Guildford Letting Ageny gives tip to tenants looking to rent in Guildford

Firstly, let your fingers and mouth do the viewings. A good letting agent will show plenty of photos and give a good description of the property hence filtering out unsuitable properties. DON'T start arranging viewings if in your heart you know you want a garden and unfurnished if a property seems lovely but has no outdoor space and is offered as furnished. Although in renting there will always be more compromises than when buying having a thorough 15 minute chat to the agent about your requirements, situation and any property will save you time. You shouldn't view more than 3 properties or else you aren't being honest to yourself or the agent with your real desires and will probably get them muddled up in your mind. A good letting agent will help with these discussions and almost discourage a viewing if the property isn't right for you. At Belvoir Guildford lettings and property management we will ask about your current set up, why and when are you moving, work circumstances, preferences relating to parking, gardens, furnished, pets etc and then talk to you about the property available to rent - for example we currently have a property with a small kitchen and we will tell you and ask if this is important to you, if you say you cook a lot then we will say that perhaps this one isn't for you. We tell you about the layout, which floor it is on etc
A good lettings agent will only show you a property that ticks all the essential boxes. So happy hunting and do yourself a favour by asking the letting agent lots of questions before arranging the viewing.
visit us at www.belvoirlettings.com/guildford

Tips for tenants

When searching for a property make sure you know what you are looking for before asking to conduct viewings. Don't arrange 5-6 viewings on the same day, you just wont rememebr each property individually and might lose the one you liked. When you phone the agents about a property ask questions about the property - does it have a freezer? What size is the bedroom? Which floor is the flat on?
If you know you don't really want a ground floor flat then don't go and see one! Whilst visiting ones that in your heart you know you aren't going to want you are most likely giving time for other tenants to see the one you do want. A good agent almost wont let you view the property and will talk to you about move in dates, affordability, referencing criteria , move in costs and the type of property you really want before letting you view a property - they are doing you, any current occupier and themselves a big favour - this is real customer service. So today's top tip is, if you aren't able to compromise on something don't waste your time viewing it, get yourself a viewing at a property you may want by asking the agent as much as possible about the property before trying to arrange a viewing. Happy hunting!

LL top tip - Why do i need an inventory?

An inventory is an essential document that provides a written and/or photographic record that details the fixtures and fittings of a property and their condition as well as the condition of the property itself. This must be updated, amended and recreated and the beginning of each new tenancy.
Since the introduction of the Tenant Deposit Scheme in April 2007 the importance for an accurate inventory has never been more important.
One of the main features of the scheme is to resolve disputes relating to the amount of deposit to be returned to the tenant, the inventory will play the main role in this process. An inventory is your evidence but also gives the tenant peace of mind when they move in.
At the end of the tenancy if there is a dispute then the independent adjudicator will look at the inventory , check in and check out to make help make his / her decision. A good inventory will speed this process up and keep costs down. Without an inventory there is no way of proving any dilapidation, this could cost £1000s in worst case scenarios.
Many experienced landlords may tell you they never take a deposit and have never had a need for an inventory, but generally these properties will be hard to rent out to quality tenants as it sends an unprofessional message to the tenant plus these landlords most likely have higher maintenance costs than those that use deposits and inventories.One day they will get a poor tenant that damages the property and they will not have any way to recoup the losses.
In summary tenants expect to pay a deposit, they want an inventory for their peace of mind and it helps landlords gain a better return on their property in the long term.

LL hint

When your letting agent deducts money from your monthly statement, make sure you ask to see the actual invoice from the contractor. If you are already paying for fully-managed service and they are adding 10% you need to think about swapping agents.

Landlord hints and tips

Today my advice to any landlords or prospective landlord is quite simply shop around for an agent even if you are totally happy with your current one or prefer to do it yourself. Not all agents offer the same service, sure we all use the same websites, newspapers etc to get your property let and charge similar fees (although I bet our TT find only service beats most people locally) but some agents will give the reassurance of service more than others. Ask them in depth questions regarding your responsibilities and see if they appear knowledgeable. Ask them what is the penalty for failing to register a tenant’s deposit? How long have they got to do this? Is this for all tenancies?
The deposit needs to be registered within 14days of receipt for all AST agreements or a fine of 3 times the deposit plus the deposit could be payable!
Ask them when would you not use an AST agreement? If the rent was over £25k pa (or £100k pa after Oct 1st 2010) or if it was let to a company and not an individual, or not their main home or if they enjoy diplomatic immunity, if it is a holiday let, is the landlord resident....these are just some of the factors affecting the type of tenancy.
The bottom line is, if you get the agreement wrong you may struggle to get repossession of your property!!

Hints and tips for Tenats and Landlords

3/7/2010
Tenants - Always register your full details with your letting agent, this will put you ahead of other potential house hunters when a property comes onto the market.
Landlords - Make sure any tenant moving in to your property signs for a thorough "check in" and inventory stating they agree with the condition of the property. If you do this yourself be sure to cover all utilities and action needed by the tenant in an emergency
www.belvoirlettings.com/guildford