Are you a property owner tired of the constant headaches and uncertainties that come with managing rental properties? Look no further! Lebern’s Guaranteed Rent Service offers a comprehensive and worry-free solution for landlords, providing peace of mind and steady income. Let’s explore the key features that make Lebern’s service stand out from the crowd:

1. Fixed Guaranteed Rent: With Lebern, you can say goodbye to the stress of unpredictable rental income. They offer a fixed, guaranteed rental amount, ensuring you receive your rental income consistently, regardless of whether the property is occupied or vacant.

2. No Void Periods: Never worry about losing money during vacant periods again. Lebern takes full responsibility for finding suitable tenants promptly, minimizing void periods and maximizing your rental returns.

3. No Maintenance Costs: Property maintenance can be a significant financial burden for landlords. However, with Lebern, you can breathe easy, as they cover all maintenance costs. Your property will be well taken care of, ensuring it remains in excellent condition for the long term.

4. No Eviction Costs: Dealing with evictions can be legally complicated and financially draining. Lebern takes care of eviction costs, should they ever be necessary, relieving you of this arduous responsibility.

5. No Hidden Costs: Transparent business practices are paramount to Lebern. You won’t encounter any hidden fees or unexpected expenses while working with their Guaranteed Rent Service.

6. No Late Payments: Late rental payments can disrupt your financial plans and lead to additional stress. Lebern ensures that you receive your rental income on time, every time, providing a consistent cash flow.

7. No Maintenance Calls: Forget about those midnight maintenance calls from tenants. Lebern handles all tenant inquiries and maintenance requests, saving you time and sparing you from unexpected disruptions.

8. No Letting Agent Fees: Traditional letting agents often charge substantial fees for their services. Lebern eliminates these expenses, allowing you to retain more of your rental income.

9. No Problem Tenants: Screening tenants and dealing with troublesome renters can be a daunting task. Lebern takes on the responsibility of vetting and selecting reliable tenants, reducing the risk of problematic lease agreements.

10. No Stress: Perhaps the most appealing aspect of Lebern’s Guaranteed Rent Service is the elimination of stress for property owners. From start to finish, Lebern handles the entire rental process, leaving you with peace of mind and more time to focus on other endeavors.

Choosing Lebern’s Guaranteed Rent Service means entering into a partnership with a reliable and trustworthy company. Their commitment to providing hassle-free property management, along with the added benefit of guaranteed rent, offers landlords an opportunity to experience the rewards of property ownership without the typical headaches.

If you’re ready to alleviate the burdens of being a landlord and embrace a truly stress-free rental experience, Lebern’s Guaranteed Rent Service is the solution you’ve been waiting for. Partner with Lebern today and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with a worry-free investment.

Most tenants are decent people who pay their rent promptly and go out of their way to get on with their neighbours.

What often concerns landlords are the few who don’t follow the rules.

If the worst happens, there may come a time when you wish to evict a tenant. It could be because they have been misbehaving; or you may wish to get your property back either to sell it, or to live there yourself.

There are a number of steps you have to take to do this properly. This will help the eviction process go smoothly and will dictate the measures you can take if they resist leaving. Your letting agent will also be able to assist.

Speak to your tenants

Whether it’s by phone or by email, it is advisable to get in touch with your tenant, especially if they are in arrears with the rent or have been engaging in anti-social behaviour (ASB).

You could potentially help them with a repayment plan, or help them to access benefits, or point out ASB problems – for instance, they might not realise that neighbours have complained, and might then adjust their behaviour.

In any case, it is polite to give advance warning that you intend to serve notice. They might want more time before leaving, and perhaps you can negotiate on this.

If you are doing this by phone, it is a good idea to confirm what has been discussed in a letter or email, so you have evidence if you face the worst case scenario of going to court to get your property back.

 

Ensure the tenancy paperwork is in order

To be in the best possible position, ensure you or your letting agent has the correct documents which must be issued at the start of a tenancy.

When you take on a tenant, they must be provided with a copy of the government document “How to rent: the checklist for renting in England”. Along with that, they must be given a copy of the Energy Performance Certificate and the Gas Safety Certificate if applicable.

Any good letting agent can ensure this is done at the start of the tenancy. However, you can serve those documents retrospectively but must follow certain procedures, so it is best to seek advice.

 

How to serve notice

 Whether it’s for fixed-term Assured Shorthold Tenancies (AST) or periodic tenancies (ie they have “rolled on” and continued after the end of a contract), the procedure is usually the same.

Notice must be served in writing, two months prior to the date you want your tenant(s) to leave and stating that date. Normally you’ll use a Section 21 notice (Housing Act 1988) but note you cannot end the fixed-term early.

You can end it earlier in the case of arrears, significant damage or ASB, using a Section 8 notice, but this can end up being just as lengthy, as the court may get involved.

In the majority of cases the tenant will leave at the end of the notice period, but in some cases they may refuse.

If so, find out why and see if it is  something that can be resolved between you – because otherwise, the next step could be lengthy and costly. Please note you cannot harass a tenant or force them to leave – it’s against the law.

 

The process of going to court

This is recommended only when all else has failed. It costs around £500 to get a warrant but there will be legal costs on top, and the courts are busy and move very slowly.

A judge will decide whether to make an order of absolute possession, taking into account the tenant’s circumstances. The judge will set a date for leaving, which could be as soon as two to four weeks’ time. Hopefully the tenant will then go.

If they still will not vacate, bailiffs appointed by the court will give tenants 14 days’ notice before visiting the property. If they are refused entry, they have the powers to bring round a locksmith to open the door. At this point the tenant must leave, though the bailiffs will allow time to pack.

Here at LeBern Property, we have 10+ years of property management experience. For information and advice on the lettings process, management of your property, finding and retaining tenants do not hesitate to contact us at one of our branches.

 

Find out how much your property is worth and how much you could charge prospective tenants who rent by using our free and instant online valuation.

When things you have always taken for granted, like heating and eating, are becoming too expensive, it’s no surprise that some are looking to cut corners and maybe live in a better part of their area than they could reasonably expect to afford.

Almost 280,000 properties across the UK, with a combined market value of £82billion, are occupied by fraudsters.

It was reported by Homeppl that 91% of the fraud that comes from rental applications stems from tenants attempting to disguise the true nature of their financial circumstances.

According to statistics, one in 50 tenancy applications are fraudulent and that rises to one in 20 in London.

With the demand for rental properties on the rise and competition to get that much sought-after flat or house increasing daily, the lengths to which some tenants will go to knows no bounds. Let’s analyse the most common instances of tenant fraud and tips to stop it

Fake ID

A huge amount of the fraud starts here, with a stolen or fake ID. It has become something of a business to produce fake IDs, with one man making nearly £300,000 from the money he earned from it.

Spotting the fakes requires some assertiveness on your part, cross-referencing all the details you have with external sources to make sure the driving licence/passport you have is genuine. If you’re still unsure, take a look at this website for more tips.

Bank statements

It’s no secret that rents in London have gone up – the average weekly rent as of last September was a whopping £553. So, proving they can pay it is where fraudsters come into their own. Many of them use doctored or fake bank statements.

If the information is on a PDF, check to see if it has been altered. If it has, then that’s a clue that the statement may have been tampered with. If you’re not sure, ask the experts or go to a bank to make sure what you have is legitimate.

References

Ever wondered why there are so many domain names? Well, some of them belong to entirely fake businesses, which have been set up to provide the owner with a reference that only they can verify.

There are several ways to check the veracity of the website – see how old it is. A recent website might suggest it’s been created for the purposes of providing such a reference. Be cautious, though, as there are plenty of new, legitimate websites.

Payslips

 

Creating a fraudulent payslip, exaggerating how much a tenant earns, is definitely one way of trying to prove you can pay the rent. With more and more payslips now electronic, fraudsters are now able to create new versions of payslips but with slightly exaggerated figures to boost their perceived ability to pay.

It’s easy enough to check whether the figure on the payslip is legitimate by contacting companies house. They can check to see whether the payslip exists and also whether the business that the client ‘works’ for exists.

Here at LeBern Property, we have 10+ years of property management experience. For information and advice on the lettings process, management of your property, finding and retaining tenants do not hesitate to contact us at one of our branches.

Find out how much your property is worth and how much you could charge prospective tenants who rent by using our free and instant online valuation.

In a much-awaited Autumn Statement, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt – who has been in the role for only just over a month – set out the government’s tax and spending plans.

As predicted, it involved some large tax rises and spending cuts at Hunt aimed to fill a fiscal black hole to the tune of £55 billion – caused by Covid, Brexit, the war in Ukraine, soaring inflation and the disastrous mini-Budget from Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng.

Hunt said he was delivering a plan which would tackle the cost-of-living crisis and rebuild the UK economy. He also said he would be prioritising stability, growth and protecting public services.

His speech didn’t have much to say about housing specifically, but he did set out a number of measures that will directly affect landlords.

Below, we take a look at what these were.

Capital gains tax allowance halved

The Chancellor announced that he would more than halve the tax-free allowance for capital gains in the next tax year (2023-24), reducing it from £12,300 to £6,000. In the next tax year (2024-25), it will be halved again to £3,000 in 2024-25. Hunt said this was to make the tax system fairer and restore the public purse.

It will be those landlords seeking to sell their homes who will be most affected by this change, with CGT charged at a much higher rate for residential property sales.

More landlords could look to leave the sector earlier than planned as a result of the move, which would in turn have a negative impact on rental supply.

“These swingeing cuts to Capital Gains Tax allowances will dissuade investment for years to come,” Ben Beadle, CEO of landlord trade body NRLA, commented, saying that it will deter investment in new rental homes and grow the cost of renting.

Greater tax load for higher earners

Hunt also used his Commons speech to reveal that higher earners will begin paying the top rate of tax (45%) when they earn £125,140, down from £150,000 before.

As a consequence of this, more landlords could be forced into the highest paying tax bracket. This is likely to then have an impact on the profits they can make because of the changes to mortgage interest tax relief which were first introduced in April 2017.

Hunt announced other tax changes in his address, stating that Inheritance Tax thresholds will be frozen for a further two years, which will mean hundreds of thousands of home owners remain subject to paying this tax.

Time-limited stamp duty cut

In a much more unexpected move, Hunt said the recent cuts to stamp duty would be time-limited, ceasing on March 31 2025.

For the next few years, there is now effectively another stamp duty holiday – something which will encourage more buyers, including landlords, to take advantage of the potential savings on offer.

Kwarteng, in his now infamous mini-Budget, had increased the nil rate threshold for stamp duty from £125,000 to £250,000, while also upping threshold at which first-time buyers pay stamp duty on their first home to £425,000 from £300,000 on purchases worth up to £625,000.

But that will all come to an end in March 2025, which could lead to a late rush for homes before the effective holiday ends.

Hunt’s wide-ranging speech, which lasted for nearly an hour, also included a number of other measures – ranging from electric cars to the energy price guarantee, explained in much greater detail here. 

Here at LeBern Property, we have 10+ years of property management experience. For information and advice on the lettings process, management of your property, finding and retaining tenants do not hesitate to contact us at one of our branches.

Find out how much your property is worth and how much you could charge prospective tenants who rent by using our free and instant online valuation.

According to Moody’s economic status of United Kingdom has been downgraded from “Stable” to “Negative” due to political instability and high degree of inflation. There is high possibility that economy will be stable again with effective policy making and macro-economic strategies. However current condition creates threats to many industries as it may lead towards higher degree of unemployment, salary cuts, and layoffs. Landlords are affected with this kind of economic conditions at two ends. While some landlords struggle to find tenants, some may struggle to collect rent money from existing customers. In both conditions Landlords must suffer at many ends. Guaranteed Rent Options and Advance Rent Options can be identified as the perfect solutions to overcome these issues. Under the Guaranteed rent option Property Management Company like Lebern enter into an agreement with landlords for guaranteed rent where company becomes the tenant. When company becomes the tenant it is much secure for landlords.  In Advance Rent Options companies like Lebern becomes the tenant and provide total annual payment of the property upfront to the landlords.

If you want to know more about Lebern Landlord Solutions CLICK HERE

As a landlord, you’ll always be keen to avoid void periods as much as possible, as these periods bring in no rental income.

They are every landlord’s worst nightmare as during this time bills must still be paid by the landlord despite the property being vacant.

Luckily for landlords, void periods are said to be falling as the rental sector shows signs of rude health.

As a result, now could be the time to make the most of the current market conditions.

Why is there a significant drop in void periods?

Tenant demand remains strong while the level of supply is significantly lower. Both factors largely contribute to the fall in void periods.

Total Landlord Insurance claims that the average void period across England is 16.8 days per year. Based on the average monthly rent of £940, it costs £31 per day. This brings void periods to a total cost of £518 per year.

The national overall void period for 2022 is 2.6 days less than it was in 2021, reducing the void period costs by 7.4%.  

Based on these findings, Total Landlord Insurance argues that the rental market is returning to full strength following the pandemic and eviction bans – despite the current cost-of-living crisis and economic uncertainty to contend with. 

London has seen void costs fall by 18.5%. The research shows that void periods are 4.6 days shorter this year than last. This is the biggest cost reduction in comparison to all regions.

How can landlords make the most of the market?

While void periods are on the decline, landlords can further boost their prospects through the way they position themselves in the market and treat existing tenants.

Keeping tenants happy will enable landlords to make the most of the fall in void periods. Simply keeping up with property maintenance work, setting realistic rent increases, and dealing with queries quickly are some ways to keep tenants happy.

Void periods occur for a variety of reasons. But, typically, it’s because of a failure to find a tenant after the previous one leaves. 

If the previous tenant leaves early, this could make it more difficult to replace the tenant quickly. However, by acting as soon as the existing tenant gives notice to leave, extended void periods – or any void period at all – can be swerved. 

By marketing the property up to eight weeks before the current tenant moves out, landlords can be sure that a sufficient level of demand would be brought to the home.

Although they are unwelcome, void periods cannot always be avoided. Renovation work is also a common cause of void periods. Here, better planning around this could help prevent void periods from lasting too long. 

While void periods continue to fall, landlords should still factor in the possibility of them as a part of their budget in case this does arise. It’s always good to have that safety net. 

Occupancy rates can be kept to a maximum with the help of an experienced letting agent keeping the landlord and tenants informed and happy throughout their lettings journey. 

Here at LeBern Property, we have 10+ years of property management experience. For information and advice on the lettings process, management of your property, finding and retaining tenants do not hesitate to contact us at one of our branches.

Find out how much your property is worth and how much you could charge prospective tenants who rent by using our free and instant online valuation.

The seasons are turning chillier once again, where our mornings are a little colder and the evenings are getting darker sooner – a beautiful time of year to relish the changing colours of nature and for landlords to start getting their homes let. 

The weather will change, the will temperatures drop, and tenants’ expectations are that they will have a cosy, warm home to live in over the colder months as autumn turns to winter.

Spring might be widely considered the best time to let a property, but autumn also provides its own advantages to find the ideal tenant, as many people have returned from holiday and might be on the lookout for a new property to let before the rush of winter and Christmas.

If you’ve recently purchased a buy-to-let property, or if your last tenancy has come to an end and are looking to get it re-tenanted, there might be a few things to do in preparing your rental home for an autumn let.

Below, we set out some top tips.

Serviced and modern boiler installed

Prospective tenants will be on the lookout for a home that offers reliable heating and hot water as the chilly weather approaches. If the boiler has not yet been serviced, now is the ideal time to diarise those appointments for Gas Safe Engineers.

Contractors are extremely busy at this time of the year and research shows it can cost anywhere between £60 to £120 for a service check, up to £200 for a boiler repair, and as much as £400 for a power flush.

Currently, waiting times can be as long as a week, so it’s best to be proactive during autumn to avoid leaving your tenants a prolonged period without heating and hot water during winter.

Failing to service your boiler or installing a new, modern version may deter prospective tenants from letting your property since this is most likely top of their priorities list.

Radiators and plumbing inspections

It is highly advisable that you conduct a health check on plumbing throughout the property and bleed all your radiators before the temperatures start to plummet.

Bleeding a radiator is effective and simple: if your radiator feels cool at the top and hot at the bottom, it’s likely they need bleeding, which means you’ll just have to release any excess air with a radiator bleeding key and an old towel.

This will also ensure that your boiler is in working order as well as to identify and rectify any small issues now, which, if left unattended, can cost you later on.

Utilise outdoor space

Autumn is known for being the season that’s full of colour. If your rental property has a garden or any outdoor space, even if it’s just a small balcony, prepare it for the season and get it in top-notch condition for tenants viewing the property.

It’s good to familiarise yourself with autumn plants that will last through winter. Then, by placing these selected plants in pots such as chrysanthemums, pansies, and heathers you will inject some colour into your outdoor space which will immediately be more eye-catching and appealing to prospective tenants.

Check for draughts and misalignments

Draughts in your property will mean higher energy bills. Ensuring that your rental home is draught-free will ensure that bills stay low and that your tenants are warm and cosy.

Best practice would be to check and fix wooden trims around doors and windows, as well as think about fitting draught excluders throughout the house.

Make sure to locate any hole you can see in the insulation and plug them; not only will this prevent drafts, but it also helps avoid the arrival of unwelcome animals and other critters looking for shelter.

Check for even the most minor misalignment of a door or window as well. While the latter will cause damage from damp, the ability to heat our homes efficiently has also never been more pressing due to the rising cost of energy bills.

A general inspection will cost around £150, while replacing a double-glazed window can cost between £70 to £150. Although this is a rather substantial upfront cost, it could pay for itself when it comes to the savings pocketed on heating your home this winter.

Final thoughts

So, there we have it – a go-to list for getting your rental property into mint condition for autumn viewings. The viewing stage is, generally, one of the biggest challenges and when people are visiting your property, they not only get a feel for the home, but for the landlord too.

Go the extra mile and consider having a coat or umbrella stand along with a welcome mat in the entrance since autumn weather often brings rain. This little thoughtful touch is something that your visitors would really appreciate and will also help to keep your home clean, preventing droplets and wet footprints trailing through your property, especially important if you have more than one viewing per day.

Here at LeBern Property, we have 10+ years of property management experience. For information and advice on the lettings process, management of your property, finding and retaining tenants do not hesitate to contact us at one of our branches.

Find out how much your property is worth and how much you could charge prospective tenants who rent by using our free and instant online valuation.