Looking after our Landlords with Rent Guarantee Scheme

We are delighted to now be able to offer our Rent Guarantee to all our Landlords. Paid monthly, this unique Guarantee offers complete peace of mind should your tenant default on rent payments.

In the event that a tenant defaults, rent will continue to be paid under the Guarantee whilst the property is occupied and you, the Landlord, will not be out of pocket. In addition, Belvoir will handle the legal process with specialist solicitors to ensure that the tenant is removed from the property. There is no claim process involved and you will not be required to attend at court or instruct solicitors, this is all handled as part of the service.

Without our Rent Guarantee, eviction of tenants for non-payment can be a very expensive and time-consuming process. With it taking typically 6-8 months to gain vacant possession, the cost to a Landlord can be astronomical.

Get in touch and sign up now for the Belvoir Rent Guarantee. At only £24 per month (including VAT), we are recommending that all our Landlords take advantage of this comprehensive protection. 

No Deposit? No Problem!

Belvoir is now offering a Nil Deposit Scheme for new tenants

Here at Belvoir, we know that it can be a struggle to raise a large deposit to put down on a rented home, so our new Nil Deposit Scheme offers an alternative option which will allow you to move quickly and easily into your chosen new home. 

Rather than paying the usual six week’s rental as a deposit, you can now choose to pay a non-refundable fixed fee of just one week’s rent plus VAT*

At the end of the tenancy, the property will be inspected in the usual way.

No need to save for months for that large deposit – yet another reason to Be with Belvoir!

How does it work? Pop in and see one of our Lettings team to find out if you qualify for Nil Deposit and to understand the full terms and conditions of the Scheme, or call them on 01264 366611

*Terms and Conditions apply

Introducing Vicky Bowman

We are delighted to announce that Vicky Bowman has joined Belvoir as Lettings Manager. Vicky will head up our very successful lettings team and she brings a wealth of experience to the role; having been a Lettings Manager in Andover for over 14 years.

Vicky said 'I am delighted to join such a busy and well-regarded lettings agent and I am looking forward to meeting and working with the many landlords that rely on Belvoir to manage their properties'

LANDLORDS AND TENANTS ARE A WORKING PARTNERSHIP

Old style conflicts between tenants in rented properties and their private sector landlords are largely the stuff of fading legend these days – according to the country’s largest property franchise Belvoir.

Delia Thing - Lettings Manager

“In the real world, no-one achieves anything that old fashioned way,” says Delia Thing, the Lettings Manager of Belvoir Andover on Bridge Street. “The modern approach is more about tenants and landlords cultivating partnerships.

“Both have interests to protect and they can both achieve that better by working together. If they can’t, then something is wrong – and mis-matches do happen - but good relationships are more the order of today.

“The truth is that a rented property may be part of a landlord’s livelihood but it’s also home to the tenant and the ideal situation is for them to work around each other.”

A professional lettings and management agency, such as Belvoir, will always look after the interests of both parties.

Methods of creating perfect harmony include:

·           Agreeing on periodic visits so the landlord can see how a property is being looked after. That also gives a chance to see if there are any repair jobs or maintenance issues that need attention. And it gives tenants an opportunity to discuss anything that is bothering them.

·           Tenants letting landlords, or their agents, know if they are planning a holiday and the property is going to be empty. Occasional visits can be made to ensure the property and the tenant’s possessions are safe.

·           By mutual agreement neighbours can have the agent’s or landlord’s phone number so they can get in touch if anything seems wrong, e.g. a burglary, fire, flooding, intruders or unusual behaviour.

·           Along with a tenancy agreement Belvoir provides new occupiers and landlords with a video inventory to record the state of decoration, furnishings and fittings. “An honest, upfront, practice like this creates a precise record of contents and condition that is beyond dispute,” says Delia. “And that can save a lot of arguments later – especially over returning deposits.”

·           Important communications should be done by e-mail or letter - which creates a paper trail of any problem that arises. This gives both tenant and landlord a firm record instead of trying to rely on half-remembered conversations.

Phil Pinkney - Belvoir Andover Co Owner

Past conflicts in rented properties have swung from the serious to the comic.

According to official statistics, two years ago, the numbers of housing tenants growing commercial crops of cannabis was sufficiently large to lead the national Crimestoppers charity trust to publish an eight-page leaflet highlighting the issue.

While another recorded case outlined how a tenant caused irreparable damage to a washing machine at his furnished flat because he put in a house brick to “stonewash” his denim jeans.

“Whether it’s a laughing matter or an indictable criminal offence, the relationship between a tenant and a landlord is at the heart of today’s private rented sector,” says Phil Pinkney, co owner of Belvoir Andover.

“Closer relationships obviously work better for both parties and, thankfully, that’s the way things are moving. The 170 branches throughout our UK network are reporting fewer and fewer cases of serious conflict.

“The current housing crisis has turned the private rented sector into a major home provider with nearly two million landlords renting to some 10 million tenants and for them, working together means making it work.”

If you would like advise on buy to let or renting your property out, please contact Belvoir Andover on 01264 366611 or email us at info@belvoirandover.com

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION…

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION…

Three small words that can transform your property

investment decision, says Belvoir.  

As a new landlord or investor in the buy to let market, what would be your first priority – the type and purchase cost of the property, or the place in which it is situated?

There is no single, definitive answer to this commonly considered question, but in property circles the phrase ‘location, location, location’ is often referred to as the first three rules of property investment.

It’s the same for tenants too. Delia Thing who heads up the lettings team at the Belvoir Andover office on Bridge Street, says:  “When looking for the ideal place to invest in or to rent, it is worth remembering the adage ‘you can change the house, but you cannot change its location’.

“To find a property that will appeal to a tenant and provide a good level of rental income and/or capital growth it is extremely important to firstly define that appeal. There are many considerations to take into account and a good place to start is to look for towns, areas or streets that are currently in demand, and are likely to be increasingly popular in the future.

“Location is always a key driver, with proximity to work, schools, commuter routes, shops and public services amongst the many factors to be taken into account when choosing to market a property as a buy to let.

“In today’s market, there is an ever accelerating need for private rented property, with tenant demand often outstripping supply. To be absolutely sure as to whether a property would make a good rental investment it is worth consulting a lettings specialist such as Belvoir.

“Expert agents can identify local trends and spotlight properties that are the most popular for the type of tenant looking to rent and the best areas in which to find them.

They will know where property ‘hotspots’ are and which parts of a city or town are driving the market.”

Many buy to let investors choose to stay local in order to ‘keep an eye’ on their investment. It’s a strategy that works for thousands across the country, but there is no reason why a buy to let investment cannot work just as successfully hundreds of miles away - provided you make the right choice of professional lettings agent who can manage, maintain and keep a check on the property on your behalf.

“Within the Belvoir national network of over 160 offices there is a high proportion of landlords who own just one or two buy to let property investments, and many of these are in a different part of the country to where they are based.

“In cases like this an agent will have all the right up to date local knowledge and know properties and locations with the highest tenant demand. They will be able to advise on current, achievable rental levels and help avoid the pitfalls of investing in the wrong areas.”

Belvoir’s Andover’s advice for helping to decide the best location for a property investment include:

·        Only decide on where you want to invest after thorough research.

·      Do not make a decision based on the look of the property alone. Just because it appeals to you, it will not necessarily be a good rental investment.

·   Providing tenants with a quality, well maintained property for them to call home carries responsibilities. Only work with a local agent that you have checked out, trust and who has gained all the relevant professional industry accreditations.

·    Remember that big is not always best. A one or two bedroom unfurnished apartment can often yield a better return than larger, four bedroom furnished houses. It’s all down to location and the type of tenant you are targeting.

·        Overly high ‘yields’ – or returns on an investment - can sometimes indicate hidden issues and may not necessarily lead to a good investment.

·       Beware of “buying cheap and paying dear”.  If a property is located in a low quality area it can increasingly become run down – attracting the wrong type of tenant and achieving poor long term capital growth.

“Whilst there are many other things to consider when entering the buy to let market, ‘location, location, location’ must always be uppermost in the mind of a landlord investor,” adds Dee.

“Sometimes the difference between a good rental property and a not so good one can be down to which side of the street it is on, let alone its geographical location.

“If you want to avoid costly mistakes early on in the process, invest in good local, experienced advice. Initial consultations with our office are both free and carry no obligation to proceed.

“At Belvoir we can help to source suitable properties and steer people away from opportunities that, at first, may appear good on paper but may not prove to be the best decision over the longer term.”

If you are looking to invest in the buy to let market, please contact us to arrange an informal chat about your options, what is available and what to look for. Please call Delia Thing on 01264 366611

Belvoir Andover are the towns leading buy to let & investment specialist who have been the industry leader since 1997.

New Legislation with regards Smoke Detectors & Carbon Monoxide Alarms

NEW RULING WILL STRENGTHEN FIRE SAFETY MEASURES IN RENTED HOMES

Nationwide lettings specialists, Belvoir, has updated its advice on fire safety for landlords  following a ruling which is expected to come into effect at the end of this year.

At the Local Government Association’s annual Fire Conference, staged earlier this month, Communities Minister Penny Mordaunt announced that the installation of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in all private and social rented property is to be made compulsory.

The new ruling covers all rented properties in England and Wales.

In Scotland it is already a legal requirement to provide ‘hard wired’ smoke alarms on stair landings and in living rooms, along with heat detectors in kitchens area and carbon monoxide alarms wherever there is a gas appliance.

But whilst the largest majority of residential property landlords in England and Wales already fit fire and smoke alarms it does not apply ‘across the board’.

Greg Greatbatch, one of the owners at Belvoir, says:  “Many landlords, especially those new to the private rented sector, may not appreciate the detailed, and growing, levels of fire safety legislation governing rental properties.

“Fire safety considerations and compliance are a critical factor when putting a property up for rental and this has always been a complicated area, with different regulations for different types of properties in different parts of the UK.”

“Scotland has previously led the way in terms of tightened regulation, but this new ruling, making detectors and smoke alarms compulsory, is a major step forward and should provide clarity for the rest of the UK’s landlord population.”

“We advise all of our landlord clients to take professional advice on the fire risk assessment of their properties, because the stakes are too high to do it themselves.

“Every type of property has its own set of specific fire safety requirements – from bed-sits, through to new builds and much more demanding Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO’s).

“There is a statutory duty on all landlords of residential property to ensure that gas appliances, pipe work and flues are maintained in a safe condition, with annual inspections and proof of compliance via a Gas Safety certificate.

“But in addition to the actual fabric of the building there are also product safety requirements covering electrical equipment, plugs, sockets, furniture and furnishing materials,” adds Greg.

The new ruling on compulsory smoke and carbon monoxide alarms follows years of campaigning by the Chief Fire Officers Association, supported by the British Property Federation.

When it comes into force, around October of this year, it will put an obligation on landlords and their agents to ensure that working detectors are in place at the beginning of each tenancy. There will also be a requirement for tenants to regularly test the equipment and report any faults.

“All landlords have a duty of care to their tenants and if they fail to protect them from unacceptable fire risks, they can expect a robust response from fire officers or local housing authorities who will enforce the necessary regulations and prosecute offenders,” says Greg.

“If you are a novice landlord it is essential you seek out expert advice from the outset –from your local authority, professional fire safety advisers or from professional and experienced lettings agents such as Belvoir, since we work closely with all of our landlords to help them follow best practice and meet constantly changing legal requirements.”   


If you require any advice regarding letting your property or any other type of property marketing, please contact us on 01264 366611 or email us at: info@belvoirandover.com

Energy Performance Certificates - Updated Law

EPC Certificates (England & Wales)

It has become apparent that a change in law is forthcoming with regards to Energy Performance Certificates (EPC’s), we have outlined the following advice and action that Landlords will need to know in order to ensure their properties are compliant by the relevant dates.

EPC ratings indicate how energy efficient a property is, giving it a rating from A (very efficient) to G (inefficient). They also demonstrate the environmental impact of a property in terms of carbon emissions and how costly it will be to heat and light, both in monetary and CO terms.

From April 2018, it will be unlawful under the Energy Act 2011, to let a residential property on a New Tenancy Agreement with an EPC rating of F or G – the lowest two categories. This will include a tenancy renewal as this will constitute a new fixed term Tenancy Agreement. Obviously if it continues as periodic with no new Tenancy Agreement the landlord will not need to look at this during that period. This will not apply to any existing lettings until 2023 if there is no change of tenancy.

From April 2016, tenants living in F and G rated homes will be able to request that their landlord takes measures to improve the energy efficiency, with the landlord duty bound to respond within a month with a view to bringing the property up to the minimum E rating.

If Landlords wish to upgrade their properties, the first step is to instruct an approved EPC assessor to survey the property and establish the current rating. If the rating is less than an E, the assessor will be able to give advice on how to improve it. This could be as simple as installing energy saving light bulbs, draught proofing or making more comprehensive improvements, such as replacing an ageing boiler, putting in secondary glazing or upgrading heating controls, and installing systems which are likely to have an impact on improving overall energy efficiency. If the Landlords take action now it will mean they have time on their side to schedule the works and budget costs accordingly, with the ability to spread the outlay over the forthcoming years.

It is worth noting that if the property is 'Listed', then an EPC is not required.

If you would like to check if you have an EPC on your property or want to check the rating, you can do this online by entering the postcode here: ONLINE EPC REGISTER

If you do not yet have a certificate for your property and would like to arrange to have one, please contact ann.osman@belvoirandover.com who will be able to arrange a certificate if needed or discuss the short falls with you. If the property is a 'F' or 'G' then we can formulate an action plan for your property.

If you have a property that is not fully managed by us but need advise on this, please email Ann in the first instance.

Please could you email us in all cases in the first instance to avoid a flood of calls into the office, Please bear with us whilst we answer all enquiries.