kitchen

Ask Upad: Do I need to include kitchen utensils and the like if I let my flat as “furnished”?

Q: I'm renting a flat for the first time and have a question. Do I need to include kitchen equipment if I advertise the property as 'furnished'? I don't know what the legal requirements are. A: Furnished and unfurnished (and even part-furnished) are rather amorphous and unhelpful terms when it comes to lettings. There isn't a legal definition to guide landlords and tenants. In practice,... Read more

Posted by Dan @ Upad on August 23rd, 2011 in Ask Upad, Tips for New Landlords

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Ask Upad: Help! My tenants are really picky and phone me frequently

Q. “I’ve got new tenants and the phone hasn’t stopped ringing since they took residence three weeks ago in a one bed flat I let to them. They call about the littlest things. The bathroom tap was dripping, so they called to ask me to fix it. One of the doors on a kitchen cupboard was loose and they’ve asked for it to be repaired. One of the radiators wasn’t working properly, so I went... Read more

Posted by Dan @ Upad on November 26th, 2010 in Property Rental

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Ask Upad: I want to sell my flat. What do I have to tell my tenants?

It all depends on the tenancy agreement: you can't conclude the fixed period of an AST early simply because you want to sell. If you're in a periodic tenancy, you'll need to give your tenant two months' notice (assuming the rent's paid monthly). But for most people, it won't be quite that straightforward. Obviously, you’ll want to sell the flat with vacant passion but it could take months and... Read more

Posted by Dan @ Upad on October 19th, 2010 in Ask Upad

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Ask Upad: Who’s responsible for pest control?

Q: My tenant emailed me to say she had pest controllers in to remove mice from her kitchen. This was the first I knew of a problem. She expects me to pay. Am I liable? As a general rule, if the problem was there before she moved in, then you should pay for pest control; if it was after, then it’s her responsibility. Even if it was your responsibility, she should have got your permission... Read more

Posted by Sue @ Upad on September 15th, 2010 in Ask Upad, Property Management

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Summer maintenance checklist

A stitch in time saves nine. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. What other phrases did your granny use? But she was right: preventing a problem from happening is better than sorting it out. Even careful decent tenants might not be keeping a close eye on some things. Indeed, things on the outside of the property are often not their concern but your responsibility. Be proactive... Read more

Posted by Dan @ Upad on August 27th, 2010 in Tips for New Landlords

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Ask Upad: How friendly should I be with my tenants?

You know what they say. Never mix business with pleasure. What’s the right balance for landlords and how friendly should you become with your tenants? When you’re a landlord, perhaps with tenants who live nearby, or who have been living in your property for some time, you’ll naturally start to get to know them. Upad CEO James Davis thinks keeping a positive relationship going with... Read more

Posted by Dan @ Upad on August 3rd, 2010 in Ask Upad, Tips for New Landlords

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Ask Upad : How do I know my landlord owns the property?

How can I verify property ownership when renting directly from the landlord? Nice easy question for a Friday afternoon. Search the Land Registry for the owner or leaseholder of the property; a search will currently cost you £4: worth it for peace of mind, we think. photo credit: William... Read more

Posted by Sue @ Upad on July 30th, 2010 in Legal, Property Rental

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Mousetrap

Are your tenants scuppering a sale?

One rent void that landlords want to avoid is that between putting a property on the market and selling it. During this period, usually after some negotiation with the tenants, you can have buyers viewing your rented property. Obviously the tenants will have to move out before the sale completes, but many tenants are happy to oblige if it means putting off moving for a few more months. But are... Read more

Posted by Dan @ Upad on July 27th, 2010 in Property Rental, Tenant Scams

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Coalition keeps protection against eviction for tenants

The Painsmith blog has news that the new government will be keeping protection for tenants when landlords fail to pay their mortgages. Before the Act, if the landlord had not obtained permission to let from their mortgage lender and then failed to keep up mortgage payments, the tenant had no protection from repossession: they could be thrown out of their homes with little or no notice.... Read more

Posted by Sue @ Upad on July 13th, 2010 in Buy-to-let, Mortgages, Property Management

References: what tenants need to know

Before you move into a new property, it's almost certain that your landlord will want some form of reference to check that you're who you say you are , and that you're not going to move in and immediately stop paying rent. If you're prepared for this and have your referees primed, you'll stand a better chance of moving into your desirable property sooner rather than never. Let's take a look... Read more

Posted by Sue @ Upad on March 11th, 2010 in Property Rental

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Rental Deposits: what tenants should know

It seems incredible, but the Deposit Protection Service (DPS) has said that it has almost £5 million of deposits which it is unable to repay because it can't get hold of the tenant to whom the money is owed. The Director of the DPS, Kevin Firth, said that "some tenants are not keeping their contact details up to date – resulting in this large number of unpaid deposits". For security... Read more

Posted by Sue @ Upad on March 10th, 2010 in Property Rental

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“Landlords insist on referencing tenants – so why not the other way round?”

A Upad.co.uk survey of tenants found that they were overwhelmingly in favour of being able to find out information about their landlord before they rented a property. Last week, Housing Minister John Healey announced that the government would be establishing a "Trip Advisor-style website" on which tenants could leave feedback on their landlord and their accomodation. Our tenants... Read more

Posted by Sue @ Upad on February 8th, 2010 in Landlord Legislation, Legal, Property Rental

Landlord fined for failing to maintain HMO

A Carmarthenshire landlord has been fined £2,000 for failing to comply with the terms of an improvement notice served on his HMO. After several complaints from tenants, council environmental health officers carried out a full inspection of the property under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. They found numerous problems with the accommodation, including issues with fire safety, damp,... Read more

Posted by Sue @ Upad on January 31st, 2010 in HMOs, Landlord Legislation, Legal, Property Rental

Would you like to know more about your landlord before you rent?

Before you rent accomodation, would you like to know what other tenants think about your landlord? We're asking tenants if this is a good idea, and how it could best work. If you're a tenant, please take part in our survey. Leave your email address at the end for the chance to win £50 in M&S vouchers too!... Read more

Posted by Sue @ Upad on January 30th, 2010 in Property Rental

Don’t get ripped off renting!

It all seems so plausible. The landlord has been messed about before by people who say they're going to rent, and then don't have the money. Can you prove to them that you have the cash? Sure, you say – the flat looks lovely, the rent is a bargain, and you're anxious to secure the deal. Look, says the landlord, do this for me: obviously I'm not going to take any money from you until we've... Read more

Posted by Sue @ Upad on December 30th, 2009 in Property Rental, Tenant Scams

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