Rented properties are considered to be single family houses where the occupants are all members of one family (as defined in housing benefit legislation). Unrelated sharers come under the HMO standard discussed in a separate article.
Switched on private landlords usually look to increase the rent amount their tenant is paying by a small increment at every opportunity. This is not as straightforward as it seems. Tenants can dispute rent increases and even have the rent reduced! Let's take a look at the process first.
All deposits paid by tenants to landlords (or their letting agents) for Assured Shorthold Tenancies issued after the 6th April 2007 must be 'protected' by one of 3 government-approved deposit protection schemes. The act of protection differs from scheme to scheme and involves the landlord or agent either handing the deposit money over to the scheme to look after, or paying a fee (as either a payment per deposit or an annual subscription) to the scheme and keeping the deposit themselves in a segregated bank account that is used for no other purpose than holding tenant's deposits. We are members of both an insurance-based scheme and a custodial scheme and based on our own experience we would pick the insurance-based option every time, as getting money back out of the custodial scheme can be a painful process, even under the most clear-cut circumstances.
You probably know everything that we're putting in this article, but it never hurts to be reminded. In no particular order you should do everything on the list below before your tenant signs a tenancy agreement and moves in.
What is an HMO? How do you know if you have an HMO, what do you do and have to do if you are in fact letting and HMO?
The property, and any furniture and appliances supplied, must be in good repair, clean condition and well decorated at the commencement of a tenancy and should be maintained throughout the tenancy, depending on the terms of the tenancy agreement.