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Landlord Fees:
Monthly Full Management Fee – 12% of the monthly
rent including VAT
Additional Management Landlord Fees:
AST Tenancy Agreement - £180 including VAT
Deposit Handling Fee - £84 including VAT
Basic Ingoing or Exit Inventory - £84 including VAT per inventory
Optional Serving Notice to vacate - £120 including VAT
Early Termination of Management Fee - Mid Tenancy - 72% of notice month rent including VAT
or
Introduction Only Fee – 60% including VAT
of the 1st month rent
Additional Introduction Fees:
AST Tenancy Agreement - £180 including VAT
Basic Ingoing or Exit Inventory - £84 including VAT per inventory
Optional Quarterly Inspection on Introduction Only Lets - £54
including VAT per inspection
Optional Serving Notice to vacate - £120 including VAT
Additional Optional Fees for Full Management or Introduction
Only:
Arranging a eviction court hearing & attendance at the hearing
- £600 including VAT
PROPERTY CONDITIONS
A property will only be accepted for letting for a minimum period
of one year provided that it complies with:
- The Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations (1998)
- The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988
- The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994.
We can arrange for verification of compliance using one of our trusted
fully qualified Gas Safe Engineers or Electricians.
EPC – All rented properties must have a valid EPC – Energy Performance Certificate graded A – E prior to advertising. Once carried out these are valid for 10 years. We can arrange this for you. In the event that your property is rated F or G and qualifies for an exemption then we will need you to register the exemption with the PRS register and provide us with your exemption reference number.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION for Landlords
Identification Checks – In order to verify the identity of our Landlords we have a duty of care to obtain a copy of Identity documents from Landlords - Usually a current valid signed passport or Current UK photocard driving licence. A full list is available on request. In some cases, such as Non-Resident Landlords, we will also carry out a Land Registry search to confirm proof of property ownership in order to comply with the prevailing tax legislation.
Tenant Right to Rent Checks – In order to comply with Immigration Law Landlords are required to carry out Right to Rent checks on all Tenants over the age of 18 prior to the commencement of a new tenancy. In most cases this will simply mean viewing an original copy of the Tenant’s passport or a combination of 2 other approved documents in their presence. Landlords are then required to take a copy, certify the check date and keep a copy on file until a year after the expiry of the tenancy. We carry out these checks on your behalf but in the case of Introduction only Landlords we suggest that you also carry out these checks and keep your own records as the 7 years we hold files for, under GDPR, may expire before the tenancy ends.
Mortgages – If your property is mortgaged you should
ensure that you have obtained the mortgagee’s consent to let the
property. They may wish to see a copy of the tenancy agreement.
Leaseholds – If you are a leaseholder you should
check the terms of your lease to ensure that you do not require
consent to let your property.
Sub-letting – If you are a tenant you will need
your landlord’s permission to let the property.
Insurance - You should check that you are suitably
covered for letting on your Buildings & Contents Insurance.
Failure to advise your insurers may invalidate your policies.
Taxation – Under the terms of the Taxation of Income
from Land (non-residents) income tax at the current rate will be
deducted by us from rents received for overseas landlords unless
we receive an Exemption Certificate. We can arrange this for you.
UK Resident Landlords are responsible for completing the relevant
section of their tax return, declaring all income from rental property.
Further information can be obtained from HM Revenue & Customs.
We recommend that all landlords seek advice from and retain the
services of a qualified accountant before and during letting.
Council Tax – The occupiers are responsible for
the Council Tax. You should inform your local Council Tax office
if you are leaving a property.
General Condition – Electrical, gas, plumbing,
waste, central heating and hot water systems must be safe, in good
working order and comply with gas, fire & electrical safety
legal requirements. Maintenance and repairs will be at the landlord’s
expense. We will arrange these repairs under our Full Management
Service.
EPC - Energy Performance Certificate - From 1st
October 2008 a Landlord will be legally required to provide an EPC
to all prospective Tenants on request. This certificate will
rate your property's energy performance and will make recommendations
about how to improve energy performance.
The certificate will be at the Landlord's expense but will be valid
for 10 years. We can arrange for the EPC to be carried
out by a qualified DEA - Domestic Energy Assessor.
From 1st April 2018 all non-exempt properties must have an EPC rating of A – E. Exempt properties rated F or G must be registered on the PRS register and an exemption reference number obtained.
Gas Safety Check – Landlords and their agents have a statutory duty to have a safety check carried out on all gas installations
and flues annually or within 12 months before the start of a new
tenancy. This check must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered
engineer who will on completion supply the Landlord’s Gas Safety
Certificate.
We will arrange this for you under our Full Management option. If
you select our Introduction Only option then you must arrange for
this certification. Failure to follow gas safety requirements is
a criminal offence and can be punished by fines or imprisonment.
Smoke Alarms & Carbon Monoxide Alarms – Landlords must provide all rental properties with working smoke alarms & carbon monoxide alarms fitted compliant with all prevailing regulations.
Landlords & Legionella
The Health and Safety Executive has recently updated legislation
regarding the control of legionnaires’ disease. This revision
means that the legislation now applies to residential lettings,
which were not covered previously due to their size. All residential
properties which are rented out must now have a risk assessment
undertaken to determine the risk of legionella, which then allows
landlords to implement a suitable control scheme.
Under general health and safety law, as a landlord you have health
and safety duties and need to take suitable precautions to prevent
or control the risk of exposure to legionella. Carrying out a risk
assessment is your responsibility and will help you establish any
potential risks and implement measures to either eliminate or control
risks.
To identify risks in your water system you, or a competent person
who understands your water systems and any associated equipment,
should establish any possible exposure to legionella risks, as part
of the risk assessment.
More information can be found at the HSE website: www.hse.gov.uk/legionnaires
Under our Full Management option - We have appointed a qualified
and experienced company to carry out risk assessments on behalf
of our landlords. All assessment & control costs are payable
by the Landlord and will be deducted from rents. We will require
a signed disclaimer in the event that you do not wish Scott Owen
Lettings Limited to manage your legionella compliance.
Under our Introduction Only option – The Landlord is fully
responsible for Legionella Control & Compliance.
Electrical Duty of Care – Although there are currently
no compulsory regulations in relation to Electrical Testing on a
property, we highly recommend all landlords agree to the relevant
electrical testing to ensure that their property complies with The
Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994. We can arrange this
for you under our Full Management option using a trusted fully qualified
electrician.
Appliances – Any appliances such as ovens, washing
machines, and dishwashers must be in good working order. Any appliance
left at the property by the landlord will be the landlord’s responsibility
to maintain and test where appropriate.
Instructions for the Tenants – Please leave any
operating instructions that you may have for any appliance, central
heating etc. at the property.
Mail Forwarding – We suggest that if you are leaving
a property that you arrange a mail redirection via the Post Office.
It is not the Tenant’s responsibility to forward on your mail.
Inventory – It is vital that you have an Inventory
and a Schedule of Condition prepared at the start and end of any
tenancy. This will prevent any misunderstandings and avoid any disputes
at the end of the tenancy. It will be impossible for the Landlord
to prove any loss or damage to the property without this documentation.
This is compulsory under our Full Management option & we will
deal with this for you. With tight legislation surrounding the return
of tenancy deposits these documents are crucial.
Property Condition Reports and Visits - We are
not surveyors. The condition report we compile prior to letting
is on a purely visual basis.
We strongly recommend that owners collaborate with us in drawing
up the inventory/report. Wherever possible the Landlord should be
present at compilation. In the absence of an owners’ signature the
pre-tenancy report is deemed correct at our absolute discretion.
The accuracy of this document is crucial to the fair apportionment
of deposit at the end of a tenancy. It is also the reference point
for property checks. Property checking visits during the tenancy
are on a visual basis only. We cannot carry out checks for any latent,
inherent or structural problems and we do not under take movement
of heavy items such as beds, wardrobes, sofas or appliances.
Cleaning - We can arrange to have the property
cleaned if necessary prior to letting. Each property will be appraised
based on the work needed. Please request a quote if you require
this service.
Obtaining a tenant’s personal reference, employer’s reference where
necessary & landlord’s reference where necessary. If required
we can forward copies to the landlord prior to entering into the
tenancy as agents for the landlord. If the landlord does not wish
to see the reference a tenant shall be considered suitable by us
at our absolute discretion and we shall not be liable for any loss
or damage arising as a result of a tenant’s unsuitability.
Tenancy Agreements - We draw up the tenancy agreements
for each party. The Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement within the
meaning of Chapter 2 of Part 1 of the Housing Act 1988 is used.
Sample copies are available. We make a charge for this service.
All fee prices are available on request.
On the above basis we cannot guarantee to indemnify owners of property
against the unauthorised or unlawful action of the Tenants. It is
always the owner’s responsibility to take legal action and to instruct
a solicitor. We are not qualified to give legal advice.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION on Security Deposits
- With the Tenancy Deposit Scheme introduced on 6th April 2007 the
landlord or their agent has a legal duty to safeguard the tenancy
deposit under one of the government approved schemes within 30 days
of receipt. The tenancy agreement will clearly state who is responsible
for protecting the deposit.
There are harsh penalties for failing to meet the legislation and
it will not be possible to serve a section 21 notice unless the
law has been complied with. How the deposit is handled depends on
which service you take up with Scott Owen and the options are detailed
on the Services Page.
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