Expert Letting Advice For Landlords

The Lettings process

We offer a friendly service combined with our knowledgeable experience of the residential lettings sector. We can offer you a bespoke service to accommodate your particular requirements.

Letting out a house or flat can be a great investment, but there are a few things to look out for. We can help you find tenants, get the right price and manage the paperwork.

From city centre crash pads to luxury detached country houses we help landlords to let and manage properties over the city of Brighton & Hove and surrounding areas . We can find the right tenants for your home through one of our high profile offices in Brighton & Lewes.

To arrange a consultation at a location that suits you please call Anthony Whitehead MARLA. With over 20 years of experience his friendly informative approach will leave you with the information for you to make your decision

Landlords Obligations

A landlord’s legal obligations

There are a number of safety regulations that govern the letting of residential property to which landlords must comply. The penalties for failing to do so are severe and could result in heavy fines and/or imprisonment. As your letting agent, it will be our duty to advise you of your obligations, the implications of the safety regulations and to assist you in ensuring you are fully compliant.

Just some of the regulations include

Gas equipment like boilers and ovens must be annually inspected by a person qualified to undertake testing. These engineers must be registered with and qualified by GasSafe (formerly CORGI). Then as a landlord you must give the safety record to the tenant.
All electrical appliances must be tested by a competent person such as a NICEIC qualified electrician.
Although it is not a statutory requirement to have your electrical inspection carried out on the property you do have a duty of care to your tenants, so we recommend having the wiring checked prior to letting your property to ensure it is safe.
It is an offence to let a property containing furniture and furnishing that do not comply with safety regulations. This includes beds, sofa beds, futons, garden furniture, pillows, and nursery and children's furniture.
All new homes available to rent must be fitted with mains operated smoke detectors, installed on every floor and interlinking. For older properties, it is advisable to install at least battery operated devices.

Step 1 Prepare your property To Let!

We’ve found that properties are let on first impressions so a well presented property will let quickly!

Presenting to rent

Be objective – don’t overlook flaws just because you don’t mind them
Reduce clutter – get rid of everything but the bare essentials
Decorate neutrally – tenants should be able to see it as their home, not yours
Keep it light – clean the windows and use light colours to decorate
Outside and in – fresh paintwork and well cared for outside spaces make a great first impression

Step 2: Contact us to arrange an appointment at your property

A little research can give you an idea of what the right rent is for your house or flat.

Ask yourself

What’s the going rate in your area?
How much do you need to cover your mortgage and other expenses?

If you want a professional opinion on where to set your rent we can advise on the monthly rental income your property could achieve. and without any obligation to use us for letting or management.

To arrange a free market appraisal of your property please contact Anthony Whitehead MARLA on his direct line 01273 627413. We can usually make an appointment for the next day.

Step 3: Find your tenants

If you decide you’d like us to let your property, just give our Brighton or Lewes office and they will arrange to put your property on the market.

We’ll keep you up to date on letting your property, from who’s interested in renting, to when tenants are looking round and what they think of the property.

We’ll advertise your property on the web, in our offices and in print, making sure it gets seen by as many potential tenants as possible.

We’ll show prospective tenants around on your behalf and we’ll make sure it’s convenient for you and for any current tenants. It’s always best to show off a property in daylight, we can show people round at the weekend, too.

Step 4: Get the paperwork done

When you’ve found the right tenants and they’ve agreed to move in, there’s some paperwork to be done before the tenancy can start. We’ll take care of this and send all the documents to you and your tenants.

We call this stage “let agreed”, and it starts with checking credit references. We’ll request credit checks on your tenants, follow up references and talk you through any potential problems.

Next we’ll draw up a tenancy agreement that sets out exactly the terms of your contract with your tenant, including any special requirements you have.

We will normally arrange for the tenants to come to our offices to complete and sign the paperwork.

Finally, the inventory records the contents and condition of your flat or house at the point when your tenants move in. Because it’s so important that this is impartial, we recommend a specialist Inventory Company. The tenant will receive copy of the inventory, and the inventory company will do another inspection at the end of the tenancy to check that nothing’s missing or damaged.

On going management

Keep you informed on changing safety regulations to ensure you keep your property compliant
Handle the accounts and keep you up to date on rent payments and any maintenance spending
Visit your property to give you a report of the condition of the property. If we think any work needs doing, we’ll let you know
Arrange day to day maintenance, redecoration and repairs on your behalf
Give you advice on how to make the best of your property and enhance its value