Reasons to Use Bychoice Lettings
About Our services
About Our services
At Bychoice we are committed to offering an excellent marketing package to ensure your property investment receives the optimum exposure. Below is the summary of the main points that we believe will optimise the chance of finding the perfect tenant and successfully managing the tenancy. Our three offices are located in prime positions within the towns of Sudbury, Haverhill and Bury St Edmunds to help tenants looking to move throughout the county, but also allows us to work as a team making managing the tenancy easier and more effective.
Marketing Your Property
Internet Marketing
With the internet now such a powerful tool in marketing, we strongly believe in exposing your property to the biggest possible audience. Your property will be featured on the leading property websites and portals including Rightmove, Onthemarket and Bychoice.co.uk.
Video Tour
A very useful tool in the successful letting of a property. This gives potential tenants a clear indication of the property before they visit to view. It attracts a better quality of tenant and allows us to meet only seriously interested tenants.
Tenant Database
Unlike many agents these days, we maintain a database of qualified tenants who are looking for a property. This database allows us to get early interest in your property and hep achieve the best price possible for your investment.
Tenant Find Only Service
Qualifying Tenants
Bychoice accompany all viewings (unless we agree otherwise) which gives us an ideal opportunity to meet and interview prospective tenants. This forms the first step of our comprehensive tenant selection process.
All applicants are referenced by a reputable credit referencing company. In particular, employer references, credit history and previous landlord reports are sought. Bychoice will also check and obtain proof of identification to authenticate that all applicants have a right to rent property in this country under The Immigration Act 2014.
In certain circumstances, if we are not completely satisfied tenants will be required to provide guarantors or advanced payments.
Professional Inventory
Professional Inventory
Changes in legislation have placed the spotlight firmly on the inventory and check in and check out processes.
All deposit schemes are required to offer Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). In the event of a dispute, which cannot be resolved, the matter is placed before an adjudicator. They are tasked to review the evidence and make their assessment based on the facts placed before them and will rely heavily on the inventory and schedule of condition. This places a great responsibility on the inventory provider to ensure their work is clear and unambiguous in its comments. If an inventory is inadequate or if it cannot be proven to have been given to the tenant, then the adjudicators are likely to award payment to the tenant .
Independence of the inventory is also important and Association of Professional Inventory Providers (APIP), with its standards and code of practice, provide professional integrity in this area.
Tenancy Agreement
A comprehensive and legally compliant tenancy agreement will be drawn up on your behalf. Specially negotiated clauses will be added in line with your instructions, for example you may choose to leave electrical items for tenants use, but do not want to replace them.
A specimen tenancy agreement will be sent for your approval as well as to the tenants, to ensure all parties are in agreement and ample time has been given for all parties to seek legal advice and amendments to be made.
The Check In
Ensuring all paperwork is signed, all monies are received in cleared funds and the inventory is checked with the tenants and duly signed before keys are handed over. All meter readings are taken at this point and are included within the inventory. We then inform the local council and all utility companies supplying them with tenants names, tenancy start dates and meter readings.
We will process the deposit and send a copy of the certificate to the tenant and yourself. If you are managing the property yourself, we will confirm in writing the check in, tenants contact details and include a statement detailing the payment of the first month’s rent which will be forward to your nominated bank account after deduction of any agreed fees or expenses.
The Deposit Scheme
Deposits paid by assured shorthold tenants now need to be lodged with an authorised statutory scheme, whilst tenants must be provided with the prescribed information as to how their deposits have been protected and also receive an official receipt from the scheme.
Among the legal consequences for failing to hold a deposit in accordance with an authorised scheme, is that a landlord may not issue a notice requiring possession. It could potentially lead to the return of the deposit to the tenant in full and a fine of up to three times the amount of the deposit.
We will arrange this for you correctly to ensure landlords are protected and do not risk receive fines.
Property Management
Good management makes residential investment successful. Bychoice’s straight forward and practical approach will deliver the results you require.
Years of experience working with a diverse range of clients and property types throughout the area has helped us understand the best way to maximise rent, reduce void periods and control expenditure whilst ensuring that compliance issues are dealt with.
We are not prescriptive. We take the time to understand your requirements and adapt our services accordingly. Our teams are totally focused on providing customer service to both clients and tenants and our ‘hands on’ approach ensures all the vital jobs are done properly.
Legal Compliance
Bychoice will ensure that you, as the landlord, remain compliant with all statutory and contractual obligations throughout the term of tenancy, including organising the relevant safety certificates.
Serving And Receiving Notices
For whatever reason, it may be necessary to gain possession of your property. Bychoice will serve the relevant notices to ensure this
is achieved as quickly as possible. If there is a reluctant tenant we will be on hand to advise the next course of action and will
work for you by applying to court to gain a possession order, if necessary.
General Tenancy Issues
All reasonable steps will be taken to enforce the tenancy agreement terms on your behalf. Whether its noisy tenants upsetting a
neighbour or tenants painting rooms without permission, we will make sure the matter is dealt with.
Emergencies
All tenants of managed properties have access to our out of hours contact details 24/7. Due to our good relations with local tradesmen we have the assurance that we can get them to your property immediately in cases of emergencies.
Maintenance Issues
Bychoice will action any repairs for which you are responsible, acting in accordance with your wishes with regard to preferred
contractors, insurance companies, expenditure limits etc. Bychoice also has a bank of local tradesmen who we can recommend as we have seen the quality of their work first hand. Due to the quantity of work given to them, we receive favourable rates and preference on timescales for carrying out the works.
Free Legal Hotline
With the ever increasing cost of legal fees, clients who choose the managed package via Bychoice, have access to a free legal hotline
for answers to any legal issues that may arise, from bats in your loft to boundary disputes.
Property Professionals
We believe that working with qualified, knowledgeable staff is something that should be the minimum you would expect from letting agent, however you do not have to be qualified. We work with all our staff to make sure they reach industry qualifications as soon as they are able. The Association of Residential Letting Agents work closely with government bodies to help regulate property sector nationwide.
The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors is the highest level of regulation an letting agency business can achieve and we take pride fact that we work to the stringent standards it takes to be RICS regulated.
Bychoice Lettings Team
In Summary
We would be delighted to work with you going forward and help you maximise the return from your investment. If there is anything else you would like to discuss, let us know.