Landlords FAQs

We provide a range of services from Tenant Find to Full Management.

• Standard Tenant Find
• Premium Tenant Find
• Standard Managed
• Premium Standard

The most popular service are the  Fully Managed Services. Most of our Landlords, whether they have a Retirement Landlord with a single property or professional portfolio and corporate property owners, tend to go for this option.

Some Landlords opt for our Tenant Find service, which is geared towards experienced Landlords whose day-to-day business is the management of their portfolio.

The majority of our clients choose a Fully Managed option as this provides a complete service from start to finish, offering you peace of mind and the satisfaction that your property is in capable hands.

You can view the full list of our services and what each covers on our Landlord Services page.

You certainly can! However, many Landlords considerably under-estimate the amount of time and skill that is required to manage a property and a tenant as well.

For a small proportion of your monthly rental, we can handle virtually every aspect and provide a useful buffer between you and your tenant. You still make all the decisions but we do all the work for you.

In addition, the legal complexities of being a landlord can be hard to navigate without experience – we’ll ensure your property is compliant.

Typically a Standing Order is set up from the Tenant’s bank account and the rent will be paid in advance. Once the monies have been paid into our client account, the rent is paid by BACS directly into the account of your choice.

A detailed statement is part of our service.

An Assured Shorthold Tenancy for a fixed period of at least 6 months, or 12 months for Students.

As part of our service we endeavour to ensure that the rent is paid on time. Having carefully selected the tenant in the first place, there’s unlikely to be a problem.

However, people’s circumstances do sometimes change during a tenancy and if the rent is not paid, we’ll advise you on the appropriate course of action. You can insure yourself against loss of rent and legal expenses.

We ask tenants for a deposit equal to 5 weeks rent.

The deposit is Secured in a Government-approved custodial Deposit Scheme. It is returned to the tenant after the property check out process, if the property has been left in a satisfactory condition allowing for wear and tear, and in compliance with the tenant’s responsibilities under the Tenancy Agreement.

You must advise your insurance company in accordance with their requirements regarding empty property. Please check your insurance policy for the relevant details.

We only charge you commission on rents that we collect so when a property is empty, there are no charges.

Our Landlords enjoy the lowest void periods due to our high quality marketing and huge brand exposure of HOP.

These will usually include:

• Mortgage
• Buildings & Contents Insurance
• Repairs to the property and contents
• If leasehold, ground rent and service charges
• Managing Agents’ fees
• When the property is empty: council tax, utilities and services

You will be liable to pay tax on any profit generated from letting your property- the amount of tax you pay will depend on your circumstances.

If you are overseas for more than six months in any tax year, you will be regarded as a non-resident Landlord. The current legislation requires us to deduct and pay over to the Revenue tax at the basic rate unless we are in receipt of an exemption letter from the Inland Revenue. Once we are notified by the Revenue that you are exempt, we will no longer need to deduct tax.

Yes, otherwise you may find your insurance is invalid. Your insurer may wish to increase the premiums or be unable to accommodate your wishes. Should you need it, we are able to offer alternative Buildings and Contents insurance cover.

The managing agents or freeholders must be advised as a change in the type of occupancy may affect the buildings insurance. You should obtain the freeholders or managing agents consent prior to letting and advise us of any restrictions within the head lease which your tenant should be aware of.

The maintenance and upkeep of the garden is usually the responsibility of the Tenant. However, should you have a particularly large garden or any precious plants then it may be advisable to arrange for a gardener – the cost of which should be incorporated in the rental value. It is advisable to provide the materials for maintaining your garden even if the property is unfurnished.

Not always, however it sometimes helps to give tenants the option. Interestingly enough, in most cases we have found that there is very little difference in rental values between furnished and unfurnished lettings. HOP will advise you on the most appropriate option for your property. An unfurnished property would require carpets, curtains and usually white goods. The requirements for a furnished property can vary depending upon the style and location of your property.

Yes. It is a legal requirement that the Tenant enjoys a working smoke alarm in their property. We will provide full guidance on the latest regulations surrounding fire detection and smoke alarms, as the rules are different for each property type.

As a Landlord you have a legal obligation under the Landlord and Tenant Act to maintain the structure of the building, the sanitation and the supply of services. In addition, should an item in the property require replacing or repairing through fair wear and tear then you would be expected within the terms of the Tenancy Agreement to deal with this.

Yes, you’ll normally find that there is a clause in your mortgage agreement which makes this a requirement but it is rare nowadays for your Lender to object to your request.

We ensure our team are fully trained to understand the latest legislation so that we can provide you peace of mind that you and your property is fully compliant with the latest safety regulations and legislation including Gas Safety, Fire Safety, HMO conditions, Security, Electrical Safety, HHRS Health and Safety, Furniture requirements, Carbon Monoxide, Portable Appliance and Legionnaires amongst others.