Rent collectionPaperworkReferencingEaster picOut of hoursProperty cerificates

Your management fee - what's included?

So you’ve signed up with The Letting Company - great choice! But what do you get for your monthly fee?

In this blog Lettings Manager, Louise Rock, takes you through what we provide.

Rent Collection

This is probably at the forefront of your mind. How do we make sure you get what’s owed?

Louise clarified: “We don’t get paid unless you get paid. We don’t invoice for management as we deduct our 10% from the rent we collect for you. So if you only get £50 rent paid, we only get £5 – it is in our best interest to get you what’s owed too.

“It is our number one priority to ensure your rent is paid in full and on time.”

If the worst happens and a tenant doesn’t or can’t pay, then we start our collection process.

·         Day 7: If they haven’t paid a week after the due date, we get in touch. We make the initial call and, if needs be, we email and text.

·         Day 14: the tenant(s) receive a written warning.

·         Day 21: a second and final warning is sent out and if they still haven’t been in touch, then we begin the process of serving notice.

Through all of this we continue to call, email and text the tenant(s) as well as make site visits.

“We have plenty of experience dealing with the right notices and court proceedings. If it reaches the point where we have to take it to the courts, we handle everything and you never need to step foot in the court room.”

And it doesn’t stop there. Even after the tenant leaves, we handle the recovery of any outstanding rent or costs with the help of our legal team, Direct Collection Bailiff Ltd (widely recognised from the Channel 5 show “Can’t Pay? We’ll Take It Away!”).


Paperwork

No one likes paperwork; that’s why we handle it all for you.

Louise explained: “Lots of agents charge extra for paperwork - some even charging in excess of just £200 just for the inventory - but with us, it is included.

“From tenancy agreements to inventories, tenant information brochures and any letters which need sending to the tenant – we’ve got you covered.”


Referencing

Louise said: “We handle all tenant referencing, including the essential Government Right to Rent checks. It is now not only essential, but law, that we check every tenant has the right to rent in this country, and we handle all that for you. We obtain all other references too, from credit checks to employment and landlord checks. It’s incredibly important to ensure that all applicants can not only safely afford the property, but that they have carried out previous tenancies to a great standard.”

 

Inspections

You want to make sure your property is being looked after, and that your tenants have everything they need too. That’s why we carry out regular inspections at your discretion.

“For new tenants we will check at months three, six, nine and 12 for the first year. Then we will visit every six months, or more if the landlord asks. But we find if we are visiting every three months beyond the first year, tenants can become a bit unsettled it. We’ve even found at some inspections tenants have reported repairs they wouldn’t think to call in with, and it has cut out any chance of the repair turning into something much more substantial.”

Photos and reports can also be provided from every inspection, at no extra cost.

 

Out of Office Emergency Line

You can’t plan when problems happen, sometimes it can in the early hours of the morning. Regardless, we have a member of staff ready to take the call.

“It comes to a member of staff, not a contractor, so we can personally handle it. We never exceed £150 plus VAT in an emergency situation, or less if requested. So if there is a leak, we will stop it to avoid further damage but we will not carry out unnecessary repairs at 2am without the landlord’s permission.

“It cuts out landlords having to deal with problems both minor and major. And it keeps you from the hassle of having to deal with unnecessary things too – I’ve taken midnight calls for lightbulbs which have gone out and even how to fill in our application forms!”

 

Property Safety Certificates

We cover you for all the certificates you need to rent a property out.

“We handle everything from the obvious, like gas certificates, to more obscure things such as Legionnaires Disease tests or EPC Energy certificates, which every property let to a tenant after October 2008 has to have.

“Electric tests are not demanded by law but we really cannot recommend enough that every home has one in place. Every property needs a smoke alarm on each level and they have to be replaced like for like; hard wired for hard wired or battery for battery. It is legislation like that which we constantly keep up to scratch with so we can make sure you are always covered.”


No hidden costs

We have never - and will never - charge additional costs. Other agents may apply extra charges when renewing the tenant's lease, when there is a changeover of tenants and even to just send letters to the tenant. Here at The Letting Company, all of this is included in the monthly management fee. From inspection to inventories, and check-ins to check-outs, we guarantee no hidden costs... ever.

 

Our monthly charge is 10% plus VAT, with a reduced rate for portfolio landlords available. Our management is tailored to each and every landlord, ensuring you receive the best service possible. We are on hand whenever you need us, and whatever you need us for.

To find out more, give our team a call on 0845 838 2890 or email louise.rock@thelettingco.com.

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