The archetypal multi-property “professional” landlord probably only accounts for about half of all landlords. The rest come in all shapes and sizes – The “Accidental” landlord, The “Pension” landlord, The “Parent” landlord and The “Inheritance” landlord.

In this article, we consider The “Accidental” landlord:

The accidental landlord is a homeowner who would ideally have sold,

Tenant Fee Ban Benefit Legislation now prevents letting agents from charging tenants a fee to process their application to rent a property. In the past,

When a tenant pays a deposit to a landlord or letting agent, the money must by law be “protected” against non-return at the end of the tenancy by one of two schemes –one custodial, and one insurance–based. Letting agencies and landlords choose which they prefer.

The custodial scheme is government-operated and free of charge. Funds

When a tenant pays a deposit to a landlord or letting agent, the money must by law be “protected” against non-return at the end of the tenancy by one of two schemes –one custodial, and one insurance–based. Letting agencies and landlords choose which they prefer.

The custodial scheme is government-operated and free of charge. Funds

Household emergencies generally occur during the depths of winter, but we recommend that landlords undertake a pre-winter checklist now to prevent unforeseen property headaches in the months to come. A tenant will often be less interested in preventative measures, but will of course complain if there is a problem – often too late and costly to

Some people feel that flats and houses should be able to “let themselves” and do not need to be “shown” by letting agents. Whilst this may be true of certain exceptional properties, or where achieving the optimum rent is not an issue, most properties require the skills of a well-trained letting agent if they are

Many letting agencies simply act as a broking service that matches tenants to property. However, we are acutely aware that there is far more to successful lets than this alone. Indeed, nationally, about 25% of initially agreed tenancies fail to prove satisfactory for one reason or another.

One of the main reasons is that a

The property market has historically been fuelled from below, with first time buyers paving the way for sellers to move onward and upward.

However, the dramatic rise in property prices over the past decades, followed by mortgage funding difficulties have combined to mean that there has been a decline in the number of first time

“Location, location, location” may be the cornerstone of wise property investment, yet many people are unaware of the importance of location in making the right choice of letting agent – whether as landlord or tenant.

Letting agency is an intensely local business. It is essential that letting agents are fully conversant with the issues of

If location is fundamental to a tenancy, then mapping is surely the most obvious way to highlight location.

We choose to use locational maps on our property details/website as they make it easy for tenants to identify the property in relation to its surroundings. This is particularly useful when a tenant is considering a

They say a man’s home is his castle – but when a couple is renting together, it is probably not the man who actually chooses it!

94% of letting agents polled in a recent survey confirmed that it is usually the woman in such a relationship who has the last word in choosing which home

Most people move house rarely and often have little idea of the etiquette required if the stress of moving is to be minimised. Our job as progressive letting agents is to help landlords and tenants minimise this stress by seeing the world through each other’s eyes and advising accordingly.

For example, landlords, especially those who

An unfair quirk in the law can leave landlords substantially out of pocket, as highlighted by the recent case of Cheryl Roux, the former wife of Michelin star chef Albert Roux.

A bogus tenant, introduced by a fake London letting agency, rented Mrs Roux’s £5m Knightsbridge property. That tenant then advertised the property to legitimate

When looking to rent a property, it is natural to want to see as many properties as possible before making the “right” choice and common sense dictates that you should view a handful of alternatives before deciding which to rent.

Our job as professional letting agents is to help tenants make decisions that are genuinely