Free Assessment

One telephone call to our office and you will be assigned an experienced member of our Lettings Department who will attend your property and assess the likely level of rent that is achievable for the property.

Listing your Property

When instructed, we will include your property in our regularly updated listing and information guide. Our excellent computer facilities include a specialized programme which will match your property to the most suitable tenants at the press of a button.

Marketing your Property

We have developed excellent advertising packages with all major property search engines to include comprehensive details of your property. As soon as we receive your instructions you wish to place your property with our company it will be immediately posted on our My Homez web site.

Boards

Even with today’s internet technology the "To Let" board remains a valuable way of generating high quality enquiries, directing attracting tenants looking for property in specific areas. Our distinctive My Homez to let signs will have already caught your eye and are a valuable aspect of our fully committed marketing strategy.

Prominent high street window displays

The My Homez office is prominently located on Cardigan Road and positioned close to Burley train station. As the first point of contact our office windows feature high quality and eye catching displays, offering a first class opportunity to promote your property

Viewings

Viewings will be accompanied by an experienced member of staff who will meet prospective tenants at a time of their choosing, our commitment to you means all staff will have the answer to any questions prospective tenants have in relation to your property. All key feedback will be quickly conveyed back to you. As part of our service, we will secure bank and employers references from suitable tenants.

Sorting out the Finance

As part of our commitment to you we will ensure all financial matters are in order on your behalf. In general the tenants pay one month's rent or three month’s rent and one month's security deposit on the signing of the tenancy. After the deduction of fees and outlays, we will send you a balancing statement. If required, we will ask the tenants to complete a standing order with your bank for future rental payments.

Transfer of Utilities

We will take meter readings for the Gas and the Electricity and transfer the accounts into the new tenant's name(s).

Renewal of Tenancy

Most of our clients tend to take advantage of our renewal service (available at no additional charge).

Property Inventories and Inspections

We undertake to protect your property to the best of our ability. Before the Tenant moves into the property, we will do a full inventory on the property to include a list of the contents of the property and this information will be securely filed at our offices. Once the tenant vacates the property we will do another inventory and deduct the cost of any missing contents from the tenants deposit before returning. As part of our continued service to you we will endeavour to carry out a property inspection every 2 months and a report will be forward to you.

Furnishings

Once My Homez recognizes that you have a property with fantastic potential for letting, we can offer you the opportunity to furnish your property to a high standard in preparation for rental. We will advise you on the most suitable furnishing package that will meet all of your budgetary requirements and quickly increase the profitability and turnaround of your let. In this competitive market tenants expect the best and we can offer a choice of bespoke furniture packages to accommodate any budget.

Insurance

We recommend that both your property and contents are insured and that your policy covers lettings; many household policies do not, and will need to be amended. Our staff will be happy to answer any questions you may have on this complex subject.

Safety Regulations

We ensure that all gas appliances are safety checked annually and you will be given a current certificate at the start of a tenancy. The electrical equipment must also be safe and we strongly recommend to our clients that the appliances are periodically checked by a qualified electrician. The furniture and furnishings must always comply with the safety regulations.

From 1st October 2008 it will be mandatory for landlords to make Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) available to NEW tenants as part of the lettings process. Each EPC will last for 10 years.

Energy Performance Certificates (EPC's)

From 1st October 2008, landlords in England and Wales offering property for rent will be required by law to provide prospective tenants with an Energy Performance Certificate for their property.

EPC's explained

What energy performance certificates are and why you need them?

EPC information for landlords

How your EPC can benefit you?

A good energy efficiency rating should indicate that utility bills will be lower

From 1 October 2008, in order to market your property for rent, you will need to have an EPC available for prospective tenants to view. If you don't you could be fined up to £200.

What is an EPC?

This document is valid for 10 years and shows how good, or bad, the energy efficiency of your property is. It grades the property's energy efficiency from ‘A' to ‘G', with ‘A' being the highest rating.

If you have a new-build property, then it's likely to have a high rating, and if you have a second-hand home, it's likely to be around ‘D' or ‘E'.

The EPC will also recommend how the rating could be improved, with suggestions for loft, floor and wall insulation, double glazing, and energy-efficient light bulbs.

The theory is that the better the rating your property gets, the more attractive it should be to a tenant as it indicates lower energy bills.

EPC information for landlords

As a landlord you can produce the EPC yourself, but it can be a very expensive way of doing things. Becoming an accredited assessor can cost thousands of pounds, so whether this is worthwhile depends on the number of properties you have.

Alternatively, My Homez can arrange for an accredited energy assessor to visit your property and produce an EPC for as little as £55 per house.

What are the benefits of an EPC to a landlord?

Whether you let privately or via a letting agent, it's worth making sure tenants understand you have made the effort to produce an EPC. Secondly, if your property's EPC rating is above the average ‘D' rating, it's likely the utility bills the tenant will pay will be less than other properties they may be considering. This is one way of showing tenants that you are a conscientious landlord and your property is being let within the law. It may also help ensure that the tenant chooses your property over others.

What happens if you haven't got an EPC?

If you have a property that you let or re-let after 1 October 2008 and you can't produce an EPC for it, you'll be marketing your property illegally and may be fined up to £200 for not having the certificate. This could mean you lose an existing or potential tenant and will therefore leave your property empty.

The Main Safety Requirements are as follows:

Gas Safety Regulations:

As most Landlords are now aware, all Gas Appliances at a rented property, including portable appliances, have to be tested prior to the start of the tenancy and then at least annually throughout the tenancy. A CORGI registered plumber will be able to organize the relevant safety certificate confirming that the appliances have been checked, a copy of which needs to be given to the tenant and ourselves.

The Furniture & Furnishings (fire) (safety) Regulations 1988

The regulations were primarily introduced to control the danger from toxic fumes produced from foam. The regulations do not, however, only apply to foam fillings – they apply to ALL fillings. There are various tests which differing items must pass such as the ignitability, cigarette and match tests.

These regulations apply to any upholstered furniture i.e. sofas, armchairs, mattresses, divans, pillows. The do not apply to other furnishings such as carpets, curtains or bedding.

Any furniture manufactured prior to 1950 will be exempt; however, you will need to check that it has not been re-upholstered with an illegal filling.

If you are considering renting your property out furnished, please speak to one of our team for more advice.

The Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations 1998

All gas installation pipe-work and gas appliances must be tested to prove being safe, prior to letting a property. This safety check must be carried out by a CORGI Engineer who also has the necessary NACS (National Accreditation Certification Scheme) certification.

We will arrange for a gas service and inspection to be carried out, if necessary, once instructed on the rental property. This will automatically be renewed annually as part of our full management service.

The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994

The regulations for electricity are not as strict or as clear as other safety regulations. The main legislations covering this subject would be the Consumer Protection Act 1987 which states that anything supplied or hired to the consumer MUST be safe, and The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974.

There are also several items of secondary legislation directly relevant to the supply of electrical goods, including:

• The Low Voltage Electrical Equipment Regulations 1989
• The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994
• The General Product Safety Regulations 1994
• The Plugs and sockets etc (safety) Regulations 1994

There is no statutory requirement for equipment to undergo a safety check by a qualified engineer but we would advise that such a check be arranged – especially if you are considering supplying a number of electrical items with your property. This is known as a PAT test – Portable Appliance Test and is usually carried out at the same time as a gas safety inspection, annually.

The Plugs & Sockets Regulations 1994

These regulations state that plugs must be "sleeved" and sockets must comply.

Part "P" Building Regulations (Electrical Safety in Dwellings)

From the 1st January 2005, new rules came into force controlling who could carry out certain works on certain electrical installations in a property and the procedures around those works. Failure to comply with these Regulations is a criminal offence, which could result in a maximum fine of £5,000 and or imprisonment.

In very general terms these regulations require that works, repairs, maintenance etc, on "electrical installation" in certain areas of property, are now known as "notifiable" works and as such must only be carried out by a competent person

The competent person can "self-certify" the relevant works and he (or she) then has a responsibility to provide the agent and the local authority building control department with a copy Certificate relating to the notifiable works.

Someone who is not a "competent person" could still do the works as long as appropriate approval is sought from the local authority Building Control department, before and after the works are carried out. In most cases an officer from the department will wish to visit the property and inspect the works and may require the contractor to submit suitable drawings or schematics.

Smoke Detectors

Under Building Regulations, properties built after June 1992 must have mains, interlinked smoke detectors on each floor. Although there is no specific legislation for older properties, we would recommend that any property being let should have battery operated detectors on every floor, as a minimum. During the tenancy, the tenant is responsible for ensuring the detector is in working order and the battery is replaced regularly.

Please speak to a member of our team for more information on all Regulations. Remember, the Regulations are there to protect you as well as the tenants, and we will work with you to ensure all issues are covered.