At Bricknells, we regularly come across landlords who mistakenly think that all it takes to manage a rental property is to collect the rent each month and to take care of the odd bit of maintenance now and again. Sounds simple doesn’t it? Unfortunately, this is far from the reality!

What these landlords don’t realise is that there are many more day-to-day tasks that need to be taken care of in order for them to stay safe and on the right side of their legal obligations.

In this article we want to open the eyes of landlords to their responsibilities and to all the things that we at Bricknells Rentals take care of so that you don’t have to.

We’ve spoken to many landlords in South Yorkshire who dismiss the work of a letting agent with comments like “I don’t need a lettings agent to manage my property – it won’t take much effort…”, “I can manage it myself, all I need to do is collect the rent…”, “a family member can give keys to the maintenance contractors”.

Unfortunately, the real world isn’t quite so straightforward!

There are over 150 pieces of legislation related to letting property, from the Housing Act 2004 to the Immigration Act Bill 2016 to the Consumer Protection Act 1987.

Are you up to date on current legislation?

Are your properties compliant?

Here are just a few of the things we get up to when we manage properties for our landlords (this article would be far too long if we listed everything!):

• We test and record the smoke alarm when new tenants move in.
• We provide proof of the issuing of the gas certificate.
• We handle the health and safety checks on all contractors – you may have heard of the recent £88k fine issued to a landlord who didn’t follow this regulation. We ensure that all contractors are suitably qualified and indemnified.
• We ensure that your gas or electric certificates are up to date.
• We ensure that you follow all the rules under the Right To Rent checks
• We help you fill your property with new tenants through our advertisement network.
• We know the difference between an ‘allowed’ and ‘not allowed’ passport or visa when you check prospective tenants and conduct follow up checks – you can be imprisoned if you get this wrong!
• We issue and prove that the most recent How To Rent Guide has been issued to new tenants.
• We keep a record of all maintenance – we keep records of reports from tenants and what action was taken. This ensures that you never lose the right to issue a section 21.
• We register the deposit correctly by issuing valid deposit registration documentation on time.
• We handle the calls, visits and notification of any insurers in the event of rent arrears and take care of the commencement of legal proceedings if necessary.
• We take care of all of the annoying out of hours calls!

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!

This is far too much responsibility for that family member you were claiming could help you out from time to time! It’s far too much responsibility for you as you juggle your full or part time job and other commitments. The so-called “let only” arrangement is a myth.

So maybe it’s time to let Bricknells look after your needs – each of our landlords are equally important to us. Our fully managed service takes all the hassle out of owning rental properties and gives you peace of mind that everything is taken care of. Any other solution simply doesn’t work for the majority of landlords who already lead busy lives.

We’re ready to talk to you about your property. Get in touch with us today by calling 01709 365584 or emailing enquiries@bricknells.ohsositepreview.co.uk