Landlords

Preparing Your Property

Permissions

When letting a property, it is important that you have all the necessary permissions to proceed and that you inform any third parties who may have an interest in you doing so.

Proof of ownership

We will need a copy of the land registry entry dated in the last three months or a TR1 form confirming your ownership of the property. We also need colour copies of identification (i.e. passport or driving licence) for the property owner(s) named on the land registry entry.

Your superior landlord

If your property is owned on a leasehold or share-of-freehold basis, we will need consent from head lease and/or the management company to confirm your property can be leased by JMHA. You should always check and make sure the terms of any superior lease and followed.

Your property finance provider

If you have a mortgage or other loan on the property you want to let, you must advise your property finance provider of your intention and ask for written consent before any tenancy begins.

If you are unable to arrange the following requirements, then we can arrange these on your behalf.

Your insurance provider

You must ensure you maintain full buildings insurance coverage throughout the term of the lease. We also recommend you maintain sufficient contents insurance cover to protect your fixtures, fittings, furnishings (if appropriate) and electrical items at all times. This is the landlord's sole responsibility.

Safety regulations

By law, landlords are required to follow strict safety regulations to protect tenants from avoidable hazards.

Gas Safety Certificate

Electrical Safety Certificate

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

Smoke Detectors

Carbon Monoxide Detector

Internal Doors

Maintenance service contract

We would also recommend you take out a maintenance service contract to ensure your boiler and heating system is fully recovered in case of a break down.

Finances

Rent payments

We will give you an idea of the expected rent for your property during our first visit. The final rent figure will then be confirmed in your letter offer. Rental payments are paid monthly in advance. All payments are processed through the bank automatic clearing service (BACS) beginning on the first date of the tenancy.

No Management Charges

There are no management charges through your lease. There will also be no charge when leases are renewed. There are a variety of costs that are the landlord's responsibility. These costs will vary depending on the size, age and location of your property.

Recharges

If we have carried out any repairs on your behalf, we will deduct the cost of the work (including an administration charge) from your monthly rent. We will send you a letter notifying you of any deductions from your rent before payments are made.

Utilities

The tenant will be responsible for the payment of water rates, gas, electricity and council tax.

As the owner, you will be responsible for paying service charges and ground rent. If the service charge includes payment for heating and hot water, you will be liable for this payment unless the freeholder can invoice the tenant separately.

Taxation

As the property owner, you will need to pay tax on any rental income received. However almost all expenditures related to a rental property are deductible from rental income before calculating any profit. Our team can offer general advice about this, but we recommend you speak to your accountant for more detail.

If you are a non-UK resident you must provide us with confirmation that you have notified HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) of your circumstances. Otherwise, we will have to deduct the tax from your rent payments and pass it onto the HMRC. More information for overseas landlords can be found at www.hmrc.gov.uk/cnr/nr_landlords.htm.

Dealing with us

Equality and diversity

Equality and diversity are an integral part of all our activities and every aspect of the work we do. We aim to respond to the wide social diversity within the communities in which we operate and ensure that we fully reflect this in our policies and procedures and through the day-to-day delivery of services.

We will treat everyone with respect and value their differences. We do this by providing excellent customer service. Everyone's quality of life is considered of great importance.

Feedback

We aim to provide an excellent service for our landlords. If you think we are doing something wrong, let us know. We want to learn from our mistakes and improve. We have a simple, open, practical feedback procedure for concerns about service delivery. Any disputes regarding negotiations, defects, disrepairs, or compensation at the end or renewal of the lease, will be dealt with directly and promptly by our team.