Looking to rent out home myself rather than use high st agents - advice appreciated

[nmh]

I?ve a beautiful 4 bed home in the area and am looking to rent it out long term. It?s been fully refurbished - new heating, radiators and boiler etc.

Some of the high street agents are quoting 6 - 8% charges. This seems very heigh to me - especially when they?re going to be doing nothing for the money. Apart from finding and vetting potential tenants. I will be remaining in the area and am a very conscientious landlord and have a team of people that can fix things.

Understand that I need a thorough inventory and initial pictures etc. but is there an little (independent?) agent that will do this and the contracts for a one off fee?

Or is there an app/website people recommend? Purple bricks?

I?d also be happy to do the viewings as it gives me a direct understanding of potential tenants.

Any thoughts or advise much appreciated.

[Peckhampam]

Hi

You can get pro forma inventories on the internet, as well as contracts, and do your pictures yourself. It really is very easy and much better than using an agent.

[KidKruger]

You may want to think about credit checks on potential tenants and you?ll need to know about the tenant/landlord deposit scheme.

[nmh]

Thanks for this. Feels doable. What about credit checks etc?

Also - would I need to get the property on the likes of Rightmove? Easily done as a one man band?

[OJHN]

Sent you a DM

[Peckhampam]

I always just used this forum and was swamped with would be renters. Take up references and ask for a bank reference of their ability to pay/sight of last six months bank accounts.

[shuntman]

When I did this I joined this organisation which I found very useful.

https://www.nrla.org.uk/

Good luck

[Dr De Soto]

This forum is a great place for finding tenants, but we have always used a letting agency for:

- doing the credit checks

- drawing up a tenancy contract

- setting up the deposit

- inventory

The rest you can do yourself, as long as you're prepared to be a responsive and responsible landlord and deal quickly with all sorts of issues that can crop up (that's part of what you pay agents for). Issues can include loss of hot water, leaks, mice, damp, washing machine breakdown etc etc. It helps to build up a list of reliable maintenance people:

- gas fitter (to do annual gas certificate, boiler maintenance etc)

- electrician

- odd-job people to fix washing machine, fences etc

- cleaner (between tenants)

- painter (between tenants)

- roofer (broken tiles etc)

Etc.

[Peckhampam]

Dr de Soto - it is easy to do everything you listed yourself