Things to consider when renting a house

 Checklist of things to consider when you're about to/currently renting a house

Being a landlord isn’t just about finding a tenant and handing over the keys, it involves a lot of input. There’s the paperwork, marketing and quite a few legal obligations to consider even before the tenant has stepped through the door and of course that’s only the beginning. To give you some idea of what renting a property entails here is our handy checklist for renting a house...

Ensure the property is fit to rent

Safety is a top priority for landlords when it comes to letting property and if anything goes wrong you could face a hefty fine or even prison.

 Landlords must install a smoke alarm on every floor where there's a room being used for living space and  a carbon monoxide detector must be installed in every room where there's a solid fuel-burning appliance.  A house of multiple occupancy (HMO) comes under even stricter regulations.

Legally you need to provide tenants with a valid Gas Safety certificate, also known as a CP12, at the start of their tenancy. You must check that the electrical system is safe, for example sockets and light fittings and that all appliances you supply pass safety checks.

Arrange an EPC

All adverts for the property must contain the property’s EPC rating. This is an Energy Performance Certificate which shows how energy efficient the property is. This needs to be provided every time you rent out the house

Supply a How to Rent Guide

This is another essential you need to supply before renting out your property

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-rent and tenant.

Find tenants

Marketing your property is crucial and many landlords use a letting agent purely for this purpose. If you do it yourself you need to ensure you advertise in a web-friendly way and include high quality imagery. Ensure that you are targeting the right people for your property. For example a multi occupancy home will be perfect for students but not for a single parent family.

Carry out the Right to Rent check

This is to verify that the person you are renting to has a legal right to rent in the UK. This is something a landlord can do or a letting agent but failure to carry out the checks can result in a fine of £3,000 for each tenant.

References

References aren’t compulsory but as a landlord they’ll certainly give you the assurance that the prospective tenant is in a position to pay their rent and will be well behaved.

Arrange a tenancy agreement

The tenancy agreement – this is the official contract that gives a person the right to live in your property, and you the right to receive rent from them.

Protect tenant’s deposits

Every landlord must put the deposit they receive from a tenant into a Government-backed tenancy deposit scheme within 30 days https://www.gov.uk/tenancy-deposit-protection

Get landlord insurance

Again, this isn’t compulsory unless it’s stipulated in your buy-to-let mortgage for example, but it’s advisable as it will cover you if things go wrong.

Check the state of the property

Ensuring it’s clean and everything is in place will give your tenant a good impression and that there are no personal items left behind. Will the property be furnished or unfurnished? If it's furnished you need to check if everything is in good repair.

You need an inventory

This is a list of everything that is in the property and is used to ensure everything is accounted for when the tenancy comes to an end.

Supply your address

It’s a legal requirement for you to let your tenants know who you are and where you live and you need to provide them with these details within 21 days of the start of the tenancy. Not to do so will result in a fine.

When a tenancy ends…

• Inspect the property before the tenants move out

This is to check if any repairs are needed, check electrical and gas appliances to make sure they are in good working order, ensure everything is clean and check for carbon monoxide and fire risks. Use the inventory to make sure everything that was there before is still there.

• Pay back the deposit

You need to agree how much deposit will be returned - for example you may deduct any rent that is owing.

• Final check of property

Visit the property on the day the tenants move out for a final inspection.

• Take possession of the keys
• Put the property back on the market

If you are a landlord who is interested in any of our letting services and want a quote free of any obligation then please get in touch and we would be more than happy to help.