daniel james SALES & LETTING AGENTS
                     Selling & Letting homes in the North Beds villages

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We specialise in the sale and rental of residential property throughout the North Bedfordshire villages. Our friendly but professional approach has enabled us to build a comprehensive property portfolio and a very satisfied clientele base.

We pride ourselves in offering a personal and friendly service to both landlords and tenants, whilst at the same time maintaining a high standard of competence and professionalism.

Managing Your Property

At Daniel James we understand that your property is likely to be one of your largest and most valuable assets. As a small, local, business we are able to provide a professional, personal service to our landlords. We specialise in all aspects of property management and residential letting and pride ourselves on being able to provide peace of mind and a trouble free tenancy. Our offices are conveniently located within the heart of the North Bedfordshire villages.

Initial Advice

Our Property Management and Lettings advisor will visit your property to provide you with a FREE market appraisal, giving advice on potential letting opportunities and approximate rental value. You will be able to discuss your needs further at this stage and give us the opportunity to provide you with our comprehensive knowledge of managing properties in the area. You will be able to tell us of any specific letting requirements you have for the property, which can be included in the property details, if you wish.

How We Market Your Property

Daniel James advertises both locally and nationally, thus increasing the number of properties let. You will find us on the major property websites such as Rightmove, Globrix, PropertyToday and of course our own website. Our property lists are sent out to major local employers and we also hold a database of potential available tenants.

Viewings

All viewings are strictly by appointment with Daniel James and accompanied by our Property Management and Lettings advisor, who will also ensure the property is secure when they leave.

Finding a Tenant

Once we have found a suitable tenant for your property, we will notify you. We will inform you of their personal and financial circumstances, and, can also arrange for you to meet them in advance, should you wish. Once you have agreed you would like them to move in to your property we carry out a number of standard checks to ensure they are reliable, don’t have CCJ’s or bad credit, etc.

The Tenancy Agreement

We will prepare an approved Tenancy Agreement, with appropriate additional clauses. We also issue the relevant legal notices, at the correct time.

Management/Maintenance of the Property

As a landlord you have a statutory responsibility for the upkeep of your property in accordance with Section II of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. We deal with day to day repairs to the property up to £100, and will deduct invoice payments from your account. Any maintenance work required over £100 will always require your authorisation before we can arrange for work to be carried out. We do, however, reserve the right to use our own discretion in the event of an emergency.

Before the Tenant/s Move In

Prior to the tenants moving into your property, a full comprehensive inventory and schedule of condition is undertaken. This lists in detail, the current condition of the property, and includes contents in each room, including fixtures and fittings. A correctly detailed inventory is essential before a tenant moves in. Before we hand over the keys, the tenant/s must sign the inventory to agree that it is a true record of the original condition. The Inventory is also signed on behalf of Daniel James. Photographs can also be taken, on request. The inventory and schedule of condition will be carried out by our Property Management and Lettings expert, unless otherwise requested. Landlords are more than welcome to carry out this exercise themselves should they so desire.

Deposits and First Months Rent

We require all tenants to provide at least one month’s rent as full deposit and the first month’s rent in advance. Full deposits will only be returned to the tenant/s if the property is being left in the same condition as when they moved in. Deposits will be held in our bonded clients account to comply with the new deposit regulations that came into effect in April 2007.

Inspections

Periodic inspections are undertaken to ensure the condition of your property, and full reports will be sent to you. You are also welcome to visit the property, should you wish, so long as prior notice has been given to the tenants.

Checking Tenants Out

When we check tenants out, the inventory will be compared against the condition of the property at the time of leaving. Any damage/dilapidations will be deducted from the deposit, with the exception of fair wear and tear.

Management Services We Offer

We offer two property management services, and the choice you make will very much depend on your personal circumstances. However, if you have never rented a property before, or you live out of the area, we would always recommend you take advantage of our full management service.

Let Only

This service doesn’t include management of the property once a tenant has moved in. The service does include the following:

• Letting advice
• Marketing of your property
• Tenant assessment and referencing
• Preparing the approved Tenancy Agreement
• Collection of the deposit and first months rent, in advance
• Set up the standing order

Full Management Service

Our full management service includes everything within the Let Only service, plus the following:

• Inventory and schedule of condition
• Monthly rent collection and payment to landlords
• Statements of income and expenditure
• Notifying utility companies and Council Tax authority of account transfers
• Periodic inspections with reports
• Arrange for gas and electrical safety checks and renewals
• Full property and maintenance management
• Serving appropriate notices
• Negotiating renewal terms

Mortgage and Property Insurances

If you have a mortgage on your property, your Mortgage Deed will usually require you to obtain consent from your lender, before you are able to let the property. If the property is Leasehold, the landlord should obtain permission from the superior Landlord and Management Company.

You should inform both your Building and Contents insurers that you are proposing to let your property and obtain their confirmation that this does not affect your cover. If you are letting the property completely unfurnished, it would be the responsibility of the tenant/s to find their own contents insurance.

Landlords Legal Requirements

It is the landlord's responsibility to ensure the property to be let is done so safely. There are three statutory regulations that must be satisfied before a property is let. These include:

Low Voltage Electrical Equipment Safety Regulation 1989 & 1994 Amendment
Gas Safety (Installations and Use) Safety Regulation 1994 & 1998 Amendment
The Fire and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulation 1988 & 1993 Amendment

Daniel James can arrange for fully qualified engineers to carry out all the above checks. An additional requirement by law is that all properties have a fixed wiring test every three to five years. We can also arrange this for you.

Smoke Alarms Building Regulations 1991

All properties built since June 1992 must have interlinked mains-connected smoke detectors/alarms on each floor of the property. Older properties must be fitted with standard smoke detectors/alarms. Smoke alarms must be checked regularly to ensure that they are in full working order.

Tax

Overseas landlords may be eligible to tax exemption on full rental income; you should contact the Inland Revenue Office to determine if you are eligible. If you are then we will need you to provide us with a tax exemption certificate so that full rental income can be credited to you. However, if an Inland Revenue Tax Exemptions Certificate is not given we will retain all net tax on income and pass this onto the Inland Revenue offices on a quarterly basis, as required by law.

We are also obliged to provide an annual return of information to the Inland Revenue for all overseas landlords. Overseas landlords are also requested to appoint a U.K. representative to deal with all tax correspondence. A tax certificate will be issued to overseas landlords by the 5th July as evidence for any tax paid to the Inland Revenue on your behalf.

Landlords Rent and Legal Requirements

We recommend you take out legal protection cover; this ensures that in the unlikely event of the tenant not leaving your property in accordance with the tenancy agreement, you will be covered for legal costs to help remove them from the property. We also advise that you take out rental guarantee cover, which ensures in the event of the above occurring you continue to receive your rent payments.

The Next Step..

If you would like to arrange to place your property on the market for rent, or would like to discuss this in more details, please call us on 01234 721666.  


                                         
                                          The Old Telephone Exchange, High Street, Harrold, Beds MK43 7DQ
                                                                       Telephone: 01234 721666
                                                                            Fax: 0871 900 9181
                                                                 Email: lettings@danieljames.org.uk