By Admin Rent Collection UK 0 Comments

What’s the best way to collect Rent?

Different Landlords have different ways of collecting rent. If you are trying to decide the best way to do it, you must first know the most common rental payment methods used. Some Landlords consider their Tenants’ personal financial abilities and circumstances.

Basic Rent Collection Methodsbest way to collect Rent

The following are the most basic methods used by Landlords in collecting rent.

Cash – This may not be the most ideal way to collect rent, but some Tenants are comfortable paying cash. This is a good method is you live near the rented place, because it is easy for you to collect the payment monthly. If you live far away, you can ask your cash paying tenants to deposit their monthly rents to your bank account. The advantage of collecting cash and in person is that you get to see and check the property on a regular basis.

Standing Order – This is considered by many Landlords as the most reliable rent collection method. It is easy to set up and eliminates the need to be constantly worried about getting paid on time. Just to be clear, a Standing Order is different from a Direct Debit. If this is the agreed payment method, your Tenant should set it up with their bank. With the advent of the Internet, this is an easy task to do these days. With this payment scheme, your Tenant informs their bank that they should pay you on a fixed date with a fixed amount. This gives you the freedom to just sit there and wait for the payment to go through.

Direct Debit – This is another non-personal payment method, and it is mostly used by companies or organisations renting commercial properties. If your Tenant prefers this method, then you should know that they should also be the one to set it up. The difference between Standing Order and Direct Debit is that in the latter option, your Tenant tells their bank to let you take money from their account on a monthly basis. Before you agree to this method though, you need to get in touch with your bank first. You should find out the appropriate steps you need to take.

Cheque – This is old school, but it is still being used. Sometimes, there are just some Tenants who will not let this method go. So, if your Tenant wants to pay through cheque, you need to know how to go about this the best and the most beneficial way for you. You will receive the cheque through mail or via a letting agent. Then you need to deposit it in your bank account. That means waiting three to five days of clearance time before you can finally enjoy the money. In some cases, Landlords ask their Tenants to provide them with a year’s supply of post-dated cheques so that there will be no need for monthly cheque mailing.

Of the detailed options provided, it looks like a Standing Order is the best option, followed by Cash payment. So, you should consider these two methods as they are the ones that offer the best benefits for you.

By Admin Shower Repairs UK 0 Comments

Shower repairs – Shower repair and maintenance tips

In terms of feelings of pleasure and relaxation, there are fewer finer things in life than getting home after a tough day, and cleaning yourself in a warm and soothing shower, as the hot water rinses over your body and washes your troubles and tension away. A shower is considered one of the most beneficial and important home appliances you could ever wish for, due to the fact that it will not only help keep you clean hygienic, but it will also help make you feel better in the process.

Shower repairs and general shower maintenance however, is a whole other story as repairing and caring for your shower is not simple feat. A lot of people will simply buy a shower, have it installed, and will then let it run itself into the ground, without caring for it or maintaining it. shower repairs london uk

This however, is far from ideal as failing to care for and to maintain your shower, will only leave you with a great deal more to do in the near future. Small problems can eventually go on to become bigger problems, which is why you need to act early, and get there before things do get worse. Here are some tips on avoiding having to deal with shower repairs later on in life, as we look at general shower repair and maintenance tips for you to consider.

Examine your seals regularly – One of the main reasons why shower repairs are so common, and one of the primary reasons why plumbers tend to get so much work on a weekly basis, is down to the fact that shower seals can get worn away with time, which means that water from the shower can leak through tiles and through the ceiling. Now, in most cases this is a minor inconvenience as only a slight leak will occur, but if you fail to notice the leak, the wooden floorboards can eventually rot due to the water, and that is where ceilings can collapse, which can cost thousands. Examine your shower seals regularly, and perhaps even test them by trying to isolate certain areas and testing their water tightness.

Regularly soak your shower head – Removing a shower head is not a tough job, and it is certainly not time consuming either, yet people are still hesitant to do so. By removing the shower head, you can then inspect it for damage, but on top of that, you can also clean it and de-scale it. Lime scale will eventually build up around all appliances that rely on water, but if your water is especially hard, lime scale can build up much quicker than usual. To de-scale your shower head, either submerge it in a sink full of de-scaling solution, or alternatively, spray it with a specialist de-scaler, and seal it in an airtight plastic bag and soak it overnight. The next day, rinse it off and it should be sparkling clean, and it should also work much more effectively as well.

Don’t use the shower for too long – Although after a tough day, or when you’re feeling especially cold, it can be tempting to have a long shower and to just relax and have a nice little think about life (we all do it in the shower, after all) in order for you to keep your shower in perfect working order, you should make sure that you don’t use it more than you have to. Like all things in life, the more it is worked, and the harder it is worked, the more likely it will be to break and malfunction. Of course you should still shower daily, but if you’re guilty of showering for 10 – 15 minutes at a time, try to cut back to just 5 minutes as that gives you more than enough time to wash yourself and feel the benefits, without overworking your shower. Besides which, by reducing the amount of time you spend in the shower, you are not only helping to prolong the life of your shower, you are also doing your bit for the environment as you are using less water and energy, plus your water and heating bill will be lower as well, so it really is a win-win.

Think before tiling in your shower – Although from an aesthetic standpoint, showers that are tiled into the wall generally tend to look much nicer, the major drawback with that is that if the shower does develop a leak behind the tiles, in order to get to the pipe and fix the leak, you will need to remove the tiles, which will take time and cost money. Obviously a shower isn’t forced to develop one of these problems, but it is certainly a possibility, so when it comes to shower repairs, always bear that in mind.

By Admin Tenant Referencing UK 0 Comments

Landlord Guide on Referencing Tenants and Checklist?

It is understandable that finding new Tenants is one of a Landlords’ most important concerns. Sometimes though, with the focus so high on getting new Tenants moved in, Landlords forget to focus on other significant factors.

One such factor that can be commonly overlooked is referencing the new Tenants. Some Landlords get so excited when they get new tenants that they forget to investigate their backgrounds.Referencing Tenants Services UK

Referencing new Tenants is very important because they are going to be occupying a property for a period of time. This means, they have to be people that can be trusted to take care of the place. By proper referencing Landlords can effectively eliminate dealing with a rogue, deceitful or unreliable Tenants. Such Tenants can be problematic, and they can also be expensive to deal with. It would be better to let the property stay vacant for a while and wait for Tenants that will make you feel at ease, than accept Tenants that you know nothing about and take an unnecessary risk.

Of course, risks are always going to be there even if you know the background of the new Tenants, but it is better to be one step ahead of the game than be surprised later on. Some people may look nice and easy to talk to at the start, but they may turn out manic in the long run. You actually really would not know if your tenant is reliable until they have lived in the property for a few months, but being able to discover a few important details will help you make that decision on whether to accept them or reject them as Tenants.

Tenant Referencing Methods

Here is a checklist of the methods that you should undertake if you want to make sure that your new tenants can be relied upon.

  • Trust your gut instinct (this may not be the practical choice, but it can be a reliable source – your gut instinct should be able to tell you if the person you are talking to is genuine or not).
  • Demand for Identification (asking for ID is significant. Tenants should actually expect Landlords to demand proper identification documents. It is important that you know your Tenants are exactly who they say they are. In some areas it is actually a requirement for Tenants to provide identification and citizenship documentations, in order to control illegal immigration)
  • Credit Checks (Some Landlords do not use credit check services when referencing Tenants, but this is one good way to know if the potential Tenant has a good and reliable financial history)
  • Tenancy Application Forms (These documents are important. Tenants are actually like potential employees, and Landlords can be likened to employers. Your tenants should be able to fill in the form with the right information like:

⇒ Tenancy details – rental period, proposed start tenancy date and number of people who will live in the property
⇒ Personal details – Tenant’s full name, contact details and length of residency at their current address
⇒ Current Landlord information
⇒ Guarantor details
⇒ Employment information – current employment and salary details
⇒ Details on every potential occupier

The checklist provided can also be included with other means of referencing new Tenants. The important thing to keep in mind is that you need to make sure that your new Tenant has provided you with all the information required before they can move into the property.

By Admin Toilet Blockage UK 0 Comments

Toilet Blockages – How to prevent and treat blocked toilets

When we watch comedy TV shows or movies, toilet blockages are often part of the gag and are considered pretty humorous. Sure, when it isn’t happening to you, a toilet blockage is a pretty funny thing to talk about and discuss, and contrary to what these shows may have us believe, toilet blockages are generally rarely caused by, shall we say, natural bodily functions. They are usually the result of toilet paper, wet wipes, or other similar products making their way into the toilet, and blocking the pipes. There have been people who have experienced some pretty shocking and traumatic events as a result of blocked toilets, especially if the blockage is not visible to the naked eye.

They will have done their business, flushed the toilet, and to their horror, instead of the bowl emptying and draining the waste and water away, the water and waste will have risen higher and higher up the bowl, and in some cases, will have overflowed onto the bathroom floor. You’re probably picturing it right now and you may have even experienced it before, or had a very close call, and what’s especially frustrating is that these toilet blockages can so easily be prevented and avoided. Here’s a look at how.Toilet Blockages London UK

Never use too much toilet paper – We all know what toilet paper is for so there is no need to go into much detail in that regard, but the problem that many people have, is that they simply use too much paper in one go, and will allow the paper to build up in the bowl, before flushing. What happens then is that the paper will block the pipes and prevent the water from draining away, so the bowl will backup and will fill with water that should have been used to flush everything away. Only use as much toilet paper as necessary, and if that is a lot, use a small amount and flush the toilet, before repeating as necessary.

Keep the area around the toilet clear – If you have children, this is a necessity, but even if you don’t, you should still keep the areas around toilets clear and free from various objects. A lot of people will have shelves and cabinets directly above their toilets, but all this can do is increase the likelihood of objects falling into the toilet and potentially blocking it. To start with, the last thing you want is for your toothbrush, hairbrush, or anything else for that matter, to fall into the toilet for hygiene reasons, but on top of that, smaller objects can fall in and go undetected, so that when you flush, they can get lodged in the pipes and cause a blockage. Toilet blockages can easily be prevented by keeping the area around the toilet clear, so that there is less chance of something falling into it and causing a blockage.

Don’t flush wet wipes down the toilet – Ok, we all know that we shouldn’t flush wet wipes down the toilet, yet many of us will probably be guilty of ignoring this advice and using, and flushing, these wipes anyways. The reason why wet pipes should not be flushed away is the fact that they are made from a different material to toilet paper, which means that they don’t rot or decompose. Toilet paper for example, will rot and decompose in water eventually, so clearing toilet paper blockages is much easier than clearing wet wipe blockages. The wet wipes just sit there and so need to be removed manually, which is not a pleasant job. Dispose of wet wipes according to instructions on the packet.

Know what can and can’t be flushed – A lot of people will also make the mistake of using the toilet as waste bins through pure laziness or ignorance, and will then wonder why they’re having to call out the plumbing experts to deal with their toilet blockages further down the line. A toilet is not a bin, so unless it is toilet paper, or unless it has been specifically designed to be flushed down a toilet, don’t try flushing it away. In terms of blockages, the main cause of shower and bath blockages is clumps of long hair, and many people will fish this hair out, only to flush it down the toilet and cause a blockage there instead. Only flush things away that you know for sure, can actually be flushed in the first place.

Deal with the problem early – In the case of toilet blockages, prevention is often the best cure, and if you notice your toilet draining and flushing slower than usual, this is usually a sign that a blockage is starting to form. Use a plunger or drain unblocker and try to clear the blockage before it escalates and gets worse. Use the plunger for example, and then try flushing again and see if the water drains away quicker. If not, try again and repeat as necessary.

By Admin Deposit Protection 0 Comments

Letting Agent Or Landlord Responsible For Securing Deposit Into A Tenancy Deposit Protection Scheme?

So, who is really responsible for securing the Tenant’s deposit into the deposit protection scheme? Is it the responsibility of the Landlord or the letting agent? The answer should really depend on whether the Landlord trusts the letting agent. Of course, it should be taken into consideration if the Landlord is using a letting agent. In case there is no letting agent involved the responsibility of protecting the deposit automatically falls into the Landlord’s hands.

Making Sure that the Deposit is Secured

Do you trust your letting agent? Are you certain that they are doing what they are supposed to be doing? Do you think that your agent is securing the deposits into the lawful tenancy deposit protections scheme?Tenant-Deposit-uk

Do you know what will happen in case your letting agent fails to secure the deposit? Do you have any idea that you could be involved in a heated argument once your Tenant has discovered that their deposit is not properly protected?

If you, as the landlord, has no common sense to make sure or check that your tenant’s deposit has been properly secured, then you have failed to do your job. It does not matter if the letting agent was bad enough to ignore securing the deposit. In the end, it is your fault as a landlord that the deposit has not been secured.

So, basically, whether you use a letting agent or not, failure to secure the deposit means big trouble for you. How do you avoid that bad result? By being smart enough to check the contract between you and the letting agent.

If the contract states that the letting agent is not tasked to protect the Tenant’s deposit, then you have full responsibility to secure the deposit. This means that the letting agent should pass the deposit over to you so that you can secure it within the allowed 30 days after they received it from the Tenants. You have to understand that it is your responsibility to make sure that the agent passes the deposit to you.

If in case the contract between you and the letting agent specifies that the letting agent has full responsibility of securing the Tenant’s deposit, then all liabilities fall into the hands of the agent if they fail to protect the deposit.

If you suspect that your agent failed to secure the deposit, then you must act fast. Your Tenant could pursue you and then you will have to face complaints. Of course, you should also pursue your letting agent.

It is always better to avoid getting into those complicated complaints and cases. The best way to do that is to be vigilant with your transactions. Always check with your letting agent so that you know if the deposit has been secured.

You have the responsibility to protect that deposit even if the task is supposed to be done by the letting agent. You answer to your Tenant and your letting agent answer to you. Do not let anything to go wrong, or else you will be facing a case while pursuing your letting agent.