London Landlords 5 Tips to Consider when Letting your Home

1. Overall presentation: In order to achieve optimal rent ensure the property is clean, tidy, modern and free of damp and mould. Plus make sure the lights work and windows are dressed. Consider this. …Would you live in this property? Is it fit for purpose? The properties that rent for the best price are those that look clean and fresh.

2. Finding the perfect tenant and how: Finding the perfect tenant at the outset can be crucial to the success of any tenancy and can help avoid problems at a later stage. An estate agent such as Seymour Green can assist with finding the perfect tenants and avoid the worst ones. We do this by: " Organising and manging extensive reference checks " Being an experienced lettings agent skilled in handling all types of scenarios " Being on hand to give best advice at all times to our clients

In order to steer clear of void periods, maximise rental yield and achieve the most out of your investment, take time to consider your desired tenant profile and how best to appeal to them. Do consider having multiple tenants in your property as well as a family. Working professionals are often hard working, non- partying, good tenants who sadly cannot afford to buy and therefore will potentially rent on a long term basis.

3. Ensure that your property complies with legal requirements: There are an ever increasing number of controls and procedures for Landlords to comply with when letting properties that need to be adhered to and failure to do so can range from civil action to criminal prosecution. Therefore, it is a good idea to choose an agent who is equipped to comply, is up to date with the relevant legislation and has a list of local contractor's numbers for property maintenance.

4. Let Only or Managed?: It is worth considering whether you the owner ( Landlord) will manage the property after it has been let or you will choose agent. Often Landlords do not have time or the experience to deal with managing the property and instruct an agent at a fixed price to do it for them. This can be particularly useful if the Landlord is moving overseas and cannot practically manage the property. Also a good local estate agent often has excellent relationships with local contractors and can deal with any maintenance issues minor or major quickly.

5. Choose your Agent wisely: By taking some time to research your local estate agents and consider their lettings services from sourcing professional tenants to property maintenance could save time, money and peace of mind in the long run. With the large chain type agents for the property maintenance service you are often dealing with a centralised call centre which is not local to the actual property. Also big brand names often charge an additional percentage on top of the contractors invoice making a simple maintenance quote look ' eye wateringly ' expensive! Here at Seymour Green Estate Agents with offices in Putney and Southfields we pride ourselves on an unbeatable tenant find and managed property service with no mark up on tradesmen bills and a dedicated