If you are looking to rent out an investment property, or indeed your own home, the WATERSONS RENTALS team are here to help you every step of the way.
We have a dedicated ARLA qualified team of 11 professionals based in Hale and Sale and know the Lettings market inside and out.
Below we have summarised the process for letting your property.
We visit your property
One of our experienced property valuers will come out to your property to run through the rental process with you and give you an accurate rental valuation in the current market, along with a list of comparable properties in the area, so you can be confident you’re pricing your property correctly, and you know exactly how the process works.
We put together your marketing package
A member of our team will come to your property to take high-quality marketing photographs and videos which show it off to the best of our ability, so that it gets maximum interest when it goes live.
We market your property
Via our website, watersons.net, Rightmove, Zoopla, OnTheMarket, social media and our e-mailing list (with our average e-mailshot reaching 150 people), we’ll make sure your property is seen by as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. We also display it in the window in our prominent offices in Hale and Sale - hard copy still works!
Viewings with your potential tenants
We keep you bang up-to-date about all viewings that take place, and we arrange access with any current tenants directly, so there’s absolutely no stress for you. One of our friendly viewing representatives, sometimes one of our office team, is on hand to show your prospective tenants around your property. We make sure you have all your viewing feedback within 48 hours, so that you know exactly how everything’s going.
Potential tenant offers
Any viewer who wants to apply to rent your property fills in an online application form, which gives us the important information we need in order to put their offer forward to you. This tells you when they want to start the tenancy, who’s going to live there, what they do for a living, and so on, and then we help you to pick your ideal tenant.
Agreement of term and rental
We act as a negotiator on your behalf with the applicants and work for the best deal between you. Then we deal with the formal written agreement, so that nobody’s in any doubt about the details.
Holding deposit
When we have agreed terms, we ask tenants for a holding deposit, equal to one week’s rent. This goes towards the first month’s rent when the referencing has gone through. The holding deposit shows your potential tenant's commitment to the property. We then mark the property as Let Agreed, which means that no further viewings take place, and any other applications will be deferred.
Reference checks
We want you to be absolutely confident that your tenants are exactly the right people for you. To be totally sure about this, we use an external referencing company for our tenant referencing. This covers aspects of verifying income, current employment status, right to rent checks, current landlord references etc. so you can have peace of mind about the people you’re renting to.
Signing the agreement and taking the deposit
We draw up the contract and send it over to you for your approval before sending it to the tenant for them to sign online. We then take the first month’s rent and the deposit from the tenant. The deposit is then registered with the TDS and transferred to our client account where it’s held throughout the tenancy.
Property check
A Watersons team member will visit the property to make sure the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are working, and that the property is clean and ready for the tenant to move in.
Inventory
We use a specialist inventory company who creates an independent inventory of the property, complete with photographs and up-to-date meter readings, the day before your new tenant moves in. This report will be used to compare the condition of your property when the tenant moves out, helping to ensure that your asset remains in good condition.
Moving-in day
We take care of all the nitty-gritty details: the new tenants will collect their keys and any documentation from our rental offices in Hale or Sale. We let the council and utility providers know of their arrival and submit current meter readings.
Give us a call on 0161 941 6767 if there’s anything you’d like more information on; one of our team will be happy to help.
What paperwork do I need before I can rent my property out?
If you want to let your property, you must have certain certificates:
- EPC rating above “E”.
- Where there’s gas in a property, the landlord must have a valid Gas Safety Certificate (CP12). These certificates last one year so it’s important that these checks are completed annually.
- Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR). These certificates last for 5 years.
If you don’t already have these safety certificates, we can arrange for these to be done for you.
You can choose between our Let Only or Full Management services.
Let Only
- We find your tenant and carry out the necessary credit searches and references.
- We draw up and execute appropriate tenancy agreements and notices.
- We ensure all meters are read and that the responsibility for the utilities is passed on to your tenant.
- We collect the initial rent and deposit.
- We register the deposit with the TDS (Tenancy Deposit Scheme).
- We advise on regulations governing gas and electrical safety, fire, and furnishings.
- We ensure that the property is clean and ready for the tenant to move in.
- We use a specialist company to conduct an in-depth photographic inventory of your property prior to your tenant moving in.
Full Management
In addition to all the services above:
- We collect all rent and send you a monthly and annual statement of your account.
- We make sure that the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are supplied and working.
- We arrange periodic inspections of the property during the tenancy and report back to you on any maintenance issues.
- We arrange and supervise any required works on the property and report back to you.
- We supervise the tenant’s moving-out process, collect meter readings, and check the condition of the property in comparison to the photographic inventory from the start of the tenancy.
- We handle the deposit return process for you
- We arrange for an up-to-date gas safety certificate within a tenancy.
The Rentals Department
Our rentals team deal with all of the front end and marketing activity for all of our rental properties. Marketing the property, conducting viewings, negotiating rental deals, and drawing up the legal paperwork until the tenant moves in. Once the tenant has moved in, the team pass the property over to the Property Management Department.
Property Management Department
Here at Watersons, we have our own dedicated property management team who deal with all of the general maintenance of the property throughout the tenancy. We have relationships with multiple contractors across the area, including heating engineers, plumbers, electricians, painter/decorators, handymen, etc.
Looking after your property
When we manage your property, we use a maintenance reporting system called FixFlo. This allows tenants to go online and select the specific maintenance issue they are having. The website will suggest methods for the tenants to resolve the issue themselves. If they cannot fix the problem, FixFlo creates a report (complete with photos uploaded by the tenant) and sends it directly to our management team.
Please give us a call on 0161 941 6767 to discuss the management of your property with one of our team.