Becoming a landlord for the first time can be a scary, daunting experience – read a first hand account of someone taking the plunge!
We’re coming to the end of our first year as landlords. The letting agent has sent us a routine, and carefully timed, letter asking if we wish to continue letting and whether they should make a formal offer to our current tenants. I feel we’ve been very fortunate in finding a family to live in Mum’s house, who appear...
It’s December – the festive season has started and it’s nearly the end of what has been quite an eventful year for the family. Looking back, the long hot summer came and went in a bit of a haze – all that sorting, cleaning and soul-searching whilst preparing Mum’s house to let. The tenants moved in at the end of July...
It’s now just over a month since the first tenants moved into Mum’s house. As expected, a few things have needed discussing or attending to. The first request from the tenant was to remove the grab-rail in the bathroom, which we had overlooked. I think I said previously that we had become so used to the various aids around...
It’s 13 weeks since our initial meeting with the Letting Agent, and it’s the day the tenants are moving in. I’ve had two more sets of keys cut for them and I feel I’d like to be there to wish them well, but the agent said they would take care of everything. The last two weeks I’ve been frantically...
We know that our tenants would like to move by the end of the month. That gives us a couple more weeks to get Mum’s house ready, which is just as well as there’s still a lot to do! Luckily we had just had the gas boiler serviced so we knew it was ok, but we had to ask...
The Letting Agent had said not to worry about re-decorating, and the ‘swirly’ carpets would be acceptable to most tenants. He even said the walk-in bath Mum had installed shouldn’t be a problem. So I decided just to freshen things up. The following week we had our first spell of warm sunny weather and I set about spring-cleaning. I...
After much soul-searching, my brother and I are to become landlords for our mother’s property. Her 3 bed semi has lain empty since she went into a care home in September last year, and already the fees are making a big dent in her savings. Unfortunately, we can’t discuss our plans with Mum as she won’t understand anymore, but...
Thankfully, before the dementia took a hold, Mum was a very sensible lady and it was over seven years ago when she suggested setting up an Enduring Power of Attorney for myself and my brother to act jointly on her behalf to manage her affairs if she should become incapable of doing so herself. The document, signed by us...
Rentguard is a trading name of Arthur J Gallagher Insurance Brokers Limited which is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA number 311786). Registered Office: Spectrum Building, 7th Floor, 55 Blythswood Street, Glasgow, G2 7AT. Registered in Scotland. Company Number: SC108909. www.ajg.com/uk
