Landlord FAQ’s

Using a letting agent means that as a landlord you don’t need to sacrifice your personal time and take on the associated responsibility for letting out and managing the property.

When looking for an agent consider factors such as how they will market the property, how they will conduct viewings, their high street presence, and their available pool of quality tenants.

For more information on the services we offer, click here.

We will complete a full and free evaluation of your property, considering how it compares to other properties in the surrounding area as well as considering local rental market conditions.

We can then give you an estimate of its monthly rental value. It is important to remember that if a property’s rental value is over-estimated it may result in an extended empty period (void). Get in touch to get a free rental valuation for your property.

There is no need for you to be present at viewings if you have already given us a set of keys beforehand.

One of our lettings team will show prospective tenants through the property and will be on hand to answer any questions. We will then provide you with feedback afterwards.

Finding a quality tenant is vital. At Humphreys as part of the tenant application process we:

• Conduct identity and residency checks
• Obtain credit references
• Check employer and current landlord references
• Obtain guarantors where necessary
• For non-UK applicants we check that they have the ‘right to rent’

In many instances standard home insurance cover will not for a range of scenarios that can arise when letting out a property.

It is therefore a good idea to have specialised landlord insurance to cover your property. You will need to insure the property itself and any contents, such as furniture and appliances that you provide. Tenants are responsible for ensuring their own contents left in the property.

We can help you obtain landlord’s insurance, please just ask one of the team.

Yes. You will need to obtain permission from your mortgage lender to let out your property. If they impose any special conditions you will need to let us know.  If the property has a buy-to-let mortgage, then permission has already been granted.

It is a legal requirement for all rental properties in England to have the following certificates:

• Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
• Gas Safety Certificate
• Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)

For properties in Wales, an EICR is not yet required, although we would always advise our landlords to arrange one anyway for peace of mind.

We can arrange all the certificates for you, please just let one of the team know.

An inventory is a record of the condition of the property and its contents. Some inventories are supported with photos and / or video inventories. Once it is completed it needs to be checked and signed by all parties when the tenant moves in.

We complete the inventory as part of our service when charging the setup fee.

A tenant is normally responsible for paying the utility bills, including the council tax, gas, electric and water, during the tenancy (as long as this is stated in the Tenancy Agreement). However, when the property is vacant the responsibility falls back on the landlord or homeowner.

If you are on our fully managed service, we take full responsibility liaising with the tenant and coordinating any necessary works approved by the landlord.

We have an extensive network of trusted local tradesmen and contractors who are regularly used to complete repairs or vital maintenance work when needed.

We will chase all late and unpaid rent if your property is either on the rent collection or fully managed service. We can advise landlords with the appropriate course of action should the tenant not clear the debt or if they fail to vacate the premises