Many people look for property management services in Bristol & South Gloucestershire. Here at South West Relo, we understand that a buy to let property is one of the biggest investments you can make, so it is sensible to place it under the care of a team you trust, and a team who are knowledgeable and experienced enough to ensure it is well maintained and looked after.
A tenanted property requires slightly different management to an owner-occupied property due to the fact that the premises will be covered by the Health & Safety at Work Act. This means that you, as the landlord, have a legal obligation at all times to ensure that the property is safe for those occupying it.
Giving your property to an agent to manage isn’t enough to absolve you of your responsibility – it is down to you to ensure they are managing it correctly and legally. If you’re looking for property management talk to us today to discuss our packages…
About our Property Management Bristol Services here at South West Relo
South West Relo offers Property Management Services in Bristol. The most important aspects of our PM service are continual and regular communication with tenants/occupiers, education of tenants/occupiers, efficient reactive maintenance, and most importantly, regular thorough property inspections.
The days of a brief check of the property once per year (or when you remembered(!) are far in the past with the introduction of the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act, which built on existing legislation to place the burden of ensuring the Health & Safety of the tenants squarely back on the shoulders of landlords across the UK.
If you are interested in any of our Management Services, then please call one of our property management Bristol-based experts.
What do our inspections include?
Included in our Platinum and Gold Packages as standard, and available as additional services on our Silver and Bronze Packages, our regular inspections include:
- An immigration check to compare the number of occupiers against the tenancy agreement (to ensure no subletting, breach of HMO legislation or inadvertent breach of immigration law).
- A photographed carbon monoxide and smoke alarm check
- A 29 point hazard assessment
- A thorough check of the external elevations and grounds including photographs (including but not limited to a check for damaged gutters, roof tiles, chimney stacks, any issues in the garden such as fencing, damaged paving, rotting wood), dishes or aerials erected without permission, blocked drains).
- A thorough check of each room within the property including photographs (Including but not limited to a check for any damp or mould issues, any obvious leaks or damage, any outstanding maintenance, any tenant damage).
- An observation of any pets present without permission.
- Suggestions for any planned maintenance and a recommended timescale (For example, redecoration, replacement kitchens and bathrooms, replacement roofs, guttering or soffits).
Cyclical and Planned Maintenance
The key to a well-maintained property is proactive forward planning. We ensure that all areas where cyclical maintenance is required are taken care of, including but not limited to:
- Intruder alarm servicing
- Safety Testing
- Boiler or heater servicing
- Fixed Wire Testing and PAT Testing
- Mascerator or septic system servicing
- Drain clearance
- Redecoration
- Gardening (where tenants cannot or are not required to maintain certain areas or greenery)
- Gutter cleaning and clearing
- Chimney sweeping
With regards to planned maintenance, it is important to invest in your property to ensure that it is maintained to a high standard. This will both attract tenants and elongate tenancies and keep you on the right side of the law, but it should also prevent incidences of reactive maintenance, therefore, reducing costs in the longer term.
Tenant Education
A lot of expenses can be avoided through thorough tenant education. Part of our property management is to make efforts to ensure all of our tenants understand the basics of maintaining a property and understand their responsibilities as a tenant.
For example, changing disposables such as lightbulbs and cooker hood filters do not require a callout from either an electrician or an appliance engineer (you would be surprised at how many times it has been requested!) and is the responsibility of the tenant under the tenancy agreement. The same goes, the majority of the time, for gardening, weeding, window cleaning, and cooker cleaning amongst other basic tasks.
In addition, it is useful for tenants to understand the basics of how their appliances and heating systems operate, therefore we demonstrate this in person at the check-in, as well as providing manuals for all appliances and heating systems – if you don’t have them we source them online and place them in the property. No longer will there be a callout for a cooker that has been accidentally switched off at the wall, and the clock won’t reset!
