Services Provided by Our Trusted Local Letting Agents

Over the years as distant property landlords, we have come to realise the importance of good property management.  It can literally mean the difference between success in your portfolio and failure.  

We understand that you are purchasing property in the North East primarily to give yourself an income and the majority of our investors want to be armchair investors with little or no involvement in the day to day management of their property.

We have partnered with trusted, experienced local agents in the North East.  They have streamlined systems and procedures in place to ensure they offer you the best possible passive property ownership experience, and keep tenants happy.  They have all had many years experience letting proeprties in the North East, and are registered with the property ombudsman & deposit protection scheme.

The agents in this area charge between 10%-12.5% +VAT pcm depending on which one is best for your proeprty.  Please take a look at the individual property listings for this information.  The management services includes the following;

1. Finding, vetting, and appointing New Tenants, paying close attention to applicant history and references.
   your property will be sold with a suitable tenant in place, but you will be charged a finders fee for any subsequent tenants to cover the cost of referencing and setting up a new tenant.
2. Collecting Rent from Tenant or the relevant government agency as appropriate, liaising with tenants, Durham County Council or Universal Credit and tenant support organisations to help resolve payment issues that may arise.
3. Payment made to the Landlord each month for the rent collected less any fees and costs, with a remittance summary.  Please note that some tenants may be in receipt of Housing Benefit which is paid 4 weekly over the year totalling 13 payments per annum instead of 12 monthly payments.
4. Regular Property Inspections.  Reports can be provided if requested. (some agents charge extra for mid tenancy inspections)
5. Maintenance of the property is managed in accordance with health and safety requirements.
   Please note that any snagging issues following our refurbishment are resolved free of charge by us in the first 6 months. 
6. Ensuring the tenancy is managed in accordance with regulations and that the required safety certification is kept up to date and invoiced.
   -Annual Gas Safety checks are arranged and carried out on your behalf and charged accordingly - approx £95+VAT per year following the date of the first report.
   - 5 Yearly Electrical Safety Reports are arranged and carried out on your behalf and charged accordingly - approx £185+VAT (Subject to size of property) every 5 years following the date of the first report)
   - EPCs are arranged and carried out on your behalf and charged accordingly - approx. £108+VAT, normally done every 10 years.
7. All of our properties are let on an unfurnished basis.

The lettings team is set up to maximise the rent collected from every property they manage, as well as assisting you in understanding your legal requirements as landlords including health and safety, tenant/owner rights and responsibilities and take all reasonable steps to achieve compliance.

There are few who thoroughly understand the complexity of the benefit system. You can rely on the training and expertise of their team to try to resolve benefits issues promptly, and in the landlord’s favour. Issues rarely present themselves or their solutions clearly when they first arise. Issues left unresolved could quickly degenerate into deeper problems more costly to resolve -sometimes requiring even more costly legal resolution. This speedy resolution of payments issues is therefore a priority for them.

For more information about the management of your property please speak to one of our friendly team.  Please also let us know if you choose not to have your property managed, as you are not contracted to use the management, you are more than welcome to use any management agent you prefer.   

Please note the on 1st April 2022 Durham County Council bought in a Selective Licensing scheme for many of the properties in the County Durham area.   We are happy to confirm that all of our properties are refurbished to the minimum of the Selective Licensing standards and the Durham Decent Home Standard and we will provide you all the documents and information that you will need regarding your property so that you can apply for the licence.