A personal service from start to finish
Letting a property can be a timeconsuming, stressful and aggravating experience. At Anthony Sharp, we aim to minimise this stress. We take the time to listen to you, understand your letting needs and efficiently find the right tenant for your property. Our eagerness to help our customers sparkles above our desire to ruthlessly let your property with no regard of your instructions. Our open, non-aggressive and transparent style of doing business means that our customers trust us and recommend us to others.
As part of our service to you, you will receive:
Traditional courtesy, respect, reliability and professionalism at all times
An approachable, calm and driven team who are here primarily to meet your needs.
Professional at all times
We are proud to have remained a completely independent letting agency. This means that we have no external pressures and targets, and no head-office demands. We can, therefore, take the time to listen to you and address every need you may have when letting your property.
As part of our service to you, you will receive:
An honest and realistic estimate of your property rental value in the current market
Regular updates without you having to chase us for them
Constructive feedback from viewers of your property
A complete professional and personal service at all stages of the letting, including liaison with your other advisors, such as potential tenants’ referees
Guidance on tenancy contracts, inventories, Schedules of Condition and the Deposit Protection Service.
Local knowledge and expertise
By focusing only on this specific area of London over the past ten years, Anthony Sharp has built a rich understanding of the local area and community. Local knowledge matters to prospective tenants of your property. Whether it be location of schools, open spaces, rail and road networks or shops, we always use our expert and rich local knowledge to match your property to prospective tenants’ needs.
Maximising your returns
As an owner managed business, we are able to offer exceptionally competitive letting fees.
Optional property management service
We also offer a comprehensive property management service for just 5% + VAT.
How we can manage your property
As part of our service, we will:
- Collect the rent and send you a monthly statement.
- Arrange day to day maintenance, redecoration and repairs on your behalf.
- Advice on dilapidations (deductions from the deposit)
- Visit your property twice a year and make sure it’s in top condition. If we think any work needs doing, we’ll let you know
- Give you advice on how to make the best of your property and enhance its value
- Keep you informed on changing safety regulations to ensure you keep your property compliant
If this may be of interest our property manager Stephan Buys or I would welcome an opportunity to discuss this with you.
Landlords FAQ
We answer the most common questions new landlords worry about:
Q I would like to let out my property; do I have to tell the mortgage lender?
A You will have to get their permission to let out your property and they may impose some conditions upon you, impacting any tenancy agreement. However it is normally perfectly fine and accepted.
Q Must I provide an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)?
A Yes all rental properties must have an EPC available to the tenant.
Q What can I do to make my property more attractive to potential tenants?
A Your property should be clean and look fresh, try and see at it as if you were moving in there and look past things which you have come to accept. A fresh coat of paint in neutral tones can have a great impact at a low cost as can a professional clean especially of the carpets, bathrooms and kitchen. The only people who will rent an apartment that looks uncared for are people who won’t care for that apartment.
Q How can I find out the rental value of my property?
A We will provide you with a free valuation, giving you the value based on the type and size of property but also on the surrounding area, value of similar properties and local amenities including shops, restaurants, schools etc. All to get you the best price possible.
Q Do I have to supply furniture to my tenant?
A It’s completely your choice whether you want to, you can rent your property fully furnished, partly furnished or unfurnished. However if you are going to provide some furnishings we highly recommend that they, and the condition they’re in, is documented in the inventory done before the tenant moves in to avoid any difficulty when the tenancy ends.
Q How do I know that I will have a good tenant?
A We will run both identity and residency checks on your tenant and obtain a credit reference and any additional references thought necessary to ensure your peace of mind. For potential tenants who lack the required financial status we can ask for a guarantor or advanced payment of rent. We also use international referencing companies for foreign applicants
Q How is a deposit collected?
A We will collect a security deposit from the tenant and place it in a deposit protection scheme (DPS) until such time that the tenancy ends, when we will return it to the tenant minus whatever claims for damage are submitted.
Q Who has to pay the council tax on the property?
A A tenant is responsible for the payment of council tax as long as they are living there; however when the property is empty the landlord or homeowner is responsible for paying the council tax.
Q Who has to pay the TV licence on the property?
A This should be stated in the tenancy agreement and it will be that persons responsibility to ensure that the TV license is paid, however if you provide a furnished flat with a TV then the responsibility will normally fall on you.
Q What is an inventory?
A A list detailing every item contained within a rental property and the condition each listed item is in, usually checked by all parties on the day the tenant moves in and signed by all parties. This is then checked and compared at the end of the tenancy to see whether any damages have occurred.
Q What happens about insurance when I let out a property?
A You should have proper landlords insurance on the building and any contents that you have inside (even if unfurnished you may still have white goods and fittings installed). The tenant is responsible for insuring their own possessions but you should make sure this is included in their tenancy agreement.
Some useful documents from the government for tenants and landlords.
http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/privaterentedhousing/