificate (every 5 years), but safest to get one anyway, eg between lets Consider getting appliances PAT tested if not new www.niceic.com
7. If you take a deposit ensure it gets protected If this is not done you cannot use the section 21 ground for possession Decide what scheme to use and join up Get the deposit protected as soon as possible after it is paid to you You also need to serve a notice containing prescribed information www.depositprotection.com www.thedisputeservice.co.uk www.mydeposits.co.uk 8
8. Make sure you have an appropriate tenancy agreement Make sure the tenancy form is the correct one for your tenancy type Do not use an old form as it may be out of date, be wary also of free forms downloaded from the internet You may need a different type of form if letting to sharers Consider using the tenancy agreements service provided by www.landlordlaw.co.uk
9. Choose you tenants very, very carefully Remember it is easy to let them in but could take months to get them out again ALWAYS take references and do a credit check If you feel uneasy about them, think carefully before letting them in www.tenantverify.co.uk www.lettingprotection.com
10. Do not let them in until the formalities are completed Don t let yourself be rushed by desperate applicants these often turn out to be nightmare tenants! You need a tenancy agreement signed by ALL tenants you can t force them to sign once they re in Ensure that all rent and deposit payments have cleared
Further information My Landlord Law site at www.landlordlaw.co.uk My blog at www.landlordlawblog.co.uk My ecommerce site at www.yourlawstore.co.uk These free resources may also be of use to you: The Which Tenancy Agreement Guide The New Landlords Guide The Landlord Law Suppliers Directory The Landlord Law Horror Stories The Landlord Law Q&A