New Landlords

A Warm Welcome from Sterling Properties

As a lettings specialist with over 20 years experience you can rest assured that if you chose to partner with Sterling Properties, your decision would be a good one. Whether it’s to rent out one or multiple properties our experienced team of over 45 people are here to support you and your tenants to ensure a profitable and mutually beneficial relationship.

By instructing Sterling Properties to look after your property you have peace of mind that we have the experience and knowledge, along with the technology, to successfully manage the whole letting process from start to finish.

Along with the many management services we offer, we also have alternative marketing tools to help you stand out for the right reason in a crowded marketplace. Why not make use of floor plans, audio visual tours or premier listings on industry leading websites to help find the perfect tenant.

Whether you are looking to let just one property or switch a full portfolio, Sterling Properties are dedicated to delivering excellent customer service to you, the landlord, and your tenant.

Considerations before Letting

Private rented sector markets

When deciding to let your property you should consider the types of tenants you wish to rent to. Broadly speaking there are three types of tenants:

1. People on benefits
2. Students
3. Working tenants

The type of property you own and its location may determine the market you aim for. Different markets will command different rent levels and will require different standards of letting. We can advise you which market(s) we feel your property would suit.

Using Sterling Properties to let your property

There are three lettings services we offer when renting your property. These are:

• Letting only
• Letting and rent collection
• Full Management

Letting only

This is where we market your property, advise on rent levels, find a tenant, undertake reference checks if required and provide a tenancy agreement. Once the tenancy has started you will undertake all management of the property. We will charge you a one off fee for this.

Letting and rent collection

This is where as well as finding a tenant we also collect the rent for you during the tenancy. Other management functions such as repairs and arranging to get possession of the property at the end of the tenancy, if needed are still dealt with by you.

We will charge you a one off fee for this and then a monthly fee (a percentage of the rent) for collecting the rent.

Full Management

This is where we act as a full management agent. We will deal with all management issues, repairs, rent collection, starting the tenancy and some steps towards ending the tenancy. We will need to agree with you what repairs we can do without asking you, and what repairs you want to get involved in. Any repairs which we undertake are deducted from the proceeds of the letting.

Tenancy Information

Referencing and vetting tenants

Each applicant who applies to rent your property must complete an application form. Information requested within the application form includes:

• Personal contact details
• Next of kin contact details
• Accommodation addresses for the past three years
• Contact details of previous landlords
• Employment details
• Other income (could be Local Housing Allowance)

We will arrange to obtain references for the applicant(s) and obtain credit checks. We will also obtain copies of the applicants ID.

Guarantors

A guarantor is typically a friend or family member of the prospective tenant, who has agreed to vouch for the tenant and accept the liabilities on behalf of the tenant. In the event of the tenant being unable to pay their rent or other charges incurred, the guarantor is legally bound to accept the liabilities on behalf of the tenant and pay the overdue rent and charge for any damage to the property. Guarantors are referenced in the same way as tenants and must be a home owner.

Tenancy Deposits

Taking a deposit from a tenant decreases the chances of abandonment, by acting as an incentive for the tenant to terminate the agreement correctly. The deposit also gives security in case the tenant leaves the property owing rent or to pay for any damage or unpaid household bills at the end of the tenancy.

We will advise you on the amount of deposit which we think should be paid by the tenant and arrange to collect this from the tenant when they move in.

Protecting tenancy deposits

If the tenant pays a deposit then it must be protected in a government-authorised protection scheme within 30 days of us receiving it.

If the tenant believes at any time during the tenancy that their deposit has not been protected or they have not been given the necessary information about deposit protection they can take the landlord to court.

We use an insurance based scheme called MyDeposits to protect tenant’s deposits and retain each deposit in our client account.

Housing Benefit and Local Housing Allowance

Local housing allowance is the way that housing benefit is administered for tenants renting accommodation from a private landlord.

LHA is a flat rate benefit. It is based on:

• Where the tenant lives
• Who lives with them
• How much money the tenant has coming in
• What savings the tenant has

In some cases the amount of benefit will be affected by other things which can include:

• How much the rent is
• Whether anyone living with the tenant is expected to contribute to their rent

Whether a tenant is eligible to receive a full or partial award depends upon their income, savings and proof of a valid tenancy.

We have extensive knowledge of both private and housing benefit letting markets. When dealing with housing benefit applications, all forms and required documentation are taken to the Housing Benefit office by ourselves. We have developed an excellent relationship with all North West offices and are in telephone contact with them on a daily basis to ensure we stay updated on new and running claims. This guarantees we can identify and deal with any problems as they may occur and provides a ‘hassle free’ service to you the landlord.

Maintenance Issues

Any maintenance issues that may arise will be dealt with efficiently and to the highest standard. We have qualified on-the-road maintenance teams covering all trades which continuously liase with the office maintenance staff on a daily basis ensuring an excellent service is always delivered to both you as a landlord and the tenant. If we are unable to contact you in the event of an emergency, as your managing agent we will authorise works to be completed to a maximum value which will have been agreed between you and ourselves at a previous date.