Essential Checklist for New Landlords to Ensure a Merry Christmas

If this Christmas has gifted you your first tenants, then as a new landlord it’s vital you are aware of and adhere to your landlord responsibilities to ensure that everyone has a merry Christmas. Here are some of the things you need to consider.

Safety Checks And Property Maintenance

Part of your legal obligations as a landlord is ensuring your property is fit for human habitation, free from hazards and that you keep on top of maintenance and repairs. This is even more important when wild weather might cause more problems such as dislodging roof tiles for example, which could cause a leak as well as potentially hitting someone. Equally no tenant is going to be happy if an oven that was showing signs of playing up suddenly gives up the ghost halfway through the turkey cooking.

Heating will be on over the winter which means that boilers and gas fires or other forms of heating will be hard at work. Your annual gas safety checks will cover their safety and certificates must be given to your tenants at the start of the tenancy. Electrical installations also need to be checked at the start of the tenancy and then every five years.

With candles more likely to be lit during winter, as well as open fires or log burners burning, there is also a greater fire risk in the colder months. Another responsibility is ensuring that smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are fitted and tested regularly, giving tenants plenty of warning if anything should happen.

Tenant Communication

Rent from your tenant isn’t lawfully due until you’ve provided your tenants with a name and address where they can serve you notices. Emergency contact details are another must. Ideally, you’ve provided a mobile number for yourself or your agents, but bear in mind shut offices over the Christmas period or poor signal on your Christmas getaway could mean they can’t get hold of anyone – even in emergency. In this case, it’s worth being proactive in letting tenants know if there’s alternative contact details they should use if they want to get hold of you over the Christmas period and normal channels of communication won’t suffice.

Insurance Coverage Review

We’ve already outlined some of the risks that winter brings, such as open fires and wild weather but the darker nights bring another risk too – the greater chance of burglaries, for example. Checking the insurance plans you have in place is especially important given the greater risks that Christmas can bring.

Landlord insurance policies can cover you for a range of unwelcome occurrences, from storm damage, to buildings to liability for a compensation claim from Great Aunt Edna after she stumbled over that loose paving slab you’d meant to fix for your tenants.

Budget Planning And Protecting Deposits

As well as handling the rent for your tenants you will also be entrusted with their deposits. Don’t be tempted to dip into this for the Christmas shopping. Tenancy deposits must be legally protected in a government-approved scheme. Be considerate too that your tenants budgets will be stretched.

Spread A Little Christmas Cheer

In light of the last point, remember that it’s Christmas and for your tenants it’s their first in your property. Make it memorable by sharing the Christmas cheer with a happy Christmas card or text, or perhaps even dropping off a mince pie or bottle of wine. It will ensure you are top of their nice list and they are more likely to be respectful tenants if you’ve shown a little kindness too.

We Can Help

At Progressive Lets we are experts in the rental market in the Peterborough area and help landlords find and manage properties within a 50-mile radius. We work with landlords of all sizes, including those who are just starting out and who need advice on compliance issues or who want us to manage properties on their behalf. Get in touch to find out more.