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in small words please!


Julesey

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Hi all, I've been reading this forum for a while now. All the advice I've seen it excellent .

We are renting our house out to go abroad. The agencies locally are renowned for being pita's so we have a 'tenancy manager' to oversee the house for us. Our solicitor is drawing up a shorthold tenancy contract for us. We think we have found tenants.

We've got the gas certificate, we've enquired into the insurances needed, but does anyone have a checklist of exactly what we need to do? - I'm finding it all overwhelming tbh and am dreading forgetting something!

Thanks in advance for any help/advice/links you can give us!

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Hi Julesy,

I'll try and help if I can.

You need to sort:

Gas Cert - Valid for 12 months. Try and find a small one-man-band outfit to do it as they tend to be much cheaper.

Buildings Insurance - Advise them you have tenants, you will probably ask you lots of questions such as if the property will be let to professionl people etc.

Mortgage - You will probably need a property buy-to-let mortgage which may be at a slightly higher interest rate, but I know many people who don't let their mortgage company and just have a normal policy. It's fine if nothin goes wrong!

Electricity Cert - Not leagally necesary, but you can get it done for peace of mind if you wish. If the house is new it's probably not worth it, bit if it's old and been extended then it probably is!

As for credit checking I use Maras (www.maras.co.uk) Ring them up and they will send you a form for your tenant to complete. The process usually takes a few days and costs about £20. It's DEFINATELY worth doing. They can also give you insurance to cover if the tenant does not pay.

After that it's probably wise to photograph the house from top to bottom so you have a record of how things were before the tenant moved in. Believe me it solves a lot of arguments later! Also draw up an inventory of every item that's there.

Finally when your tenant moves in make sure they have a complete set of keys and alarm codes. Take your time to show them round again explaining to them who everything works e.g. how to switch on the central heating etc. If possible leave them with manuals.

And finally finally, don't worry, if you have done the work beforehand to make sure your property is in good order, then you should have no problems!

Trevor.

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Thank You so much!!

We have an appt with the bank on weds to get consent to let (in november we can go buy to let anyway!)

The electrics are good but I think we will get a certificate to cover anyway - its handy my husband is a plumber and his firm also has electricians so hopefully they will check it and pass it. They should do anyway as we have refurbished the house top to bottom and their employee's have carried out all the work!

You have really put my mind at ease! - have quotes for all the insurances, and your link for credit checking is much appreciated! I'm just waiting to speak to jbi (saw their details on another thread here!) regarding boiler cover!

Thanks so much!

Jules P

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