IV
Counties Property Management
INFORMATION FOR LANDLORDS
The property you own is a valuable asset
and, having taken the decision to rent it out, there
is now the issue of finding tenants, collecting the
rent, property maintenance and so on. IV Counties can
take care of all of this for you. At IV Counties we
specialise in providing an efficient, personal service
to our landlords and their tenants.
This page will provide you with
information on:
The areas covered
by IV Counties are:
Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Suffolk
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The services
provided by IV Counties include:
- Tenant Finding.
- Let Only.
- Full Property Management.
- Insurance.
- Relocation in the UK and Overseas.
- Buy to Let.
- Property Maintenance (repair, decoration).
- Garden Maintenance.
- Tenant Finding includes:
- An initial visit to the property and, based
on the Landlord's requirements, assessment of
rental value.
- Marketing the property by using our contact
database, advertising in the local media and our
company web site.
- Recording all enquiries.
- Passing the names and telephone numbers of potential
tenants to the Landlord.
Fee: 25% of one month's rent.
- Let Only includes:
- An initial visit to the property and, based
on the Landlord's requirements, assessment of
rental value.
- Marketing the property by using our contact
database, advertising in the local media and our
company web site.
- Recording all enquiries and selecting suitable
prospective Tenants.
- Arranging viewings, with the agreement of the
current occupier of the property and accompanied,
where possible, by a member of IV Counties.
- Obtaining references (bank, employer, previous
landlord) from prospective Tenants.
- Obtaining a personal Guarantor for the Tenant
if appropriate.
- Collecting a holding deposit of £250 from
the Tenant to secure the property.
- Preparing an Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement
and relevant notices.
- Preparing an inventory of the property, contents,
fixtures and fittings, to be agreed by both Landlord
and Tenant.
- Collecting a dilapidation deposit of 1½
month's rent (less the £250 holding deposit)
and the first month’s rent.
- Passing a Standing Order instruction for the
collection of rent to the Tenant.
Fee: 75% of one month’s rent.
- Full Letting and Property
Management Service includes:
- All the above, plus:
- Collection of the rent and payment made into
the Landlord’s account.
- Chasing late payers as appropriate.
- Inspection of the property every 3 months and
passing a report to the Landlord as necessary.
- Assessing if maintenance or repair work is required
and arranging for the work to be undertaken as
necessary using tradespeople as agreed with the
Landlord.
- Arranging for the re-decoration of the property
and maintenance of the garden as agreed with the
Landlord.
- Providing 7 days a week support from IV Counties.
- Dealing with insurance claims, such as obtaining
quotations, submitting a claim and arranging for
repair work to be carried out.
Fee: 10% of gross rent.
- Insurance service includes:
Buildings Insurance.
Full Contents Insurance.
Limited Contents cover.
Legal Expenses cover.
Rent Guarantee and Legal Expenses.
Emergency Assistance.
Insurance arranged through HomeLet Landlord’s
Protection.
- Relocation in the UK and
overseas includes:
Compiling a list of Clients requirements.
Sourcing properties to meet Clients requirements.
Viewing properties which meet Clients requirements
and preparing a shortlist of potentially suitable
properties.
Accompanying the Client to view the shortlisted properties.
Assisting with rental negotiations.
Fee: 50% of one month's rent.
- Buy to Let includes:
Providing advice on Buy to Let options.
Compiling a list of Clients requirements.
Sourcing properties to meet Clients requirements.
Viewing properties which meet Clients requirements
and preparing a shortlist of potentially suitable
properties.
Accompanying the Client to view the shortlisted properties.
Assistance with obtaining: legal advice; mortgage
provision; insurance.
Fee: £250 +1% of purchase price (or
+0.5% of purchase price if we manage the property)
- Property Maintenance service
includes:
Should repair and maintenance work be required on
your property, IV Counties will co-ordinate activities
to ensure the job gets done properly with the minimum
amount of disruption. The service includes:
Arranging for one of our team of maintenance engineers
to visit your property to assess the repair/maintenance
work required.
Obtaining a quote for the necessary work.
Obtaining your approval of the quote.
Co-ordinating and supervising activities to ensure
the work is completed in a timely manner to the quality
required.
Fee: £25 arrangement fee + cost of service as
appropriate
- Garden Maintenance service
includes:
If your property includes a garden which you would
like to be maintained, we can arrange for its upkeep.
This service includes:
Discussing your requirements
Arranging for one of our gardeners to visit your property
to assess the amount of work required;
Obtaining a quote for the necessary work.
Obtaining your approval of the quote.
Co-ordinating and supervising activities to ensure
the work is completed in a timely manner to the quality
required.
Fee: £25 arrangement fee + cost of service as
appropriate
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Landlords’
and Tenants’ Responsibilities:
The Landlord is responsible for:
Repairs
Under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, unless the
tenancy has a fixed term of more than 7 years, you will
be responsible for repairs to:
- the exterior and structure of the property.
- sanitary installations, such as baths, sinks and
basins.
- heating and hot water installations.
- in the case of a flat or maisonette, other parts
of the building which you own or control and whose
disrepair would affect your tenant.
You are not liable or responsible for repairing damage
caused by the tenant.
Further information is available in the
DETR produced booklet “Repairs”.
Safety of gas and electrical appliances
Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations
1994, you are required to ensure that all gas appliances
are maintained in good order and that an annual safety
check is carried out by a tradesman who is registered
with CORGI (Council for Registered Gas Installers).
You must keep a record of the safety checks and pass
to the tenant within 28 days of each annual check.
You should ensure that the electrical system and electric
appliances you provide such as kitchen white goods and
immersion heaters are safe to use, these should be checked
annually.
Further information is available in Health
and Safety Executive produced leaflet “Gas appliances
– get them checked, keep them safe”.
Fire safety of furniture and furnishings
Any furniture and furnishings that you supply must
meet the fire resistance requirements in the Furniture
and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988. The
regulations set levels of resistance for domestic upholstered
furniture. All new and second-hand furniture supplied
in accommodation that is let must meet the fire resistance
requirements unless it was made before 1950.
Further information is available in the
DTI produced booklet “A Guide to the Furniture
and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations”.
Other
A tenancy is a contractual agreement, so you must supply
whatever you agreed to supply.
The Tenant is responsible for:
Council Tax
The tenant will normally be responsible for paying Council
Tax. If the property has multiple occupants you will
responsible for paying it, although you can include
it in the cost of the rent.
Further information is available from your local authority.
Water and sewerage charges
The tenant is usually responsible for paying water and
sewerage charges if the accommodation is self contained.
Further information is available from the local water
utility company.
Other bills
Payment of other bills should be agreed with the tenant
and clearly stated in the Tenancy Agreement. However,
the tenant is usually responsible for all other bills.
Other
The tenant has a duty to take proper care of the property
and use it in a responsible way, pay the rent as agreed
and keep to the terms of the Tenancy Agreement.
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Tax on rental income
You will normally be charged tax if you receive rent
from letting property. However, you can set against
the rent for tax purposes most business expenses from
renting out your property such as legal and professional
costs, the cost of renewing fixtures in the property
and, if the property is let furnished, the cost of replacing
furniture and furnishings. Your local tax office or
an accountant can give you advice on your tax position.
Advice leaflets are available from your local Tax Office.
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Overseas landlords
For landlords who are resident overseas, we can supply
you with the FIFA form which you will need to complete
with respect to tax payable from letting your property.
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