Lettings

We are very proud to announce that First Step are the Number 1 Lettings Agent in our local area. Laura & Gaye will be only too happy to assist with your choice of service options from First Step.

The two options we offer our clients:

Package 1 – We manage the entire process:

We handle the payments from the tenant to ourselves and place the deposit into the Governments mandatory deposit protection scheme.

We in turn, on a monthly basis pay you the rental received less our commission rate, less any ongoing maintenance work. We will then ask trusted contractors known to us to quote for the works to be done.  We then send you these to approve before any work is carried out, unless they are relatively small amounts (which you may want us to proceed without authorisation at a pre-set limit).

After the check-in we undertake approximately 3 monthly property inspections.  When the tenant wishes to vacate, we can instruct the optional checkout inventory, advise on refreshing the property after normal wear and tear and aim to re-list the property and minimise any void period. Generally, we are given plenty of notice by the outgoing tenants so we can re-list the property and have someone move in just after the last tenant has moved out, once again to minimise any non-rental void period.

Full Management & Letting service:

• Over 2 decades of rental experience
• Thorough honest & reliable approach service from start to finish
• Quarterly inspections with report/checklist provided to give you peace of mind
• Associated with dedicated and highly regarded Property Maintenance Services Team
• Very competitive rates/fees with no hidden costs
• In-house property management
• Available 7 days a week from 8am to 8pm
• Evening and weekend viewings
• All tenants need to adhere to our strict criteria using online reference software
• Successful in achieving best possible rate of rental income.
• Many long-standing reliable tenants
• Professional internal and external photographs taken of each property
• Each property advertised on Rightmove, OnTheMarket, Zoopla and Prime Location
• All viewings accompanied by a Lettings member of staff
• ARLA Tenancy Agreement

Package 2- Tenant Find Service:

We recommend a full inventory of the property to be done by yourself, but from experience we would recommend an inventory specialist carries out this on your behalf. Our inventory specialist takes very detailed notes which are signed by the tenant upon check-in. In our opinion we feel that having this done would be beneficial if any damage is done to the property, this detailed document could be used in arbitration. Pricing on request.

As the landlord it will be necessary for you to provide an up-to-date Gas Certificate, which will need to include all your gas items such as a boiler, gas hob, gas fires etc. Gas Certification should be done on a yearly basis.  We can arrange for this to be carried out on your behalf by a reputable Gas Safe Engineer. Pricing on request.

We advise you to ensure that you can provide an up-to-date Electrical Certificate. Certification last for 7 years.  If your current certificate is out of date, we can arrange for this to be carried out for you.  Whilst this is currently not a statutory requirement, it is the Landlords responsibility to ensure that all electrical equipment in the property is safe. Pricing on request.

There are now legal requirements that each floor of any rental property has a carbon monoxide alarm.  These are available at your local DIY store or our Property Services Team can supply and fit these for you. Pricing on request.

Finally, an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is required for properties when constructed, sold or let.

We continually strive to make renting your property easier for you. Whether you are a landlord with a property to let, or a tenant looking to rent your next home, we are here to make the process as stress free as possible – don’t just take our word for it – Please read the testimonials opposite.

• Sound and trusted advice • With no compromise on quality • A local service you can depend on