Residential Lettings
Guy Leonard & Company have been letting and managing properties in West Sussex for over ten years and our business is ever expanding.
We feel our success has been borne out of a strong commitment to provide a professional yet friendly service, great attention to detail and a desire to provide real value for money. Changes in legislation over recent years have allowed landlords to let their properties safe in the knowledge that they can obtain possession at the end of their tenancy.
As the working population becomes more transient many professional people are choosing to rent rather than buy as it provides more flexibility than home ownership and does not tie up vital capital. We work in an area where house prices can make it very hard for first time buyers to jump onto the property ladder which in turn has increased the number of good tenants.
The nature of tenants has therefore changed which in turn has forced improvements to the standard of typical rental accommodation. In order to attract the best tenants and minimise rental voids, properties do need to be well presented and cleaned to a professional standard. Hopefully the following information will answer some of your initial questions but we would naturally be delighted to meet with you to discuss your property in more detail.
Or send an email request to lettings@guyleonard.co.uk
ARLA + THE DISPUTE SERVICE
Guy Leonard & Company is a member of the industry’s regulatory body, ARLA. They require us to adhere to their exacting criteria in order to qualify for membership. We also belong to The Dispute Service who administer the Tenancy Deposit Scheme.
ADVERTISING AND MARKETING
We carry out extensive advertising in the local press together with a prominent internet presence. All properties would be advertised in full colour in the press, on the net and in our centrally located offices.
TENANT ASSESSMENT
We pride ourselves on selecting the right tenants for our landlords. We endeavour to obtain a rent guarantee for all new tenants thus providing complete financial peace of mind for our landlord. This is provided free of charge for the first six months of a tenancy and is renewable thereafter at a small cost. However we would still advise a landlord against accepting a tenant who we feel is unsuitable for any reason.
FURNISHED OR UNFURNISHED
Your legal rights are unaffected whether you choose to let your property furnished or unfurnished. However in recent years we have found a far greater demand for unfurnished property – by unfurnished a tenant would generally expect the property to offer curtains, carpets, lights fittings and kitchen white goods. However if your circumstances mean that you wish to rent the property on a furnished basis the tenant would expect to find everything they need for day to day life. Any items of great value (both financial and sentimental) should be removed from the property.
INVENTORY-THE TENANCY DISPUTE SERVICE
Legislation is becoming more stringent on the holding of security deposits. With this in mind we use the services of an independent inventory clerk to prepare an initial inventory and carry out the check in and check out. This offers maximum protection for our landlords and tenants in the unlikely event of a dispute.
SAFETY REGULATIONS
Again legislation changes all the time and we would regularly advise our landlords of any such changes. Annual Landlord Gas Safety Inspections are a legal requirement – we would either arrange this on your behalf or would send you a reminder. Our inventory clerk would advise on The Furniture and Furnishings Fire Regulations 1998 at the time of preparing the inventory – any non-compliant furnishings would have to be removed from the property. Whilst it is not mandatory at present to have an Electrical Safety Inspection we would urge landlords to have the wiring and any appliances checked by a qualified electrician. Finally we do ask landlords to ensure that their properties are fitted with at least two working smoke detectors.
TAXATION
Rental income must be declared to the Inland Revenue whether you are a UK resident or an overseas landlord. We provide you with monthly statements for your accounting purposes as some items can be offset against the income. Non-resident landlords need to register on the Inland Revenue Non-Resident Landlord Scheme in order to receive rental income without us having to deduct the tax – we can supply an application form for this.
OUR SERVICE
We can offer you the choice of two services, either fully managed or introductory only.
FULLY MANAGED
Once we have found a suitable tenant for your property Guy Leonard & Company become their main point of contact during the tenancy. They will notify us of any maintenance issues and we will take the appropriate action (obviously following consultation with yourself if needed). We will receive the rental payments and forward these to you minus any deductions, we will serve any legal notices that may be required, carry out regular inspections of the property and arrange for the check out at the end of the tenancy.
INTRODUCTORY ONLY
We carry out all initial advertising and marketing, viewings, referencing and preparation of the tenancy agreement as for fully managed tenancies. We can also arrange for the preparation of the inventory and meter readings if you wish. Once the tenant is in residence you would become their main point of contact and rental payments would be made direct to you. You would need to liaise with them regarding legal notices, inspections, check out and reconciling the deposit.
INSURANCE
We can offer access to insurance products, both building and contents, tailored to letting if required.
BUY TO LET ADVICE
Guy Leonard & Company Residential Lettings works alongside our estate agency business. Together we can offer advise to investment landlords if required. Clearly this offers a very brief outline of the work we do. If you would like to discuss your property or any aspect of the rental market in more detail please email us at lettings@guyleonard.co.uk or horshamlettings@guyleonard.co.uk
