Landlords – Invest in your asset for a fast return
Landlords in Surrey can let their properties easily within weeks if they don’t cut corners in the presentation of their homes and invest in maintenance. According to Jo Parris, Lettings Manager of Barton Wyatt’s Letting Division, properties ‘walk out of the door’ when they are offered in an excellent condition, whether they are flats, houses or Wentworth mansions.
Jo explains, “Unlike those looking to purchase a home who may want to add value and put their ‘stamp’ on a property, people looking to rent a home are seeking functional spaces, with all the mod-cons required for comfortable, stress-free living and above all they want clean, fresh homes without evidence of previous tenants.
“Landlords who invest in professional cleaning; for example, steam cleaning of carpets , stand the highest chance of renting them out quickly which of course means earning maximum rental return across the year. And above that it is the savvy landlords who invest in new kitchens and bathrooms every 10/15 years at the very least, that pull in the tenants above their competitors.
“Kitchens and bathrooms sell a house and that is the one area of interest shared by both tenants and purchasers.”
Jo continues with her top tips on letting a home:
1. The moment a tenant leaves arrange for painters / decorators to give the tired walls a lick of paint and organize for a full professional clean of the whole property. The quicker this is done the quicker we can start showing your home to potential tenants – don’t be tempted to have it viewed prior to this.
2. Take advice from your lettings agent whether to present the property furnished or unfurnished. Prospective tenants will be quicker to sign up if the property is presented in show house condition.
3. Ensure your lettings agents are doing their job in drumming up rental interest and it is best to use an honest agent who knows the market instead of one who will tell you what you want to hear. At the end of the day lettings are a business for most landlords and when you need the job done employ the professionals.
4. Always use and ARLA registered agent. Even the most prestigious homes could end up with difficult tenants and the tenancy agreements need to be water tight.
5. Get a “To Let” board put up outside the property. We get calls all the time from these boards when people have just been driving past doing a reccy of the area.
Editors Note
One such property is Hunters Dell in Sunningdale. This property was built in 2006 to a very high standard. Set behind gates in a quite location this property offers very good living accommodation as well as ample space for guests and staff.
Available for £14,000 per calendar month. For more information of this or any other properties contact Barton Wyatt on 0134 484 3000 or visit www.bartonwyatt.co.uk.