Category: Regulations and Compliance

We were so honoured to receive the Award of Excellence for Property Management 2024 earlier this month and, to have this superb article written about us in the E2 media magazine, that we simply had to share.

We are on a mission to change the face of lettings and the unhelpful and negative narrative between landlords and their tenants…one tenancy at a time. The judges said that what stood out for them was not only the many lovely words, reviews and testimonials that we are so grateful to have received over the years but, the fact that they come from all stakeholders – landlords, tenants and trades. To have this recognised feels really special and a real testament to the tireless work that our team put in. The work isn’t done for the recognition, that’s not why we do it but it is a wonderful honour to have been recognised and represents a real high point for us here at KPA, for the first quarter of 2024. Here’s to more – the sky really is the limit – watch this space!

It may sound really obvious, but when you list your property on the market, you are advertising, with a view to getting people to come and view it, so the advert should be appealing and entice people to want to come and book on for a viewing.
In terms of the design of the listing, it is often easier to talk about “what went wrong” because we have all seen so many bad ads, I’ve seen an absolute horror story of them this week, which is what prompted me to write this blog article! When you boil it down, the design of the ad amounts to three things:

Judging someone’s character, whilst answering questions, asking questions and conducting a viewing – all in a 20 minute slot is no simple task. So, what do you do when selecting the right tenants is so important? You work hard to get it right, because tenant selection (as we have said many times before) is part art and part science and, underpins every other part of the lettings process. Our Lettings Negotiator is very skilled at this and, it’s something we get asked about a lot, so we thought we’d take a look at the tenant selection side of things, to see whether there were some top tips that we could pass on that could be useful.

Guarantors play a vital role in the world of residential lettings, offering landlords an additional layer of security and comfort, when renting out their properties. In essence, a guarantor acts as a form of insurance for landlords, promising to cover any rent arrears or damages should the tenant fail to meet their obligations under the tenancy agreement. This arrangement provides landlords with reassurance and mitigates the financial risks associated with renting out their properties.

Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) play a vital role in providing affordable accommodation to a diverse range of tenants. However, due to their nature of accommodating multiple individuals or households, HMOs are considered a higher risk property model and, as such, are subject to specific regulations and standards aimed at ensuring the safety and well-being of the tenants who live in them. To uphold these standards, local council HMO inspections are conducted regularly, by dedicated HMO inspectors. These inspections are vital in identifying potential hazards, ensuring compliance with regulations, and maintaining the quality of housing. It is a common misconception that HMO Inspectors are these to find fault and penalise landlords unnecessarily; in our experience this is absolutely not the case and a lot can be learned when working in conjunction with and developing good relations with them.