Are You Ready to Take Your Property Management to a New Level?
Welcome to our August newsletter.
As most landlords are getting ready to check their tenants into their properties for the 2024/25 Academic year.
Here are few tips to stay on top of your property management.
This months newsletter is to empower you to keep on top of the move in process, check your students in efficiently and sleep easy at night.
It's so exciting to finally move your new tenants into your property, but there are a few tasks left before you take a well deserved break.
We've highlighted some tasks to complete before you can hand over the key, we advice on getting them done as quickly as possible
1. Make sure you have a comprehensive inventory backed with photographic evidence signed by all tenants prior to move in.
You should prepare an inventory at the beginning of your tenancy, which records all the items in the property and also the condition of the property.
It's worth checking everything works properly (and even taking some photos), as you will rely on it should your tenants cause any damage and you would like to make a claim at the end of the tenancy against their deposit. Melanie Estates can arrange to carry a check in and check out inventory only for you at the cost of £80 plus VAT.
To book a professional inventory or check out for your property please follow the link below.
This document could save you £££'s and it will be easy for you to prove the condition of the property before the tenants move in.
2. Check you have a Gas Safety Certificate, EICR and EPC.
As a landlord you need to make sure the property is safe before your tenants move in. Landlords are legally required to have a Gas Safety Certificate (CP12) for all the gas appliances in a property, and it should be renewed every 12 months. EICR every five years.
You also have a responsibility to ensure your tenants have received copies prior to moving into the property as any notice served on the tenant will automatically be invalid if you cannot prove they received them prior to move in. Don't forget to make sure your name is written correctly on any safety certificates.
You can also book your
Gas Installation Safety Certificate for £90 plus VAT
Electric Installation Safety Certificate (EICR) £175 plus VAT
Energy Performance Certificate for £65 plus VAT
We would love to help you.
3. Carry out a home safety checks
This will hopefully be covered in the inventory check, but make sure all the locks work and that windows close securely. In the event that there is fire you have a responsibility to ensure that the tenants can escape easily.
You'll want peace of mind that your tenants and their belongings are safe.
4. Check smoke and CO alarms
Again, this should be done by your inventory clerk during the move in but it's still worth checking them yourself.
Make sure they’ve been installed in the right places. It’s the landlord’s responsibility to make sure there’s at least one interlinked smoke alarm installed on every floor; and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a solid fuel burning appliance (like a coal fire or wood-burning stove, gas boiler/hob etc).
5. Collect council tax exemption from the tenants
With the council tax rule change in December 2023 and Norwich City Council moving the liability of council tax in HMO property to the Owner of liability, its advisable getting the exemption certificate from all the tenants prior to them moving in and send them to the council yourself, this way you are sure that your property has been mark correctly exempt by the council tax department.
It is also worth finding out when your students will be graduating and when their exemption certificates will be expiring. You can ask your agent to add a clause to the contact that the tenants will be liable to pay you for any period of council tax after the exemption certificate expire.
6. Supply How to rent guide and complete the right to rent check
Prior to the commencement of the tenancy, make sure you supply all tenants with the 'How to rent Guide' (this can be found on the government website), you must also be able to prove all tenants have had this prior to the start date, as this will make any notice served to vacate invalid.
Also check that your tenants have the right to rent your property, failure to complete these checks will result in a £3000 per tenant fine should they move into the property and remember if your tenants are International students and have limited right to rent, you have an obligation to carry out a follow up right to rent checks.
7 .Home Information Pack
Don't forget that most of your tenants will still be very young and most of them living away from their parents for the first time so you still have a bit of mothering to do.
We recommend that you take them through all the appliances that you have in the property like washing machine , dish washer if you have one, the cooker, the heating system and how to operate them. This will not only improve their experience but will reduce the number of call outs that you will receive and also any call out charges that you may incur should any of the appliances malfunction due to incorrect use.
You should also leave any useful manual behind for the tenants to refer to should they encounter any difficulty later.
8. Clean
This is very obvious but the property should be very clean before your tenants move in. Don't just rely on the cleaning done by your previous tenants.
It’s better to keep on top of cleanliness, so freshen things up with a quick vacuum and dust over just before they arrive.
This will create a good impression and allows you to start the relationship on a positive note.
We hope your have found this helpful. Melanie Estates is the market leader in Norwich Students and HMO market and we are committed to improving the quality of rental property and tenant's experience in their homes.
If you would like a Free compliance audit of you property or wish to find out how management service can save time, money and keep you on the right side of the law please contact our Senior property manager: Abbie Mathews (CeLAP) with the details below.
01603444251
norwich@melaniestates.co.uk
Suite 7, Cringleford Business Centre
Cringleford
NR4 6AU