Landlord Information

Chartwell Residential Lettings offers a range of Letting and Management Services, which can be tailored to meet your individual needs whether you are a private home-owner, an investment landlord or a corporate property company. We maintain a flexible attitude, and are generally able to adapt our service to meet our client's needs.  All of our services include visiting you at your property and providing a rental valuation.

Letting and Full Management Service

Many landlords do not wish to be involved in day to day letting matters and to provide for this Chartwell Residential Lettings offers a full management service. Complete peace of mind is provided by this service details of which are below.
  - Marketing and advertising including use of www.rightmove.co.uk,www.FindaProperty.com, www.primelocation.com and www.fish4.co.uk
- Conducting viewings at the property
 - Tenant selection, introduction and referencing
 - Transfer of rents
 - Preparation of the tenancy agreement
 - Arranging routing repairs and maintenance
 - Regular property visits and reports
 - Notifying utilities at the beginning and end of tenancy
 - Optional - Rental Protection and Legal Expenses Indemnity Insurance
 - Tax advice

Letting and Rental Collection Service

 - Marketing and advertising including use of www.rightmove.co.uk, www.FindaProperty.com, www.primelocation.com and www.fish4.co.uk
 - Conducting viewings at the property
 - Tenant selection, introduction and referencing
 - Transfer of rents
 - Preparation of the tenancy agreement
 - Optional - preparation of the inventory and schedule of condition
 - Optional - Rental Protection and Legal Expenses Indemnity Insurance
 - Tax advice

Introduction Only Service

This service suits landlords who only require an agent to find and reference prospective tenants

 - Marketing and advertising including use of www.rightmove.co.uk, www.FindaProperty.com, www.primelocation.com and www.fish4.co.uk
 - Conducting viewings at the property
 - Tenant selection, introduction and referencing
 - Preparation of the tenancy agreement
 - Managing the commencement of your Let and any subsequent extensions
 - Optional - preparation of an inventory and schedule of condition
 - Tax advice

Referencing

Our tenants are professionally referenced using Premier Homelet. Please look at their website www.homeletuk.com

Guide for Landlords

Prior to letting a property and to ensure that the tenancy runs smoothly there are several aspects to be considered. If you require further advice or assistance please do not hesitate to contact us.

IMPORTANT: A range of new legislation affecting landlords is being phased in during 2006 relating to: Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), Selective Licensing, Tenancy Deposit Protection, Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), and Accreditation Schemes. We will provide all clients with adequate information and advice relating to these legislations.

Insurance

You should ensure that you are suitably covered for letting under both your buildings and contents insurance. Failure to inform your insurers may invalidate your policies. We can advise on Landlord's Legal Protection, and Landlord's Contents insurance if required, using Homelet, a specialist provider of landlord's insurance. They provide a range of bespoke products that deal with all the risks that landlords face. On full management properties we will provide rental income guarantee and legal cost cover at no extra charge for the initial six months.

Council Tax

Council tax is the responsibility of the occupier. Inform your local collection office that you are leaving the property. During vacant periods the charge reverts to the owner. When unoccupied but furnished, the charge is 50% of the normal rate. When unoccupied and 'substantially' unfurnished, there is no charge for the first six months, and thereafter a charge of 50% of the normal rate.

The Inventory

It is most important that an inventory of contents and schedule of condition be prepared, in order to avoid misunderstanding or dispute at the end of a tenancy. Without such safeguards, it will be impossible for the landlord to prove any loss, damage, or significant deterioration of the property or contents. The schedule of condition includes a full range of digital photographs.

Income Tax

When the landlord is resident in the UK, it is entirely his responsibility to inform the Inland Revenue of rental income received, and to pay any tax due. However, where the landlord is resident outside the UK during a tenancy, under new rules effective from 6 April 1996, unless an exemption certificate is held, we as landlord's agents are obliged to retain and forward to the Inland Revenue on a quarterly basis, an amount equal to the basic rate of income tax from rental received, less certain expenses. An application form for exemption from such deductions is available from this Agency, and further information may be obtained from the Inland Revenue.

Important safety regulations

The following safety requirements are the responsibility of the owner (the landlord), and where we are to manage the property, they are also ours as agents. Therefore to protect all interests we ensure full compliance with the appropriate regulations, at the owner's expense.

Gas Appliances & Equipment

Annual safety check: Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 all gas appliances and flues in rented accommodation must be checked for safety within 12 months of being installed, and thereafter at least every 12 months by a competent engineer (e.g. a CORGI registered gas installer).

Maintenance: There is a duty to ensure that all gas appliances, flues and associated pipework are maintained in a safe condition at all times.

Copies to tenants: A copy of the safety certificate issued by the engineer must be given to each new tenant before their tenancy commences, or to each existing tenant within 28 days of the check being carried out.

Electrical Appliances & Equipment

There are several regulations relating to electrical installations, equipment and appliance safety, and these affect landlords and their agents in that they are 'supplying in the course of business'. They include the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994, the Plugs and Sockets Regulations 1994, the 2005 Building Regulation - 'Part P, and British Standard BS1363 relating to plugs and sockets. Although with tenanted property there is currently no specific legal requirement for a qualified electrician to carry out an inspection and issue a safety certificate (as exists in the case of gas appliances), it is now widely accepted in the letting industry that the only safe way to ensure safety, and to avoid the risk of being accused of neglecting your 'duty of care', or even of manslaughter is to arrange such an inspection and certificate.

Furniture & Furnishings

The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 (amended 1989, 1993 & 1996) provide that specified items supplied in the course of letting property must meet minimum fire resistant standards. The regulations apply to all upholstered furniture, and beds, headboards and mattresses, sofa-beds, futons and other convertibles, nursery furniture, garden furniture suitable for use in a dwelling, scatter cushions, pillows, and non-original covers for furniture. They do not apply to antique furniture or furniture made before 1950, bed clothes including duvets, loose covers for mattresses, pillowcases, curtains, carpets or sleeping bags. Therefore all relevant items as above must be checked for compliance, and non-compliant items removed from the premises. In practice, most (but not all) items which comply must have a suitable permanent label attached. Items purchased since 1.3.90 from a reputable supplier are also likely to comply.

Preparing the property for letting

We have found from experience that a good relationship with tenants is the key to a smooth-running tenancy. As Property Managers the relationship part is our job, but it is important that the tenants should feel comfortable in their home, and that they are receiving value for their money. This is your job. Our policy of offering a service of quality and care therefore extends to our tenant applicants too, and we are pleased to recommend properties to rent which conform to certain minimum standards. Quality properties attract quality tenants.

General condition

Electrical, gas, plumbing, waste, central heating and hot water systems must be safe, sound and in good working order. Repairs and maintenance are at the landlord's expense unless misuse can be established.

Furnishings

It is recommended that you leave only minimum furnishings, and these should be of reasonable quality. It is preferable that items to be left are in the property during viewings. If you are letting unfurnished, we recommend that the property contains carpets, curtains, and a cooker as a minimum.

Gardens

Gardens should be left neat, tidy and rubbish-free, with any lawns cut. Tenants are required to maintain the gardens to a reasonable standard, provided they are left the necessary tools. However, few tenants are experienced gardeners, and if you value your garden, or if it is particularly large, you may wish us to arrange maintenance visits by our regular gardener.

Cleaning

At the commencement of a tenancy the property must be in a thoroughly clean condition, and at the end of each tenancy it is the tenant's responsibility to leave the property in similar condition. Where they fail to do so, cleaning should be arranged at their expense. As managing agents we are able to forward mail for a limited time.

Mail forwarding

We recommend that you make use of the Post Office redirection service. Application forms are available at their counters, and the cost is minimal. It is not the tenant's responsibility to forward mail.

Information for the tenant

It is helpful if you leave information for the tenant on operating the central heating and hot water system, washing machine and alarm system, and the day refuse is collected etc.

Keys

You should provide one set of keys for each tenant. Where we are Managing we will arrange to have duplicates cut as required.

Sub-letting

If you are a tenant yourself, you will require your landlord's consent.

Here follows a summary of the services we provide;

The Chartwell Residential Lettings Service	Full management	Introduction Only
Initial visit including legal advice and market appraisal	Yes	Yes
Marketing including websites, newspapers and mailing	Yes	Yes
Contact with corporate tenants and relocation agents	Yes	Yes
Interviewing tenants and matching to your property	Yes	Yes
Accompanying all showings of your property	Yes	Yes
Referencing tenants including credit search and employer	Yes	Yes
Covering tenancy with guarantor if necessary	Yes	Yes
Drawing up the Tenancy Agreement including negotiated clauses	Chargeable	Yes
Preparing a comprehensive inventory and schedule of conditions	Chargeable	Chargeable
Obtaining and holding a substantial deposit	Yes	Yes
Receiving rent and paying it to you by internet banking	Yes	First month only
Chasing tenant for overdue rent and serving appropriate legal notices	Yes	No
Monthly statements sent by mail and e-mail	Yes	No
Providing tax advice for self assessment	No	No
Checking tenant into the property and agreeing the inventory	Yes	Yes
Regular property visits throughout the tenancy	Yes	No
Sending property visit report to you by mail or e-mail	Yes	No
Arranging for routine repairs and maintenance to be carried out	Yes	No
Arranging access for you or contractors with tenants	Yes	No
Managing tenants queries and difficulties throughout the tenancy	Yes	No
Yearly rent appraisal	Yes	No
Arranging safety checks in line with your statutory obligations	Yes	No
Serving appropriate notices for repossession	Yes	No
Checking the tenant out at the end of a tenancy agreement including check out report	Yes	No
Updated inventory	Yes	No
Negotiating an agreement to the deposit return	Yes	No
Remarketing the property during the notice period	Yes	Yes
Returning the tenants deposit as agreed by tenant and yourself	Yes	Yes