“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 Southampton
Landlord, ever
If you are one of the 9,846
Southampton 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 Southampton landlords may once
have preferred to manage their Southampton buy-to-let properties themselves to boost
their profits, many Southampton landlords are starting to see this as a false
economy.
In the last four
years, an additional 3,787 landlords in Southampton have converted from self-managed
to having their property managed by a letting agent in Southampton, taking the
total number of properties under management in Southampton to 15,401 (out of a
total of 25,247 private rental properties in Southampton).
Now, don’t get me wrong, self-managing your Southampton
rental property can be a very fulfilling experience, allowing you, as a Southampton
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 Southampton being £1,021, each
self-managed landlord in Southampton could be fined £3,063 per tenancy if the
deposit isn’t currently registered. Therefore...
...if every deposit of every Southampton self-managed landlord’s property
wasn’t registered, the total fines would amount to £30,159,309
Now of course, I am not suggesting for one minute all the self-managed
landlords of Southampton 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 Southampton 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 Southampton 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?
Southampton
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 Southampton 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 Southampton, 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 thinking of selling your Southampton home or if you are a Southampton landlord, hoping to sell your buy to let property (with tenants in), either way, if you want a chat to ensure you get a decent price with minimal fuss ... drop me a message or pick up the phone.
If you are looking for an agent that is well established, professional and communicative, then contact us to find out how we can get the best out of your investment property.
Email me on brian.linehan@belvoirlettings.com or call on 023 8001 8222.
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