Are you wondering how easy it is to find tenants yourself online, advertising your property on Rightmove and Zoopla, without going through traditional high street letting agents? After all, with rental demand high, surely it can’t be too difficult? The short answer is that it’s not that difficult to find tenants yourself, using online letting
How to find tenants yourself without letting agents View Post »
The Renters’ Rights Act has banned “rental discrimination”. This is a new legal concept which prevents landlords and letting agents from discriminating against prospective tenants or tenants because they have children or because they receive benefits. Although there is high awareness of the new rules banning rental discrimination, the rules are not well understood. Landlords
The rental discrimination rules in the Renters’ Rights Act View Post »
I stopped using high street letting agents to find tenants in 2021, after having received bad service from the local branch of a national firm. One of my tenants suggested I use OpenRent another time, which I did in 2022, 2023 and 2024. However, when I looked for tenants in June 2026, I decided to
Review of the Hello Neighbour online lettings platform View Post »
It’s important for landlords to think of personal safety when carrying out viewings to prospective tenants at their rental properties. Personal safety has been an important issue for estate agents and letting agents ever since the disappearance of 25-year-old estate agent Suzy Lamplugh in 1986. She went missing in broad daylight in the middle of
How to carry out viewings safely at your rental property 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 »
Subletting is a very complex area for tenants and landlords to navigate. Whilst it can help a tenant who needs to move out for legitimate reasons, it also exposes landlords to a lot of risk. This risk has increased since the Renters’ Rights Act came into force, as it gives the First-tier Tribunal the power
Choosing good tenants is probably the most important thing for a buy to let or HMO landlord to do. Whether landlords outsource the tenant-find to letting agents, or find tenants themselves using online agents, the principles remain the same. It’s not always easy finding good tenants. Many applicants appear charming and convincing when they view
Ever notice how costs seem to appear from nowhere when a property is unoccupied due to voids and refurbs? It’s bad enough not having any rent coming in, when all of a sudden you start receiving bills for things you hadn’t factored into your cashflow projections. All landlords and other property investors will have an
How to reduce void period costs and risks during refurbishment View Post »
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 »
