News
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Getting Referencing Right
March 19th, 2010
The risks of allowing someone to rent your Durham property without properly referencing them can hardly be overstated. Referencing does not absolutely guarantee that you will never get a bad tenant, but it does massively reduce the risk. As a result, we place great importance on getting good references. The key components of proper tenant [...] -
Make it Shine!
February 24th, 2010
If as a Durham landlord you want to minimise the time that your property is empty between tenancies (what we call the void period), then it is absolutely essential that it’s looking its best for showing to prospective new tenants. This has two main elements: firstly the property’s underlying state of repair and decoration and secondly, how clean it is.
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The Importance of Accompanied Lettings
February 19th, 2010
We strongly believe that a letting agent should conduct all the viewings of any house or flat. There are a number of reasons for this…
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Can’t sell so must let?
February 19th, 2010
The last year has seen a growing number of people finding that they cannot sell their property at a price that they are happy with. If they need to move anyway, then they are…
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Taxing Issues
February 19th, 2010
We are often asked about what landlords can and can not offset against rental income in respect of a residential property. This can be a…
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Manage Your Investment
February 19th, 2010
Some landlords simply use a letting agent as a route to market in order to find a tenant. However, whilst a return on investment is …
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A Proper Inventory
February 19th, 2010
All residential tenancy deposits must by law be protected by being lodged in one of the three government-recognised schemes, such as the Deposit Protection Scheme (DPS). These schemes are all evidence-based. This means that …
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Gas – The Landlord’s Responsibility
February 19th, 2010
Gas and electricity can both be lethal. From a landlord’s perspective however, the law relating to gas safety is more …
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Consent to Let
February 19th, 2010
For many homeowners facing the reality of the current climate, letting is an obvious and very positive alternative to…
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With you all the way
February 19th, 2010
The sad truth is that many letting agencies do no more than…
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The Changing Shape of the Market
February 19th, 2010
The property market has historically been fuelled from below, with first time buyers paving the way for…
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Sharers
February 19th, 2010
The number of people sharing rental properties is rising. There is clearly a social trend afoot, possibly prompted by…
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Showing Tenants Around
February 19th, 2010
Some people feel that flats and houses should be able to “let themselves” and do not need to…
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Touching Up
February 19th, 2010
A tenanted property can sometimes experience harder wear and tear than..
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The Advertising Myth
February 19th, 2010
It would be perfectly reasonable to assume that as a property comes onto the market to let, a letting agent will simply..
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The Critical Importance of Referencing
February 19th, 2010
In an ideal world, once a tenant has been found, it would be good to think that the landlord can simply..
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Three Important Regulations for Landlords
February 19th, 2010
Whilst there are over one hundred pieces of legislation with which a letting agent should be familiar, three come particularly to mind in relation to advising landlords on the basic responsibility that they have for the safety of their tenants, as well as helping landlords avoid a £5,000 fine or six months in prison for non-compliance!
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The Rental Rush
February 19th, 2010
The end of the holiday season usually prompts great activity in the rental market and landlords should not only be prepared for this, but also take advantage of it.
The summer holiday not only marks the end of the school year, but also the end of a time of employment, with a surprising number of people handing in their notice immediately before leaving for their holiday. So in many ways early summer is a good time to capture these tenants and we have indeed been especially busy over the past few weeks. -
Who’s Choosing Your Property?
February 19th, 2010
An Englishman’s home may be his castle – but research suggests that it is often a woman who chooses it!
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Putting Your Property on the Map
February 19th, 2010
If location is fundamental to letting a property, then mapping is surely the most obvious way of highlighting location.
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Buying to Let – Getting Practical
February 19th, 2010
An increasing number of people are unhappy with the interest they are earning on their cash and are also taking the view that property prices must be getting near the bottom. As a result, they are beginning to think about buy-to-let property as a sensible home (excuse the pun) for their savings. Here are some practical elements that they should consider as a part of that investment decision:
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All Roses in the Garden?
February 19th, 2010
Landlords often ask us what they should do about their garden and what they can reasonable expect of a tenant in terms of looking after it. These are good questions and certainly need to be considered.
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The First Steps in Letting
February 19th, 2010
When letting your property, your primary objective is simple – you want to find a reliable tenant who pays the rent regularly and looks after your property as you would yourself.
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The Right People
February 18th, 2010
Despite the fact that some people regard all letting agents as more or less the same, there are in fact numerous selection criteria on which to judge the good from the bad, and the exciting from the mildly indifferent.
