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LANDLORDS

The following information aims to answer any queries you might have in relation to the letting of your property. We hope that you find it clear and that it answers some of the questions that might arise.

For many new and existing Landlords, entrusting your property to others can be a daunting experience especially if they are abroad or away from the area and our role is to assist you and make the experience as easy and straightforward as possible.

If you do have any further queries or require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

TENANTS

At Premier Property Management, we feel that the most important part of renting a property is finding the right tenants for the Landlord.

There are numerous things that must be considered, such as what the property will be suitable for i.e. families, pets, smokers, sharers, or students. We also have many enquiries from people seeking and claiming housing benefits which the Landlord will also need to advise Premier Property Management whether they will accept or not.

All prospective Tenants over the ages of 18 applying for a property are referenced by an independent company called Homelet (Barbon Group Ltd). Homelet carry out a credit check, landlords reference (if the applicant is currently renting) & employment/ pension or accountant reference to verify there earnings are adequate to afford the property along with the bills associated with the day to day living.

There is a clear acceptable or not acceptable given on return of the reference and should the applicant require a Guarantor this is also advised on return of the reference.

Due to the stringent nature of the references, Premier Property Management advise that the information provided by the reference company as to whether the Tenant(s) are acceptable or not but the final decision is made by the Landlord.

ASSURED SHORTHOLD TENANCY AGREEMENT

At the commencement of a new Tenancy we draw up an Assured Shorthold Tenancies with a fixed period of six months. At the end of this period, should both parties wish to continue the Tenancy, it will can automatically continue on a periodic or ‘month by month’ basis or we can draw up by prior agreement a further fixed term.

Should you wish to you do wish to terminate the Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreement during the first six months, notice to quit must be served at the end of the fourth months.

After this period if the agreement is in a periodic tenancy, both Landlords and Tenants are still bound by the existing terms and conditions and must adhere to the terms of the Tenancy Agreement.

Should a landlord wish to terminate the Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement, you are required to give a tenant two months notice in writing on or before a rent day. Alternatively a tenant is required to give a landlord one month’s notice in writing on or before a rent day.

Please be aware that once a Notice to Quit (Section 21) has been served on the tenants, enforcement of this notice can only be carried out through the courts. Serving the notice does not guarantee that the tenant will vacate the property on the agreed date.

RENT PAYMENTS

Rental figures are based on current market levels in accordance with the condition and terms of the Tenancy, also whether the property is furnished or unfurnished.

Charging a fair rental should ensure that the property is let quickly and ensure that a wide variety and choice of applicant is available.

In accordance with the terms set out in Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement all rental payments are due in advance on a agreed date each calendar month. As the commencement of a tenancy can commence at any date in a month, the rent due dates will vary from property to property.

Whether you are managing the property yourself or are using our management services, we strongly advise that the rent is paid on standing order directly either to you or to us via our designated Clients Account. If the Tenants pays by standing order, cheque or BACS transfer, the appropriate clearance should be taken into account. Please be aware that the bank clearing process at present is four-five working days so the rent due date is not necessarily the date the rent will appear in your account.

All clients’ funds that pass through this Office are banked and paid out from a designated Clients Account.

DEPOSITS

Once we have found a suitable prospective Tenants(s) we always require a deposit to be taken and held for the duration of the Tenancy against damages and dilapidations, unpaid rent and any other charges/ expenses not paid by the outgoing Tenant.

We advise that a minimum of one and a half month’s rent for each property. Should you as the Landlord be happy to accept pets etc at your property that this amount should be reviewed if necessary.

On 6 April 2007, new legislation has been introduced by the government regarding the retention of deposits by landlords and tenants. All deposits for Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreements must be registered into the new scheme. There are three companies which have been awarded a licence, two offer an insurance based scheme and one a custodial scheme.

Premier Property Management has been approved and registered with the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (www.thedisputeservice.co.uk).

All Landlords and Tenants are provided with a certificate stating the amount of deposit registered, the details of Landlord and Tenants connected with the deposit, along with the dates etc. Each Tenancy deposit is given a unique reference number in order for the individual to verify their deposit is held correctly and also to advise them again of their rights etc in accordance with their registration.

The monies is held by the Tenancy Deposit Scheme for the duration of the Tenancy and returned to the tenant at the end of the tenancy following the final outgoing inspection within ten working days. Should there be a disagreement regarding the amount returned, the Tenancy Deposit Scheme will act as an independent arbitrator.

Should you not wish to use the deposit scheme through Premier Property Management, the requirement is on the individual landlord to register with the scheme of their choice. This is compulsory and must be done within fourteen days of the deposit being received.

We can provide you will all the necessary information to be able to register with the scheme of your choice but we ask that the Landlord provides us with a copy of the information showing that the deposit has been registered in the correct manner.