It’s important to give tenants as much information as possible before they move in, including key facts about the tenancy, the property and their responsibilities. A face-to-face meeting and welcome pack for them to take away with them can be an ideal way to do this…
“It’s a good idea to book a meeting with the tenant, so you can sit down together for 15 minutes or so and go through agreements before the tenancy begins,” says Branch Manager of Belvoir Grantham Samantha Lees. “Go through the most important parts of the tenancy agreement and what they should be aware of, such as the procedure of serving notice. You can tell them what you’re going to do in terms of the utilities and transferring everything for them. Tell them the purpose of your property visits, and about how often you will be conducting them, plus explain who to contact if there’s a problem.
“Use this meeting to impart as much information as possible in order to ensure your tenant is comfortable moving into their new home,” he continues. “It will give them confidence in you as a landlord – and in the property – if they know that everythign has been dealth with in a professional way, and they’ve got all the facts.”
Pack facts
The contents of a ‘move in’ pack can differ from landlord to landlord and agent to agent, but it is likely to contain key information about the property, plus copies of important documentation.
“A ‘welcome pack’, often known as a ‘move in’ pack, usually contains copies of all the relevant documents and can reinforce what you’ve spoken about during your pre-move in meeting,” says Samantha.
“The pack can include things such as a copy of the tenancy agreement, a copy of the standing order mandate that has been set up, a copy of all the deposit protection information, the inventory, the EPC, plus copies of the gas and electrical safety certificates.
“It could also include a key receipt – a photocopy of the keys which the tenant is asked to sign and date. This means at the end of the tenancy they can refer to it and know what they are supposed to bring back.
“The more information you can provide, the better, but there is more than one approach to creating a ‘move in’ pack. Some people, for instance, may even include maps, facts about the local area and other personal touches.”
Key information
Why is a ‘move in’ pack important?
“The importance of giving tenants all this information is that it is useful for tenants to have copies of the same documentation that the landlord or agent has the originals for,” says Samantha.
“This means that the information is readily available if they would like to refer to it during the tenancy. If they need to view to their tenancy agreement, for example, they can refer to the pack and check it.
“Also it’s important that a tenant knows that the property is safe and has a valid gas certificate and an EPC, which is a legal requirement. There are a lot of legalities involved in letting a property – it has to be done in a professional manner and it’s useful for tenants to have copies of anything that could affect them.”
‘Move in’ packs can have big benefits for landlords and agents, as well as being very useful for tenants…
“You will be less likely to be faced with questions throughout the tenancy by providing a ‘move in’ pack at the start – it will make a lot of the information more readily accessible,” says Samantha.
At-a-glance checklist
The pack could contain…
– Address of the property
– A copy of the tenancy agreement
– A copy of all the deposit protection information
– The inventory
– Utility supplier information
– Utility readings
– Copies of the gas and electrical safety certificates
– Details of vital contacts
– List of emergency phone numbers
– A copy of the standing order mandate that has been set up
– Information about the local area
– The EPC
– Maps of the area
– Key receipt
