As a landlord, finding good tenants is the most important thing you can do. If you find tenants who pay their rent on time, do not quibble about the bills and look after your property with respect, you need to try your best to hold on to these tenants. Make sure they are happy to avoid them choosing to move elsewhere.
The main thing to do is to ensure the property is in really good condition. Make sure everything is in good working order and has been properly maintained. If the tenants report any maintenance issues to you, get them dealt with as quickly as possible. This is especially important if it is something like a broken boiler or a leak, as it could endanger the tenants and cause further damage to the property.
Carry out regular inspections and try to talk to the tenants. This will allow you to fix any issues and to find out how you can keep your tenants happy.
Marketing a property to sell or to rent needs to cover some important points for the buyer or potential tenant. If you are looking at marketing a property, either to sell or rent privately or as part of an estate agency, here are some points that you should take note of:
- Write and speak persuasively. Make sure people know the benefits of the property. Have some facts and figures in mind, such as where the local schools are and how close the property is to bars and restaurants.
- Make sure it is up to scratch. Monitor the property to make sure you don’t notice any problems with damp or with insulation. This will put people off immediately.
- Give it a lick of paint. People will fall in love with a property and go with their heart when they can imagine themselves living in it. Let them see a blank canvass – use white or cream paint.
Service charges are usually paid by the leaseholder of a flat. They are payments that are made to the freeholder, or the person who owns the building. This money could go directly to the freeholder, or it may go to the property agent that is used by the freeholder. If the building has a residents’ association who also own the land and building, service charges will go to them.
The service charges paid by flat owners (or indeed house owners, if the plot of land is leasehold) are used to maintain the building and carry out any repairs. These could include window cleaning, gardening, cleaning of corridors, maintenance of building entry systems etc. It will also include the day to day running costs of the building, such as central heating.
Service charges will usually be enough to cover repairs and maintenance, though sometimes a bigger job like a roof replacement may cost more.
Building management services cover all kinds of everyday activities that need to be taken care of in a building. The building management company will be responsible for keeping the building as a whole clean, safe and secure, making sure that all residents have a high level of facilities to use. More often than not, they will look after blocks of flats, meaning that they are responsible for areas like gardens, hallways and any other communal spaces.
These are some of the jobs carried out by a building management company:
- Roof repairs
- Mowing lawns
- Structural repairs to the entire building
- Recarpeting hallways
- Cleaning communal spaces
- Managing the heating and when it will come on in hallways
- Cleaning windows
- Replacing and repairing entrance doors and entry systems for tenants
There are many other jobs that will be required as well – this is just a rough list of some of the main ones.
Commercial buildings cannot be tackled by an inexperienced or untrained cleaner. Commercial buildings require a special level of cleaning that cannot be replicated by anyone other than a professional. Cleaners who work in commercial environment will have had special training and they will have a good degree of experience. They will also have the right insurance to work in these kinds of environments, a factor that cannot be ignored.
For commercial buildings, it is worth hiring a cleaning agency who can then send qualified and experienced people out to your property. They will be able to work around you, making it easier for you to stick to a cleaning schedule that works for you and your staff. Professional cleaning agencies offer very good value for money and you will get a thorough service when you choose to work with them They will use professional grade products, including cleaning agents and floor cleaners, making them much more effective.