Holiday cottage in Sandwich

Luxury 1 bed holiday cottage
Quiet spot in conservation area
Modern facilities:period features
Four-poster bed

What are your fees ?

What makes you different from other agents ?

What experience do you have in lettings and property management ?

What sort of tenants will you find for me ?

What tenant checks do you carry out ?

How much of a deposit do you collect and what happens to it ?

When will I receive the rent ?

What happens if I get a bad tenant ?

How do I know that my property is being cared for ?

What if my property needs work ?

What are your fees ?

We charge Ł250 for finding a new tenant. This includes the full cost of advertising, we will carry out viewings, check references, draw up tenancy agreements,.... In short we will do everything required to get a tenant in your house. If you prefer to carry out some/any of these tasks yourself then we are more than happy to work with you in that way.

We charge a management fee of 10% of the rent collected. If we don't collect the rent for you, then we don't get paid either.

We are happy to arrange and manage maintenance work above and beyond fixing minor problems occuring during tenancies. However there may be an additional fee for this by negotiation

There may be additional fees if you require particular services which are outside the scope of a normal lettings/management agent. We will always inform you in advance of such additional costs.

We charge no registration fees, no additional fees for drawing up a tenancy agreement or inventory as we consider that to be included in the tenant find fee. We make no tenancy renewal charges. Being a small agency, there is no VAT on our fees.

Not only do we believe in keeping our fees for landlords low, but we also take no fees from the tenants. In our experience, when tenants are asked to pay additionl fees to rent a house this puts them off. Similarly tenants asked to make a significant payment in order to renew a tenancy agreement are more likely to move than those who do not have to pay to renew. This means prospective tenants are more likely to rent your home through us, and your existing tenants are more likely to stay for longer, saving you additional tenant find fees and the lost rent during void periods between tenants.

What makes you different from other agents ?

Our Service
We are also landlords and therefore have first-hand experience of what landlords want from an agent. We are a small agency providing a personal service: if you have any specific requirement we are flexible enough to adapt our service to meet your needs.

Our Charges
In addition to lower standard fees than most of our competitors, we won't make numerous additional charges such as for renewing an existing tenancy on a property that we manage for you.
Because we are still a small agency you currently won't need to pay VAT on our fees.

Our working hours
Most agents are available primarily only during office hours, with very limited availability early evenings and at weekends. Yet working tenants prefer to arrange viewings on properties outside office hours, and emergencies are most likely to arise when the tenants are at home in the evenings or at weekends. We are available 7 days per week from early in the morning until well into the evening even if just via the mobile number 07905 091139. This is possible only because we manage the agency from home.

What experience do you have in lettings and property management ?

Since 2002 we have bought 9 properties and have managed all refurbishment, tenant find, tenant management, and ongoing maintenance ourselves apart from some unsuccessful attempts to use a letting agent for finding tenants.

What sort of tenants will you find for me ?

For our own properties we are willing to let to working tenants, people of independent means, or people in receipt of housing benefit provided they have a home-owning guarantor.
Before we advertise a property on your behalf we will discuss with you what sort of tenants you will be willing to consider and how this affects things like the size of deposit required – eg you might be willing to let to somebody with a cat or small dog only if they can provide a larger deposit.

What tenant checks do you carry out ?

We will always check the tenants identity by requiring to see either a passport, driving license or equivalent.
We will check their current/previous address from utility bills and if they were previously renting we will contact the landlord for a reference.
For working tenants we will confirm the employment information given.
For guarantors we will check that they are home owners and also check their employment status.
We will also obtain a credit reference check for the tenant or guarantor.

How much of a deposit do you collect and what happens to it ?

To a large extent the size of the deposit is up to you, however the greater the deposit you ask for, the harder it will be to find a tenant. Unless you specify otherwise our standard deposit is equivalent to a months rent, or 2 months if you agree to let to a tenant with a cat or dog.
For tenant find only we will forward this to you within 5 working days of the start of the tenancy and it is your responsibility to ensure that it is registered with one of the government approved schemes. Alternatively we can register it on your behalf for a fee of £30
For full management we will retain and register the deposit with one of the approved government schemes.
Unless you specify otherwise we register deposits with MyDeposits. There will be an additional fee for using one of the other schemes.

When will I receive the rent ?

We will forward any money due to you within 10 working days of us receiving cleared funds, and usually much sooner.

What happens if I get a bad tenant ?

Despite all the checks we carry out on prospective tenants there is still no guarantee that nothing will go wrong - for example a tenant can become ill and unable to work or may be made redundant. If a tenant stops paying rent, causes a nuisance or otherwise breaks the terms of the lease, we will inform you immediately. After discussion with you we can issue the appropriate notice requiring the tenant to leave. If the tenant does not vacate the property when requested then we can arrange for the necessary legal steps to be carried out on your behalf.
We are able to arrange insurance for the rent and against possible legal fees if required. This is only available for professional tenants who pass stringent credit checks. Please contact us for further details.

How do I know that my property is being cared for ?

We will carry out an inspection of your property every 3 months to check whether the property requires any maintenance and is being cared for. We will provide you with a written report on any such inspections.

What if my property needs work ?

We will always attempt to contact you before carrying out any work at your expense.
In an emergency we will not hesitate to arrange for work to be carried out to remove the risk of further damage/costs. The cost of these repairs will then either be taken from the rent collected or you will be invoiced.
For non-urgent small repairs (up to agreed limit) we will arrange for repairs and take the costs from the next rent received. We will send you details of any such works.
For other more expensive maintenance/repairs we can obtain quotes for you and oversee the work if required.
Where work is required between tenancies, we can arrange for quotes and project manage tradesmen. For this service we charge 10% of the gross cost of the work.