“I just love looking over and
keeping up to date the 108 pieces of legislation that govern the rental of
residential property in the UK”
...No Warrington
Landlord, ever
If you are one of the 3,194
Warrington landlord’s that manages your own property, would it surprise you to
know that there are 108 separate pieces of legislation that govern the rental
of private houses to tenants. Oh, and on top of the 108 pieces of law, there
are further 300+ regulations in the mix. Whilst Warrington landlords may once
have preferred to manage their Warrington buy-to-let properties themselves to boost
their profits, many Warrington landlords are starting to see this as a false
economy.
In the last four
years, an additional 1,228 landlords in Warrington have converted from self-managed
to having their property managed by a letting agent in Warrington, taking the
total number of properties under management in Warrington to 4,995 (out of a total
of 8,189 private rental properties in Warrington).
Now, don’t get me wrong, self-managing your Warrington
rental property can be a very fulfilling experience, allowing you, as a Warrington
landlord, to build a deep relationship with your tenant and your emergency 24
hour plumber, builder (happy to do small jobs at a drop of a hat), decorators, first
name terms with their deposit provider, lawyer and EPC provider to name but a
few. (Wow!)
Also, did you know if your tenants deposit
isn’t registered, or doesn’t continue to be registered after the end the
periodic tenancy upon renewal ... you could be fined up to three times your
deposit? With the average rental deposit in Warrington being £649, each
self-managed landlord in Warrington could be fined £1,947 per tenancy if the
deposit isn’t currently registered. Therefore...
...if every deposit of every Warrington self-managed landlord’s property
wasn’t registered, the total fines would amount to £6,218,153
Now of course, I am not suggesting for one minute all the self-managed
landlords of Warrington haven’t registered their deposits, yet almost on a
daily basis, I come across horror stories to that effect. Another two (but by
no means all) hot issues that the Courts are cracking down on, are doing
immigration ‘Right To Rent’ checks on all tenants (yes all tenants) and
confirmation proving the tenant received the ‘How to Rent’ guide. If that
second issue cannot be proved (a ‘sent’ email won’t suffice), the landlord cannot
serve the section 21 Notice, meaning the tenant cannot be served notice to
vacate the property.
To many, it’s really a case of DIY or getting
a qualified professional in … as those additional Warrington landlords mentioned
above have done since 2014. You might say, “Of
course you are going to say all this – you are a Letting Agent”. Well the choice really
comes down to your time and your knowledge. If a Warrington landlord is not equipped,
or able, to devote time keeping up-to-date of legislation and law nor doesn’t
want to be bothered 24/7/365 about a blown light bulb, dripping taps, have that
confrontational conversation with their tenants about missing rental payments, or
arbitrate arguments and disagreements between your tenant and the neighbours,
it is perhaps better to pass this accountability/responsibility onto a letting
agent.
One
thing I would say is all letting agents aren’t the same. Would it surprise you to
know that letting agents aren’t regulated?
Warrington
landlords that do use a letting agent should not forget that passing over
management to a letting agent doesn’t mean they can disregard legislation and
they are still responsible for deposit/rent repayment legal directives, civil
fines or action if the letting agent makes a mistake. Therefore, it’s important
to pick a respectable letting agent from the start.
Nevertheless, for
those Warrington landlords that see their job as a professional landlord and
want to be intricately involved in the day to day administration of
their rental properties, it can
be worthy pursuit.
If you are a
self-managed landlord in Warrington, and want to know if your paperwork is in
order please feel free to drop me a line and I am more than happy to do an
‘MOT’ on it to ensure you are the right side of the law.
If you are looking for an agent that is well established, professional and communicative, whether you’re buying, selling or looking for an investment opportunity, then contact us to find out how we can get the best out of the Warrington property market.
Email me on manoj@hamletwarrington.co.uk or call on 01925 235 338 – we are based on the Warrington Business Park, Long Lane, WA2 8TX. There is plenty of free parking and the kettle is always on.
Don't forget to visit the links below to view back dated deals and Warrington Property News.
CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT HOW MUCH YOUR WARRINGTON HOME IS WORTH FOR FREE
Hamlet Homes Warrington, your local Estate Agent
Follow my Warrington Property Market Blog
Hamlet Homes Warrington LinkedIn Page
Hamlet Homes Estate Agents Warrington Facebook Page
Hamlet Homes Estate Agents Warrington Twitter Page
