Deciding the price<\/strong> Choosing the right agent<\/strong> Managing challenges<\/strong> Kerb appeal<\/strong> Furnished or unfurnished<\/strong> Marketing strategy<\/strong> Accepting an offer<\/strong> Deposit and contracts<\/strong> Keeping your tenant happy<\/strong> When it\u2019s all over<\/strong> More and more retirees are investing in\u00a0properties to rent out. If you’ve never done this before\u00a0you need to do your research before handing over the keys. JANE SLADE offers 10 tips Deciding the price \u2022 Check out the major property portals online to see what similar properties in your area cost to rent. \u2022 If […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":14152,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_analytify_skip_tracking":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[44],"yst_prominent_words":[8489,8487,8488,2189,2648,8485,8491,120,124,8492,8483,2644,8481,8486,2608,82,8484,8482,2645,8490],"class_list":["post-17059","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uk","tag-uk-2"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-01 08:48:54","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category"},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newclone.retiremove.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17059","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newclone.retiremove.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newclone.retiremove.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newclone.retiremove.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newclone.retiremove.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17059"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/newclone.retiremove.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17059\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24442,"href":"https:\/\/newclone.retiremove.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17059\/revisions\/24442"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newclone.retiremove.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newclone.retiremove.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17059"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newclone.retiremove.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17059"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newclone.retiremove.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17059"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newclone.retiremove.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=17059"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\u2022 Check out the major property portals online to see what similar properties in your area cost to rent.
\n\u2022 If you don’t want to manage\u00a0the property visit a few local agents\u2019 offices. Ask them who your target tenants might be and how much they would pay.
\n\u2022 Draw up a shortlist of three agents.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Ask your potential agents how they find tenants, where do they advertise, what services do they offer in-house and what do they contract outside.
\n\u2022\u00a0Ask what\u00a0rent\u00a0your\u00a0property\u00a0might fetch both furnished and unfurnished and ask how they arrived at that figure.
\n\u2022 How much do the agents charge and what\u2019s included (for instance, marketing or photography). Remember, you can negotiate on a commission fee.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Decide whether you will manage the property yourself, or employ someone else to do it.
\n\u2022 You need to react quickly if your tenant alerts you to a problem and someone needs to be on-call 24\/7 in case of emergencies.
\n\u2022 Some landlords favour employing an agent so they don\u2019t have to dash out to supervise the boiler being repaired at an inconvenient time.
\n\u2022 Do ask the agent what he charges for property management. You might choose to do a \u2018selfie management\u2019 to save money.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 It\u2019s worth investing time and money into sprucing up your rentals property before wannabe tenants come round. Get the windows cleaned, shampoo carpets, jet wash paving and terraces, touch up paint and sort out the garden.
\n\u2022 Ensure everything works from the boiler, cooker and televison, through to lighting, alarm and locks.
\n\u2022 Check your insurance (including public liability), carry out gas safety checks (and electrical, to play it safe) and get an energy performance certificate.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Decide whether your property will be let furnished or unfurnished. You might want to be flexible and say it could be either \u2013 or even a halfway house (some furniture, but not all of it).
\n\u2022 Remove anything personal or precious \u2013 if you\u2019d be desperately upset if something was damaged or lost then remove it.
\n\u2022\u00a0Draw up\u00a0a detailed inventory. Check it carefully before you sign\u00a0and take photos.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Luring in the right people is vital. Ask the agent who\u2019s most likely to rent your property and how is he going to contact them.
\n\u2022 Ask the agent what his marketing strategy is. Will he advertise your property and who will pay for it? Think about digital as well as print.
\n\u2022 Also, this is the time to voice what you don\u2019t want. Are you refusing anyone with pets or smokers, for example.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Choosing a tenant isn\u2019t all about money. When an offer\u2019s made, find out how long he wants to stay, whether he wants the property furnished and any other requests.
\n\u2022 You can negotiate over matters raised by a potential tenant. It\u2019s good to be flexible \u2013 but equally, you can say no if you don\u2019t like the sound of a demand.
\n\u2022 Your agent will check the tenant\u2019s references. I would advise not going ahead until you can see these references\/proof of employment.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Your agent\/solicitor will draw up a contract for you and your tenant to sign. Ensure your agent includes any extra clauses from either side.
\n\u2022 Read the contract thoroughly before you sign. And take advice from the agent or your solicitor if you\u2019re uncertain about anything.
\n\u2022 A standard deposit is usually the equivalent of six weeks rent. It is held with a tenancy deposit scheme or a separate account managed by the agent.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 You will need to handle any calls from the tenant if there are problems with the property. Responding quickly to calls is advisable to keep the tenant on side. Also, a leak can turn into a flood if it isn\u2019t dealt with quickly.
\n\u2022 If your tenant is making unreasonable requests (you aren\u2019t required to go round and change a light bulb, for instance) you need to point out what you will \u2013 and what you won\u2019t do.
\n\u2022 If you feel you cannot manage the property adequately, do talk to the agent who will take responsibility for managing the property \u2013 for a fee, of course, so you need to factor in the extra cost.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Usually, two months before the end of the contract you will need to work out the terms of the next contract (if indeed you\u2019re extending it). Will the price go up or down, depending on market conditions, and do you want to amend any terms in the contract?
\n\u2022 If it\u2019s time to find a new tenant talk to the agent about how he\u2019s going to search for one.
\n\u2022 When your tenant departs this is the time to think about carrying out any maintenance required. The inventory clerk will check the state of the property and get your keys back from the exiting tenant.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"