LETTING & PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

Transcription

1 LETTING & PROPERTY MANAGEMENT A GUIDE TO OUR SERVICES 25 Carfax, Horsham West Sussex RH12 1EE Tel: Fax: lettings@courtneygreen.co.uk Web site:

2 COURTNEY GREEN WHERE PEOPLE AND PROPERTY MATTER An Introduction To Courtney Green Courtney Green is an independent partnership established in 1988 and run by two Directors, Nick Courtney and Steven Greenfield, both of whom were born and educated in the Horsham area. The Managing Director Nick Courtney, and our Lettings Manager Jonathan Evans, are assisted by an established team of trained staff in the running of the letting department. They have over twenty years experience in handling the letting and management of all types of property within Horsham and the surrounding villages. Clients of Courtney Green have the benefit of dealing with a company who are a bonded member of the National Association of Estate Agents, the A s s o c i a t i o n o f Residential Letting A g e n t s a n d t h e Ombudsman Scheme. This guide demonstrates how Courtney Green will work for you to ensure your peace of mind in letting your property successfully.

3 What Are The Marketing Methods Used? A Prime office in the centre of Horsham s Carfax Full colour list of available properties sent to waiting tenants on a regular basis Our own website, updated daily Weekly colour advertising in the West Sussex County Times and The Resident newspapers Regular contact with large Sussex based companies and relocation agents Prominent to let boards outside the property Advertising on national internet portals, including What Are The Benefits Of Using Courtney Green? The letting process need not be frightening or complicated and by using a reputable local agent with many years experience you can avoid the pitfalls and will receive help and advice on all matters including: Taxation issues Safety and legal aspects Maintenance and upkeep of the property The Tenancy Agreement The same contact from Courtney Green will endeavour to deal with you throughout, assuring you of a personal service from someone familiar with your property Our own property management department, co-ordinating all property maintenance from our Carfax office Our fees are highly competitive to both landlords and tenants. Office open six days a week No call centres, everything dealt with under one roof by someone who knows your property Substantial interaction with our established estate agency division, with discounts on selling fees offered to landlords

4 Whether you are on-line or not, our website works hard for you the minute you instruct Courtney Green to let your property. Your property details will be drawn up and added to the website, together with high quality colour pictures, which can then be viewed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, attracting the interest of more prospective tenants. More people than ever are now using the internet to find a property, when it suits them. This coupled with our e mail response means that tenants can keep continuously up to date with new rental properties available on our list. Our internet and service makes your life, as a landlord easier too. Even if you are travelling abroad, you will find us easy to keep in touch with, so that you stay informed with what s happening with regards to your property. We view the internet as a tool to help put you in control, and give tenants the opportunity to talk to us about their requirements, and give feedback about your property. Visit us at and see how customer friendly our service really is!

5 Your Questions Answered The Property Furnished or Unfurnished? What should I leave? Who maintains the garden? How many keys do I leave? What about insurance? Does the condition matter? What do I repair? The Tenant Can we restrict the tenants? Are they referenced? What if they don t pay? Do they pay a deposit? What if there is any damage to the property? There is very little difference in the achievable rent, and generally a higher demand for unfurnished properties (with kitchen appliances included). Any items left in the property are the landlords responsibility for repair and maintenance. The most important items are carpets, curtains and kitchen appliances. For fully furnished properties, seek individual advice. The garden is the responsibility of the tenants, however if your garden requires a high level of maintenance it may be worth considering using a gardener. It is usual for three sets of keys to be required, one for the agent and one for each adult tenant. The buildings insurance remains your responsibility, and it is advisable to keep a small level of contents insurance. This is important. Well presented properties attract higher calibre tenants, and this will be reflected in the rental figures achieved. The maintenance and upkeep of the property is the landlords responsibility. Only neglect or damage caused by the tenant can be charged to them. On all properties we operate a policy of no smoking, no pets and no students, unless otherwise agreed by you, the landlord. Every tenant who applies to rent a property is fully referenced before they can proceed with a tenancy agreement. We use an independent referencing agency to check credit history, past addresses and landlord details, and ensure they have enough income to pay the rent each month. Under the terms of the tenancy agreement tenants are legally bound to pay the rent each month. With rent protection insurance you can cover the unlikely scenario that your tenant is unable to pay the rent and court proceedings are needed. Tenants have to pay a deposit equal to one and a half months rent before they move into the property. This is held by us in a separate and insured clients account, compliant with the Tenancy Deposit Scheme. In the unlikely event that any damage has occurred at the property, any repair costs or cleaning is deductible from the tenants deposit.

6 Legal Issues If How long are the agreements? Who must I inform? Do I pay tax? What about safety? Who is responsible for legal costs? The Letting Agent When am I paid? Is the property Inspected? The initial rental period is generally six months, this can be extended to a longer period if agreeable with both yourself and the tenant. A month by month arrangement can also be agreed. You need to inform your mortgage lender, tax office, buildings and contents insurers and management company (if applicable). It is advisable to do this as soon as possible. Tax is payable on UK derived rental income, although you can off-set certain allowable expenses to decrease your liability. you will be resident overseas we must obtain permission from the inland revenue not to have to retain a proportion of your rental income each month against tax. Before the first tenancy your property will need a gas safety certificate which we will arrange for you. Our contractors are very competitive and this work can be carried out in the region of 70 (depending on appliances). This is required to be renewed on an annual basis. You must also have working smoke detectors fitted. Depending on the age of your property we also recommend an electrical safety check. Should you be unfortunate enough to encounter a problem with your tenant that requires the services of a solicitor, we can recommend specialist solicitors who can guide you through the process of recovering possession. As the landlord you will be responsible for their legal costs, however you can then further pursue the tenant for some of these costs. Further advice on this aspect can be obtained through us. Payment is made monthly via a direct bank transfer. You should allow seven working days after the tenancy start date for this to register in your account. A statement is forwarded to you monthly. We inspect the property under our Full Management s e r v i c e only. However if you wish to inspect the property yourself, you may do so by prior appointment. What if the house is If your house is vacant between tenancy agreements, e m p t y? you need to notify your insurance company. The property is your own liability for this period. Who informs the services? At the point tenants move into the property, we take meter readings and then ask the tenants to contact gas, electricity and water suppliers, together with Horsham District Council, to make them aware of the new occupier and tenancy details. A closing bill will then be sent to yourself. We inform the utilities of the closing readings at the end of a tenancy.

7 The Services On Offer Basic Letting & Rent Collection Service: Inspect your property and advise on the likely rental figure, discussing its suitability with you Advertise and market the property until a suitable tenant is found Agree any proposal with you before obtaining references Draw up the tenancy agreements and serve all legal notices on your behalf Collect a security deposit and rent from the tenant, clear all funds and pay direct into your chosen bank account, providing a monthly statement of account (Rent guarantee insurance available by request). Prepare and check an inventory at the start and end of tenancy Take opening and closing meter readings Arrange any insurances requested by the landlord Act as a go-between on day to day maintenance items & arrange minor repairs, unless major works or visits to the property are required for contractors, gas safety checks, surveyors etc Arrange an annual gas safety check and if required electrical check, and advise the landlord of any further changes in legislation Full management includes all the above and in addition: Organise all routine and emergency repair items, obtaining prior approval wherever necessary. Inspect the property during the term and advise on any necessary maintenance items. Deal with any insurance claims. Provide a tax statement, free of charge, direct to landlord or accountant as required. Obtain the necessary consent from FICO tax department if you are going overseas.

8 Don t just take our word for it.. We are constantly being praised by landlords, here are a few quotes that we have received from clients ; you should be aware that throughout the past 6 years of managing our property, Jonathan Evans and his team have provided an excellent service. Nothing has been too much trouble and every request or query has been dealt with swiftly and efficiently. Having had a bad experience with another letting agent previously, we needed to ensure that we felt that the agent we chose was aware of our needs and requirements. This certainly proved to be the case with Jon and his team. We would have no hesitation in recommending Jon and his team to anyone seeking a recommendation for a competent letting agent who remained both aware and responsive to both tenants and landlords alike Mr and Mrs D. USA Thank you for managing our house over the 18 months or so that it was let through yourselves. It was all handled in a very friendly and professional manner, and we knew pretty early on we'd chosen the right firm. We're really glad it's now sold. Thank you again, and please pass on our thanks to your team. Mr and Mrs S. Canada Thank you for your support during the rental and sale of our property, it has all gone remarkably smoothly and we really appreciate your professional assistance. Mr and Mrs M. Australia if ever we do decide to move etc we will definitely be in touch as we have always been very happy with the level of professionalism at Courtney Green Mr and Mrs M. Storrington Just wanted to say Thank You so much for everything you have done for us both, it has not gone unnoticed and we are very grateful for all your time and patience, so Thank You. Mr and Mrs A. Horsham I would also like to take this opportunity to say a general 'thank you' to the team there. Life has had some stressful challenges this year and I would like everyone to know that I never take for granted the professional and customer focused service that you all provide - you have sorted so many issues out for me that I just wouldn't have had the time or been in a position to deal with...thank you all Miss L. Southwater Thank you for everything you have done over the last three years we have let through you. You have always worked so hard to answer every annoying question of mine! Miss I. Horsham Thank you so much for being so understanding. Have been very impressed and of course will not hesitate to give you the property back to rent Miss S. Horsham

9 Fee Structure Summary Basic tenant find only Service - 50% plus VAT of the first months rent Letting and rent collection - 10% plus VAT deducted monthly Please note that unlike most of our competitors this includes acting as the go-between for you and your tenant, and organising day-to-day maintenance problems using our contractors. Full management - 12% plus VAT deducted monthly Set up costs - This includes initial Tenancy Agreements, the Inventory and Schedule of Condition, the deposit registration and the Check Out at the end of the tenancy, this is payable on the day the tenant takes occupation. One bedroom property plus VAT ( ) Two bedroom property plus VAT ( ) Three bedroom property plus VAT ( ) Four bedroom property plus VAT ( ) Country Homes/ - Quoted at time of instruction Unique properties Tenancy Renewal fee - 35 plus VAT ( 42.00) (renewing to existing tenant) Furnished properties incur a 15% surcharge Optional insurance services Legal protection - 85 per annum (includes Insurance Premium Tax) Rent guarantee - Premiums from 15 per month Insurance (Quotations on request) Buildings insurance - Quote for your individual property available Contents insurance - Quote for your individual property available All Insurance cover is provided subject to terms and conditions. Where people and property matter