Skip to content

Landlords

Two things which we believe you need from your letting agent and we can happily provide are:-

1. Local knowledge ensures you find the right people for your property at the right price, helping you find the `best´ tenants, not just the first ones to apply!

How many agents really have both?

To help you find the best agent to deal with your property requirements you might wish to consider the following.

How do I ensure my agent is fully regulated?

Did you know that a Letting Agent (even one that is part of an already established Estate Agent) does not legally have to be qualified or regulated in order to be able to act on your behalf?

This can inevitably lead to clients being disappointed with the service they receive and cause many landlords to find themselves inadvertently on the wrong side of the law. Thankfully by choosing a regulated agent who is a member of the following organisations you can be assured that they are bound by stringent codes of practice, and therefore are much better placed to help protect both landlords and tenants.

RICS - Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

NAEA - National Association of Estate Agents

ARLA - Association of Residential Letting Agents

OEA - Ombudsman of Estate Agents

How do I know my agent is actually qualified to know what they are talking about?

Some letting agents have no actual qualifications at all, and although many agents have managers who are qualified you need to know, what happens when they are not there? Check that the lettings team as a whole all have the relevant qualifications.

How much regular contact should I have with my agent?

Some landlords do not want to be contacted by their agent every week and some landlords want daily updates. In order to ensure you are getting the best service enquire with the valuer how often you would like to be kept updated. Any good agent will call you as often as requested to give you updates on marketing and viewings whilst your property is on the market.

How do I ensure my agent is up to date with current legislation?

Any regulated agent will have set procedures in place to ensure they keep staff up to date with training and qualifications. A good agent will also ensure that they keep you updated as to legislative changes throughout your tenancy.

Why not request one of our landlord information packs?Why not request one of our Landlord Information Packs from any one of our offices?

AT MONKS WE´VE GOT IT COVERED

Ellie Swinnerton qualified Member of the National Association of Estate Agents

Marie Matthews qualified Fellow of the Association of Residential Lettings Agents

Alison Watkin qualified Member of the Association of Residential Lettings Agents

Charlotte George qualified Member of the Association of Residential Lettings Agents

Meet the Lettings Team

THE LETTINGS TEAM

Monks Chartered Surveyors are also members of RICS and OEA

By being members of the 4 most influential organisations in the Estate Agency industry you can be assured that you will be offered a first class service by a company that has actively ensured all its staff are up to date with current legislation and are fully qualified to deal with any queries you may have.

MONKS offer free no obligation valuations to everyone!

At the valuation the valuer will provide you with information regarding

  • How much rent the property could achieve

  • Assured Shorthold Tenancies (What it means for you)

  • Landlord and tenant obligations

  • Insurance, Mortgage restrictions (if applicable) and tax implications (if applicable)

  • The best marketing strategy

  • The service offered and fee structure

Inventories and Check Outs

Monks ensure that all ingoing inventories and property check outs (once the tenant has vacated) for each property are carried out by the same person and a full digital record of the property is taken. This level of consistency means that your inventory clerk will pick up any discrepancies immediately that may potentially be missed by someone without prior knowledge of the condition of the property.

MONKS valuations team can also offer specialist advice on

  • Rent Reviews

  • Lettings Law and Legislation

  • Serving Notices

  • Deposit Returns

  • Overseas Landlord Tax

  • Houses of Multiple Occupation

  • The Deposit Scheme

We also make no extra charge for the following:

  • Free distinctive To Let Board

  • Free Internet Advertising on Rightmove and Monks own website

  • Free Accompanied Viewings

  • Free Newspaper Advertising

  • Free Property Consultation including advice on how best to present your property

  • Free check our report and liaison with the tenant on both managed and non managed tenancies.

  • Free deposit registration.

MONKS can offer two services to suit your individual specifications

Let Only - The following is all included in the let only service which is done on a 'No Let No Fee' Basis

  • market the property

  • assess prospective tenants

  • carry out credit & identity checks

  • take up references

  • prepare the Tenancy Agreement

  • prepare the Inventory & Schedule of Condition

  • prepare a Standing Order in favour of the landlord for monthly rental payments

  • notify the relevant utility companies

  • hold the deposit on behalf of the Landlord as Stakeholders in our regulated client account, which is protected by an insurance backed scheme, in line with government legislation

  • check-in the Tenant

  • pass on the Landlord´s contact details to the tenant

  • check-out the Tenant at the end of the tenancy

including all of the above (Let Only service) and once let we will

  • collect the monthly rent normally via standing order

  • provide a monthly statement

  • hold the deposit on behalf of the Landlord as Stakeholder in our regulated client account, which is protected by an insurance backed scheme, in line with government legislation.

  • conduct property Management Visits with digital photographs

  • deal with any maintenance issues that arise

  • quotations obtained and the works overseen if required

  • use of Monks list of reputable and competitively priced contractors

  • arrange landlord gas safety certificate (as requested)

  • liaise with utility companies throughout the tenancy

  • conduct annual rent reviews

At Monks we will ensure that you are kept regularly updated on all aspects of the lettings process from start to finish whether on let only or property management.

How do we manage your property effectively?

Your individual negotiator will see you through the entire process of renting out the property. Should you require us to manage the property you will be handed over to our property management team who will deal with all future enquiries. Again our consistency of service means that the same person who carried out the ingoing inventory will do the property management visits and check-outs which allows us to keep a very close eye on your property.

Due to the tailored and very flexible nature of our service we know that many landlords enjoy dealing with one specific person once they have built a relationship of trust through the letting process. Thankfully due to the dual nature of the training our team receive, all of the lettings team are qualified to deal with any property maintenance enquiries. So, although you will speak to the property management team if there are any issues, you can always if you wish to, speak to your original negotiator or valuer.

Using Monks will not only ensure you receive a quality service but will mean you get a quality tenant that you feel comfortable with to live in your property.

Don´t forget, your property is probably the most valuable asset you have; make sure you let us look after it!

Insurance

We recommend that Landlords inform their insurers of the intention to rent out the property to ensure that both the building and Landlord´s contents are covered.

Mortgages

In addition, if there is a mortgage over the property it may be necessary to obtain permission from the Mortgage Company to sublet the property.

Leasehold properties

If the property is Leasehold the landlord may under the terms of the lease, require permission from the Management Company or freeholders. It is also possible that there may be terms within the lease that will require compliance by any tenant occupying the property and these should therefore be reflected within the Tenancy Agreement.

It is important that the property is handed over to Monks in a good state of repair and condition to ensure that a standard to which the Tenants must adhere is set at the beginning of the tenancy.

Gardens

This is an area that can often lead to disagreement between the Landlord and Tenant. Unfortunately many Tenants do not have either the interest or the inclination to properly tend to the garden of the property they are renting. Under the terms of the Tenancy Agreement tenants are required to look after the garden. However, if the garden is particularly large or detailed in terms of its requirements it may be advisable to arrange for a gardener. The cost of this may be added to the rent and the Tenancy Agreement amended accordingly.

Tax

It is the responsibility of the Landlord to contact the Inland Revenue to inform them of any earnings relating to the letting of the property.

Overseas Landlords

Landlord who live out of the UK for more than 6 months in a year will be required to fill out a form for the Inland Revenue NRL1 to advise them that you are out of the country. Monks can provide with this form and suitable guidance notes on this process.

Electrical Safety

The wiring installation of a property must be safe. Monks therefore recommend that a wiring installation test be carried out by a qualified electrician prior to the rental of the property.

Furniture

Under the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988

(Amended 1989 and 1993) a Landlord cannot let a property with non-complying furniture. All such types of furniture as covered by the regulations must be resistant to fire from a lighted match and carry a display label indicating that it passes the ignitability test.

If a Landlord intends to rent a furnished property it is therefore essential that such furniture comply with the regulations.

Carpets and curtains are excluded from these regulations.

Gas Safety

Under the Gas Safety (Installations and Use) Regulations 1998

All Landlords are required to provide a copy of the Landlords Gas Safety Record to any new tenant before they move into the property and to ensure that this inspection is carried out annually and the new copy of the Landlords Gas Safety Record forwarded to the tenant within 28 days. Monks are happy to arrange this on behalf of Landlords for our managed properties.