Looking to let your property? We’ve set out a brief guide to help with the process of letting your property.
Consent to let your property
Before you let your property there are a few legal factors that you should take in to consideration. These are, that:
- Your mortgage lender must give you consent to let your property.
- You must gain the consent of the freeholder; if your property is a leasehold property.
- If your property is jointly owned, you must ensure you have the consent of any co-owners and that they are named on any tenancy agreements or legal documents. - You must let your insurance company know of your intention to let the property.
2. Request a market appraisal of your property
The easiest and quickest way to find out the value of your property is to arrange a free valuation with one of our friendly and expert property professionals. Giving an accurate valuation is vital. Our goal is to have your property let at the highest possible market valuable without any void periods.
Our valuers hold years of experience in the field of lettings. They’re trained not only to take in to consideration the essentials like the space and key features of your home, but to also note the finer details and immediate locality that make your property truly individual.
3. Choosing the right estate agent
When choosing an estate agent to market your home be sure to choose an agent that genuinely has your best interests at heart. Do they have a broad list of qualified applicants readily searching for properties like yours? Do they have a good understanding of the local area and do they have insight on local market trends and values? Furthermore, do they market all of their properties to a professional standard, with professional photography, strong property descriptions and property particulars? When it comes to valuations, remember; the highest price isn’t automatically the best price!
4. Preparing your property for viewings
Presentation goes a long way. The way your home is displayed on marketing platforms will have a direct impact on buyers and renters first impressions, and may even be the foremost deciding factor in how much your property will achieve on the rental market. You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression – that’s why professional photos of your home are imperative. Hawkes give all homeowners a free consultation on home refurbishments prior to their property being placed on the rental market. Check out our brief guide for presenting your home here.
5. Marketing your property
The estate agency business is - essentially - the business of marketing. We understand that in order for a client’s asset to be successfully let or sold it must be publicized to as large an audience as possible; and that’s where we come in. We market to a nationwide audience on the UK’s leading and most-visited property portals.
Our office makes use of market-leading tools in order for your property to reach thousands of prospective qualified applicants registered with our Stoke Newington office. Superb printed property brochures, SMS send-outs, email campaigns, local magazine prints and our prominent high-street office are just a few of the methods and places your property will be publicised. To find out more about our marketing process click here.
6. Viewings
Our team will arrange viewings around you or your current tenants’ convenience. Our drive for results means our negotiators will be happy to attend evening and out-of-hours viewings to assure the right working professionals view your home. Many of our landlords prefer to hand a set of keys over to us for ease of access.
A spotless property that is free of clutter will always give viewers a great first impression. Feedback – whether constructive or not – can always be used to your advantage. Click here to visit our guide on preparing your property for viewings.
7. Accepting offers
As soon as an offer is received following a viewing we’ll be in touch to notify you by your preferred method of contact. In order for us to progress and convey the details of an offer to you we ask that all applicants in the process of making an offer provide us with the following information as a bear minimum:
- Structure of the group (how many people are looking to move in and whether they are professionals, students or a mix of both)
- What the tenant(s) ideal move-in date is
- What each tenant’s current profession is and whether each individual is permanently employed
- How much each tenant is earning on an annual basis
- How long the tenant(s) are looking to tenant the property (usually a minimum term of 12 months)
8. Complete! Moving your tenants in!
Upon satisfactory references returned to us, we’ll contact you with the great news and begin preparing for your tenants move-in. We would then make sure prior to the move-in date that your property is ready for its new residents - avoiding any last-minute mishaps! Typically this would simply mean having the dwelling professional cleaned (also making sure the property is legally ready for let) prior to your tenants’ arrival or dependent on your chosen service, meeting with the tenants and checking them in to the property alongside having a professional inventory clerk carry out a pre- tenancy inventory.