All rented properties with fitted or supplied gas appliances must have a current gas safety certificate. There should be a copy available for the agent, and ideally a copy left at the property. This must be kept up to date annually by a CORGI engineer. We can arrange this for you and keep it up to date should you wish. For further information, download the Landlords Guide to Gas Safety.

Energy Performace Certificates

Any property rented out after October 1st 2008 must have an Energy Performance Certificate. EPC's are valid for 10 years and look the same as the bar-charts that you currently see on household appliances. More detail on EPC's can be found here.

Electricity

All electrical appliances and plug sockets must be in good condition and in full working order. No loose wires in plugs, or cracked sockets are allowed. It is vital that ALL appliances are thoroughly checked prior to letting. Any new installations will need to be carried out by an approved engineer with Part P qualification. Find out more about Part P here.

If you are not sure, we can provide an electrical engineer who will carry out a complete check on your behalf. Quotes can be provided on request.

Smoke Detectors

All properties built after June 1992 should have hard-wired smoke detectors on each floor. We recommend that smoke alarms are thoroughly tested between tenancies.

Tenancy Deposit Scheme

Since April 2007 all Tenancy Deposits must be held in one of three Government approved schemes. Lettings direct.co.uk are members of the Tenancy Deposit Scheme. For further information, download a guide here.

Landlords Associations

A good source of information for all residential landlords, Landlords Associations seek to promote good standards in the private rented sector and can be a valuable resource for anybody involved with renting residential property. There are three National Associations. The National Landlords Association (NLA), The National Federation of Residential Landlords (NFRL), and the Residential Landlords Association (RLA), each have their own website and all offer good discounts on Property Insurance and supplies. There are also regional meetings where landlords can meet like-minded souls and discuss issues surrounding day-to-day Letting & Management. Regionally there are also several smaller associations catering for Landlords locally, these may or may not be linked to the National bodies. In Nottingham, East Midlands Property Owners Association (EMPO) have over 400 members, offer exceptional discounts, and have a good recommended supplier list. Find out more at www.empo.co.uk.

Overseas Landlords

Many of our Landlords live overseas, normally due to work commitments. If you need to work away it isn't always neccessary to sell your property, and it would normally make sense to rent it out whilst you are away. If you do, we can help. We manage many properties for overseas Landlords and are experienced in dealing with day to day management and maintenance issues. If you are going away, you will need to register yourself for tax and complete an annual return. Any income you receive over and above your monthly mortgage interest & expenses needs to be taxed. Download the NRL1 application form and the explanatory notes here.