By Admin Deposit Protection 2 Comments

Tenancy Deposit Protection Schemes: What, Where, Who is Responsible?

Since 6 April 2007, if you rent out a property under an Assured Shorthold Tenancy you are obliged to place your tenants’ deposit in a Tenancy Deposit Protection (TDP) Scheme. This article will explain what a TDP Scheme is, where you can find one, what your obligations are and who is responsible for the deposit if you are using a letting agent.Tenancy Deposit Protection

What is a TDP Scheme, and where can I find one?

Simply put, a TDP Scheme is a government-backed company which either protects or holds your tenants’ deposits and ensures they are returned at the end of the tenancy, unless you are in a dispute with the tenant. There are different types of scheme: a Custodial Scheme is one where you pay the deposit to the company and they will hold it until the tenancy comes to an end, while with an Insured Scheme you retain the deposit and pay a fee for it to be protected.

There are currently three TDP Schemes backed by government: Deposit Protection Service, MyDeposit and Tenancy Deposit Scheme. These Schemes also offer a dispute resolution service in the event of a disagreement over how much of the deposit is to be returned.

What are my obligations?

You must protect your tenants’ deposit within 30 days of the start of the tenancy. If you are given a ‘holding’ deposit you do not need to start protecting it until after the tenancy has officially started. Within those 30 days, you must also supply your tenants with the following information:

  • The address of the property;
  • The amount of their deposit;
  • How the deposit is protected, including the name and contact details of the TDP scheme and their dispute resolution service;
  • Your name and contact details, or those of your letting agent where applicable;
  • The name and contact details of the third party who paid the deposit, if applicable;
  • Reasons why you may keep some or all of the deposit, e.g. in the event of damage repaired at your cost;
  • How to get their deposit back at the end of the tenancy, and what to do in the event of a dispute over how much is to be paid back; and
  • What to do if they are unable to contact you at the end of the tenancy.

I’m using a letting agent – who is responsible for protecting and returning the deposit?

According to guidance on the MyDeposit website, even if you choose to instruct a letting agent to protect your tenants’ deposit you are still ultimately responsible for the protection and return of the deposit. Therefore if your letting agent ceases trading, becomes insolvent or acts fraudulently you will be liable for the return of the deposit. This doesn’t necessarily mean you should avoid using a letting agent for this purpose, but that you should be careful to use a reputable agent and make sure that they use a segregated bank account to keep the deposit secure. You should also ensure that your agent passes on all required information to your tenants.

For further information on TDP Schemes, the Gov.uk website has a short guide for landlords.

By Admin Handyman Services 0 Comments

Hiring A Handyman? Follow These Top Tips

Hiring a handyman can make your life an awful lot easier, while also helping to maintain or even improve the value of your home. This is something that every homeowner should be thinking about and if you don’t have much confidence in carrying out DIY work, you will find that hiring a handyman is a very sensible idea. There is a wide range of handyman services available to choose from and whatever roles or tasks you need taken care of, there will be a professional on hand to help you improve your home.
When it comes to hiring the right handyman and making sure you get everything taken care of, here are some top tips for hiring a handyman.Hiring A Handyman

Walk around your property and make a note of what needs taken care of

If you are going to hire a professional to do jobs around your home, make sure that you know what you want improved on. Creating a list of what needs taken care of will provide you with a clear idea of what you are asking for, and it will help the handyman to plan ahead. If you want certain jobs taken care of, there will be a need for certain materials or equipment so being as thorough as you can when it comes to what you need taken care of will make a big difference.

Agree on times and schedules

When it comes to letting someone in to your home, it is important to be clear on what availability you have and when the work should take place. There will be a need to ensure that your schedule and the schedule of the handyman is compatible, but when arranging for work to take place, you need to have a few things agreed in advance.

The start date and time is crucial for any project and you will find that it is often better to call on a professional company as they are more likely to be stricture when it comes to time. At Cenultra, we understand the importance of helping people arrange work to be carried out at a time that suits you. As we offer a range of reliable and effective professionals, we are the ideal company to ensure you work with the best handyman London has to offer.

Whether you have a limited amount of time when work has to be carried out or you are flexible when the work can be concluded, we are on hand to provide you with the best possible service.
You may also want to make sure what a handyman will do if they come across work that needs to be undertaken that wasn’t on the original list. Even if you reviewed your property effectively, it may be that you don’t know what sort of repair work can be undertaken or what issues are actually problems.

If you are happy for a handyman to carry out additional work that they come across, this should be stated and you should say place a limit on how much you want to spend over and above any agreed amount.

There will be some unscrupulous professionals who will attempt to earn more money for themselves by working in this manner. No matter what sort of job you want taken care of, it is best to agree on everything and then make sure that everything is written down. This will provide you with peace of mind and something that can be checked at a later date.

While some professionals may be more likely to carry out work in this manner, if you call on Cenultra to provide you with the best handyman services London can offer, you can be confident about the standard of service you’ll receive.

Only undertake DIY work if you know what you are doing

You will always have people lining up to extol the virtues of carrying out DIY work yourself and the money it can save. However, carrying out DIY work isn’t for everyone and there will be plenty of people who will benefit from calling on the services of an expert. The main aim of carrying out work is to ensure your home looks great, is safe and is in good condition. As long as you achieve this aim, it doesn’t matter how it is achieved and if you have to pay for these benefits, you will find that the benefits are worth paying for.

At Cenultra, we understand the importance of looking after your home and if you need any assistance, we have the range of handyman services you can rely on.

By Admin Drainage 0 Comments

A Solution For Blocked Drains

Water is life as we conduct most of our activities with water. The water leaves through drainage pipes. However whether you are a homeowner or a commercial property owner, it is a headache to experience blocked drains as it really interrupts your day to day living.

There are qualified plumbers who can unblock your drain but there are professionals who can do the same job for you. If you are looking to keep your drains clog-free, here’s what you need to know:

A drain is a pipe that transports sewage from your property. The point at which the drain connects to the sewer at the border of the property is called lateral drain. If your drain is blocked, you will see that the toilet waste will not go away when you flush. Your drain will also end up emitting a foul smell.Blocked Drains UK

Why Does Your Drain Block

There are a lot of things that might cause your drain to block. Your children might flush down objects that can cause the drain to block. Plants can also block drains when the root system tries to work its way to the drain looking for water. A large amount of leaves can also come in the drain and end up blocking it. Moreover, the drain can also block when there is hair in it. Grease and fat play the same role.

How To Fix Blocked Drains

There are many ways to fix blocked drains but the best one involves using drain blockage supplies. Some of the best one includes Buster Bathroom Plug Unblocker, Buster Plug Sanitiser Foaming amongst others. You can either go for a drain unblocker (like in liquid form) depending on which drain is blocked. You can also try to go for an outside drain unblocker if you are looking to open up a drain that it outdoors.

Drain Cleaning Equipment

There’s plenty of drain cleaning equipment if you are going to get your drains cleaned. Here are a few ways you can do it:

Drill Style Drain Cleaner

This equipment is mostly used in situations where the obstructions can’t be pushed downwards in the drain. Some blockages carry large objects that make matters quite worse when anything is shoved down the drain. The drill style cleaner basically gets rid of these blockages easily. They come in various sizes from handheld to free standing which can help in cleaning the blockages in deeper drains. Drill style drain cleaner can really get your drain unblocked and it happens to be the best drain unblocker in London.

Rooter

The rooter helps in designing the clean drains that are found outside the building near gardens. The rooter cuts the roots in tiny pieces and is washed away by the waste water. The rooter helps with indoor drain block and generally is a good drain unblocker. You can even use it for outside drain blocker or indoor drain unblock as well.

The Electric Snake

The electric snake equipment is made up of motorized steel cable. The cable is pushed down in the pipe. The motor makes the cable rotate the device which helps in cutting the pieces of anything that comes in contact with. This tool needs to be held while working because it can become quite unmanageable. However, the Electric Snake can be used as both an outside drain blocker and can help in getting your drain unblocked.

Professional Drainage Services London

You can easily get your drains unblocked by professional drainage blockers and it happens to be the best drainage services London. There are several drain unblocking company London but the best one is Cenultra. The main objectives of the Professional Drainage Services is to provide fast, efficient and fairly priced cleaning services. The services Cenultra offers include drain unblocking, drain repairs, surface cleaning, drain installation, CCTV drain surveys.

Cenultra Drainage Solutions

Cenultra Drainage Solutions provide a comprehensive range of professional drainage services. These range from high pressure water jetting, complete excavation with pipe replacement and CCTV investigations. Cenultra Drainage Solutions happens to be amongst the best drain cleaner London and helps with outside drain blocker and indoor drain unblock. If you want your drain unblocked, you should try Cenultra Drainage Solutions as it happens to be the best drain unblocking company London.

There is a difference between getting your drain unblocked yourself or getting your drain unblocked by a professional. While there are many benefits of getting your drain unblocked by a professional, you can easily get it done yourself. Certain methods of getting your drain unblocked yourself are:

Use A Plunger

The plunger acts as a vacuum to loosen up the excessive material that is in the drain and causes drain blockage. This will help in cleaning the drain out. There are several attempts to clean the drain but it is also best to get in touch with a plumber to unblock it. They have several gadgets at their hands and they can easily clear the blockage conveniently in order to fix the drains. Moreover, while getting the drain unblocked yourself is easy you can also get in touch with your professional drain unblockers. Professional plumbers find it easy to get your drain unblocked because they have a lot of tools that can easily help you clean the drains. You can easily make a phone call or search the internet to find out about these services. If you don’t want to go through that hassle of finding drainage services London, you can easily go for the ones mentioned above. These professional help with both when you are experiencing an indoor drain unblock or indoor drain unblock.

By Admin Tenancy Agreement 0 Comments

How To Renew A Tenancy Agreement?

When it comes to renewing a tenancy agreement, there are some important aspects that you need to consider. If you are a tenant or landlord, it is important that you know your rights as well as what you need to do when the tenancy contract comes to an end.
In England, according to Housing Act 1988, if a landlord (or estate agency) does not renew the tenant agreement contract before its end date, then the terms and conditions previously signed off by both parties will still apply.

This means that the expired tenancy agreement will continue to be used as a reference for the roles and responsibilities for tenants and landlords. This mechanism is known as a “rolling basis contract” and it can just be used after the initial contract expires. It works as if your contract is being renewed every time you pay your rent (which can be weekly or monthly). Renew A Tenancy Agreement

There are advantages and disadvantages by following this route. The main advantage for both sides (landlord and tenant) is that they do not need to sign anything or do any new paperwork. From a landlord perspective, this “do nothing” attitude, based on Housing Act 1988, can actually save some money with state agents who may want to intermediate the deal.

The downside to it is that, if the landlords receive a leaving notice from their tenants, then the landlords will need to put the property back on the rental market and negotiate rates with different estate agents. As a consequence, the landlord may lose months or weeks of rent until finding new tenants (and of course, face new fees from estate agencies on advertising, following paperwork checks when a potential tenant appears).

From a tenant’s point of view, the advantage of “do nothing” when it comes to renewing the contract benefits them as they will be on a rolling contract instead of a signed contract for a specific period of time. This means that they can give their landlords leaving notice at any time. Normally, tenants will seek not to renew their contract as they do not want to tie up themselves into a new agreement.

So how to renew a tenancy agreement if that is what you want?

First of all, you will need to give your tenant a new agreement. If you want to increase the rent this is the best moment to do so (remember that with a rolling contract you as a landlord will have to negotiate a rent increase directly with the tenant, who has the right to disagree).

Also, if you are looking at renewing the tenancy agreement make sure that if there are terms that you want to change (such as no pets, no smoking, or no subletting, etc.), make sure they are in. You can demand that your tenants need insurance to landlords belonging and you can impose responsibilities and penalties to your tenants, such as late payments, cleanliness of the place, etc.

One thing that is important to remember is that if you are renewing a tenancy agreement, make sure you have an estate agency behind it as they will be the witness in case you have a bad tenant and need to take them to court for eviction. You should not make amendments on separate papers. You need to make sure that everything that is agreed verbally is in the agreement.
Once the new tenancy agreement is written and everyone is happy with it, then both parties involved should sign (so there is no room for argument).

You need to remember that letting agencies usually require a fee to process new agreements. It is worth paying that fee as they are specialists. Renewing the tenancy agreement for a fixed-term gives landlords and tenants the security for coming months, from a landlord perspective the security of income, and for a tenant the security of a place to live (as a landlord cannot evict a tenant until the contract lease, unless rent is not paid).

As you can see, there are more advantages for tenants and landlords when they both agree to renew the tenancy agreement.

By Admin Property Management Company 0 Comments

How To Make A Complaint Against A Letting And Estate Agent

Your options for complaining if you are not happy with the overall conduct of the letting agent you have used in order to find a private rented home. In order to launch your complaint, your first step should be to raise the issue with the letting agent yourself, directly. There are certain procedures for the letting agents and estate agents that you have to follow. You have to check the website of the agent or ask for their office details. They must at all times tell you about the complaints of the procedure if you request. What you need to do is set your case out clearly in writing and provide the details of times and dates wherever they are relevant.Letting And Estate Agent

You should try to send a written complaint if the letting agent does not appear to have the complaints procedure. The letting agent will investigate, ask questions or will request you to send copies of the documents and then go on inspecting your house.

You must always register your complaint with the letting agent first. Try to make a clear and precise report and explain exactly the problem. The best letting agents will try their best to resolve the problem in house. They will also have a set procedure in place that will be handled by the senior management.

Letting Your Landlord Know About The Letting Agency

If you do not want to follow a formal complaints process, you should try to contact your landlord rather than complain about the letting agent’s poor service. It might be try that the landlord might not be well aware of how the agent is looking after the things. The name of the landlord and their address should be on the tenancy agreement or it should be included in the correspondence or documents. You should ask the letting agent for the details if you are not aware of the address and name of the landlord. The letting agent must at all times tell you if you ask.

If your landlord is a company, the letting agent should tell you the addresses and names of the secretary and directors.

It is very common with certain agents that they do not fully respond in a prompt manner to your complaints or problems that you have with enjoying your tenancy at the property. If there is an actual problem, you have to first let your letting agent know. You can keep a log and details of all the communications. It is much better to have the formal complaints n writing and if you live close to the agency the letting agent can hand deliver the letter. You can even contact the head office of the franchise. You can find the number of on tenancy agreement. However if that is not true then you can deal with the head office address and contact their telephone number again.

There are different types of complaints that you can make to your letting agent. The property ombudsman will not consider all types of complaints and will only take your case on board if you have exhausted the estate agent’s internal complaints procedure.

The complaints that can be considered include the following:

A breach of the estate agent’s legal obligations to you
Poor service or incompetence
Failure to follow proper procedures
Maladministration
Unfair treatment
Discourtesy

Other important tips include:

First you must know your agent:

Managing Agent:
This person acts as the manager of communal facilities of a residential block, share of freehold or usually leasehold on behalf of the freeholder.

Letting Agents:
Arranges the renting property on behalf of the owner of the property usually chosen by and paid for by the owner of the property and markets it to its possible clients.

Estate Agents:
Sell property that is usually chosen by or paid for by marketing it to the potential buyers or sellers of the property.

You can also try to complain directly to the agent. As always, you should try to speak to the agent first directly by raising any concerns as you might have them with them in the first instance. You should always try to give the agent a chance to put the things right before they escalate your complaint. Moreover, if you are happy with the way the agent is dealing with your complaint, you should try to make a formal complaint and try to go through the internal complaints of the procedure.

You must also ensure that the letting agent belongs to a recognized professional body. The first thing you have to do is to check before using a letting agent is whether they belong to any professional organization such as the Association of Residential Letting Agents, Property Ombudsman and so on.

The current approved redress schemes are:

It is important to note that anyone can set themselves up as a letting agent. Even people who have been banned from practicing as an estate agent. A person or qualified letting agent who is part of the professional body will have to keep up with your minimum standards of membership and will also require the members to keep up to date with the best practices. A lot of rogue agents might display the logos of these organization on the website and they might also claim to be the members of a specific organization even when they aren’t.

You must also try to use a letting agent who has access to the redress scheme or has signed up for it. The scheme gives a clear route for landlords and tenants to pursue complaints with a 3rd party if they are not receiving the service which they are expecting from the letting agent.

These are the things that you must note before complaining to a letting agent. Moreover, to choose a letting agent, you must make sure that these people have written testimonials about the services which you are using. Testimonials are a guaranteed way of finding out about the letting agent.