Category Landlords

Although the majority of tenancies end with no problems, a checkout report can bring ultimate peace of mind to both the landlord and the tenant. And if there is a problem at this potentially sensitive time, the checkout report is there to help – it is an unbiased record of exactly what the state of the property was when the tenant moved out. 

When you have a checkout completed by an independent inventory clerk such as the experts at Looksy Inventories, landlords and tenants can avoid most disputes. If there is still a problem, the report itself is the evidence needed if you choose to take the case to adjudication with the TDS (Tenancy Deposit Scheme). It’s clear that having a checkout carried out at the right time by the right professional inventory company is crucial. 

What Is A Checkout Report?

Before we go any further into exactly what landlords need a checkout report carried out, let’s delve a little deeper into what this report actually is and what it entails. Essentially, the checkout inventory report is a thorough record of the condition of the property once the current tenants have moved out. Every room is inspected, and a report is made on the state of how the tenant left it. This report provides all the evidence needed to justify any deduction that the landlord might need to make for repairs or other issues that the tenant’s time in the property has meant needs to be done. It will also show the landlord what work needs to be done before they can rent the property out again. 

When compared to the full inventory report that your inventory clerk did at the start of the tenancy, the checkout report makes it easy to see what changes have occurred – good and bad – within the property and a full assessment as to the landlord’s next steps can be made. If there is a dispute, both documents together will form the main evidence in an adjudication process, and if either is missing, the TDS is more than likely going to give the tenant the benefit of the doubt because who’s to say when the damage was caused and who by? It could have been there when they moved in unless the checkout and inventory prove otherwise. 

What Does A Checkout Report Include? 

A checkout report will give you a detailed description of the cleanliness, overall maintenance, and specific damage within a property. At Looksy Inventories, every checkout report is meticulous and thorough and will contact photographs as well as in-depth descriptions. 

It’s hard for a landlord to be objective when it comes to their property, especially if they have owned it for some time, or perhaps they once lived in it themselves, and it can often be hard to determine what is damage and what is fair wear and tear (something that you cannot claim for). The checkout report will make it clear so that the landlord can decide on their next course of action. 

What Are The Benefits Of A Checkout? 

As a landlord, it could be tempting to bypass the checkout altogether. After all, if you have the full inventory report completed, is there any need for the checkout? Can’t you just move on after the tenant leaves? Of course, it’s always down to you; it’s your property and your business, but there are many benefits to having a checkout report, and here are some of them:

• An independent checkout expert shows your tenant you are being fair 
• A tenant is much more likely to agree to any issues if a third party completes the checkout report
• A checkout report promotes a positive landlord-tenant relationship 
• A checkout report will reduce unnecessary costs and save the landlord time 
• The checkout will ensure a much smoother transition from one tenant to the next, ensuring you have less time with an empty property on your hands 

At Looksy Inventories, we are thoroughly trained and highly experienced when it comes to checkouts. We can provide an independent, thorough, and easy-to-read report that will give you the confidence you need to take the next step, whatever that might be. It’s not easy to be a landlord at times, and anything that can be done to assist you is important; the checkout is one of these things. 

Contact Looksy Inventories For Your Checkout Report 

When you need a checkout for your rental property, don’t hesitate to contact Looksy Inventories. We are independent, unbiased, and offer great prices on all our reports. You can trust that no matter what you need us for, we can be there for you. 

Empty rental properties can be a problem for a wide range of reasons; when they are sitting dormant, the landlord isn’t receiving an income for one thing, but there are other issues to consider. One is mould and damp, another is pests such as rats and mice, and of course, there is always the risk of break-ins, vandalism, and – in rare cases – squatters. 

Yet something a landlord might not have considered when it comes to their empty rental properties is the challenge of legionella. This serious health hazard is undetectable to the naked eye; you can’t smell it, you won’t notice it at all until it causes a tenant or visitor to become unwell, potentially fatally so. 

What Is Legionella? 

Legionella is a type of bacteria that, when inhaled, can lead to legionnaires’ disease, a lung condition similar to pneumonia. Legionnaires’ disease affects the respiratory system, and, as we’ve mentioned, it can be a fatal illness, especially since it is often confused for flu at first, and medical help is not received quickly. 

Most legionella outbreaks don’t occur in empty rental properties or occupied ones, come to that. They occur in poorly maintained cooling towers, cold water storage tanks, showers, hot water calorifiers, etc. This is because the water within these storage vessels often sits for some time at the right temperature (between 20 and 50 degrees C) for legionella bacteria to proliferate. 

However, if your empty rental property has a cold water storage tank, that too can become a place for legionella bacteria to thrive. When a tenant moves in and turns on a tap or shower or uses the garden hose, if they inhale any droplets of water containing legionella, they could become unwell. 

As an important matter of note, drinking water that contains legionella is not harmful; legionella must enter the lungs to cause any health issues. 

How To Control Legionella In Empty Rental Properties 

Temperature is the first defence against legionella bacteria. If you have a cold water storage tank, the water within it must be kept at lower than 20 degrees C if possible. If hot water is stored in a calorifier or Megaflow or similar, it must be stored at over 50 degrees C. 

On top of this, legionella bacteria grows when it can live on stagnant water, rust, and other debris. When the house is occupied, assuming the cold water storage tank is the right size for the property, then the water within the tank will be turned over every few days, meaning there is no chance for it to stagnate. If you have empty rental properties, it’s a good idea to run the taps once a week or so to empty the tank and reduce the risk of legionella growing. 

On the subject of rust and debris, the tank must be in good condition. If it is old and degraded, legionella is much more likely to occur. If there is no lid, or the lid is ill-fitting, it is much more likely to occur. As a conscientious landlord, if the tank in your empty rental property needs to be replaced, now is the time to do it before any vulnerable tenants move in. 

Showerheads are another cause for concern. Since legionella bacteria must be inhaled for it to cause damage to the lungs, and since showerheads produce a spray that someone can easily inhale, they need to be cleaned regularly. As ever, when the property is occupied, this is not an issue – the tenants will clean the showerhead or at least use the shower enough for it not to harbour any stagnant water. When you have empty rental properties, this is not the case. Before a tenant moves in, flush the showerhead through and clean it with a strong solution to ensure it is entirely descaled. 

Risk Assessment 

A legionella risk assessment is mandatory when you are renting out your property. You can do this yourself, although if you’re unsure about whether or not your empty rental property is at risk of legionella bacteria and potentially causing harm to the tenant or a tenant’s visitor, it’s a good idea to get a risk assessment carried out by an expert. Looksy Inventories can do this for you, so contact us today to find out more. 

Since 2008, the number of properties sold with sitting tenants has quadrupled, and that figure accounts for about 11 percent of all rental properties. So what does this mean? And if you are thinking of buying a rental property with sitting tenants, what should you be considering? Read on to find out more.

A Property With Sitting Tenants Is Good News All Round

The first thing to take note of is that this is a good thing all round. If a property with sitting tenants is bought by a landlord, that means the tenants can remain in their home, and the landlord doesn’t have to spend any time or money searching for new tenants for the property. Everyone wins.

That doesn’t mean, though, that there aren’t some important things to consider when you are buying a property with sitting tenants. It might be the easiest option of all when it comes to starting your landlord journey – or adding to your portfolio – but in order for the entire thing to go smoothly, you need to do your research too. Don’t just assume that all is well.

Inventory

When you are buying a property with sitting tenants you’ll want to see the inventory that was carried out when they moved in. 25 percent of all tenants sign a lease that lasts for two or more years, and the longer tenants are in a property, the more potential there is for damage to have occurred.

The inventory is the ideal tool to make sure that, when you inspect the property before buying it, it is all how it is meant to be, bearing in mind how wear and tear will affect the look of a property too. This will give you a good idea about how the tenants are treating the property and how much you might have to spend when the tenancy is up. If that cost is going to outweigh the cost of buying an empty property and finding a new tenant, it’s not worth the risk.

And make sure to see any copies of the mid-term inspections that should have been carried out. Again, you’ll be able to see exactly what’s happening and have all the information this way to allow you to make an informed decision.

Referencing

It might surprise you to know that, as a new landlord, you have the right to run checks on the sitting tenant of the property you buy. You can’t charge them for the work, of course, but it’s worth doing a check for your own peace of mind. You’ll want to know that they are exactly who they say they are and that they have the right to reside in the UK. This is crucial since you’ll need to comply with the immigration right to rent legislation.

Anything could have changed between the original tenancy starting and you taking over, and since you’ll be responsible for ensuring that your tenants are living here legally, you must check this out.

Deposit Protection

Make sure you have proof that this has been carried out correctly by the previous landlord, including serving the paperwork to the tenant. It wouldn’t hurt to have written confirmation that this has been carried out too directly from the tenant, as an extra safety net.

Rent Guarantee Insurance

Because you haven’t hand-picked this tenant from the start you have no idea whether they are a good tenant or not, so obtaining rent guarantee insurance would be a good idea.

You might think of landlord insurance as being simply home insurance that has an added element or two within it. This is essentially correct, although there is more to landlord insurance than that. Read on to find out more. 

When Is Landlord Insurance Necessary? 

There are a number of times when this special insurance is necessary and even compulsory. These include:

• When your mortgage company requires it (buy to let lenders often make it a mandatory condition of the mortgage)
• When it is part of the tenancy agreement 

It’s not a legal obligation to have landlord insurance, and it is your choice in the end, but if you want peace of mind, and if you want to have a mortgage without any issues, it is something you’re certainly going to want to consider. 

What To Think About When Getting Specialist Insurance 

Before you purchase landlord insurance there are some important points to consider. Think them all through carefully before making a decision, because there are many different insurance providers, each one different to the next (or at least, that’s how it seems – the end product might be very similar). 

The first thing to think about is that it is a different entity to home insurance, meaning that if you have home insurance on the property already and then choose to rent it out, you’ll need to cancel that insurance and get specific rental insurance to cover you. 

If you have an HMO you’ll need specific HMO landlord insurance as this will be specifically tailored to your needs. Even if you run an Airbnb, this insurance will work for you. You might even be able to insure multiple properties on one policy, so if you have a portfolio, or you’re planning to have one, this is something to bear in mind. 

If you think that specialist insurance isn’t necessary, that is, as we’ve said, your choice. However, it is worth remembering that around 9% of tenants in the private sector do land in arrears at some point, and evicting a tenant takes an average of 42 weeks. Can you afford not to have landlord insurance? 

Plus there is more than ‘just’ the tenant to think about. You’ll need to consider the location of the property too. Is there a higher crime rate in the area? Is there a risk of flooding? Insurance cover can be a reassurance, just in case, although do be aware that you might pay more for your landlord insurance due to these factors. 

Insurance And Your Property Inventory 

A good, detailed property inventory, just like the ones Looksy Inventories provides in Sevenoaks and beyond, can be extremely useful when claiming on your landlord insurance. It will show just what the property was like before the tenant moved in, and once they leave, of course, but if there is significant damage from flooding, fire, or a crime, the inventory can be used to prove that damage and show the extent of it. 

In every case, the inventory from Looksy can speed up the insurance claim and make it a much smoother process. Find out more by looking around our site for prices and examples, and contacting us for more advice and to book your inventory, check-in, or check-out today. 

COVID-19 has changed everything, and that includes the rental market. COVID-19 and lettings are, it turns out, not entirely compatible. With restrictions on evictions firmly in place, landlords – and their tenants – may well be reassessing how things are going to go once lockdown is ended and vaccinations are more widespread.

Landlords in particular may well want to know how they can increase the rental value of a property they know is going to be empty soon. Increase the income from one property by enough, and you will start to make up for any shortfall you might have suffered during the pandemic. Here are some ways it can be done.

Outside Space

Lockdown has meant that we’ve all been indoors a lot more than usual, although in properties that have nice outdoor spaces that will have been at least bearable. With no end in sight to lockdown, as well as the fact that many people are now aware of how important their gardens actually are, you need to make the most of the outside space your property has.

Spend a little money and put in a large patio, replace the lawn, maybe even add some sliding doors to the back of the house so everything can be opened up.

Outdoors is something that might not have been crucial before, but it certainly is now once you look at the impact of COVID-19 and lettings.

Room For Home Working

Maybe everything will go back to ‘normal’ once COVID-19 is no longer such a threat. For the most part, that’s a good thing. However, the home working revolution has definitely begun, and it’s unlikely that this is going to change. Now that employers and business owners have realised that they can save money by not having any office space to pay for, and now that employees know that their job is perfectly doable from home, why would it go back to the way it was?

That means, of course, that renters are going to be searching for a home in which they can work. When there’s a spare bedroom, an actual study, a dining room they’re not going to use, perhaps even a conservatory, they’ll be happy. But if your property doesn’t have any of these things, you’ll need to try to make space. Can you split any rooms into two to create a study? Can you add an outside room or any kind of extension? You’ll be able to rent the place out for more, so you should be able to make your money back.   

Allow Pets

If you don’t allow pets in your property, you’re missing out on some fabulous tenants, and you’re limiting your market. To get the place rented, you might have to reduce your asking price or accept an offer.

If you allow pets, you’re effectively doubling your tenant pool and you can ask for more money because of it, despite the issues that have come about because of COVID-19 and lettings.

During lockdown, many people have decided that they need a little company, and a dog or cat – or whatever – has come into their lives. Now they’re looking for somewhere they and their pet can live, so be a little more flexible, and you’ll make a lot more money.

Most properties are in good condition and are safe to live in, but sometimes things go very wrong…

Read more here: https://www.landlordtoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2021/1/property-let-out-in-dangerous-condition-by-rogue-landlord

A landlord who failed to improve his rental property, leaving his tenants in dangerous conditions, has been fined.

Haroon Karim from Nottingham has pleaded guilty to two offences under the Housing Act 2004, failing to comply with Housing of Multiple Occupancy licence conditions and failing to comply with an Improvement Notice. 

Nottingham council officers visited the landlord’s property in the city and a number of category 1 and 2 hazards were found. 

This included dangerous stairs, structural collapse, excessive cold, damp, mould, fire hazards, issues with food safety and sanitation and drainage

Karim was then served an Improvement Notice, which he failed to comply with, exposing the tenants of this property to these hazards for an unacceptable level of time.

In addition, there was a breach of the HMO licence conditions in that the landlord had failed to provide adequate amenities within the kitchen that were suitable for the number of tenants living in the property. This included failing to provide a microwave oven or an additional cooker; failing to provide an adequate number of electrical sockets and failing to provide sufficient amenities for food preparation and washing up by not providing an additional sink or dishwasher.

During sentencing, Nottingham Magistrates Court ordered Karim to pay a fine and legal costs totalling £1001.42.

A spokeswoman for the local authority says: “We will only take legal action as a last resort if a landlord doesn’t work with us to improve their property. Most landlords are good landlords, but there are some, like Mr Karim, who give others a bad name. I would urge tenants to contact us if they have issues with their home, that aren’t being sorted.”

A business idea that you might have had to make a good amount of income is to be a landlord. If you already have a suitable property, perhaps because you inherited it or you have moved in with a partner and now have a ‘spare’ house or apartment, then the idea might seem even more interesting. Even if you decide to be a landlord and then buy a property in order to make it happen, it really can be a good way to make some money. How much money will depend on the property and the area, but as long as you are making more than you are paying on your mortgage, you will be doing well.

In order to be a successful landlord, you need your property or properties to be occupied more than they are empty – an empty property is a serious issue and will result in a loss of money. Therefore, you need to be a good landlord, to keep your tenants happy. Here are some ways to do it.

Customise The Lease

You can get a standard lease form at many different places; you can even download it online. However, in order to be a good landlord, and one that tenants will be happy to stay with, you should customise the lease. This means ensuring that both you and the tenant are completely happy with everything included within it.

You can take the standard lease form as the basis for your customized lease, and then add certain clauses and take others out. You can make the lease completely unique and personal to the situation. One good thing to include in any lease, no matter what else might be written there, is that your tenants need to have insurance. Then you’ll know your property is protected.

Allow Changes

For the most part, if a tenant asks you for permission to make changes within the property, it’s a good idea to say yes. Not only will it keep your tenant happy, but it will most likely save you money in the long term. If the tenant is willing to pay for a new kitchen, bathroom, flooring, or even if they are just happy to do some cosmetic work and make some updates in that way, it means you don’t have to do it yourself, so it’s good all round.

To make sure you are happy with the work, it’s a good idea to have some provisos; you can say that changes can be made, but you want to inspect the work when it’s done, or you want to look at the plans before any work is started. This is your property, after all, and you need to make sure that any changes made aren’t going to make it worth less or be less desirable.

Make Repairs As A Landlord

Although your tenant might be more than happy to make small repairs around the house, they don’t have to (unless the lease says they do, of course, but this is not the usual way that a tenancy works). One of the benefits to renters is that their landlord is responsible for making repairs around the home, so don’t be surprised if you get a call or email from your tenant asking you to do this work.

In order to show that you are a good landlord, you should make any necessary repairs in a timely manner. This will protect your property and ensure your tenants are happy to keep living there.

How to manage your property remotely… Remote working offers a great number of benefits for both employees and employers including better productivity, a happier workforce, and lower costs. It’s something that many businesses are now offering their employees as a matter of course where possible, and although this has been hastened due to the rules around coronavirus, it is something that was always going to happen eventually.

But what about landlords? Can they take care of their properties remotely? Should they? Let’s look deeper into this idea of how to manage your property remotely.

New Tenancies

Before a new tenancy can take place, the property needs to be inspected and any repairs that have to be done before someone can move in must be seen to. Yet if you live a long way from the property, or perhaps even in another country entirely, how can you do this if you plan to manage your property remotely?

The answer is simple; you have an inventory clerk do the inspection for you. An inventory clerk like us here at Looksy will carry out a checkout, full inventory, and then a check-in on your behalf, meaning you don’t have to step foot in the property if you don’t want to.

Of course, if work needs to be carried out you can then choose what to do next. This is where having a trusted team of tradespeople on hand can be ideal – you will see the extent of any damage from the inventory report, and you can instruct your painter, plaster, gardener, carpet layer, kitchen fitter, or anyone else to do the work that needs doing. Simple.

Tenant Relationships

Although a lot of the time the interaction between landlord and tenant ends after the tenant moves in, and the only connection between them will be the monthly rental payment, sometimes more needs to be done. If there is an issue in the property, for example, there should be a clear line of contact and communication so that the problem can be dealt with swiftly before the tenant becomes unhappy (possibly unhappy enough to leave which will then cause the landlord the hassle of finding a new tenant) or the problem escalates into something much more expensive.

Using an agent to help you is a good idea if you want to manage your property remotely. Yes, it will cost you money – often a certain percentage of the monthly rent – but it does mean you don’t have to be dealing with issues when you can’t do much about it. Instead, the agent will be the first port of call and they will have people on hand to fix issues quickly. Agree a maximum price for repairs, and they can organise everything without even having to bother you.

Conclusion About How To Manage Your Property Remotely

It is entirely possible to very successfully manage your property remotely if you are a landlord. The key, however, is to remember you can’t do it alone. You are going to need a good support network behind you to help you, and only then can you really cut the apron strings and be much more independent.

If you want Looksy Inventories to be part of that network, please don’t hesitate to get in touch and chat about what we can do for you.

Mould is a huge issue for many landlords and their unfortunate tenants. It is by far the most complained about aspect when it comes to rental accommodation, and it is something that is going to affect most people at some point, whether they have to deal with the mould or they have to live with it. It is crucial that landlords and tenants understand more about mould so they know what they have to do when it rears its ugly head.

What Is Mould?

Mould is caused by damp. Damp itself can be caused by all kinds of different issues, none of which are good… it might be rising damp because the damp course is faulty (or non-existent), or it could be from a leak on the roof, for example. Essentially, when there is condensation of moisture in the air, mould will form.

Condensation can be a structural issue (like those mentioned above, or perhaps a faulty heating system or insufficient insulation), or it could be a result of how the tenant is using the property (as in not using enough ventilation when showering or cooking or drying clothes inside the house).

The problem is that mould isn’t just unsightly; it can also damage property and possessions and, in some cases, be a health hazard too.

What Can Landlords Do To Prevent Mould?

The extent to how far a landlord can go will depend on what the cause of the problem really is. A missing roof tile or a blocked gutter can be dealt with quickly, stopping the mould in its tracks (after which some redecorating may well be required internally). Something bigger like a leak from an unknown source or an issue with the tenant might take longer to sort out.

However, as a rule of thumb, the earlier the damp problem is noticed the sooner it can be fixed and the less damage the mould is going to cause. This is just one of the reasons a landlord should conduct periodic property inspections. By doing this on an annual or six monthly basis, or perhaps more frequently (how often will depend on the overall length of the tenancy and the tenancy agreement), the landlord will be able to see if there is a problem, and will be able to see if the tenant is using the property in the right way.

Of course, sometimes landlords are unable to do this due to other commitments; they might live many miles away, or even if a different country. This is why hiring an inventory clerk to carry out these midterm inspections can be an ideal solution, particularly if there have been mould problems in the past.

If it turns out that the damp and mould is due to a structural issue, the landlord has responsibility in dealing with it under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (section 11).

Advice To Tenants

For tenants who are worried about causing mould and who want to prevent it from happening as much as possible, here are some useful tips:

• When cooking, use lids on pots where you can
• Don’t dry clothes inside (use a washing line or tumble dryer). If you really have to use a clothes airer, it should be kept in the bathroom with the window open and the door shut
• If there is an extractor fan in the bathroom use it every time you have a shower
• Don’t let the property get cold; keep your heating on a low level all the time
• Try not to put furniture against outside walls

For More Advice…

For more advice, contact Looksy Inventories today. We can arrange to inspect your property on a regular basis to keep landlords and tenants happy.

After all of the pictures are shot, the listings have been tweaked and checked and gone up online, and (hopefully) the phone calls and email enquiries have begun to come in, that is when the actual work starts when it comes to ‘selling’ your rental property to prospective tenants. Unless you happen to be in an area where rentals are snapped up quickly, or you have something truly exceptional (or cheap), it could take many weeks – even months – of viewings to get someone who wants to make your house their home. This does need to be remembered when you are preparing the place for viewings.

Showing folks around your home is among the most crucial components of the marketing procedure. It enables a prospective tenant to discover the specifics about the property, where it’s located, measure up for furniture, get a good feel for the place, and decide whether or not they can live there. Online viewings are all very well and good, but that gut feeling is crucial to many, and nothing really beats physical viewings. Thankfully, the pandemic is now in a position where this is possible, so lettings should be easier than they have been.

Here are some useful tips for ensuring that your viewings go as successfully as possible, cutting down on the time and expense it will take to let your property.

Pick Good Times for Viewings

Let the letting agent (if you’re using one) know the viewing times that suit you ahead of time. The way you are not rushing a viewer around the house so that you can go and get the kids from school on time, for example. Don’t have them book viewings during your working hours, or when you already have commitments in place. Or, if you don’t want to miss out on prospective tenants, have the agent do some or all of the viewings for you. This can actually work out very well since they won’t have an emotional attachment to the place, and some tenants prefer to have an agent show them around anyway.

Despite having said this, it’s still important to be as flexible as you can. If your property is suitable for commuters, you may have to show it at weekends or in the evening. If it’s a family home, you might have to fit in viewings during school hours.

Remember Kerb Appeal

The very first thing a viewer will see regarding the property will be the outside, therefore however glamorous and spotless it is on the interior, it has got to look great in the open air too! It’s all about kerb appeal. Keep the driveway clear and the front garden (if there is one) tidy. Make sure the front door is in good condition and the door furniture is shiny and new. It won’t cost a lot, but could be the difference between quickly finding a tenant or waiting for weeks without any rent coming in.

Make It A Home

In order to help someone envisage themselves in the property, tell them more about it. Let them know what you loved about it, why you bought it, the history of it. Give them something to think about.

Keep your rental property tidy and spotless, but looking as it has been lived in. It needs to feel like a home to viewers; they shouldn’t be afraid to touch anything or worried that any little mark is going to be a huge issue. They need to be able to live there, after all. But equally, let them know that you care about it and take care of the place. This fine line can easily be balanced, and it will help you greatly.  

Don’t Oversell

No one likes a pushy salesperson, so if you’re showing someone around your property, don’t make them feel forced into making a decision and never, ever lie to them. Even if you think that whatever it is you have to say is going to push them towards buying, don’t do it – it will only come back to bite you later on, especially if they ask you to put certain points in writing which you can’t deliver on.

Make A Lasting Impression

Try to keep your property’s greatest feature for last when viewings are happening. Whether that’s the amazing view from the master bedroom, the gorgeous, brand new bathroom, the garden, the peace and quiet, the huge inglenook in the living room, if you can (and it will depend on what it is and the layout of the house) leave it until last because that will be the main image people walk away from your property with. It might be the thing that persuades them they need to live there.