Summer is here which means its holiday time and a chance to escape the daily stresses and struggles that come with being a landlord. While it is you time to take a well-earned trip from time to time, being a landlord means that it’s not possible to just pack a suitcase of leave; you have a duty of care to tenants and thorough preparation is needed before embarking on a well-earned break away from the UK.
Property inventories need to be taken care of, tenants need to be informed of your plans, and contacts need to be arranged before you even think about which swim trunks to pack.
If you are a landlord planning a holiday, here are a few steps you need to take to ensure everything runs smoothly in your absence.
Notify your tenant The first thing you will need to do is notify your tenants that you will be away. You never know what is going to happen to a property in your absence and there is a chance that your tenants may need to contact you. It is best to give tenants as much notice as possible that you are going to be away and provide them with dates, contact details, and emergency contact details in writing. Send all letters to tenants by recorded delivery so that you can be sure they have received the information.
Arrange An Emergency Contact
You owe it to yourself to distance yourself from work as much as possible and, while you should always remain contactable, it is best to hand over responsibilities to someone that you trust. If you don’t want to burden your family member or friends. Entrust your Local Letting Agent to undertake the responsibility of your property while you are away enjoying your break.
When your emergency contact is running things in the UK, property inventories, rental agreements with new tenants and pre-existing repairs should all have been taken care of before you leave. Provide your contact with the following list of items:
- all keys to all properties, garages, units and lock-ups
- contact details for all tenants including names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses
- money to pay for any unexpected bills (i.e. any emergency repairs that need to be carried out)
- a list of contractors that you regularly use in case of emergency repairs/ or provide permission for your chosen letting agent to instruct approved contractors.
- details on how you can be contacted (i.e. phone number, email address, hotel details).
Ensure your contact is aware as to how to access and turn off water, gas, and electricity at each rental property in the event of an emergency.
There is a lot of work that goes in to having a relaxing holiday as a landlord, but if you want to forget about rental inventory services, UK tenancy deposit schemes and rental agreements for just two weeks of the year, you have to prepare.
Remember, failing to prepare is preparing to fail – do not give your tenants reason to disturb your holiday!