With the Renters’ Rights Act having banned fixed term periods in tenancy agreements and adding considerably more complexity to letting property in England, many letting agents have revised their terms and conditions and also how they price services for landlords. However, it is important from both a legal and an ethical point of view that […]
Letting agents and the law on unfair terms in contracts with landlords View Post »
When you’re setting out as a landlord, or even when you’ve been a landlord for a while, it can be difficult to know what you should put in unfurnished rental properties. Some of it is a grey area, depending on personal preference and target market. Others are legal obligations. Undoubtedly, the more a landlord provides,
What should landlords provide in unfurnished rental properties? View Post »
The end of a tenancy is often fraught for landlords and tenants alike, even when it’s the tenants who’ve served a notice to quit. The tenants want their deposit back promptly and a good reference. The landlord is wondering what state the property will be in, and how long it will sit empty before new
The end of tenancy check-out: inspection, inventory and checklist View Post »
Until 2015, the answer to this question was fairly straightforward: it was not worth the time and effort for all but the largest landlords to set up companies for their buy to let businesses. It was cheaper and easier to own them directly as an individual. Consequently, very few landlords used limited companies for their
Is a limited company best for landlords? The pros and cons View Post »
So many landlords and property investors only talk about their successes, staying silent about their mistakes. However, I think it’s good for us to share what we’ve learned so far. After each project, we should reflect on what went well, and what might have gone better, if we’d approached it differently. When I bought my
Checking in tenants is a key milestone in the relationship between landlords and the people who will be living in the homes they provide. After all, we landlords want happy tenants. Happy tenants stay longer, are more likely to look after the property, and are more likely to be cooperative about giving access for maintenance
Checklist for new tenants: getting ready for check in View Post »
It sounds so compelling: “let and forget”. Hand the keys to a letting agent, and the rent lands in your bank account each month while someone else deals with the leaking boiler. Leave it to them, and you get passive income. But how much does property management actually cost landlords? While the headline cost including
How much do letting agents charge for full property management? View Post »
One of the most important decisions landlords make is whether to use letting agents to find tenants and/or manage the property once the tenants have moved in. Great letting agents and property managers can totally transform the experience for landlords and tenants alike. I’ve personally had two fantastic letting agents who helped me enormously and
How landlords can make a complaint against letting agents View Post »
I receive more emails and messages about unfair terms and fees in letting agent contracts than almost any other topic. The pattern is nearly always the same: the landlord signed the terms of business without reading the small print, and only found out what they’d agreed to when they tried to leave, or when an
Letting agent contracts: small print to check before you sign View Post »
It can feel pretty daunting when you first start out as a landlord. It certainly was for me, when I became a landlord for the first time in 2019, and it’s become even more complicated since the Renters’ Rights Act came into force on 1 May 2026. Although over half of first time landlords bought
Becoming a landlord for the first time: 7 tips to thrive View Post »
