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Buy To Let Being A Landlord

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Date Published:
06/06/2008

Decisions decisions Although there are two types of tenancy - assured and assured shorthold - it is required by most lenders that you opt for the shorthold tenancy, which offers you the safeguard of being able to take possession of your home after a six month period if it becomes necessary.

Blue front door. Being A Landlord

In an assured shorthold tenancy, both landlord and tenant will agree the duration of the minimum term and the level of rent to be paid. The fixed term can only be terminated by mutual consent.

If you intend to rent out part of the home that you are living in as a resident landlord, different rules apply.

When preparing your tenancy or right to occupy agreement you need to consider a few additional lifestyle matters:

Whether To Allow Tenants To Keep Pets

A pedigree puss is one thing, but a boa constrictor or St Bernard quite another. Agree boundaries and wherever appropriate put them in writing.

Whether To Allow Tenants To Change The Decor

If you do you may want to ensure that a scheme is agreed between the two of you before decoration begins, or that the tenants is required to return the scheme to neutral before they move on.

Painting walls. Being A Landlord

Whether You Will Allow Smokers

Consider the safety issues - a large proportion of house fires are caused by carelessly discarded cigarettes. Smoking can cause health issues for other tenants. Also smoke will damage decor and furnishings - all of which may need remedial action before a new tenant takes over the property.

The Landlords Association - www.landlords.org.uk

The views represented in this article are those of the author and not of Channel 4. The purpose of the article is to provide general information only and does not constitute financial, investment, legal or other advice.You should not rely on any information provided in this article and you should always seek out independent professional advice relevant to your own particular circumstances.

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Comments

  1. Although dealing with tenants directly has its disadvantages, in my experience using a property management agency is very costly. Apart from the monthly management fee, I found that agencies tend to use very expensive tradesmen for maintenance/repair work, and often made inappropriate decisions about what needed to be done without first referring to me. On one occasion I was quoted a price for a repair job by the agency. Thinking this was not reasonable I decided to source a tradesman myself, and got a good job done by a reliable tradesman for half the price. I hesitate to suggest that many agencies have some sort of "deal" going on with their pool of tradesmen.
    Posted by joanna on 01/09/2009 11:28:51
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  2. This is a great post. One thing most people do not take in to account when buying a rental property is property management fees. If you plan on hiring a property management company, say goodbye to any cash flow potential. I fully recommend being a do it yourself landlord. There are so many useful tools on the internet that help you to do this nowadays, that you really don't need a property management company.
    Posted by Teresa on 19/11/2008 18:13:28
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  3. a notice landlord choosing to skip agents just wants to know that they have all legal obligations covered. Where can they find this?
    Posted by landy on 24/09/2008 18:24:44
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