FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

If you are thinking about becoming a landlord with a property to let you will need to obtain permission from your mortgage lender (if you have a mortgage) and the freeholder (if you own a leasehold property) when considering property letting.

A mortgage lender or freeholder might impose conditions before giving you their permission to rent out your property. You should always comply with the conditions of your mortgage or leasehold for property letting because in the worst case you could face repossession.

Letting a property, house or flat, can be a good investment but there are a few things to look out for. A property letting agent will find the tenants, advise you on the best rent and manage the tenancy agreement paperwork.

At London Letts, our letting agents will keep you informed on the prospective tenants who are interested in your property to let, arrange viewings and give you feedback on what they think of the property. The letting agents will advertise the property to let on websites, in branches and in press, making it sure your property is seen by many potential tenants, giving you the best choice possible.

As well as interviewing tenants, our letting agents will follow up possible tenants’ financial and previous landlords’ references to ascertain their suitability to rent. The final decision on which tenants to offer your property to let is yours.

As a landlord you’ve got certain responsibilities and legal obligations to your tenant. These are the main things you have to do:

1. Look after the building – Keeping the exterior of a property to let in good condition is a landlord’s obligation. Make sure you maintain the roof, drains and gutters.

2. Have the right insurance – You should insure the property to let and the contents that are included with it. Your tenants are responsible for insuring their own possessions. Make sure your insurance covers you as a landlord, for renting your property and carries Public Liability insurance – normal household buildings and contents cover probably won’t.

3. Make sure services are available – It is also a landlord’s obligation to make sure that the property to let is supplied with services like gas, electricity, water, sanitation and heating.

4. Leave your tenants in peace – A ‘covenant of quiet enjoyment’ is part of most tenancy agreements. It means a landlord mustn’t interfere with the tenants. For example, you cannot:

• Go in to the rented property without their consent, except in an emergency
• Do anything that affects the tenants’ rights, for example cutting off services to force a tenant to leave

5. A landlord’s legal obligations – Every year gas equipment like boilers and ovens must be inspected by a person qualified to undertake testing. These engineers must be registered with and qualified by GasSafe (formerly CORGI). Any electrical equipment supply has to be safe too, and furniture must be fire resistant.

To make sure you’re up to date with all the relevant safety regulations, our letting agents provide leaflets with all the information you need. London Letts is obliged to refuse to take on a property to let where the furniture, furnishings, gas installations or electrical equipment do not comply.

Since October 2008 all landlords letting property to new tenants require an EPC or energy performance certificate.

An EPC demonstrates the energy rating and efficiency of a property. An EPC gives landlords and tenants information on how efficient the property to let is and gives a standard energy and carbon emissions rating from A to G, A being the most efficient.

Energy performance certificates for properties to let are valid for ten years. However if improvements are made to the property which might affect the energy rating then the EPC can be carried out more often.

If a landlord renews the lease to the current tenants, an EPC will not be required. It is only when new tenants move in that you as a landlord will need to obtain an energy performance certificate for the property.

There are a number of safety regulations that govern the letting of residential property to which landlords must comply. The penalties for failing to do so are severe and could result in heavy fines and/or imprisonment. As your letting agent, it will be our duty to advise you of your obligations, the implications of the safety regulations and to assist you in ensuring you are fully compliant.

Just some of the regulations include:

• Gas equipment like boilers and ovens must be annually inspected by a person qualified to undertake testing. These engineers must be registered with and qualified by GasSafe (formerly CORGI). Then as a landlord you must give the safety record to the tenant.

• All electrical appliances must be tested by a competent person such as a NICEIC qualified electrician.

• It is an offence to let a property containing furniture and furnishing that do not comply with safety regulations. This includes beds, sofa beds, futons, garden furniture, pillows, and nursery and children’s furniture.

• All new homes available to rent must be fitted with mains operated smoke detectors, installed on every floor and interlinking. For older properties, it is advisable to install at least battery operated devices.