As it is probably your most valuable asset, when it comes to selling your property or home, a local agent with considerable local knowledge and experience is essential. As such, we are fully committed to providing you with a top quality service and ensuring that things move along as swiftly and smoothly as possible. We provide our service at competitive commission rates, and on a no sale no fee basis.
What is my property worth?
If you’re thinking of selling (or letting) your property, your main interest is likely to be what it’s worth. To find out, simply fill in and send us the quick form on the right, and we will be in touch shortly to arrange an appointment.
For your information, below is our brief guide to the selling process. We will be delighted to provide more detailed information if required.
The Selling Process
Market valuation
One of our sales team will visit your property to determine its market value, discuss a marketing strategy, and explain our fees and terms of business.
Prepare your property for viewings
Presenting your property in its best possible condition will assist greatly in achieving a speedy sale at a market price. Good first impressions are all important. Further down this page we provide some guidance and tips on preparing and presenting your property in the best possible way.
Marketing the property
Once we have obtained relevant details and taken pictures of your property, we will prepare marketing material and request your approval. We would usually then market your property on our website, on property portal sites, in the local press, and by telephone and mail to suitable waiting purchasers on our books.
The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
Before marketing a property for sale, an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) must be commissioned. Please see below for more information.
The viewings
Ordinarily a member of our sales team would meet prospective purchasers at your property and show them around. However where the owner prefers to carry out the viewing, this would be fine by us.
Receiving offers
All offers received will be notified to you both by telephone and in writing. As part of our service we will if necessary negotiate between yourself and the purchaser to arrive at a mutually agreed sale price.
Instruct a solicitor
It is at this point that you should instruct your solicitor or conveyancer to act for you and liaise with the purchaser’s solicitor.
Legal work
We will prepare a memorandum of sale, and send it to all parties concerned. Upon receipt your solicitor will prepare a draft contract and send it to the purchaser’s solicitor, who will then make preliminary enquiries, conduct local and land registry searches, and once enquiries are complete, approve the draft contract.
Progressing the sale
As part of our service, during these processes we will keep in regular contact with all parties, ensure that any queries are ironed out, and generally work towards keeping the wheels turning towards a smooth completion.
Exchange of Contracts
Once the legal preliminaries are completed and paperwork prepared, and the purchaser has the necessary finance offer in place, contracts of sale are signed and exchanged, and a deposit usually 10% of the sale price is paid by the purchaser. At this point a date for completion will be agreed.
Completion of sale
Completion takes place when the balance of the purchase price is received, and ownership of the property is transferred. Keys will be handed in to our office, and and passed on the the happy purchaser.
Energy Performance Certificates For Sale Properties (EPCs)
Before marketing a property for sale, you must commission an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). An EPC tells you and the prospective buyer how energy efficient your property is, the impact the property has on the environment, and includes recommendations on ways to improve the property’s energy efficiency. You can start marketing your property before the EPC is ready, but it must be made available and added to all marketing material within 28 days. It normally takes two to three days for an EPC to be delivered once you’ve placed the order. EPCs can only be produced by accredited Domestic Energy Assessors.
Preparing your property for sale
Outside
First impressions are very important. Stand at the front of your property and view it with a fresh eye. If you have a front garden or driveway, make sure the grass is cut, any rubbish or bins are removed, borders are weed free, shrubs are trimmed, and the porch is cobweb free. If the drive is not large consider parking your car elsewhere to give more of an impression of space. If it’s spring or summer and you have no flowers planted, it may be worth buying and planting a few to provide a splash of colour.
Interior
If you are moving, it would rarely make sense to spend much money on improving your property just to sell. Better to save it for your new home. It would however be sensible to carry out any small repairs that may be required, to give the impression that the property has been well maintained. If any rooms need decorating, choose a light and neutral colour, which would appeal to a wider range of purchasers.
For viewings, all rooms should of course be tidy, clean and uncluttered, but bathrooms and kitchens should be spotlessly clean. A spray of scent or a fragrance in the bathroom shortly before a viewing can make it seem more attractive. In the kitchen, the aroma of percolating coffee is guaranteed to enhance the general impression of homeliness.
Have carpets and curtains cleaned if necessary. If you are a dog owner, remember that not everyone is a pet lover, so have someone take Offenbark for a walk during viewings.
Create a feeling of space in your property by removing any unnecessary furniture if possible, and tidy away clutter. Put away personal items such as ornaments, souvenirs, and family photos. Although personal to you, they are not to the viewer, and clear shelves and space can improve the overall feel of the rooms.
Viewings
ake sure your property is warm and well lit when you are expecting viewers, as this will make it feel more homely. If carrying out the viewing yourself, take your time, don’t rush the process, and remember that there is no need to talk all the time. Give them time to think and get the feel of the place, and imagine the property as their own. For most purchasers the property has to feel right, as well as meet their preconceived specifications.
Post-viewing feedback
Take notice of any post-viewing feedback we may provide. If several viewers have the same comments, it makes sense if possible to do something about it.
The above is a brief summary of landlords’ responsibilities and of the laws surrounding tenanted property. We hope that you find it useful. If there are any aspects of which you are unsure, please ask us. We look forward to being of assistance to you in the letting and management of your property. If you wish you can print this page by using your browser Print option.
Health and Safety and other Legal Requirements
The following requirements are the responsibility of the owner (Landlord). Where you have signed our Full Management Agency Agreement, they are also our responsibility. Therefore where we are managing we will need to ensure compliance.
Booklet “How To Rent: The Checklist For Renting” The Property
Update: 25/09/2015. New regulations come into force on the 1st of October 2015. They introduce new obligations on landlords to provide specific information to their tenants, and restrictions on the use of the Section 21 Notice.
The Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) new regulations introduce new obligations on landlords to provide specific information to their tenants, and restrictions on the use of the section 21 Notice no fault possession procedure if they fail to do so.
The new regulations will only apply to new tenancies from 1st October 2015, and then to all tenancies from October 1st 2018. From 01/10/2015 landlords will become responsible for giving tenants a booklet called “How to rent: the checklist for renting”.
For more information please contact one of our representatives.
Gas
Annual safety check
Annual safety check: Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 all gas appliances and flues in rented accommodation must be checked for safety at least every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer. They must be maintained in a safe condition at all times, records kept for at least 2 years, and a copy of the safety certificate given to each new tenant before their tenancy commences.
Maintenance
There is a duty to ensure that all gas appliances, flues and associated pipe work are maintained in a safe condition at all times.
Records
Full records must be kept for at least 2 years of the inspections of each appliance and flue, of any defects found and of any remedial action taken.
Copies to tenants
A copy of the safety certificate issued by the engineer must be given to each new tenant before their tenancy commences, or to each existing tenant within 28 days of the check being carried out.
Electrical
There are several regulations relating to electrical installations, equipment and appliance safety, and these affect landlords and their agents in that they are ‘supplying in the course of business’. They include the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994, the Plugs and Sockets Regulations 1994, the 2005 Building Regulation – ‘Part P, and British Standard BS1363 relating to plugs and sockets. Although with tenanted property there is currently no legal requirement for an electrical safety certificate (except in the case of all HMOs) it is now widely accepted in the letting industry that the only safe way to ensure safety, and to avoid the risk of being accused of neglecting your ‘duty of care’, is to arrange such an inspection and certificate.
Fire
The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 (amended 1989 & 1993) provide that specified items supplied in the course of letting property must meet minimum fire resistance standards. The regulations apply to all upholstered furniture, beds, headboards and mattresses, sofa-beds, futons and other convertibles, nursery furniture, garden furniture suitable for use in a dwelling, scatter cushions, pillows and non-original covers for furniture. They do not apply to antique furniture or furniture made before 1950, and certain other items. Non-compliant items must be removed before a tenancy commences.
Smoke Alarms & Carbon Monoxide Alarms
All properties built since June 1992 must have been fitted with mains powered smoke detector alarms from new. Although there is no legislation requiring smoke alarms to be fitted in other ordinary tenanted properties (except HMOs), it is generally considered that the common law ‘duty of care’ means that Landlords and their Agents could be liable should a fire cause injury or damage in a tenanted property where smoke alarms are not fitted. We therefore strongly recommend that the Landlord fit at least one alarm on each floor (in the hall and landing areas).
Update:
The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 come into force on 1st October 2015. Landlords and managing agents may be liable to a £5000 fine if they fail to comply. The new legislation requires that all landlords must install a working smoke alarm on every floor of a property as well as carbon monoxide detectors in rooms where solid fuel appliances are present. For more information please speak to one of our representatives.
Is your property a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO)?
If your property is on 3 or more levels and let to 5 or more tenants comprising 2 or more households (i.e. not all of the same family) it will be subject to mandatory licensing by your local authority. Whether mandatory licensing as above applies or not, if there are 3 or more tenants not all related in any property, it is still likely to be an HMO, and special Management rules will apply.
The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS)
The HHSRS provides an analysis of how hazardous a property is through assessment of 29 potential hazards found in housing. Landlords have to maintain their properties to provide a safe and healthy environment. The HHSRS is enforced by local authorities.
Tenancy Deposit Protection (TDP)
All deposits taken by landlords and letting agents under Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs) in England and Wales must be protected by a tenancy deposit protection scheme. To avoid any disputes going to court, each scheme is supported by an alternative dispute resolution service (ADR). Landlords and letting agents can choose between two types of scheme; a single custodial scheme and two insurance-based schemes.
Tenancy deposit protection – prescribed information
Legislation requires that certain information must be given to the tenant within 28 days of a deposit being taken. Whether you use the DPS, or the TDSL scheme, only some of the information is provided to the tenants by the scheme administration. The remainder must be provided by the landlord.
A special ‘Tenancy Deposit – Prescribed Information’ form has been designed for this purpose, and a copy is available from this agency.
It is very important that the form is completed fully and accurately, and that you attach to it a printed version of the relevant scheme’s Terms and Conditions. These can be downloaded from their respective websites on the following links, depending on which scheme you use:
DPS: http://www.depositprotection.com/
TDS: https://www.tds.gb.com/
MY DEPOSITS: http://www.mydeposits.co.uk/
It is also important that under Paragraph 7 of the form you include the exact terms in the tenancy agreement that permit deductions from the deposit.
It is recommended that a signed copy of the form is given to each tenant individually. You should also retain a single copy signed by every tenant, in order to prove that the information has been given. So where there are say 4 tenants, you need 5 copies.
Be sure to comply with the above requirements fully and accurately, because penalties to the landlord for non-compliance can be heavy.
Where we are providing our Full Letting & Management Service will handle all of this for you as part of our service.
The Disability Discrimination Act 2005
From October 2010, the Equality Act replaced much of the Disability Discrimination Act of 2005. However, the Disability Equality Duty in the DDA continues to apply. These Acts define disabled people’s rights in respect of premises that are let or to be let. Landlords and managers of let/to let premises are required to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people.
The Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 (EPC’s)
Since 1st October 2008 landlords in England and Wales offering property for rent are required by law to provide prospective tenants with an Energy Performance Certificate for their property. In Scotland EPCs for rental properties have been required since January 2009. The certificates must be provided free either when (or before) any written information about the property is provided to prospective tenants or a viewing is conducted. An EPCs is valid for 10 years. We can arrange an EPC inspection for our landlord clients upon request.
Please note that we cannot market your property to let until we have in our possession a valid EPC for the property.
The above is a brief summary of landlords’ responsibilities and of the laws surrounding tenanted property. We hope that you find it useful. If there are any aspects of which you are unsure, please ask us. We look forward to being of assistance to you in the letting and management of your property. If you wish you can print this page by using your browser Print option.
