CHELTON Brown, like most letting agents, weren’t looking forward to the introduction of The Right to Rent Act on 1 February this year. As with so much of the legislation introduced over recent years, it created extra work for the agents, with serious consequences if it wasn’t done.
Well, I am pleased to inform you it hasn’t been nearly as painful as we expected. Whilst we have to check ID and paperwork, the tenants do understand that it has to be done or they can’t take up a tenancy, so they usually provide the documents needed without question. In the four months we have only had half a dozen tenants that have needed to provide visas and additional information as they are not from the EU designated area, which is far less than we expected.
We now check ID before taking an application and again before the tenants sign the agreement, at Chelton Brown we feel this also eliminates potential problem tenants much sooner, as it is now much harder for tenants with bad credit, to get through the early stages of referencing. This saves time and therefore money, for both the landlord and the agent.
There has however been a number of private landlords that let and manage their own properties, that have not been following the correct process that have found themselves in a lot of trouble with large fines and prosecutions.
The biggest mistake is not checking everyone and keeping correct records. An easy mistake to make if you are not sure what is required. So make sure you either follow the correct procedure or use a recognised agent.
For more information call 01327 879431 and we will be pleased to help.