Landlord Process

The rental market is fast moving! Rents Landlords can achieve are driven by supply and demand. Obtaining an accurate rental valuation based on current market conditions at the time when your property is available is the key to not letting it stand empty. Oliver & Akers have an in depth industry knowledge and can utilise this to advise you on a realistic rental value based on the current situation in the local area.

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Being a landlord is a business, if you have the time to invest in your business great!....but if like many you do not, then you need reliable staff members like any business requires. This is where we come in. With years of experience business we understand the business of being a landlord, as an agent we understand the skill and expertise needed to serve a landlord. Together with the mountain of legal obligations to abide by along with being compliant; let us take the strain and manage your property for you. We can ensure that you are protected in every way and we will work hard to make sure you’re not out of pocket financially.

When preparing the property for advertising, it’s always best to tackle any wear and tear before rather than after. When a prospective tenant enters your property, you want to show them that you have the perfect property to call home. Paint areas that require painting but most importantly give the property a deep clean.

The rental market is a busy market, hundreds of properties are being advertised at any one time. Ensuring you stand out and ensuring you reach a larger audience than the property available around the corner is very important. Remember, empty property means you are losing money, so to find a suitable tenant within an appropriate time frame is crucial to minimise empty void periods between tenancies. At Oliver & Akers we have a successful marketing strategy utilizing not only the property portals, but social media and cutting-edge communication technology available to reach that bit more than the property around the corner

Its important to note one thing – when finding a suitable tenant its not always about money. Its about the professionalism, attitude and personality of the person or people who are interested in your property. Just because they earn a lot of money to afford the rent does not make them suitable candidates for you. At Oliver & Akers we choose a tenant like we are choosing a tenant for our own property.

We will present the offer to you and furnish you with all the information needed in order to make a decision. Once you accept the offer, we will proceed to take a one week holding deposit. This will be refundable subject to the tenant providing true and accurate statements.

All tenants will undergo thorough background checks. We use an independent reputable referencing company to report on their suitability and credit-worthiness, including their payment history on any previous lending and any adverse credit e.g. CCJ’s or bankruptcies. Their identity is also verified as is their right to live and work in the UK – We cover the Right to Rent checks including whether they are subject to any immigration control. If they have rented properties in the past, we will ask their Landlords to provide us with a reference. This information is provided by a variety of sources including credit reference agencies like Experian or Equifax and is compiled into a report which gives a final credit score, and whether they have passed or failed. From that we can paint a very good picture on their suitability as a tenant for your property.

Once all referencing is completed and deemed satisfactory, we then ask the tenants to pay their first months rent and security deposit. Upon receipt of cleared funds, we will arrange for the tenancy agreement to be drawn up and signed by all parties. All deposits are protected in a Government approved deposit scheme.

If an inventory was taken, meter readings will be taken, the keys will be photographed and then handed to the Tenant. If the property is managed, we will also retain a set of keys at our offices. Within seven days the inventory will be sent to the Tenant for them to agree and sign, with any amendments highlighted within 14 days or the inventory will be locked down.