First time DIY landlord - How to let a property without estate agents

How to become a landlord or What I need to Know if I am a First Time or New Landlord 

Hey guys, I am a first time landlord and can see only rental income which I will get. Apart from that I don’t have any clue what else I need to know about being an landlord! 

All right, first thing first, it looks very lucrative when you see a rental income hitting your bank account but there are a number of responsibilities a landlord has to fulfill.  For experts, here is the landlores checklist

 Are you using an estate agent or doing it yourself (DIY) 

This is very important to understand if you are using an estate agent for tenant find service or you are doing it by yourself.  We have divided this part into 3 stages. 

• Tenant find without any agent

• Landlord Compliance and regulations 

• Legal responsibilities of landlords 

If You Are Using An Letting Agents

Your responsibilities are reduced here. It’s depends what sort of contract you sign with an estate agent but normally, estate agents are liable to market your property and vet the tenants. Here is the list for how to find best letting agents you can see which online agents providing No Let No Fee services

If you doing it by yourself or you are an DIY Landlord 

1. Tenant find without any agent

Your responsibility increases here but it’s not a rocket science why you cannot do it. Here is the checklist for stage 1. 

• Marketing: You can use companies like 99home.co.uk to market your property on property portals such as; Zoopla, OntheMarket, Rightmove etc where you don't have to fork out £££ to find tenants. You can still get marketing services from £29 to £99. 

• Viewings : Once you start getting queries for your property, arrange viewings according to your convenience. Maybe open day over the weekend, if you have good interests.  

• Tenant selection: When showing property to the tenants, pre vet them with some standard questions, such as number of people moving, annual individual and household income, whey they are moving etc. End of the day you are giving your property to someone in return of monthly rent so make sure you select the best tenants. 

• Agreement: A very important document to have for a landlord and tenants. 99home offers free tenant agreements to their clients and get digitally signed. 

• Deposit: Take one week's deposit of agreed rent from the prospective tenant so you are aware they are serious about taking your property and not messing around with you. 

• Tenant referencing: This is one of the most important parts of the tenancy, companies like 99home can arrange free tenant referencing subject to what package you pick. Once all ticked in green you are good to go with the tenant. 

•  Right to rent check: Once you have a successful tenant referencing report, you make sure you check the right to rent information. Here is more information about Right to rent

First part is done now, let’s move to the second part which involves compliance and health and safety regulations. 

2. Landlord Compliance and regulations 

EPC:  Your EPC is valid for a good 10 years so before you market your property make sure you have a valid EPC certificate which you need to provide to the tenants. In England and Wales, you’ll need to meet Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) which is from A to E. If your EPC rating is F or G,  means it’s illegal to rent out a property. The minimum EPC rating for new tenancies is set to be upgraded to C in 2025 (extended to all tenancies by 2028).

Gas Safety Certificate: Your responsibilities include making sure all gas equipment is safe and in good working order. In other words people call it a CP12 certificate which is a mandatory requirement. A Gas Safety Certificate is a report that outlines the appliances tested in an annual gas safety check. Make sure you have CP12 before your tenancy renewal date. You can get this certificate from £99 onwards subject to property location, and number of equipment. 

Electric safety certificate:  An Electrical Safety Certificate is a mandatory document that demonstrates the safety of the electrical installations, wiring, and fuses are safe ensuring that your property is fit for human habitation. In 2021, it became mandatory for landlords in England to carry out electrical safety checks in all rental properties. 

Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors: Smoke and carbon monoxide act coming in from October 1st , 2022. A smoke alarm must be equipped on each floor of the premises that is used as living accommodation. 

Make sure you provide all the documents before tenants start and get confirmation from the tenants that they have received all valid certificates and can see smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in working conditions. 

Let’s move to the third face which is legal responsibilities. 

3. Legal responsibilities of landlords  

License: Check if you need a license from the local council or not. If yes, make sure you apply as soon as you start property marketing.  Check here fFor more information about landlord license scheme.

Council inspections: You prepare your property properly in case if councils decide to do a Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) inspection. They might inspect your rental property if your tenants have asked them to, or if a survey has revealed that your property could be hazardous.

Protecting your tenants’ deposit: Make sure you protect your tenant deposit within 28 days of the tenancy start date and provide tenants deposit certificates as well as prescribed information. You can ask your agent (99home offers free deposit protection) or can open your own account in TDS / Mydeposit schemes. For Free Deposit protection, you can speak to 99home lettings team.  

landlord insurance: This is advisable for landlords to cover themselves with having right insurance in place such as building insurance, Right guaranteed insurance etc.    

Inventory: Having a proper inventory is very important to avoid any dispute when tenants leave the property. 

VV 1st June 2022