Practical Tips for Landlords
Simon Turner
Simon Turner, Legal Services, Stafford Borough Council
1
13/04/2015
Topics
Selecting Tenants
 Contents of the Tenancy Agreement
 Safety
 Inventory / Schedule of Condition
 Repairs
 Rent Arrears/ other breaches
 Quiet Enjoyment
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Simon Turner, Legal Services, Stafford Borough Council
2
13/04/2015
Selecting Tenants
Consider tenants referred from Housing
Advice
 Watch out for “friends of friends”, “doing
someone a favour”
 Check identity – driving licence, passport
 Ask for references
 Consider credit check
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Simon Turner, Legal Services, Stafford Borough Council
3
13/04/2015
Why bother with a tenancy agreement ?
A clearly written tenancy agreement is
essential for both landlord and tenant
 The agreement sets out what each party
will do
 The agreement sets rules for what happens
when things go wrong
 If you want tenants to do something – e.g
mow the grass, not keep pets – put it in the
agreement
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Simon Turner, Legal Services, Stafford Borough Council
4
13/04/2015
Tenancy agreement checklist
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Amount of deposit
Amount, frequency of rent
Landlords Address – s. 48 LTA 1987
Refer to grounds for possession that may be
relied on – e.g. owner occupier (1), arrears (8,10)
persistent delay (11), nuisance (14)
Stop the tenant doing certain things
Ensure tenant does certain things
Define the extent of property let
Who pays water rates, Council Tax
Simon Turner, Legal Services, Stafford Borough Council
5
13/04/2015
Pre Tenancy
Show tenants a blank tenancy agreement
 Be up front about rent, deposit, any
contribution towards preparation costs of
tenancy agreement
 Tell them about the Landlord
Accreditation Scheme
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Simon Turner, Legal Services, Stafford Borough Council
6
13/04/2015
Safety
Gas, electric, fire safety – inspect and
produce certificates on request
 Smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, fire
blanket – protect tenants & property
 Advise tenant of means of escape
 Consider safety of security bars
 Keep records – this allows easy scheduling
of checks, proves you have done them
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Simon Turner, Legal Services, Stafford Borough Council
7
13/04/2015
Inventory / Schedule of Condition
Essential for furnished lets
 Make an accurate and agreed list
 Use photos
 Refer to the list and link it to the tenancy
agreement
 Get the tenant to sign a copy of the
inventory before you hand over the keys
 Check it with the tenant before they vacate
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Simon Turner, Legal Services, Stafford Borough Council
8
13/04/2015
Excluded Areas of the Property
Excluding certain areas of the tenancy –
e.g. sheds, attics
 Mention this in the tenancy agreement
 Lock the access door
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Simon Turner, Legal Services, Stafford Borough Council
9
13/04/2015
Insurance
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Insure the property as appropriate
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Remind tenants that they should insure
their own belongings, as these won’t be
covered by landlord’s insurance
Simon Turner, Legal Services, Stafford Borough Council
10
13/04/2015
Repairs
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Landlord should keep property in a
reasonable state of repair
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Consider a planned maintenance
programme
Simon Turner, Legal Services, Stafford Borough Council
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13/04/2015
Receipts
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If rent is paid weekly, provide a rent book
(section 4(1) Landlord & Tenant Act 1985)
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If rent is paid annually provide an annual
statement, and if you want to, provide a
rent book
Simon Turner, Legal Services, Stafford Borough Council
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13/04/2015
Rent Arrears
Make sure you can prepare a schedule of
rent arrears quickly and clearly
 Write to tenant with schedule of rent
arrears as soon as they miss a payment
 Consider serving a notice to end the
tenancy – use a section 21 if possible,
otherwise use a section 8
 You don’t have to evict just because you
have served a notice
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Simon Turner, Legal Services, Stafford Borough Council
13
13/04/2015
Other Tenant Breaches
Write to the tenant to tell them what they
have done wrong
 Meet the tenant to discuss how they are
going to put things right
 Consider serving a notice to end the
tenancy – use a section 21 notice if you
can, otherwise use a section 8 one
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Simon Turner, Legal Services, Stafford Borough Council
14
13/04/2015
Quiet Enjoyment
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Try to respect your tenant’s privacy
If you have big plans for works, tell the tenant
before they take on the tenancy
Set out in the tenancy agreement the procedure
for inspections, other visits
If is a routine inspection contact the tenant to
arrange a time and a date (at a reasonable time)
Give 24 hours at least (unless its an emergency)
Simon Turner, Legal Services, Stafford Borough Council
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13/04/2015
Simon Turner
Solicitor
Legal Services
Simon Turner, Legal Services, Stafford Borough Council
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13/04/2015