Market your Property for Free

Want to advertise your property for free?

Here at Direct2Landlord we are offering the opportunity to all Private Landlords to advertise their property for free.

This promotional offer with run for the week commencing 18/11/2013 - your property will be displayed on the largest online property portals in order to achieve maximum exposure.

We are extremely confident that you will be completely satisfied with our software and its ease of use.

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For more information about us and what we can do, please see www.direct2landlord.co.uk

What Rent can you afford?

What can you really afford?

It is a popular question. People often overstretch with what they can comfortably afford. We feel that this article is going to be rather timely as it will help you work out what rent you can afford.

Our first piece of advice at this stage would be to work out what all your other outgoings and costs will be.

After you compare your other costs, take into account your financial backing and monthly income, you will be able to have a a monthly figure in your head.

Estimate the cost of your rent plus bills

It can be all too easy to overstretch yourself financially. If you fall into the trap of thinking that as long as you pay the rent it is fine, you will soon be in for a shock. There are many other costs of living associated with renting that you will need to consider. We cover the main ones below.

Council Tax, utilities and service charges

• Usually Council Tax is paid monthly. This is mainly influenced by the size of the property. Council Tax Bands.
• Gas and electricity bills will either by on a pre-payment meter, monthly Direct Debit or quarterly).
• Water bills (usually paid monthly).
• Service charges - in some properties - these are paid monthly or annually.

You can ask for estimates for these bills from the Landlord or previous Tenant.

Other monthly costs to consider

You will also have additional monthly bills to take into account:

• Tv License
• Landline phone bill
• Broadband
• Contents insurance
• Digital TV or satellite subscriptions

Hopefully you have found this article helpful. Next time we will look at drawing up a budget of all your costs.

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Landlord Advice - Gas Safety

Gas Safety - Private Landlord advice

How familiar are with the rules and regulations regarding Gas Safety?

We have decided to post this article so that it can benefit you, your associates, your network and your audience.

We often release articles look to offer advice to private Landlords.

Gas Safety

Any gas installation and appliances supplied by the landlord requires an annual gas safety check. This should be carried out by a Gas Safe engineer. A copy of the Gas Safety Certificate should be made available to the tenant.

It is also strongly recommended that a carbon monoxide detector is placed in a suitable location with the premises.

Landlords are usually not responsible for gas appliances supplied by the tenant.

For further information please see the Gas Safety Website.

Are you aware of how Direct2Landlord can help you here?

Helpful? What other articles could we release to help you keep things straight forward for you?

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Tenants advice - what to look for on viewings

Here at DIrect2Landlord we have a fantastic relationship with our Private Landlords. We help find quality tenants for our landlords.

One way that we can help to do this is by educating all potential tenants that are currently looking for a new property to rent.

We would advise all Landlords and Private Landlords to read this article and make a note of what potential tenants will be looking for when they arrange a viewing.

This week our advise is going to cover - What to look for on viewings.

As a tenant you will no doubt find a few proper tie that you like. The next step from here is to view these properties.

We would advise that you make the most of these viewings by viewing them as opportunities. These are opportunities to:

• Check how well the property is maintained - look at gutters, windows, roofs
• Make a note of how much storage space there is
• Check to see how the place is heated and how well insulated it looks - this will affect your bills and comfort
• Asking to see the gas safety certificate and operating instructions for electrical items is a must. Ask yourself, are there enough sockets for your needs?
• Find out what furnishings will be in the property if you choose to move in.
• Are the fire safety regulations met?
• Run all the taps - bath, shower, and flush the toilet. Do they all work? Ask to be shown that the heating and hot water works.
• Do all the windows open?
• Does the property feel secure? Is there access to the property via a garden or alley? What are the locks like?
• If this is a flat, d you have a secure post box? How clean are the common areas - how often are they cleaned and by whom?
• What are the local transport links like?
• Why not see the property at different times? This will indicate what it will be like for you whilst you live there.

These points will hopefully help you find the ideal property for the budget that you have.

The Private Landlords we have on our system, can choose for us to manage their property.

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Spot the bad tenant.

Warning signs of a bad tenant

A highly experienced landlord will develop a special skill for detecting potentially 'bad tenants'.

We can not obviously discriminate and judge unfairly, however, there are some very good indications that you may well need to be aware of.

We have got a list here for you - we hope you find it helpful:

1. The references do not stack up and have inconsistencies
2. The previous Landlord gives a 'glowing' review. This could be bad as they may be trying to just get rid of the tenant. Try to speak to more than one previous Landlord.
3. Once they're in the property, they do not answer their mobile phone.
4. They change their mobile number and do not inform you.
5. They ignore communication attempts.
6. You constantly have to chase the rent as it is never paid on time.
7. There are many excuses for many 'occurrences'
8. They want to pay six months rent, in advance, with cash
9. They seem to good to be true

There are also 6 different kinds of tenants. Some are easier to spot than others.

• The socialite - this is the tenant that likes to party - very difficult to spot
  
• The professional bad tenant - this is the tenant that after missing a couple of payments, decides to 'up and leave' in the middle of the night, before they can be served papers.
• The late payers - always having an excuse; their rent is always late. There are two options here - end the agreement at the appropriate time or add late fee's.
• Animal lovers - these are the ones that do not mention the animal. The Landlord will more often than not find out.
• The extended - rare, but after a time, this tenant will let his friends and family move in. More cars come and go and the wear and tear of the house speeds up.
• The bureaucrats -  the tenant that thinks they know the law, or at least they think they know it enough to cause problems for the landlord. These can cost in time and money.

These can be avoided but it takes time and effort. You need to make sure they match what they have on paper.

Key point - look at their current living space - your house will soon end up looking like that.

We hope this has been helpful and enjoyable.

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Tenants - rights and responsibilities

Are you a tenant? Do you know your rights and responsibilities?

Are you a Landlord? Do you know your tenants rights and responsibilities?

Tenant Rights

• live in a property that is safe and in a good state of repair
• have your deposit returned when the tenancy ends - and in some instances have it protected
• challenge excessively high rates
• know who your landlord is
• live in the property undisturbed
• see an energy performance certificate for the property
• be protected from unfair eviction and unfair rent
• have a written agreement if you have a fixed-term tenancy of more than 3 years

If you have a tenancy agreement it should be fair and comply with the law.

If you do not know who your landlord is, ask the person or the company that you pay rent to. Put this in writing. If they do not give you this information within 21 days, your landlord may be fined.

Your responsibilities

You must give the Landlord access to the property to visit it and carry out repairs. Your Landlord has to give you 24 hours notice and visit at a reasonable time of day, unless it is an emergency and they need immediate access.

You must also:

• take good care of the property e.g. by turning off the cold water at the main if you are in cold weather
• pay the agreed rent, even if repairs are needed or even if you are in dispute with your Landlord
• pay other charges as agreed with your Landlord - these may include council tax and the usual bills
• repair or pay for any damage that has been caused by you, your family or friends
• only sublet a property if your Landlord or tenancy agreement allows it

If you do not fulfil all of your responsibilities then you Landlord has the right to evict you. You do not want that.

We hope that has been helpful. If you are a tenant, keep all of these points in mind.

If you are a Private Landlord feel free to refer to this article or pass on a copy to your tenants.

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Accord 5 year mortgage?

That is right, we have been doing our research for you and there has been this change to the scenary - Accord has launched anew range of  five-year fixed rate buy-to-let products with rates starting at 3.89%.

Who are Accord?

They are the intermediary lending subsidiary of Yorkshire Building Society.
They are offering the BTL mortgages for purchase and remortgage customers at 70% and 75% LTV over five-year terms.

This would include:

• a five year rate at 75% LTV at 3.89% with a 2.5% completion fee and paid-for standard valuation
• a five year rate at 70% LTV at 4.14% with a £2300 completion fee
• a five year fixed rate at 75% LTV at 4.44% with a £1800 completion fee and £500 cash-back.

We found a source quoting Jemma Anderson, product manager at Accord Mortgages: "We are expanding our range of buy-to-let products by introducing a series of competitive five-year mortgages that will give borrowers the assurance of knowing exactly what they will be paying over a long period of time."

Following this Jemma said: "We are also giving our customers a range of rate and fee options on our competitive new products so they have a wide selection to choose the best mortgage to suit their needs."

So, there is another update from the world of letting, landlords and private landlords.

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