A printable document containing all information for landlords is available here

What makes you different from other agents ?

We are not just another letting agent. We are experienced landlords providing the type of service that we would have wanted from an agency.

Price: We charge a fair price for a good service. Neither landlords nor tenants are charged registration fees and there are no fees for renewing contracts every 6 months. And because we wish to remain a small agency there is no VAT. See our fees for full details.

Our service: We are a small family-run agency able to provide a personalised service: if you have any specific requirement we are flexible enough to adapt to meet your needs.
Since we own the agency rather than being employees we have greater incentive to work harder for our landlords and look after our tenants.

Finding tenants: As a result of our success at finding suitable tenants We have prospective tenants waiting and almost nothing to show them. We urgently need more properties now

Property management: Our experience as landlords is that if we keep our tenants happy then they stay longer. This minimises voids and the number of times we need to find a new tenant. We run Full House Property Services with the same philosophy. If tenants raise an issue with us, we will resolve it as soon as possible. We have access to a network of tradesmen who have demonstrated their reliability and fair-pricing to us over the last few years.

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 are your opening 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. In order to meet this need we are available 7 days per week from early in the morning until well into the evening.

Where is our office

Our availability from early in the morning until late into the evening is only possible because we manage the agency from home. It is through the savings we make on office space that we can afford not to charge up-front registration fees and excessive fees for tenancy renewals.

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.
For proeprties we manage, then we will register the deposit with one of the approved government schemes on your behalf.

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.