Landlord Information

Our Services Include:

a) Taking full details of your property, providing a rental valuation and advising on the preparation required of the property to let, including liaison with your mortgagee and insurance company with regard to their consent, if required to do so.

b) Ensure that before the property is let that it and its contents comply with various safety regulations, including:

1. Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988, as amended 1993
2. Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998
3. Smoke Detectors Act 1991
4. Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994
5. Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections)(England & Wales) Regulations 2007

c) Sending your property details to suitable applicants on the mailing list.

d) Finding suitable tenants for the property including viewing and interviewing.

e) Obtaining the necessary references through Rentshield Direct, and reporting to you.

f) Accepting and holding a tenant's part deposit for administrative costs.

g) We can prepare the Letting Agreement or we can instruct solicitors of your choice to prepare agreements.

h) Preparing a detailed Inventory and Schedule of Condition.

i) Arranging for final meter readings to be taken of the various services, and the transfer of utilities and Council tax liability to the tenant.

j) Arranging for the agreements to be signed, the payment of initial rent, dilapidation deposit (normally one and a half months rent), half solicitors' costs, and keys to be handed over etc.

k) Arranging settlement of rental monies. We will retain the dilapidations deposit until the end of the tenancy, as stakeholders.

Management of the property after the tenancy commences

Our Services Include:

a) i) Rent Collection
Rent collection on the relevant date each month. Rents collected are then accounted to you monthly or quarterly as required, ie after three months or monthly as required. From the first month's rent, we will pay the proportion of the solicitors' account, our account including any disbursements (for example key cutting, advertising etc), and any final accounts from utilities on your behalf.

ii) Overseas Landlords
In the circumstances of Overseas Landlords, we, as your agent, are held responsible by the Inland Revenue for the payment of any tax liability which may arise from the rents collected on your behalf. We are obliged therefore to deduct tax at the basic rate from the rental income received, unless we are in receipt of an Exemption Certificate.

b) Routine Inspections
Our service includes an initial inspection of the property after six weeks and then four monthly to ensure it is being well looked after. Any problems found or reported to us by the tenant will be advised to you for further instruction and appropriate action.

c) Day to Day Matters Arising
We also deal with matters arising from the tenancy and take appropriate action or refer them to the landlords for further instructions. We will deal with arranging contractors to provide quotations and settlement of their accounts on completion of the work satisfactorily undertaken.

Termination of the tenancy

Our Services Include:

a) Advising on required Notice to Quit timescales, or receipt / service of Notice to Quit by tenant.

b) Checking Schedule of Condition and Inventory

c) Dealing with any necessary deductions from monies held from the dilapidations deposit.

d) Arranging for final meter readings and for the transfer of information for utilities and Council Tax Liability.

Regulation

We are regulated by the National Approved Letting Scheme and The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

If you require any additional information or if you would like to arrange for an appraisal on your property please contact our Residential Lettings teams on the following contacts:

Spalding Office – Telephone: 01775 766766 / Email: lettings@longstaff.com

Bourne Office – Telephone: 01778 420406 / Email: bourne@longstaff.com

We are regulated by the National Approved Letting Scheme and The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

Our Standard Residential Landlord Letting & Management fees are available here