Letting Agent Talk
Anti-Money Laundering: Senior Manager Responsibilities.
This is the second in a series of articles on mitigating money laundering risk in property transactions. Today’s article is about the role and responsibility of senior managers in the property market. Who falls under the scope of HMRC regulation? Estate agents and businesses carrying out estate agency work must register with HMRC. Further, HMRC…
Alex Evans
Tips For Renting To International Students.
BRITISH universities are experiencing a boom in foreign students, with the number of international students coming to the country to study having soared by 67% in 10 years. With the percentage of overseas students at British universities expected to rise from 15 per cent of all students in 2008 to 21 per cent in 2018,…
Alex Evans
Cleaning Issues Are Ongoing Problem At Check Out.
When carrying out inventories, check in’s and check out’s we notice there is a general overall lack of respect for property by tenants with a change in tenant’s hygiene standards. Many tenants fail to leave their property in the same condition as check in at check out and we have seen many properties left in…
Alex Evans
How to maximise your buy-to-let profits.
The buy-to-let market is flourishing, especially in areas where lots of people want to live and work, such as London and the South East. Other investments (such as bonds) are not producing the returns they have in the past and interest rates are still at an all-time low of 0.5% above base rate, so savvy…
Alex Evans
Should I Renew My Tenants’ Tenancy Agreement?
Should I Renew My Tenants’ Tenancy Agreement? Although most landlords and agents will be very familiar with the concept of a “standard” 6-month or 12-month tenancy, how tenancy renewals are handled can be considerably different from one agent to the next. In this article we look at the options that are available and the pros…
Alex Evans
How to weigh up a potential property investment – Rental Yield Vs Return on Capital Invested.
How to weigh up a potential property investment When you register with your local estate agents for a potential investment purchase, it won’t take long before you are asked “what yield are you looking for?”. Traditionally this measure has been used to assess the potential return provided by an investment and is calculated by taking…
Alex Evans
Top 10 questions to ask before instructing a letting agent.
After buying a new rental investment property, the next job is to find tenants! Letting agents come in all shapes and sizes, but sorting the wheat from the chaff might be a harder task than you’d think. We’ve put together a list of the most important questions to ask a prospective agent before instructing them…
Alex Evans
10 tips for avoiding tenancy disputes.
Contract a fully regulated, independent Inventory Clerk. The main causes of landlord / tenant disputes in rented accommodation are damage and cleaning, therefore without a thorough inventory in place (at check-in and check-out) landlords have much less chance of winning a dispute if they have no detailed evidence of the original condition of the property. Ensure…
Alex Evans
What is classed as fair wear and tear when returning a tenants deposit?
There are a high number of landlords that still push for ‘betterment’ at the end of a tenancy, despite the fact that the law does not allow claims for ‘new for old’. Tenants are required by law to return the property back to its original state (including proper professional cleaning) according to the Inventory check…
Alex Evans
VIDEO: What are your views on the issues surrounding bedroom tax?
Alex Evans
Stick it! Will Labour’s lettings pledge trip Red Ed?
With less than 24 hours until the polls open, the burning question is ‘who will you vote for?’. In the lettings industry, it may come down to whether personal or professional interests are closest to your heart. It’s no secret that Labour – spearheaded by Ed Miliband – wants to turn the lettings market on…
ARPM
Edinburgh student rentals.
It’s safe to say that the student market in Edinburgh is booming. At ACE Property Management we have been renting 1 beds to 6 bedroom HMO properties all over the city on behalf of our landlords to students looking to move in during August and September. Students are starting to enquire about properties earlier and earlier each year…
Alex Evans
Flash the cash – a note of caution on upfront rental payments.
It used to be home buyers in Central London that bemoaned the cash power of the global elite – making offers on properties they coveted, bandying about sums way above the asking price and paying in cash. And who could blame the vendors for preferring the outright buyer who could move quickly over those trying…
ARPM
Help your tenants to help themselves (and you!)
IT’S universally acknowledged that being a landlord has its fair share of headaches. No matter how nice your tenants are; you’re still leaving them in charge of your most valuable possession, which is a stressful prospect. In addition, much like your children, you’re only likely to hear from them if they want something. Or worse,…
Alex Evans
Getting the most from your Fixflo system
With more than 900 agency offices using Fixflo across a few time zones we’ve pulled together our top five tips to make sure you get the most from your Fixflo system. 1. Make it easy for your tenants to find your Fixflo system Links from your homepage and contact page work best and we have a…
Alex Evans