Landlord FAQ's

Please speak with your lender to ensure you have permission. If you are buying a property to let speak to your lender about a buy-to-let mortgage.

A Fully managed service takes care of everything from finding a tenant, doing all the checks and ensuring you are always kept complaint. With this package we also deal with all the property management so it will not take up your precious time and you do not have any stress of this at all. Only choose a let only service if you are an experienced landlord who knows current legislation (and there is a lot).  For all our services please use the link below:

• In the first instance we will get all the information can on the issue
• We will resolve it by liaising with the tenant at no cost if possible. It may be something straight forward for example repressurising the boiler or checking a condensate pipe or removing debris from a gutter
• If it cannot be resolved we will contact you to get your permission for us to instruct one of our contractors. You may wish to receive a quote before the works go ahead which we can provide. We will never incur costs without your full permission. Some landlords choose to give us a spend cap for example £200 to cover any maintenance without having to contact you first. This is only an option.
• If a non-fault call out then the invoice will go to the tenant and they will be made fully aware of this as per the tenancy agreement.

This depends on whether you live in the UK or are overseas. Further information can be found on the Inland Revenue’s website.

• EPC
• EICR
• Gas safety record
• Working smoke alarms on every floor
• Carbon monoxide detector will need to be in the same room as a gas (or oil) boiler and gas fire, as well as a solid fuel burning appliance such as a wood burning stove.  The rules don’t extend to a gas cooker or gas hob
• It is also important to ensure tenants have the ‘right to rent’.

We would also recommend:

• Annual Boiler service
• Legionella risk assessment

If your property is fully managed, them Belvoir will chase the rent when it becomes late by whatever means necessary.  If the tenant fails to pay and the rent falls into 2 months of arrears, then we would advise that a solicitor is appointed to serve a Section 8 on the tenant(s). They would charge their prevailing fee for this. Thankfully, there is a less painful way; Belvoir has a rent guarantee service that not only pays your rent in the event of default but covers all the costly legal and court fees.  So, your time and money are protected. For more details, please click the link below:

We are permitted to take a cash deposit for a tenancy equivalent to 5 weeks’ rent.  Before a tenancy commences, we can conduct a thorough and comprehensive inventory with plenty of pictures and narrative, where necessary. At the end of tenancy, we perform a checkout which we compare with the condition at inventory.  There are certain items that we can claim for from the deposit, notably cleaning and damage above normal wear and tear.  What can’t be claimed for is betterment, for example let’s say an item of furniture is damaged, you can’t claim for the cost of replacing the item rather a contribution towards replacing the item depending on age and condition. Also, allowances are made for minor scuffs on walls and tread marks to carpets.

Formal deposit disputes are a chargeable activity and time consuming, so it’s always better to come to an agreement with tenants based on the original inventory and claim guidelines.

Damage has two forms: deliberate and accidental.  For the latter we always encourage our tenants to take out an insurance policy to cover instances where they accidentally damage the landlord’s fixtures and fittings, such as spilling red wine on a carpet or dropping a perfume/aftershave bottle on to the bathroom sink and cracking it.  By the same token we’d always advise our landlord clients to take out comprehensive landlord insurance to cover against both forms of damage in the event of a claim.  Belvoir can offer both landlord and tenant insurance through our provider, again speak to us for more details and we will talk you through it all.

Tax compliance should be discussed with an accountant specialising in property, as everyone’s circumstances vary.

We pride ourselves on the quality of our background checks on tenants, handled by our partner company, Let Alliance.  These checks include right to rent, proof of ID, proof of address, income, credit history and rental history. Open banking technology is also used to check for rent affordability, it may come to light that regular outgoings are greater than income. Let Alliance uses sophisticated technology to screen potential tenants to ensure they meet their strict criteria, and they are who they say they are.  With instances of tenant fraud on the rise in the UK it is always vitally important that we know who we’re dealing with.

Not only do we perform background checks on would-be tenants but we make sure they are the right fit for the property.  We ask certain questions at the viewing and note the responses to get a “gut feeling” of suitability.  For instance, if there is a large garden to be maintained we ask them if they would have the time and capability to keep on top of it. We always strive to match the right tenants to the property as any problems down the line would only come back on ourselves.  That said, the background checks are only a snapshot of a particular point in time and circumstances invariably change.  No amount of checking can predict what will happen in the future so it’s important to ensure you’re fully protected for all eventualities.  You may have decent tenants that look after the property but if they suffer job loss, illness or separation then it can become a problem for you as the landlord if they can’t meet the rent payments.  We’d always recommend our rent guarantee, please see the link below: