Are You A Good Landlord? Find Out Now!

Being a landlord requires continual learning and brings constant new challenges. Quealy & Co Residential Lettings in Sittingbourne is here to help you be the best landlord while maximising your property investment.

We have decades of experience working with landlords and tenants in Kent. To help you keep on top of the many requirements, our lettings team have created a handy list of essentials to ensure you are compliant, keep your tenants happy, and probably save you money!

Stay business-minded as a landlord

While it may sound obvious, don’t forget that buy-to-let is a business. As with any other business, you should create a business plan.

This will help you set clear goals and strategies to achieve them. Staying business-minded will also help you stay focused on making a profit and not forgetting to put a price on your time. If a property is not financially successful, it’s probably best to sell it and re-invest somewhere else.

It is worth remembering that if you don’t have time, you can always outsource this work to an experienced letting agent like Quealy & Co. Our service level options enable you to choose the right service. Your choice might be more about price to maximise your return, or equally, it might be about time to minimise the drain on your own time in dealing with the issues that inevitably arise.

Have a clear Tenancy Agreement

Excellent tenants will understand and respect the need for a comprehensive tenancy agreement, realising that it protects the tenant as much as the landlord. Providing a comprehensive inventory check is essential and can prevent a huge headache when the tenant vacates the property.

Write up a fair tenancy agreement clearly outlining who is responsible for the property's maintenance. To make life easier, include specific details, such as the pet policy and how the deposit may be deducted once the tenancy ends, so it is clearly understood and recorded officially on paper.

It is our opinion that the more professional you are about the finer details, the more likely your tenant will respect the terms of the tenancy and the condition of the property.

Choose the right tenant

We don’t need to tell you how problematic – not to mention costly – having difficult tenants can be. The dream tenants are the ones who pay their rent on time, look after your property and behave. So, how do you make sure you get these kinds of tenants?

Tenants who intend to stay in a property long term are beneficial. Six-month leases inevitably lead to more void periods, which means less rent and more paperwork. Someone who wishes to stay in the property longer is more likely to take better care of it.

Follow the rules and regulations

Landlord legislation is tricky to navigate, especially when that legislation can and does change constantly. If you miss something, the consequences can be costly. Please ensure you are signed up for our monthly landlord newsletter so we can keep you informed of significant changes to legislation. If you want to learn more about landlord legislation and rules, our friendly and highly knowledgeable lettings team at Quealy & Co would love to help you.

Respond to issues quickly

There will come a time when a tenant contacts you with an issue that needs your attention. Never ignore or overlook it—communication is key. If you cannot fix it immediately, let the tenant know.

There will be things you can’t deal with yourself – having a good relationship with tradespeople of all types is worth it. Do not skimp when it comes to getting a maintenance job done. A botched repair will cost you more in the long run, leaving your tenant unhappy and more likely to look elsewhere to rent.

We have invested in Fixflo to give landlords and tenants transparency around maintenance reporting. The quicker we can deal with maintenance issues, the more likely a tenancy will be conducted properly.

Short on time? Quealy & Co Residential Lettings will be a huge help

Want someone else to take on the load of the actual property management? Hire the Quealy Lettings Team to look after your rental property and tenants. Here are some of the many ways that we can help you:

• Advise you on rental property prices based on market conditions
• Market your property online and offline. We use significant portal advertising and social media campaigns to optimise interest.
• Arrange and conduct viewings on your behalf
• Draw up tenancy agreements
• Property maintenance and repairs (no late calls about broken boilers for you!)
• Collect rent every month and chase up late payments
  
  

Call our friendly and experienced Quealy Lettings Team on 01795 429836 or email hello@quealy.co.uk for all your lettings needs.