Property Advice

As of April 2014 landlords were advised to take action to reduce the risk of exposure of legionella to tenants. Under certain circumstances legionnaires can be deadly, so it is vital that landlords get these things right. Under the 2014 changes to Health & Safety Work Act the Landlord or Person in Control of the Premises must understand how to:
1. Identify and assess sources of risk
2. Manage any risks
3. Prevent or control any risks
4. Keep and maintain the correct records

As well as having a periodic electrical inspection every 5 years (in Scotland) and ideally in England, N.Ireland and Wales, there are plenty of jobs landlords need to do to improve the safety of the electrics in their property. Make sure your fusebox is fitted properly and not damaged, ensure you have a working residual current device and check that sockets aren't overloaded. Lastly, it's vital that you keep a record of electrical safety reports, appliance instructions and guarantees/warranties so that you have evidence the property is safe should anything go wrong.

The first thing to decide when getting an inventory done is whether to do it yourself or employ someone to do it for you. If you do employ someone, ensure they have a robust method of carrying out the inventory and are ideally members of AICC or APIP. If you're doing the inventory yourself there are a lot of things you will need to check, from stains in the carpet to including the address on each page of the inventory paperwork. You will need to make sure the tenant signs each page to prove they have read it and carry out a check with the tenants present in case of disputes.

Know your tenant, check what cover you need and know the type of property when you sort out your buy to let insurance. Do you need cover for malicious damage? Rent cover? If you have more than one property should you get a multi policy? How long is the property covered for if left empty? Read this checklist so you know what you need cover the risks landlords have to take on a daily basis

First things first, only ever consider using a letting agent who are members of either NALS, SafeAgent or ARLA/RICS. It's then good practice to 'become a tenant' by googling 'renting a property' to see which agents are top. Use property portals to see which agents market similar properties to yours. This checklist will help make sure you choose the ‘good guys’ in the market that do their job well – and if they don’t you have an independent person to complain too!

Renting out a room in your house can be a useful way of securing some extra income, whether you need just for some extra cash or intend to use the money to help with mortgage payments. You can earn up to £7,500 tax free from renting rooms in your home. There are few decisions you will need to make though before advertising any rooms.. Are you including all bills in the rent? How much will you charge for rent? You will also need to check if the property becomes an HMO if renting to more than two tenants. There are still legals you have to abide by and things like having an annual gas safety check is a must and protecting deposits you take in a government licensed scheme is essential or your tenants can sue you! Finally, it's important to make sure you secure the right landlord insurance, just in case! Read our guide and articles to help you know if renting a room is the right thing for you.

Proper research is vital when deciding on the property you want to rent, you'll need to find a balance between what you like and what you can afford. Clearly the rental costs will be an important factor but you will also need to consider the agents/landlords fees, deposit and living costs. Ask to see the necessary safety certificates such as Gas, and the Energy Performance Certificate and if they are a good landlord/agent, they will also have an electrical safety certificate. Ensure you know which deposit scheme the landlord will be using and get your tenancy agreement checked over by a qualified legal expert, only sign it when you are clear on your rights and responsibilities. Don’t forget you’ll need contents insurance and to organise your change of address.

Do you know when you plan to retire? That’s one of the first things to decide if you want property to deliver a retirement income. What’s the value of your property portfolio? Gross income from rental properties? Have you taken tax into account? There are plenty of calculations to make to check if rents are a viable source of retirement income for you, but it’s essential with new tax changes introduced in 2015 such as stamp duty and mortgage interest relief to seek independent financial advice and this checklist explains why and how.

As with all Buy to Let investments you need to be clear about what your objectives are and especially to make sure you're taxed correctly. This isn’t something you should do yourself, especially initially and if you get the right help, tax can be mitigated (depending upon your circumstances) and you will need to complete a tax return every year. A specialist property tax accountant will be able to advise on keeping your tax as low as possible and this checklist provides you a list of the details you will need to take with you for them to assess your tax liability.

Joining a landlord association is essential for both landlords and your tenants. It shows a tenant that you as a landlord are legitimate and know the rules, so they can let through you safely. When choosing which association to join you need to be aware of what they offer in terms of information, support and training and what work they do to help support landlords when the government is looking to change legislation. Ideally make sure they have a free helpline and don’t fall for giving money to people who will ‘teach you’ to be a landlord, an organisation RLA costs less than £100 a year to join, but can easily save you thousands every year.