Heminstone will give you a free rent appraisal and advice on preparing your property for letting. Should you instruct us to let your property the property will be marketed with local newspapers and via the three biggest property web sites in the UK, www.rightmove.com , www.primelocation.com and www.propertyfinder.com as well as our own web site. We have a list of registered tenants waiting for properties of all types and our state of the art computerised management system can match a property to an appropriate tenant within seconds.
We will accompany prospective tenants on viewings and should a tenant wish to rent your property we will arrange independent referencing at no cost to the landlord. The referencing process normally takes no longer than forty eight hours.
When the reference process has been successfully completed we will prepare an Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreement. These tenancy agreements are normally for either six or twelve months but can be set for a period mutually agreeable to both landlord and tenant. The tenancy agreements that we use are ARLA (Association Of Residential Letting Agents) recognised.
The tenant will then pay a deposit bond against damages. This is normally the equivalent of six weeks rent. This money can be held either by the landlord or by Heminstone in our secure client deposit account depending on whether the landlord is taking advantage of our tenant find service only or a fully managed package. This deposit is returnable to the tenant at the end of the tenancy subject to the property being in a satisfactory condition. A full inventory (recommended) of your property can be arranged using an independent specialist inventory company. The condition of your property can be recorded in either digital photography or in digital video and stored on computer disc for future reference.
Accounts can be arranged with utility companies for new tenants and cancelled for outgoing tenants.
Rents can be collected on your behalf then forwarded to your own account net of any incurred charges. You would receive a monthly statement of your rental account.
We offer a bespoke insurance policy designed to give landlords full protection against non payment by tenants and legal cover in the event of an eviction.
As part of our fully managed service any repairs or maintenance that become necessary during a tenancy can be arranged by our management department. Normally the landlord would be consulted in the event of the requirement of maintenance but in the event of an emergency Heminstone reserve the right to take remedial action should they be unable to contact the landlord.
A let property can be inspected by ourselves at an interval acceptable to both landlord and tenant.
Tenancy renewals and / or notices can be arranged on the landlords behalf.
Please click here for a full schedule of fee’s for all or part of the above.
General Information To landlords
Should you decide to let your property or purchase a property with the intention of letting it there are a no. of factors that should be taken into consideration.Your property will be either ‘freehold’ or ‘leasehold’. In the event of the property being ’leasehold’ you may need to check the terms of your lease to ensure they allow you to let the property. Likewise if the property is mortgaged you should speak to your lender to establish their policy on letting. If you are a UK resident it is entirely your responsibility to inform the Inland Revenue of any rents received and to pay any taxes arising as a result. If you are an overseas resident we are obliged to retain and forward to the inland revenue an amount equal to the basic rate of income tax from your monthly rent received . We recommend you speak to your tax office to establish your tax position prior to receiving any rental income.
Safety Regulations
Under the Gas Safety (installation and use) Regulations, all gas appliances in tenanted properties must be checked for safety at intervals of no more than twelve months, by a Corgi registered engineer. Safety certificates and a record of any defects and remedial works must be kept. Under the Electrical Equipment (safety) regulations 1991and other regulations, electrical installations and equipment within tenanted properties must be safe Whilst a safety certificate is not yet a legal requirement it is strongly recommended that a ’Part P’ qualified electrician carry out the inspection and provide a certificate of safety. Heminstone contract the services of Gaselec Ltd., a national company who’s engineers hold all relevant qualifications to carry out gas and electrical safety inspections and issue the necessary certificates. A full copy of these and other regulations are available upon request.Furniture And Furnishings
The Furniture and Furnishings (fire) (safety) Regulations 1988 (amended 1989, 1993 & 1996) provide that specified items supplied in the course of letting property must meet minimum fire resistant standards. The regulations apply to all upholstered furniture, beds, headboards, mattresses, sofa-beds, futons, nursery furniture, garden furniture, scatter cushions, pillows and non original covers for furniture. They do not apply to antique furniture or furniture made prior to 1950, bedclothes, pillowcases, curtains, carpets or sleeping bags. Therefore all relevant items as above must be checked for compliance and non compliant items removed from the property. In practise most items which comply must have a suitable permanent label attached. A copy of these regulations is available upon request.Condition Of Property
Tenants, much like properties are all different. It is therefore advisable that any interior décor should be fairly neutral. We do not recommend that a landlord attempt to decorate a property in too fashionable a manner for the same reason. In general a tenants main concern and criteria for the interior of a property is that it is clean and tidy. We recommend that any defects with the property be rectified before the commencement of the tenancy and that the property is prepared to the best standard within the constraints of your budget. It is not advisable to leave any personal items or items of value within the property. We do not recommend that the landlord leave any items not specified within the contract for use by the tenants. Gardens should be left in a clean and tidy condition and any grassed areas cut in preparation for tenancy.The above notes are for your general help and guidance. We recommend that you check with the appropriate regulatory bodies for more detailed information.