Lettings

A good tenancy starts long before anyone signs anything. It starts with pricing the property honestly, presenting it well, and being careful about who moves in.

How letting with us works

1. Valuation. We visit, look at genuine comparable evidence and give you a realistic rent, not a flattering number designed to win your instruction.
2. Preparing the property. We tell you what is worth doing and what is not. Professional photography, 360° virtual tours and video are included.
3. Marketing. Your property goes on the major portals, our own site and our applicant list, which is often where the best tenants come from.
4. Accompanied viewings. Including evenings and Saturdays. We never hand out keys and let strangers wander round your property alone.
5. Referencing. Independent credit checks, employment and previous-landlord references, plus Right to Rent checks as required by law.
6. The tenancy. We prepare the agreement, register the deposit within 30 days, serve the prescribed documents and hand over with a full inventory and check-in report.

How we market your property

Most properties are lost or won in the first week of marketing. What a tenant sees online decides whether they book a viewing at all, so we do not cut corners on it. All of the following is included in our fee, not charged as an extra:

• Professional photography. Shot properly, in good light, by someone who photographs property for a living. Not phone snaps taken on a grey afternoon.
• 360° virtual tours. A full walk-through a tenant can explore themselves, at any hour, from anywhere. This matters more than landlords expect.
• Professional videography. A short walk-through film, which is what performs best on social media and with overseas applicants.

What changed in 2026, and what it means for you

The Renters' Rights Act came into force on 1 May 2026 and it is the biggest change to renting in England for thirty years. In short:

• Section 21 'no fault' evictions are abolished. To regain possession a landlord must now use Section 8 and prove a specific legal ground, with evidence.
• All tenancies are now periodic. Fixed terms have gone. Tenants can leave with two months' notice at any time; landlords cannot seek possession in the first twelve months except on limited grounds.
• Rent rises are limited to once a year, with two months' written notice on the correct form. Tenants can challenge an above-market increase at tribunal.
• Rent in advance is capped. On tenancies entered into on or after 1 May 2026, no more than one month’s rent may be requested in advance. Rental bidding is also prohibited.
• Tenants can request a pet and you must respond in writing within 28 days. Consent cannot be refused unreasonably, and you cannot charge pet rent or a pet fee.
• A landlord database and Ombudsman scheme now apply to private landlords.

Penalties for getting this wrong start at up to £7,000 and rise to £40,000 for repeat breaches. This is precisely the sort of thing a good agent is for.

Your legal obligations as a landlord

Before a tenant moves in you will need a valid Gas Safety Certificate (annual), an Electrical Installation Condition Report (every five years), an EPC of at least band E, working smoke alarms on every storey and carbon monoxide alarms where there is a fixed combustion appliance. Deposits must be protected within 30 days, and Right to Rent checks completed. On a managed property we track all of this and tell you before anything expires.