When you decide to rent out your property to new tenants, there are a lot of things that you need to consider. It isn’t just about making the property look nice, you also need to worry about the regulations for landlords and make sure that everything has been thoroughly checked. Do you have an EICR? Have all of the appliances been PAT tested? If you can’t answer yes to these questions, then you might have more work on your hands.
Here, we are going to offer some tips to help you get your property ready for new tenants. Read on to hear what we have to say.
Small Repairs
Before you have any tenants move into your property, you need to make sure that all of the fixtures and fittings are in good condition. Any small repairs that need to be done should be carried out before the tenancy starts and you should make sure to take a note of any that you don’t manage to get completed. This way, you’ll be able to refer back to your records should something go wrong as a result of the tenant misusing the property.
EICR
Did you know that as of June 2020, landlords in the UK must make sure that all of the electrical installations in their property are safe? While this might sound obvious, it wasn’t before a legal requirement and has recently become even more important. To prove that the installations are safe, you’ll need to have an EICR report completed. This report will need to be shown to the tenants and it will need to be completed again in another 5 years. If you don’t already have one, you should enquire about an EICR through electricalsafetycertificate.co.uk today. They cover domestic, industrial and commercial buildings and have very competitive pricing based on the size of the property.
Testing Appliances
Another consideration for landlords renting out a property is the appliances that are inside of it. Usually, you will provide certain appliances such as a fridge, a washing machine and a toaster included in the rental price. This can sometimes be left up to the tenant to purchase but this will be noted before the rental agreement is signed. If you are including appliances, they need to be tested in order to make sure that they are in good working order. They also need to be safe to use so make sure to spend some time on this.
Furnishing the Property
Finally, if you have advertised the property as ‘furnished’ you will need to ensure there is appropriate furniture in the property before the tenant moves in. This will include basics such as beds in each bedroom, a couch and a wardrobe for them to keep their clothes in. If you aren’t sure about what should be included, you can usually find guides online.
Final Thoughts
These are just some of the important things that you’ll need to check before you rent your property to a new tenant. Make sure to find out more in order to avoid any issues when they do eventually move in.