Residential lettings guide
Letting residential property can be complicated and time consuming when you don’t know how or what you need to prepare. Our Lettings guide provides valuable information advising landlords how to make the letting process easier.
The following short guide is designed to give you a quick and simple summary on the process to let your property. For further information about how to prepare and what to look out for download our residential lettings guide.
1. Accurate valuation
We offer a free, no obligation market appraisal and advise you on how to let your home quickly and at the best possible price. Our valuations are based off current market conditions and demands and take local, key factors into account such as parking, local amenities, transport links etc. Contact your nearest Frost Partnership or complete our online rental valuation request form.
2. Appoint a letting agent
Once you appoint The Frost Partnership we will act quickly to prepare the property particulars and take photographs. Your property is instantly sent to hundreds of active tenants looking for properties like yours through our Property Alerts service. Your property will be featured on our website and marketed on a wide selection of national and international property portals. Read more about Why choose Frosts to let your property?
3. Presenting your property
First impressions are vital, especially when letting your home. We give clear advice about what work is required, if any, to make your property stand out in the market place. For more property presentation guidance view our residential lettings guide.
4. Landlords' responsibilities
All gas and electrical appliances including central heating boilers should be in good working order and comply with health and safety regulations. Your annual Gas Safety record must be up to date and available on request. You are also required to inform your mortgage and home insurance providers about your intentions to let your property. Landlords must supply tenants with a How to Rent Guide before the commencement of the tenancy. All private landlords letting property in England must also comply with the Right to Rent legislation which comes into effect February 1st 2016. Failure to do so could result in a £3000 fine or custodial sentence. Make sure you are fully aware of all your legal requirements. Review our landlords’ checklist in the residential lettings guide for more information.
5. Energy Performance Certificate
EPCs provide the tenant with a greater sense of how much the utility bills will be affected by the property. Since October 2008 it has been a legal requirement for all landlords to have a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) available for both the tenant and agent before the property can be let or sold.
6. Marketing your property
The Frost Partnership offers a fully comprehensive and highly effective marketing platform. We regularly advertise in newspapers and magazines with a combined reach of 250,000 readers. Your property will feature on our website which is actively marketed internationally. We will instantly alert our database of active buyers looking for properties like yours through our Property Alerts service and we also promote your property on the most popular property web portals; OnTheMarket, Zoopla, PrimeLocation and Rightmove.
In addition, we send out a monthly digital newsletter, ‘A Touch of Frost’, which carries details of properties to buy and to rent alongside relevant industry news. This is sent to a growing recipient list of approximately 10,000.
7. Viewings
We will organise and attend every viewing providing you with frequent feedback and updates. Our offices are open 9am - 6pm daily and at weekends to maximise viewing opportunities. Contact or visit your nearest Frost Partnership office.
8. Offer negotiation
As soon as an offer is received we will contact you to communicate full details of the potential tenants and their proposed timescales, along with any special conditions to help you decide whether or not to accept. There is no obligation to accept the first offer you receive. However, once you have decided to accept an offer, full referencing of the tenants will commence to establish their suitability.
9. Offer accepted
Once both the tenant and the landlord have agreed the offer and are happy with the terms of the tenancy, we will do the following for you:
- Using an external company we will commence the referencing process which will include a credit check, employment reference and previous landlord reference where applicable
- Prepare the tenancy agreement and arrange for all parties to sign the document
- Collect cleared funds from the tenant prior to the tenancy commencing including the first calendar months rent and security deposit
For an additional fee we can arrange for approved contractors to carry our Gas Safety inspections, appliance tests, Energy performance certificates and organise professional cleaning on your behalf.
10. Inventory, check-in and check-out
For an additional fee we can arrange for an approved inventory clerk to prepare a detailed inventory. The inventory report report details the exact condition of the property on the day the tenancy commences and is sent to both landlord and tenant as a record of this. The inventory is designed to protect both tenant and landlord should any disputes arise at the end of the tenancy relating to the condition of the property.
11. Property management
Managing your property during the lease term can be stressful and time consuming. The Frost Partnership property management service enables you to rent your property taking away the worry and responsibility which can be associated with letting. Learn more about how our residential property management services can help you.
12. Guaranteed rent on time and in full EVERY month
The Frost Partnership offers landlords the opportunity to take out a Guaranteed Rent Policy specifically designed to ensure your property is fully protected from all potential liabilities including loss of rent, damages and legal cover. It includes all the fantastic benefits of a normal rent guarantee service, with the additional perk of making sure you receive your rent on time and in full, no matter what and no excess.
Contact your local Frost office to find out more.
13. Zero Deposit Option
Rent faster, reduce void periods and increase the deposit from the maximum 5 week level cash deposit to 6 weeks whilst keeping the same protection as a traditional security deposit. Those are some of the benefits landlords receive from instructing a letting agent that offers a Zero Deposit Option to tenants. For tenants the Zero Deposit Option helps to reduce the upfront cost of renting, and can speed up the whole process by minimising paperwork and hassle.
Contact your local Frost office to find out more.
