Lettings 

“Exceptional standards with a personal approach”

Renting your property is a lucrative and long term investment. Our lettings offices in Clapham and Dulwich are on hand to advise on any rental issue, from property prices to overseas Landlord tax to the latest Housing Act legislation. As our highly trained staff are at the forefront of developments in the lettings sector, we make the latest industry advancements available to our clients. While we are marketing your property will be providing you with regular feedback to ensure you receive the highest and fastest return possible.

Property
Management

“A professional service with peace of mind.”

Every property managed by Keating Estates is allocated to a dedicated property manager, who is on hand to give clients advice and assist with all property repairs
and maintenance issues. We ensure all properties comply with the required statutory regulations and conduct regular property visits to inspect their condition during a tenancy. We use proven, reliable local tradesmen to carry out any works from emergency repairs to daily maintenance issues. Ultimately, our aim is to provide a continuity of service throughout the rental life of our clients’ properties to ensure you achieve the maximum return with the minimum of fuss. 

Selecting an agent

In recent years the lettings industry has seen a major overhaul with increased regulations and legal requirements, however, anyone is able to set themselves up as a lettings agent. It is therefore imperative that you select an agent who is a member of The Property Ombudsman.


Safety Regulations

There are numerous pieces of legislation that govern how a landlord must make a property safe for a tenant. Safety regulations are constantly updated so you must ensure you keep up to date.

The Gas Safety (Installation and use) regulations (1994)
In accordance with current regulations, landlords are legally obliged to have all gas equipment safety checked by a Gas Safe Registered engineer before the start of the tenancy and annually thereafter. (The regulations also stipulate that any work, maintenance or repair carried out to any gas appliances, meters and pipe-work must be done by a Gas Safe Registered engineer). A copy of the Gas Safety Certificate must be give to the tenants before they move into the property.


Electrical Equipment

Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations (1994 )

Landlords are responsible for providing instruction books for all items of electrical equipment and for ensuring that all electrical appliances within the property comply with the above Regulations. Landlords should also ensure that all electrical installations are safe and have them checked regularly. Part “P” Building Regulations (Electrical Safety in Dwellings) came into force from the 1st January 2005 requiring qualified personnel to carry out certain electrical work at premises. Keating Estates advice is to have a Portable Appliance Test (PAT) or a more detailed, full electrical inspection by a NICEIC qualified engineer. All new electrical appliances must carry a ‘CE’ mark.

The furniture & furnishing (fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 (as amended in 1989 & 1993).

These regulations set levels of fire resistance for domestic upholstered furniture, furnishings and other products containing upholstery. It is a criminal offence to let premises with furniture that is non compliant.
Items covered by the regulations include.

These include any of the following which contain upholstery:
• Furniture intended for private use in a dwelling, including children's
furniture
• Beds, head-boards of beds, mattresses (of any size)
• Sofa-beds, futons and other convertibles
• Nursery furniture
• Garden furniture that is suitable for use in a dwelling
• Furniture in new caravans
• Scatter cushions and seat pads
• Pillows
The Regulations also apply to:
• Loose and stretch covers for furniture
The Regulations do not apply to:
• Sleeping bags
• Bed-clothes (including duvets)
• Loose covers for mattresses
• Pillowcases
• Curtains
• Carpets

Furniture purchased from a reputable supplier after 1988 should be labelled to indicate it complies with the legislation. Keating Estates advice is that if in doubt, and there are no labels, the items should be removed from the premises. These regulations also cover any furniture stored in the property or its grounds even if not for use by the occupant.


House of Multiple Occupation (HMOs)

Landlords are obliged to hold a license if lettings a house in multiple occupation (HMO). An HMO constitutes any property made up of three or more storeys and occupied by five or more people, forming two or more households. A HMO licence is issued by the local authority and a landlord must be aware that the conditions under the scheme may vary from form one local authority to another.

Tenancy Deposit Protection

Legislation was introduced on the 6th April 2007 stipulating that all deposits taken from tenants must be protected by a custodial or one of two insurance based schemes.
As a member of Mydeposit.co.uk, Keating Estates is eligible to register deposits held by us. This insures we hold the deposits in our client account and are prohibited from releasing any monies until written permission from both parties has been received. Failure to register the tenant’s deposit with one or more of these schemes could leave a landlord liable to the tenant for up to three times the deposit amount and invalidate any notice of possession served on the tenant.

Inventory and check in/out

An inventory is a comprehensive report detailing the fixtures and fittings at the property and describes the property’s condition generally. Alongside this document and specifies to each tenancy, is a ‘check-in’ and ‘check out’ report. It is from the information provided by these documents that the disbursement of the deposit, at the end of the tenancy should be decided. If a dispute is referred to mydeposits they are more likely to rule against the landlord if a professionally compiled inventory has not been completed.

Taxation

All landlords are required to pay tax on income arising from letting property and must inform Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC). There are a number of allowances that landlords can claim against this income. You should seek advice on these allowances from your accountant or from the HMRC’s website which can be accessed on www.hmrc.gov.uk. You must also keep all your invoices for six years for tax purposes.

Non UK Resident Landlords

All landlords are obliged to pay UK tax whether resident in the UK or not. However, if you are an ‘overseas’ landlord (out of the country for more than six months in any tax year) you can apply to receive your rent gross. Unless a letter of exemption is provided by HMRC, Keating Estates must by law deduct tax at the appropriate rate as directed by Her Majesty’s Treasury on all monies received and account this transaction to HMRC on a quarterly basis.

Disclaimer.
The information contained in this website/document is not definitive and should be considered only as a guide to the process of letting. For further advice please speak to one of the lettings team who will be pleased to help.