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Express
Property Services are an established professional
residential letting and management agency for Landlords - specialising
in rental property throughout West London, Middlesex and Slough. We
have been acting as residential letting and management agents for Landlords
since 1988.
Our rental property services cover a wide area including: Acton,
Barnes, Barons
Court, Bedford Park, Brentford, Chiswick, Cranford, Ealing, Fulham,
Grove Park,
Greenford, Gunnersbury, Hammersmith, Hanwell, Hanworth, Harlington,
Hayes, Heston,
Hounslow, Isleworth, Kew, Langley, Middlesex (Middx), Mortlake,
Northolt, Norwood
Green, Osterley, Perivale, Richmond, Sheen, Slough, Stamford Brook,
Strand on
the Green, Southall, Turnham Green, West Brompton, West London and
Yeading. We
have a thorough understanding of the local residential lettings market,
as well
as the relevant housing laws. |
Finding the right tenant for your
rental property can be difficult and time consuming, particularly in a
huge residential lettings market like West London. We are dedicated to
finding responsible tenants for your flat or house and providing
reliable property management services to landlords. We have the
expertise to market your rental property to a wide audience, find the
right tenants for you and provide property management services to suit
your needs.
All of our available properties are also advertised on many property
portals, including PropertyLive,
Houseladder, Mouseprice,
Zoopla, Primelocation, Findaproperty,
and Homes&Property,
regularly searched by thousands of potential tenants looking for flats
and houses to let in West London and throughout the UK.
Express Property Services have been members of ARLA since 1992. You
will find
us on ARLA's
own website where
you can verify our membership and find out more about the security
offered by
choosing a letting agent who is a member of ARLA.
Whatever the size of your residential
property - be it a small studio
flat or large house - we bring a wealth of experience in the West
London lettings market and a highly professional approach to marketing
and renting your property. Register your details with us now to find out how we can
help you to successfully let and manage your residential property.
NEW
- JULY 2010 - EXPRESS PROPERTY SERVICES NOW HAVE A SALES
DEPARTMENT.... SEE OUR CURRENT PROPERTY LISTINGS: here
Frequently Asked Questions
What
is ARLA?
The Association of Residential Letting
Agents, ARLA, is the only
professional body that is solely concerned with the self-regulation of
letting
agents and for nearly 25 years has been actively promoting the highest
standards across every aspect of residential lettings and management in
the
Private Rented Sector.
ARLA is viewed by government, consumer
groups, think tanks and the media as
the leading voice in the industry. ARLA member firms are seen as being
at the
forefront of the Private Rented Sector, ready, willing and able to
comply with
existing and anticipated government legislation.
Why should a Landlord or Tenant
seek out an ARLA member firm?
Probity and Protection - ARLA leads
the industry in setting and regulating
the highest standards in the industry and demands certain levels of
professionalism and commitment to customer service from its membership.
ARLA member firms are required to work
within a robust Code of Practice,
which covers the key stages in letting and managing a property. There
are
comprehensive membership Byelaws which include compliance with such
issues as
handling and accounting for Clients' money; the mandatory ARLA Client
Money
Protection Bonding Scheme; Professional Indemnity Insurance; Dealing
with
Complaints and Disciplinary Procedures.
ARLA keeps it members up to date with
changes in legislation and provides
wide-ranging training and guidance to help members understand and
interpret all
aspects of letting and managing a property.
Golden
Rules for Landlords and tenants:
Read
such important documents as tenancy agreements and terms of business
carefully; never sign anything you don't understand - ask questions and
seek
advice.
Don't have unreasonable or unrealistic
expectations.
If in doubt about what to do, or your
obligations or responsibilities in any
particular circumstances that arise - communicate, seek clarification.
Confirm important issues in writing -
keep a copy.
What
about Safety Regulations for
rented property?
There are specific legal obligations
and responsibilities on a landlord with
regard to fire safety for furniture & furnishings; gas supply
and
appliances; and electrical wiring & appliances.
What
about Insurance?
Landlords and tenants should take care
to review any existing policies when
renting or letting a property for the first time as some standard
insurance
products will either not provide cover or might place restrictions on
cover,
for rented property and /or its contents. A failure to inform your
insurer that
you are renting/letting a property could invalidate any subsequent
claim. It is for
the landlord to insure the building
and his/her contents, fixtures and fittings. Tenants
are responsible for insuring their own
possessions.
What about an Inventory?
This is an absolutely essential
document that provides a written benchmark
which should be amended, updated and recreated before the beginning of
each new
tenancy. A properly constructed Inventory details the fixtures and
fittings and
describes their condition and that of the property generally. Landlord and tenant often
share the costs
involved in preparing and checking the inventory; such costs should be
seen as
a necessary investment that helps protect the interests of both parties.
What is a Tenancy Agreement?
A tenancy agreement is a legally
binding contract between a landlord and
tenant that sets out both the legal and contractual responsibilities
and
obligations of the two parties. It
should be written in plain and intelligible language and its terms and
clauses
should be fair and balanced, taking account of the respective positions
of the
parties and should not mislead about legal rights and
responsibilities.
Landlord and tenant should take care to
individually negotiate any particular terms or conditions that are
important to
them or especially relevant to the particular let or property.
What
kind of Tenancy Agreement
will be used?
The most common form of tenancy
agreement used is an "Assured
Shorthold" (an AST) under the 1988 Housing Act (amended 1996). This
type
of tenancy offers the most flexibility to both landlord and tenant; has
straightforward notice procedures for bringing the tenancy to an end
and a
special Accelerated Possession court procedure should tenants fail to
vacate.
If certain specific conditions are met
relating to the proposed letting, a
"contractual" non-housing act tenancy must be created. One example of this would be
what is commonly
referred to as a Company Let where the tenant is a bona fide registered
company; another would be where the annual rent equates to over
£25,000.
Very rarely, a prospective tenant may
be offered a full "Assured"
tenancy that gives very significant and potentially long-term security
of
tenure to a tenant and, for which a landlord can only get possession in
very
limited circumstances.
Most ARLA member firms will have their
own "in-house" agreements. Following
lengthy consultation with the Office
of Fair Trading, ARLA created and now sells a model Assured Shorthold
Agreement
to both member firms and non-members.
Joint
and Several - What does
that mean?
Mostly, where there is to be more than
one (adult) person living in the
property, the tenancy will say they are "jointly and severally"
responsible. This expression means that, jointly, the tenants are
liable for
the payment of all rents and all liabilities falling upon the tenants
during
the tenancy, as well as any breach of the Agreement. Individually each
tenant
is responsible for payment of all rent and all liabilities falling upon
the
tenant, as well as any breach of the Agreement until all payments have
been
made in full.
What
about the tenancy deposit?
It is quite common for a deposit of an
amount equivalent to between four to
six weeks rent to be required to be held during the tenancy against the
satisfactory performance by the tenant of all the various obligations
under the
tenancy agreement - particularly those relating to the cleanliness and
condition of the property.
In accordance with new Government
legislation as of 6th April 2007, Express
Property Services is part of TDS (Tenancy Deposit Protection Scheme) -
one of
the approved Government schemes. TDS has been developed to ensure that
deposits
are protected and that disputes about their return are resolved
swiftly,
inexpensively and impartially.
What
is a
"Break-Clause"?
This is a clause sometimes inserted in
a fixed term tenancy, typically if
the initial fixed term is for a year or more. A break-clause will
usually be
worded in such a way as to allow either landlord or tenant to give two
months
written notice at any stage after a particular date or period of the
tenancy,
thus terminating the tenancy earlier than the end of the original fixed
term.
What
happens if either party
(Landlord or Tenant) unexpectedly want to end an existing tenancy early?
There are only limited ways in which
this can happen; the landlord cannot
make the tenants move out, nor can the tenants lawfully walk away from
their
obligations to fulfil the contract. Either party might request of the
other
that a formal "surrender" of the tenancy be allowed. It would then be
up to the parties to agree the terms and conditions of such a
surrender. This
might include some financial compensation for inconvenience or costs
incurred.
How
often can the rent be put up?
In general terms, rent of an existing
tenancy can only be increased once
every twelve months. When an assured shorthold tenancy holds over as a
statutory periodic tenancy, a specific prescribed form (a section 13
notice)
must be used to notify tenants of a proposed increase in rent.
It is usual, if creating a longer
fixed term tenancy at the outset (or one
with a binding option to renew), to include a clause that allows for an
increase of the rent on an annual basis, typically linked to, or as a
multiple
of, something like the Retail Price Index or similar.
What
about rights of access to
the property, what are the rules?
A landlord, or his agent, or someone
authorised to act on his behalf has a
right to view the property to assess its condition and to carry out
necessary
repairs or maintenance at reasonable times of the day. The Law says that a landlord or agent
must
give a tenant at least 24 hours prior notice in writing (except in an
emergency) of such a visit. Naturally, if the tenant agrees, on
specific or odd
occasions to allow access within the 24 hours prior written notice,
that is
acceptable. (A
clause in the tenancy
agreement which tries to diminish or over-ride a tenant's rights in
this
respect would be void and unenforceable.
What
about Repairs &
Maintenance Issues?
A landlord,
in very general terms, has a legal responsibility to repair the
structure and
exterior of the property, including drains, gutters and external pipes;
to keep
in working order the installations for the supply of gas, electricity
and
water; and the installations for the provision of space and water
heating. The
landlord also has other legal
responsibilities relating to the safety of such items as gas,
electricity and
furnishings as well as the general standard or fitness of the property
for
habitation.
A tenant has
an implied covenant to act in a "tenant-like manner". Broadly,
this means to report disrepair
promptly; to take reasonable steps to ensure that neither the tenant
nor guests
damage the property, its fixtures and fittings; to do the minor day to
day
things any home-occupier would normally do, e.g. replace light bulbs,
fit a new
battery in a smoke or CO2 detector, tighten an odd screw which has come
loose
on a door handle etc; to keep the property reasonably warm and aired to
help
prevent condensation or freezing of pipes; to leave the property secure
when
absent from it; to keep the garden and other areas reasonably tidy and
free
from rubbish.
Are
Tenants entitled to know the
name and address of their Landlord?
Yes, it is an offence for an agent (or
whoever is collecting the rent) to
fail to provide, without reasonable excuse, this information within 21
days of
formal written request by the tenant.
What
about renewals and
extensions of a tenancy?
This is a very common situation and
the Agent will normally negotiate
between the parties and prepare the necessary formal documentation for
a
replacement tenancy or fixed term extension.
If no further fixed term is created to
follow on from the end-date of the original
term, and assuming notice to end the tenancy has not been served, the
tenancy
can simply hold over as a "periodic tenancy" e.g. rolling on with the
same terms and conditions and in line with how the rent is due to be
paid. This
is usually monthly.
How
is a tenancy terminated?
The Law around ending a tenancy is
relatively straightforward, as long as the
correct timescales and procedures are followed. The
timescales, procedures and format will
vary dependent upon the type, and the status of the tenancy at the time
you
wish to end the tenancy. Your
ARLA Agent
will be able to provide guidance.
What
happens if the tenant
doesn't move out after the end of a tenancy?
First, try to quickly establish the
reasons why. However,
if a tenant does not move out after a
tenancy has been lawfully terminated then the landlord can apply to the
Courts
for a possession order. Discuss
this
with your agent / solicitor first.
What
about Agent's fees &
charges?
These will vary dependent upon local
market conditions and the particular
services being provided by the Agent. However,
whether dealing with a landlord or a tenant, an Agent should provide
clear
information on what costs would be incurred, including any potential
future
financial liabilities to the agent that are reasonably foreseeable and
quantifiable.
Disclaimer
-
This information is believed
to be accurate; however, it should not be
relied upon in place of formal legal advice.
Overseas
Landlords
If you are a Non-Resident Landlord
then we are legally required to withhold, and pay quarterly, tax due
from rental income. You may be able to avoid this deduction if you
apply to the Inland Revenue for approval to receive rental income with
no tax deducted. We can provide you with the necessary form to make
this application and in the event that your application is successful,
the Inland Revenue will provide us with written authority to pay rent
to you gross. You can obtain more information about this on the Inland
Revenue's own web site, here.
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