Letting Your Property The Right Way

Yes. Your mortgage lender needs to give you permission before you can let your property, and they may impose special conditions. If you are buying a property with the intention of letting it out, you may be able to obtain a buy to let mortgage.

Ask Just Right Properties Lettings and Property Management to value your home. At Just Right Properties we’re experts in the market, so we can tell you how other rental properties are doing in the area, and what kind of yield you can hope to expect. Book a valuation now.

This really depends on how much support you need. At Just Right Properties we offer two main service levels: Tenant Find Only and Fully Managed. Each involves a different degree of service from Just Right Properties and the fees we charge reflect this. Be sure you understand your agent’s fees and exactly what you receive for your money when you ask them to conduct a lettings valuation.  Our Fully Managed Fees are £250.00 one off fee plus 8% of the gross monthly rent inclusive of VAT. Our Tenant Find Only is £250.00 inclusive of VAT.

Just Right Properties have been managing properties for over 30 years and has a wealth of experience. Having your property managed allows you to carry on with your own life and commitments and you won’t have to worry because your property is in experienced hands.  Lettings is a complex industry and can be very labour intensive. It also creates a professional distance between you and the tenant and you won’t have to deal with situations like rent arrears and deposit disputes.

Both Landlords and Letting Agents are required to register tenants’ deposits with an approved Tenancy Deposit Scheme. Just Right Properties register their deposits with My Deposits. The deposit is then either held by the landlord, the agent or the deposit scheme itself. The Tenancy Deposit Scheme is there to protect the tenant’s money and help to resolve any disputes at the end of the tenancy.

An inventory is a detailed list of the contents and condition of your property taken before the tenant moves in including gardens and garages. It is very important that you have proof of the original condition of the property and its contents. If you do not have this then you are unable to claim for any damages to your property, cleaning issues, gardens issues, Just Right Properties carry out Electronic Photographic Inventories we will also include evidence of smoke alarms, heat alarms and carbon monoxide detectors (which we will test) photo evidence of utility meters and keys given to your tenant.

We will also handle dispute at the end of the tenancy but there will be a cost for this.

Inventory Costs Check-In

One-bedroom unfurnished property £40.00

Two bedrooms unfurnished property £50.00

Three Bedrooms unfurnished property £70

Four Bedrooms unfurnished property £90.00

Inventory Charges Checkout

One bedroom unfurnished £20.00

Two bedrooms unfurnished £25.00

Three bedrooms unfurnished £35.00

Four bedrooms unfurnished £45.00

We can also handle disputes at the end of a tenancy this would be charge at an hourly rate of £20.00

An Energy Performance Certificate, or EPC for short, is a report detailing the energy efficiency of a property. It gives a property an energy efficiency rating from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient) and is valid for 10 years. We can organise and EPC inspector the minimum is around £50.00.

All landlords are required to purchase an EPC before they let their property, and from 1st April 2018, the property must have a minimum rating of E on its EPC. It will be unlawful to rent a property which breaches this requirement with a penalty of up to £4,000.

A Gas Safety Record (GSR) is in place to ensure that all gas appliances, pipes and flues are in safe working order. It must be carried out by a qualified Gas Safe Register engineer. This needs to be checked every 12 months.

You are required to ensure that any electrical devices within the property are safe for use. We recommend an Installation Survey or Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) so you can be sure you are compliant.

You must ensure that all furnishings comply with furniture and furnishing regulations. All compliant furniture must display standard labels in a prominent position. This is to reduce the risk of fire within the property.

If you choose a Rent Collect or Fully Managed service, we will organise for the tenant to pay the rent via standing order or direct debit. We will then transfer the money to your account minus our commission and any outgoings or fees (such as maintenance work costs). You will receive a statement every month. We can also offer you annual consolidated tax statement and if we manage several properties, we can provide you with a consolidated rent statement of all your properties.

It is a legal Requirement to have client money protection Just Right Properties has Client Money Protection CMP click here to view our certificate.

The Client Money Protection (CMP) Scheme provides compensation for landlords, tenants and other clients when agents misuse or misappropriate their rent, deposit or any other client funds. Just Right Properties has CMP cover.

All landlords could be liable to pay tax on their rental income, whether they live in the UK or are based overseas. Further information can be found on the Inland Revenue’s website.

You need to give the tenant appropriate notice before you enter the property. Normal practice is 48 hours.

The tenant is responsible for the council tax (unless you decide to include this in the rent), but this needs to be clearly stated in the tenancy agreement. If the property is standing empty, it is the landlord’s responsibility to pay. We will transfer your tenant in to the council tax at the beginning of their tenancy and out at the end, if you have not got a new tenant going in immediately then the council tax will be transferred in to your name until a new tenant occupies.

It depends if the property is furnished or unfurnished usually the tenant is responsible unless the landlord has provided the TV, this should be stated in the tenancy agreement who is responsibility.

Just Right Properties offer a three-monthly inspection at the beginning of the tenancy and every six months after, an electronic photographic report is carried out and sent to the landlord, any repair issues will be pointed out in the report and out lined in red.

Either the tenant pays to fix the damage, or the cost for fixing the damage is taken from the bond at the end of the tenancy.  There is an allowance for fair wear and tear, however the bond is not like insurance policy, if an item is deemed to have had its life span then only a proportion can be charged to the tenant, if an item is brand new when the tenant enters the property and the tenant contract ends after six months and the item is damaged beyond repair then the tenant is responsible for replacing the whole of the item.

It is sensible wherever you can to take out Rent Guarantee and legal protection insurance, however if you have several properties this can be expensive, Just Right Properties can put you in touch with a Broker who specialises in Rent Guarantee and Legal Protection on request. You will need to weigh up the risk factor, if your tenant has a good credit score and has been employed for a few years, then the risk is much less therefor you may not wish to take out a policy.

If your tenant refuses to leave the property, then legal action will be necessary. If you have Rent Guarantee and Legal Protection, this covers for this kind of situation and the cost.

The Property Ombudsman (TPO) is an independent body to which landlords can refer any complaint should the agent fail to address it to their satisfaction. We are founder TPO members.

The Right to Rent scheme, which helps to make sure that people renting property in the UK have a legal right to be here, this was brought in to force in February 2016 across England. At Just Right Properties we have been issuing How to Rent Guide for many years at the beginning of each tenancy, we even get one signed for your file to prove that each tenant has received a copy. If this is not carried out as part of referencing landlords and agents can RISK A HEFTY FINE.

There are a few easy and cheap ways to improve your property’s EPC rating. Ensuring all your light bulbs are energy savers is a simple change. Check your loft insulation is at least 270mm too, and if you have cavity walls ensure these are filled with insulation. More expensive ways to improve your property’s EPC rating include replacing an old, inefficient boiler; adding modern controls like room thermostats; or adding renewable technologies like solar panels to the property.