- How best to present my property for letting?
Advice will vary from property to property because the majority of homes in the Cotswolds are unique, so we advise seeking help from a trusted letting agent:
- Cleanliness is key, if presented in good clean order it will attract the right type of tenant and give a good impression that you are a landlord who cares about the property and your tenants.
- Decorating in neutral colours will allow the property to attract a wider audience and create an appealing light and bright atmosphere.
- New or professionally cleaned carpets can make all the difference.
- Gardens are an important focus – weed free, mown lawn and clean paving will help to increase the speed of letting and set the right impression.
- Pay attention to the outside of the property – exterior decoration, clean windows and appealing appearance, as many tenants drive by a property first before arranging a viewing. It will also set the first and last impressions on a viewing.
For landlords looking for support, visit our Landlord Hub.
2. Furnished or unfurnished?
The majority of tenants have their own furniture; therefore, we recommend unfurnished as this will appeal to the widest market – the wider the market the higher the chances of achieving the best rent, with a choice of tenants and shorter void periods. In addition, if you let furnished you are responsible for the
furniture, therefore should it wear out, you will need to replace it.
3. What are my legal responsibilities?
There are over 130 pieces of legislation governing residential lettings, which are regularly changed and updated. This can seem overwhelming, however, instructing qualified, experienced, regulated letting agents, like ourselves, who can manage the whole process for you will allow you peace of mind.
4. How do you avoid pitfalls?
Engage a good letting agent, they will minimise the risks for you at every stage of the process and will usually spot problems ahead of time and resolve them. Being a landlord is an investment, and as with any investment there is risk – even when using a letting agent. For complete peace of mind, a good landlord insurance policy will mitigate risk further and will cover you in case of loss of rent, eviction costs and damage to your property. Think of it like car insurance, if you comprehensively cover your car to reduce risk, then landlord insurance is along the same lines, there to cover the costs should the unexpected happen.
5. How to choose your letting agent?
- Check their reviews – Google Reviews are very informative (good or bad), easy to access and can be left by anyone.
- Recommendations from friends and colleagues are always good too.
- Make sure the agent is regulated and members of governing bodies such as ARLA Propertymark and RICS.
- Ask about the team, are they qualified (not a legal requirement, believe it or not), do they know the area, how many years of experience do they have in the industry.
- Consider local agents; by using them you are supporting the local economy and business.
- Look for an established company with a good reputation locally and long-term track record.
- Look at the agents’ current properties and evaluate how they present them – how good is the photography, do they include floor plans and give useful information to make it easy for tenants
to make informed decisions – the better the presentation online the more enquiries. - Remember tenants prefer to rent through agents they trust to deliver when maintenance issues arise – if you are represented by a trusted agent, you will have a wider choice of tenants.
Find out more about our Residential Lettings team on our dedicated page.