Landlord Guide

I'm Letting My Property For The First Time – What Do I Need To Know?

Congratulations! You are joining many thousands of private landlords in the UK. The key to successfully letting your property is to engage the services of a specialist agent to act on your behalf and who will guide you through the various stages. Ideally you should contact your local Kings office to make an appointment for us to meet with you, view the property concerned, and discuss your options. We can then talk you through the whole process, give you up to date advice on current legislation and answer all the concerns you may have. This initial consultation is completely free.

Why Should I Use Kings?

Currently, there is no mandatory Regulation or individual licensing of letting agents in England. In view of this, you will want to be absolutely sure that your letting agent is a specialist in this field and a member of an accredited and Regulated nationally recognised body. Letting properties since 1962, Kings are bonded members of 'The Association of Residential Lettings Agents', 'The Dispute Service', and 'The National Federation of Property Professionals'. Our Staff is highly trained and motivated and we have many years of combined experience in any given 'lettings' situation.

How Will Kings Market My Property?

Once we have discussed and agreed with you a proposed rental, we will take internal and external photographs and prepare a detailed description for uploading to the web's international portals. If you have an existing tenant, we will liaise with them regarding any potential viewings. We may also request an access key from you to facilitate accompanied applicant viewings, if you wish.

Kings have their own dedicated website which is updated daily; www.kings-lettings.co.uk We also advertise extensively on the following sites; www.zoopla.com; www.rightmove.co.uk; www.ukpropertyshop.co.uk In addition you can find us and your property through SKY, Google, msn, Virgin media, eBay, and Yahoo. Traditional Newspaper advertising is used for local coverage.

We have instant access to 'in house' colour property details which can be given to interested parties in person or alternatively faxed/emailed to them. Our computer software allows Kings to 'match' your property with potentially hundreds of interested rental applicants within our database.

What Costs Do I Need To Factor Into My Budget?

The costs of letting your property are detailed in full in our Schedule of Terms and Conditions, however you should consider including the following in your calculations:

  • Agent Commission
  • Cost of Tenancy Agreement/legal works
  • Cost for Tenant Deposit Registration
  • Inventory Provision
  • Costs for Inventory 'Check in' and/or 'Check out'
  • Provision of an Energy Performance Certificate
  • Provision of a Gas Safety Certificate
  • Professional cleaning to include carpets if necessary
  • Any decorative works which may be required
  • Furnishings or removal of same/storage costs

What Sort Of Tenants Will I Have?

No matter how large, small or 'quirky' your property, there will be a suitable tenant for it and Kings pride themselves on finding just the right Tenant for you! We deal primarily with professional people and undertake not just to 'credit score' our Applicants but also to seek good, written, references from their employers, banks and either previous landlord or character referees.

We also have forged strong links with a number of Relocation Agencies who are retained by larger companies to source and administer suitable homes for their employees. This has led to Tenancies with multi national corporations such as ICI, Xerox, Nortel, Lufthansa, British Airways, OKI, Reckitt Benckiser, Glaxo SmithKline, Computer Associates, Black & Decker, Equant to name but a very few.

You can rest assured that whomsoever applies to rent your property – we will thoroughly discuss the application with you and ensure that you are happy throughout the process.

What If It All Goes Wrong?

Unfortunately Housing Law can, in certain instances, be biased in favour of the Tenant. There are stringent procedures which must be followed by the Landlord in order to evict someone from a property and this is where a professional agent can be invaluable. If you should find yourself in this position (which is, fortunately, unlikely) Kings will guide you through the process. We also have access to immediate legal advice from a team of solicitors specialising in Landlord and Tenant law.