Enjoy being a landlord

It's your responsibility to ensure the property is handed over to the tenant in good and safe repair, and you should ensure you comply with the law. Compliance will help you to enjoy being a Landlord.

Whichever service you choose we will of course advise you in all aspects of letting your property, including compliance with current regulations. And if you choose our managed service we will continue to monitor and manage your legal safety responsibilities for you. Meanwhile...

Here's a summary of guidelines you should consider.

Mortgaged properties:

If your property is mortgaged then you need to ensure you have consent from the bank, building society or lender whose loan or mortgage is secured against the property. If the landlord has not obtained consent from his lender the tenancy is deemed an unlawful tenancy which gives the lender an automatic right to take possession of the property.

Gas safety:

Your gas supply, and all appliances, should be tested by a registered gas safe engineer who should provide a safety certificate. In the event of an accident you must be able to prove all appliances were safe and the only way you can be absolutely sure is to have every appliance tested, as penalties for infringement can be severe with fines up to £5000 or six month's imprisonment.

Certificates must be renewed yearly and the tenant should be provided with a copy of the certificate. For more information see Safety Regulations.

Easilett can arrange a gas safety inspection/certificate for you upon request, which must be paid in advance. If you use our Managed services we also monitor renewals to ensure you remain compliant.  Contact us to request this for you.

Electrical safety:

Landlord have a duty of care to ensure the electrics, and all appliances of the property, are safe and in good condition. In the event of an accident you must be able to prove that all appliances were safe so to protect yourself from any potential prosecution we strongly recommend your property is tested and certified by a competent engineer.

Depending upon the type of property an electrical safety certificate can last for up to five years if you have the same tenant during that period.
Please note: Most landlord property insurance policies require current electrical certificates. Without them they will not pay out.
For more details see Safety Regulations.

Easilett can arrange an electrical safety inspection/certificate for you if you wish, which must be paid in advance. If you use our Managed services we also monitor renewals to ensure you remain compliant.  Contact us to request this for you.

EPC: (Energy Performance Certificate)

To comply with regulations you must now have a valid EPC in order to market your property. This must be made available to prospective tenants to help them determine the property's energy rating prior to them agreeing to rent the property. See 'Optional Services' for details and price, or EPC's for more details. Lost your EPC? Retrieve it here.

Keys:

You need to provide us with sufficient sets of keys prior to tenancy.

• Managed service: 3 FULL sets.
  2 for your tenant and 1 FULL management set for us.
• Non managed: 2 FULL sets.
  2 for your tenants. You may wish to keep a set for yourself.

Cleaning:

The property should be professionally cleaned, especially the carpets and cooker, curtains and windows, and the garden should be tidy prior to the commencement of the tenancy. Easilett can arrange this for you if you wish.
 

Inventory:

Provide a full and detailed inventory to avoid any doubt about the condition of your property and contents. This document is equally as important as your Tenancy Agreement and to avoid any doubt as to the condition of your property should include dated photographs, signed/agreed by the tenant. If you wish we can provide this service for you, more details of inventories here. See Optional Services for details and price.

Insurance:

You should ensure the building is adequately insured against all risks. Be sure the property is covered by a 'Landlord insurance' not just residential insurance. The landlord's insurance company must confirm that cover will be maintained if the property is let. In particular it is important that the public liability element covers any loss or injury occurring at the property, which might be sustained by the tenant or visitors during the tenancy, for which the landlord could be liable.

All Easilett landlords have access to our partner's tailored insurance packages, which include rent and legal protection insurance, house/building insurance and home contents insurance. These insurance packages are comprehensive and help provide peace of mind by ensuring your property is adequately protected. See Landlord Insurances for more details.

Your tenant will be responsible for their own content insurance

Welcome Pack:

This is not mandatory but your tenant will certainly settle more easily and quickly with a Welcome pack containing information about the property including instructions for household equipment, central heating, rubbish collection and utility providers. It also helps to contain all the documents in one place.

Deposits:

The law requires you to secure the deposit with a regulated deposit scheme. If you use our managed service then we will manage this process for you free of charge. However if you self manage the tenancy then you will be responsible for ensuring the deposit is secured (unless you request easilett to add this service as an extra cost). You have 30 days in which to secure the deposit, otherwise you could face heavy penalties. Easilett uses the Deposit Protection Service.

See Deposits for more information.

Contact details:

Tenants need to be able to contact either their landlord or the landlord's agent. If we are managing your property then we will be your tenant's contact, otherwise you need to provide your tenant with your address and contact numbers.

Maintenance/Repairs:

Although we can help you with repairs, it is your responsibility to ensure the property is in good condition, with the exception of window glass or other breakages caused by the tenants. Repairs can be carried out by contractors nominated by you, or our own contractors with their charges deducted from your account. We will always ask you for instructions before commencing any large scale repairs.

Utility Services and Rates:

The payment of water rates, council tax, gas, electricity and telephone bills are generally the responsibility of the tenants. If you are using our Managed service then we will inform the service providers of occupancy change, otherwise you should inform the services, ensuring to give the meter readings.

Oil, Solid fuel and LPG:

Where relevant the tank should be left full at the start of the tenancy and the tenant will then fill the tank before vacating.

Chimneys:

Chimneys should be swept prior to the tenancy commencement.

Furniture:

There is greater demand for unfurnished in Lincoln than furnished. Any white goods need to be covered by Landlord's PAT Safety Certificate. Any furniture that is left needs to comply with Fire Regulations. See Safety regulations and furnishings for more details.

Décor:

This should be finished to a good standard and kept as neutral as possible. A property that is decorated and carpeted to a neutral standard normally lets more quickly than a personalised one. Good quality neutral curtains are preferable, linoleum/tiles are more hygienic and preferred in bathrooms and kitchens.

Garden:
Gardens should be handed over in good seasonal order. Unless otherwise agreed and documented then the garden/s will be expected in fair condition at the end of the tenancy.

Smoke detectors / Carbon Monoxide Detectors:

Smoke detectors must be installed prior to a property being let, and connected to the mains. We advise you to insert new backup batteries too before the tenancy starts. See Carbon Monoxide for more details.

Tax and Allowances

Rent is classified as “unearned income”. If you are UK resident you will be responsible for declaring your rental income to the Inland Revenue.

Under current UK tax legislation, income from your property rental is taxable and should be declared on your annual tax return. There may also be implications for you in relation to Capital Gains liabilities from your property portfolio. We cannot advise here, you should seek professional advice from your accountant.

There are, of course, genuine running costs in maintaining a rental property and there are a range of allowances given to assist with these. Personal tax affairs are a specialised area and will differ for each individual. Our advice, therefore, is to always seek professional advice from your financial adviser or by consulting your local HMRC office.

Overseas (non-resident) landlords:
If you are resident overseas whilst letting your home in the UK (even if you work for HM forces) it will be necessary to complete a form NRL1 in order to be able to receive your rent gross from your agent. Without this certificate easilett is required to deduct tax at the basic rate from your rent prior to forwarding it to you. Deductions against tax on rental income received may be claimed for the costs of maintenance, including insurance, cleaning, gardening, agent's commission and other reasonable management expenses (but not improvements). More...