Landlord Information

Our property team has valuable experience in all sectors of the residential property market, from prestigious country houses to rural cottages and town centre apartments.

We offer tailor-made solutions to make letting and management of residential property as easy as possible. Our experienced team specialises in providing a professional and personal service, offering information, help and advice to meet the needs of all landlords.

Our aim is simple: to provide the best possible service, assist you from start to fnish and communicate regularly throughout the whole process – whatever your property matter.

Free market appraisal

We will provide you with a free market appraisal and advise on any work which may be required to ensure your property attracts quality tenants paying the highest achievable rental figure. We can also advise on steps which may need to be taken to comply with the ‘ever-changing’ rules and regulations prior to offering the property ‘to let’.
 
Web advertising

Your property will be instantly available on our bang up to date website — www.litchfields.com — with floor plans, photography and location maps. Your details will also be automatically sent to relevant applicants and also loaded onto primelocation.co.uk, rightmove.co.uk and zoopla.co.uk, three of the leading property portals.

Marketing & Advertising

First impressions count and the first thing potential tenants see before they even pass the front door is the photographs of your property. We spend time, use professional cameras and skilled photography to capture the best pictures that will make your home rent quickly. Distinctive ‘To Let’ boards will be arranged by agreement with the Landlord prior to marketing.
 
Referencing

All prospective tenants are fully referenced by an independent agency, who will check the tenants identity, employment status, credit history and also again references from previous landlords if applicable. Only tenants who pass our vigorous referencing checks and who have been approved by the landlord will be offered the property.

Tenancy Agreement

Your property will be let on an Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement usually for an initial 12 month term, which will run on a month to month basis following expiration of the fixed period. Longer and shorter initial terms can be arranged and this can be discussed further with Litchfields if required. The tenancy agreement is an important document and provides the contract between landlord and tenant in which the different responsibilities are explained.
 
Inventory

We can produce a full Inventory and Schedule of Condition of the property prior to the tenant moving in to record both the condition of the property and anything left in place including carpets and curtains etc. It is essential that an accurate record is taken as this can then be used to compare the condition at the end of the tenancy should a claim against the deposit need to be made. If you are interested in this service please contact us to find out more.

Deposit

Since The Housing Act of 2004 came in to force in 2007, all deposits must be held in an approved Deposit Protection Service. We would collect the deposit, which is usually 5 weeks rent and forward it to the Tenancy Deposit Scheme. The deposit can then be used to off-set charges for breakages/damages or for rent arrears occurring during the term, if required.
 
Rent Arrears

The agent will inform the Landlord as soon as practically possible of any delay or default on the rent and will make best endeavours to obtain the arrears and advise further action if necessary. Rental income can be guaranteed via certain guarantee policies which we can suggest, if necessary.
 
Landlord Obligations

The Landlord has a duty under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 to keep the property in a good state of repair and to keep all wiring, plumbing, heating electrical and gas appliances provided in safe and good working order. Legislation is continuously changing and Litchfields can keep you upto-date with all necessary obligations that apply.