Introduction
Our Service
Management Fees
Extranet System
Preparing your property
Property Maintenace
Property Cleaning
Safety Information
Furnished checklist
Stamp Duty
Other Information
Contact Us
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Our fully managed service includes for the tasks to be carried out as outlined below. We do not charge
a setup fee, and only deduct our management fee of 7.5% + VAT from the rent each month, so there are no
upfront costs.
A member of staff will visit to assess the rental value of your property. This will be affected by area,
facilities, size and type of property, as well as the standard of decor,
fitting and furniture (if applicable).
We will ensure your property is ready to let, ensuring adequate sets of keys are held (one
for each tenant plus our office set), smoke alarms are in place and tested working, Gas safety
certificates are in upto date and electrical inspections are taken care of.
We will also perform a basic Health & Safety assessment of the property to ensure the property
is fit to let and make you aware of any potential dangers as we see them.
We will visit the property and advise on the current market rental figure. Upon receiving a
signed copy of our Terms of Business and confirmation of compliance with the safety
regulations listed hereinafter, we will offer your property to prospective tenants.
We will advertise your property on a regular basis in the local paper and any other additional
advertising where deemed necessary. Colour photographs of the property will be prepared
and shown on our Internet Web Site, www.visum.co.uk.
Subject to your authorisation, we will erect a To Let Board.
Once suitable tenants are secured, we will notify the landlord accordingly. If the landlord
accepts the applicant we will apply for up to three references, or use a credit-checking
agency.
The agent cannot in any way guarantee or warrant the credit worthiness or the future conduct
of an applicant/tenant.
We will hold a deposit of 1.5 months rent, as independent
stakeholders against damages and unpaid accounts. At the end of each tenancy, we will carry
out a full inspection and inventory check of the property and deal with any matters of unfair
wear and tear. We would advise the landlord of any problems and recommend any
deductions or replacement values deemed necessary from the deposit.
We will prepare the tenancy agreement to your specifications and serve the relevant Notice.
On the commencement of the tenancy, the tenant will pay one-month's rent in advance and
the deposit.
We will prepare an extremely detailed, comprehensive inventory of the condition and contents of the property. This
cost will be part of your management fee, not an additional fee ontop!
This covers:
- Electrics: switches, sockets, light fittings etc
- Decorations: walls, ceilings, doors, skirting boards and architrave's
- Floors: carpets, rugs, vinyl floor coverings
- Contents: fittings, all appliances, kitchen units and work surfaces, furniture, crockery and cutlery etc
All items and their condition are described in detail. The tenant checks, agrees and signs the inventory at the
commencement of the tenancy. This is essential, as the tenant is responsible for any soiling or damage,
which may occur during tenancy, and was not noted at the outset of the tenancy.
We can, as an optional extra perform photographic or video inventory of the property. If a dispute should arise
over the condition of fixtures, fittings and furniture
then photographic and video inventory is more indisputable. Photographic inventory costs £10 + VAT and
video Inventory costs £30 + VAT. The video inventory is burnt to DVD.
We will arrange for the tenant to be checked into the property at the commencement of the tenancy.
The tenant will be checked out of the property against the inventory at the end of the tenancy
and a report will be sent to you.
At the start of the tenancy we take meter readings and have the tenant sign off against these. We will
need you, the landlord to inform us of the relevant utility suppliers for the property.
We will inform utility suppliers of the new tenants and meter readings at commencement of the tenancy,
we will also inform local authorities for purposes of council tax collection from the tenants, as they
become responsible in most cases for payment of the council tax.
Please note, the telephone subscription can only be transferred by the subscriber and
therefore must be transferred by the tenant.
During the move in we ensure all relevant paperwork, contracts and notices are signed by
all tenants.
We also walk through the inventory with the tenants to ensure they agree with it and sign.
We explain to the tenants how appliances work and how to report faults.
We will inspect the property on a quarterly basis. The first of which will be carried out after the
first month of the commencement of the tenancy. A detailed report will be prepared and sent to the
landlord after each inspection. An inventory check is not carried out at this time; the purpose
of the inspection is to check the tenant is keeping the property in good order and check the
general condition of the property.
Rents received will be paid into the landlord's account less our commission and any other
deductions. A rental statement will automatically be generated and sent to you by either post
or email.
We will make every effort to ensure that rent received by Bankers Order is paid within four
working days of payment being shown on our bank statement. Rent received by cheque is
paid within seven working days.
At Visum we are able to offer our landlords rent protection through rent guarentees. This
will cover any voids where tenants do not pay their rent, covers legal expenses for
eviction processes etc. This is a very cost effective peace of mind and we do recommend
all landlords take out the policy, even the best tenants can fall on hard times and fail
to pay their rent!
If a tenant introduced by the agent buys the property, in whatever circumstances, a charge
will be made of £500.
Repairs to the property, including fixtures and fittings are the responsibility of the landlord.
We request the tenant reports any faults to our office and we will then contact the landlord
concerning any repairs. Only in emergencies will works be carried out without the landlords'
approval.
Visum are unlike other agencies in the town in that we have our own crews
to perform maintenance, repairs, refurbishment etc as we like to ensure quality and cost effective solutions
to all aspects of investment properties. Please see our refurbishment section for more details.
Alternatively we can arrange for tradesmen to provide estimates for any works required at the property,
supervise any repairs and pay bills directly from the rent.
In the case of late rent payments, reminder letters will be sent within 3-5 working days and
21-23 days after the due date. After 28-30 days a final letter is sent advising the tenant that
the landlord has been informed and that legal action may be taken. It is the landlord's
responsibility to take legal action and to instruct a solicitor
Two months prior to the end of the tenancy we will issue the tenant with the required Notice to
require possession of the property. We will establish if the tenant wishes to remain in the
property for a further term, subject to your approval, or will vacate at the end of the tenancy.
If the tenant is vacating then we will replace the property back onto our rental register and find
suitable new tenants as soon as possible.
For landlords who require work to their property prior to us finding a tenant, we can offer a full
range of maintenance and refurbishment services to you, and/or, arrange contractors to provide quotations for any maintenance or repairs required. This
ranges from cleaning through to redecoration of the property. Please review the refurbishment and
cleaning sections.
If you are a prospective landlord who is thinking of buying a property to let, then we can offer
help and advice to help you find the right property. We can put you in touch with local estate
agents to find your property and then offer a free valuation service on what sort of rental
return your investment could offer. We will advise if any maintenance or redecoration is
required to bring your property up to the necessary standards required to attract the right type
of tenant. Prospective landlords should always seek independent financial advice before
purchasing a property
The landlord agrees to indemnify the agent against any costs; expenses or liabilities incurred
or imposed on the agent provided they were incurred on behalf of the landlord in pursuit of the
agent's normal duties. The landlord agrees to respond promptly to any requests or
correspondence from the agent.
The landlord, or the agent, by way of three clear months notice, in writing, will terminate the
agreement between both parties. If the landlord retains the same tenant introduced by the
agent, then a fee equivalent to one months rent will be payable.
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