Interior Decorating Tips for Landlords

It’s come to the end of the tenancy agreement and maybe you have a bit of time before the new tenants move in or maybe you’re struggling to find a new tenant for your empty property. One thing you will want to do is give your investment a clean up and think about interior design. If the walls are scuffed, rising damp in the kitchen and the previous tenant’s cat has scratched the carpet then now is the time to give the property a spruce […]

How has the Coronavirus pandemic affected Landlords?

The Coronavirus has changed and impacted every aspect of our lives for the last 10 months. With further lockdown restrictions in place across the UK, and the vaccination programme being rolled out, the end is (hopefully) insight. But how has the pandemic affected the rental market? And specifically, what has changed when it comes to being a landlord?
 
The good news from all of this is that the property market has remained open and several measures have been put in place to help landlords during the […]

Landlords waiting more than five months to regain their property.

 
Recent figures from the Ministry of Justice show that private landlords are having to wait an average of over five months to regain possession of a property when applying to the courts. While it can be costly to evict a tenant, it should always be a last resort. It can be costly in time, money and effort.
The Residential Landlord Association is warning that the Government’s move to develop longer tenancies will fail without urgent court reforms to ensure landlord can quickly regain possession of a […]

Is your property winter ready?

 
As a landlord, it is your responsibility to make sure that your properties and tenants are winter ready. Keeping on top of essential maintenance is vital and keeps tenants happy.
Prepare

Communicate – Talk to your tenants. Ask if there are any issues that they are concerned by. Make sure that all emergency contacts are up to date.
Set up and emergency plan – A ring binder in for every binder full of emergency telephone numbers, helpful advice, where the stopcock/fusebox/gas and electricity meters are. All useful to […]

How to Avoid Property Voids

 
It’s a New Year which means new resolutions, new goals and big plans for the year to come. For many people the New Year will continue the same as the last but for others there may be some hurdles to jump over.
Many people enter January with a tight budget after the festive season which can result in late or missed payments which, from a landlords prospective could mean late rent, unpaid rent or tenants looking to downsize to cut costs.
Our team at Property Quote Direct […]

My Tenants Experienced a Burglary Just Before Christmas, Are They Covered?

“I’ve just been informed by my tenants that they have been burgled; the back door has been severely damaged and all of their Christmas present have been stolen. I need to know what is covered by my Insurance so that these damages can be repaired and hopefully my tenants can receive some compensation for the contents that have been stolen.”
The Crime that Spikes Around Christmas & Why
It is not uncommon for there to be a spike in the number of break-ins around this time of […]

The Landlords Battle against Organised Crime in Their Properties

 
Many Landlords may be under the impression that if illegal activity is carried out in a property that they are renting out, that they will be protected by their insurer but sadly this is usually not the case. We are here to guide you through what to look out for to ensure that you are not left uninsured due to some troublesome tenants.
We are going to talk you through the common and unusual scenarios that are leaving landlords properties all over the UK, vulnerable and […]

Case Study: My Neighbour Has Flooded My Flat

The Scenario
A landlord who is currently letting out one of their flats has recently had news that the tenants that live above the flat have left the bath running and flooded their property which has resulted in a soggy ceiling. The question is, who pays the insurance excess?
The Outcome
The first question to answer is “who’s to blame?” and in this situation the obvious answer would be the tenants from upstairs who left the tap running, but maybe there is more to the story. It is […]

Top tips for tenant screening and reference checks

Let’s try and get your tenant selection right the first time
A property is one of the most valuable assets a person will own in their lifetime and therefore in an ideal world this asset will have minimal risk and therefore minimal damage or value depreciation.
Lets talk through the dos and don’ts when it comes to finding the right tenants to occupy your properties.
Do you have an ideal tenant in mind?
I’m sure we would all like some tenants who have a regular income, don’t smoke, don’t […]

How do proposed legislation changes impact HMO landlords?

Minimum bedroom size, mandatory licensing and personal checks
If you currently own a property that is let to multiple occupants you are going to need know about the changes that could soon be coming your way including minimum bedroom size requirements, mandatory licensing and personal checks on yourself. So, let’s get started!