Landlords - 10 Questions To Ask Your Agent

Here at Belvoir Colchester we are always looking to give our Landlords & Tenants the best advice. Below you will find 10 questions you should be asking your agent as a Landlord. We have also answered them for you.

1. How can you demonstrate your knowledge of the local rental market?

We have been located in Colchester for over 16 years, we have gotten to know the rental market, needs of our landlords and tenants over this time. Our Director has worked her way up through the ranks over the years and done every job role within Estate Agency. All the staff at Belvoir Colchester have been trained to the highest level, their product knowledge is excellent. We are always on hand to give our Landlords the best advice we can, if we don’t know the answer…..we will go away, find it and come back to you.

2. How familiar are you with current relevant legislation?

We are always updating our staff on the latest legislation, we also update our landlords via email when there is a change that will affect you.

3. What support do you have in your office?

Last year we had a changeover of staff, this has been a very positive change, we now have a very strong work force here at Belvoir Colchester. You can meet the team here, and get to know more about us.

4. How do you handle any issues that may arise?

Should any issues arise from our tenants or landlords we always make sure we have the staff on hand to deal with these quickly, and we make sure that the issue is resolved right away. Should there be a delay we will always keep you updated.

5. How – and how often – do you communicate with your landlords?

We understand you are very busy people. We have a newsletter that goes out once a month from Belvoir Colchester, we will also contact you to update you on any changes to legislation. If we fully manage a property for you then you will have inspection reports from us (depending on the service you pick). If anything urgent comes up we will of course keep you in the loop so you know what is going on with your property.

6. What is your strategy for attracting the best tenant for my property?

We have a database of applicants who are looking for properties and we email them twice a week with an updated list of properties. we also contact them via phone to let them know about any new property we have that will suit them. We also list the property on Rightmove, Belvoir Colchester, and Social Media links.

7. How are the financial aspects managed?

We collect 99% of rental payments by standing orders, any late payments will be chased once they go a day overdue. Some tenants like to pay rent by debit card over the phone, this is fine and they will get a call on the afternoon that their rent is due, should they not pay it in the morning.

8. How do I know I will have a reliable income stream and that my property is in the best position for capital growth?

We care about your interest and Tamara Hunt is often looking at the latest rental yields in and around Colchester to ensure that our Landlords and prospected Landlords have the best information to hand and can make an informed decision.

9. How often will you inspect my property?

Depending on the service that best suits you, we can arrange inspections four times a year or once a year. This is something Tamara will speak to you about on the appraisal.

10. What can I stipulate in my agreement with you as property manager and in the tenancy agreement?

At the property appraisal you can mention to Tamara about the requirements you have, and we can add them in to the tenancy agreement if this is required. Most agreements will have the basic requirements in place already.

If you have any further questions for us at Belvoir Colchester, then please do contact one of our staff on 01206 364 444.