Residential Letting & Property Management
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How many lodgers can I take in before my house becomes a HMO?
Read more: How many lodgers can I take in before my house becomes a HMO?As a live-in landlord, you are allowed two ‘non-family’ lodgers before your property can be classed as a HMO. Still not answered your question? We love questions so fire it at us using the contact details here
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Do I need to provide the tenant with an EPC before serving a section 21 notice?
Read more: Do I need to provide the tenant with an EPC before serving a section 21 notice?*** Effective 1st May 2026 Section 21 notices are no longer legal *** A section 21 may not be given in relation to a dwelling-house in England at a time when the landlord is in breach of a prescribed requirement. One ‘prescribed requirement’ is a valid energy performance certificate. As long the energy performance certificate is provided at some point before the section 21 is served it should be fine. Further Reading Section 21A Housing Act 1988 inserted by section 38 Deregulation Act 2015 Still not answered your question? We love questions so fire it at us using the contact details…
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On what day will I receive my rent?
Read more: On what day will I receive my rent?In all instances the balance on account will be transferred to landlord within 5 calendar days of the rent day. We ‘same day’ process rent payments received however rent payments received late in a working day and after office hours are processed the next working day which could be after a weekend or bank holiday or both. Some general points to consider… For rents paid by standing order, if the payment is due to go out on a bank holiday or weekend, the money will leave the payers account on the next working day Rent payments that fall due on…
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Is there any reason why you couldn’t market the property now, rather than wait for end of tenancy?
Read more: Is there any reason why you couldn’t market the property now, rather than wait for end of tenancy?There is nothing in law to prevent you doing this. However, in our experience it is better to wait until the current tenants have left even though this leaves a void period and some lost rent: The surrender of the tenancy is a future event you cannot accurately predict so entering into an agreement (reservation or tenancy) before the current tenancy is surrendered carries a risk of breach of a contract. Given the housing crisis, predicting this future event with any degree of certainty has become harder. There will be certainty of the tenancy end date if the departing tenant…
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When should I instruct an estate agent to sell my rental property?
Read more: When should I instruct an estate agent to sell my rental property?Short answer: After the tenancy has been surrendered and you have completed any preparation of the property ahead of marketing the property for sale. Explanation: The surrender of the tenancy is a future event you cannot accurately predict – entering into any agreement or making any kind of promise before the current tenancy is surrendered carries a risk of breach of contract. Until the tenancy is surrendered, you do not know for certain what state the property will be in and what, if any, remedial works will be required after the current tenant has left e.g., redecoration. On completion of…
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How can I prove my right to rent?
Read more: How can I prove my right to rent?In order to prove your right to rent you must provide either: Your original documents – lists of acceptable documents can be found in the Right to Rent Checks: A user guide for tenants and landlords available from this page here From 6th April 2022, Biometric Residence Card (BRC), Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) and Frontier Worker Permit (FWP) holders will need to use the online service to prove their right to rent – landlords and agents will not be able to use your original documents. A ‘share code’ and your date of birth for the online service for a digital…
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Who is responsible for maintaining the fence at my property?
Read more: Who is responsible for maintaining the fence at my property?If the landlord owns the fence, in most cases they would be responsible for maintaining it. In some instances, deeds may not clearly indicate ownership and some may even include repair covenants that relate to the fence in question. Furthermore, sometimes even Land Registry documents can be misleading. There have been cases in the past where one party has taken on maintenance responsibility for so long they have actually become legally responsible for the upkeep. Such cases are rare and extremely difficult to prove, but it does happen. Still not answered your question? We love questions so fire it at…
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Who is responsible for keeping the gutters clear at our property?
Read more: Who is responsible for keeping the gutters clear at our property?The tenant must keep the gutters for the property clear. The landlord must keep in repair the gutters for the property. Still not answered your question? We love questions so fire it at us using the contact details here Please rate this article so we know how well it answered your question…
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What has caused mould behind my sofa?
Read more: What has caused mould behind my sofa?The cause of mould behind your furniture is almost certainly condensation. Moisture-laden air gets trapped behind your furniture and condenses on the relatively cold surface behind which if not wiped away will cause mould. The colder the surface behind the furniture e.g. an external wall, the more likely it is that the problem will occur. The article below provides lots of information on how to prevent condensation in your home but in terms of mould behind furniture, moving your furniture away from walls will have a big impact on airflow. Further Reading What is causing damp in my house? {Jungle…
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Why should landlords use insured contractors?
Read more: Why should landlords use insured contractors?If damage is caused to your property as a result of a contractor working or work they have carried out, or worse, a person is injured, the contractor and their insurance carrier are the responsible parties. However, if that contractor is not insured, then you (the landlord) become the responsible party. Also, many insurance policies will exclude coverage for damage caused by the knowing use of uninsured contractors. Still not answered your question? We love questions so fire it at us using the contact details here Please rate this article so we know how well it answered your question…