Before marketing a property, work through four decisions: can you let it, is it ready, who will manage it and is the tenancy set up correctly? This guide gives you the sequence. The specialist landlord guides explain the individual checks and processes in depth.
Your route from decision to tenancy
Permission, insurance, licensing and costs
Repairs, certificates and presentation
Rent, advert, viewings and applications
Checks, agreement, deposit and records
Decide whether the property can be let
Tell your mortgage lender and insurer what you plan to do. Check the lease if the property is leasehold. Ask the council whether a property licence is needed and allow time to resolve any restriction before setting an advertising date. The licensing guide takes you through the council checks.
- Mortgage lender permission
- Suitable landlord insurance
- Council licensing check
- Lease or freeholder conditions
Set a realistic readiness date
Walk through the home, list the work needed before anyone moves in and book the people who will do it. Keep the safety records and Energy Performance Certificate together. The preparation guide covers the room-by-room work; the safety guide covers the checks and renewal dates.
Choose the operating plan
Decide who will handle enquiries, tenant checks, repairs and rent collection before the listing goes live. Set an asking rent supported by comparable homes and agree who may change it. The agent and pricing guides provide detailed questions for those two decisions.
Plan the first handover
Use a written agreement and set a checklist for checks, documents, any deposit and the keys. Assign each task to a named person and confirm it is complete before occupation. The tenant selection and deposit guides explain their respective processes in detail.
