Our Service
When you decide to let your property, employing a good agent to handle the letting for you can make all the difference. You can trust Copes to protect your interests by dealing responsibly with the procedures involved in finding the right tenant and the subsequent management of your property. The secret of successful letting depends in no small way to the quality of the tenant. We fully reference every tenant with a national referencing agency and gain acceptance as to their suitability before recommending them to you as a tenant. Our diligence in this respect has earned our reputation as a ‘quality’ letting agency. We do not accept housing benefit applications.
The starting point is to find out what rent is achievable for your property. We will be pleased to visit your property, advise on all matters relating to letting and provide an opinion as to the current market rent that is achievable.
The asking rent must be inclusive of all outgoings for which you are responsible i.e. ground rent, service charge, buildings insurance etc., however does not include any charge for gas, electricity, telephone service, fuel oil, council tax or water rates or other utilities.
We offer a wide market coverage and circulation of your property through our tenant listings, newspaper advertising and via our web site and other web portals such as Rightmove. Prospective tenants are accompanied to your property for the purpose of viewing (if required, but always to vacant properties).
When a tenant has been found references are taken. We use the services of a dedicated referencing company – Homelet. Tenants passing the referencing entitle you to the Homelet rent guarantee Free of charge for a period of 12 months. We will then draw up the tenancy agreement. This is normally an Assured Shorthold Tenancy to comply with the Housing Act 1988 as amended 1996 or a contract if the tenancy is to be to a bona fide company. A deposit equivalent to one months rent together with the first months rent will be taken from the tenant. Unless otherwise instructed we will hold the deposit, this is held by us as Stakeholders. By law deposits must be held in one of three government approved deposit protection schemes. We are members of the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS) All deposits held by us will be held under scheme No G01081. Interest will not be paid on deposits. Due to the nature of the scheme it is strongly recommended that landlords prepare detailed inventories or employ the services of a professional inventory clerk. For this we would recommend one from the Association of inventory clerks www.aiic.uk.com
Our function does not include the supervision of the property when it is not let, although in the normal course of lettings, periodic visits may be made to the accommodation by our lettings staff to allow prospective tenants to view the property. If you wish periodic inspections to be made these can be carried out for an additional charge.
It is the responsibility of the tenant to notify the utility companies however we will notify gas, electricity, water company and local authority responsible for council tax of the tenancy and request that the accounts be transferred to the tenants name.
Your property will need to comply with certain standards and the necessary safety certificates must be in place prior to the commencement of the tenancy. We can arrange these for you but it will then become your responsibility to renew these as they expire.
If you would like further information or a rent appraisal please contact our letting department 01375 372825 or e-mail us at lettings@copesestates.co.uk.
Quick Search
My Shortlist
Empty
News
18 June 2008
Happy Birthday Greengold!
17 March 2008
Investment opportunities make market crisis easier to 'bear'
15 March 2008
Record food prices unlock the potential of Greengold Premium
