Our Letting Guide

Whats is your property worth?

In order to get the process started, we can arrange a free Market Appraisal of your property where one of our qualified property experts will attend your property to discuss our services in detail and to understand your requirements. You will receive a detailed explanation of the current market and a realistic understanding of what you income you can expect to achieve for your property reinforced by a full marketing strategy. Click here to arrange your free no obligation valuation.

Marketing

Once you have instructed VitalSpace to market your property, we will prepare a high quality rental brochure, window displays and begin promoting your property through major property portals, in the local press and via social media. At VitalSpace, we pride ourselves on our enhanced marketing to provide your property with the best chance of obtaining a sale. We recognise that properties often require different marketing strategies, so we use cutting edge techniques, alongside more traditional methods, to help your property achieve its potential. Professional sales brochures, highly visible A3 window displays, virtual and video tours, social media marketing and advanced advertising on leading property websites are just some of the methods applied to showcase your property. We also maintain a large database of prospective tenants which allows us to match and target the best potential tenants for your property.

Selecting the Right Tenant

Selecting the right tenant from those that show interest is a key part of our job. We pride ourselves in never letting your property to anyone that we wouldn’t let our own to and thus, our standards are exceptionally high. We provide a comprehensive referencing and vetting process. Our credit checks are carried out alongside a company called Let Alliance who are one of the UK’s leading suppliers to the lettings industry. The credit checks will provide a detailed insight into the tenant(s) credit profile and will report any adverse credit history, such as county court judgments, bankruptcies and insolvencies. The checks will also obtain information on previous residency addresses, electoral roll data and demographic cameo information.

The following checks are also conducted to verify information provided by your tenant(s).

Security with Bank Verification – This additional check verifies that the account details are genuine and highlights potential fraudulent data.

Landlord references – VitalSpace will obtain a reference from the current and sometimes previous landlord/agent. The information we request will determine if the rent has been paid on time or if there are any outstanding rent owed, if the property has been maintained and looked after during the tenancy term by the tenant and if there have been any reported issues involving anti-social behaviour.

Employers references – VitalSpace will obtain a reference from the tenant(s) current employer and sometimes previous employer. The information we request will confirm the tenant(s) annual salary, including any bonuses, commencement date of employment and the contract length or employment status.

Tenancy Legislation

There are now around 150 laws that apply when letting a property. Here we highlight some of the key areas of legal responsibilities landlords must adhere to before allowing a tenant(s) to move into your property.

Electrical Installation Condition Report(EICR).
Energy Performance Certificates 2018 (EPC).
Gas Safety Regulations 1998.
The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015.
Legionnaire Risk Assessment.

VitalSpace will willingly arrange for any of the above reports/certificates to be created.

Tenancy Agreement

Our next step is to draw up a tenancy agreement, which outlines all the exact terms of the contract between you and your tenant. Our tenancies agreements are classed as Assured Shorthold Tenancies. Under the Housing Act 1998 (as amended 1996) landlords have more rights to possession than with tenancies commencing prior to this Acts. VitalSpace will provide a minimum six month agreement unless otherwise agreed.

Inventory

A photographic inventory will be prepared by a member of our team detailing the fixtures and fittings in the Property together with their condition. The tenant will be required to sign a copy of the electronic inventory confirming that you agree with the inventory and the comments regarding condition. This inventory will also be used at all inspections and the check-out to assess any damage or dilapidations to the Property. With allowances made for fair wear and tear, any damage noted or cleaning required will be charged to the outgoing tenant(s).

Household Bills

All VitalSpace tenancies are exclusive of utility bills, water rates, gas, electric and Council Tax bills unless otherwise stated. Upon the tenant(s) move in, we will advise the various suppliers of the new tenancy and provide them with meter readings where required. As the landlord you are still responsible for the payment of service charges and ground rent in leasehold properties and buildings insurance on Freehold properties.

Deposit

Before the tenancy starts, a deposit will be taken on your behalf from the ingoing tenant(s). Once we have confirmed receipt of this and the tenancy agreement has been signed, your tenant(s) are ready to move into the property. We will ensure your tenant(s) receive all keys on the day of moving in.