Guide to buy-to-let investment Part 2

Strategy: Viewing & selecting properties

When looking at potential buy-to-let investment locations, try to be as objective as you can, ignore emotions and find a property that can meet a set of defined criteria, to allow you to meet your business goals.

Here are some of the topics you may wish to consider:

• Who do you want to rent to?

• How long might it take to secure tenants around this area?

• What is the rental market in the area like? Is it growing or declining?

• Is there the potential to build in capital growth?

• Will the rent you receive cover your costs?

• Can you make improvements to the property in order to increase rental income or capital growth?

• Have you looked at any forecasts for property growth in the area?

• Should you rent privately or use a letting agent?

Finding the right tenants

One of the more important tasks when renting out a property is finding the right kind of tenants – it could be counterproductive attracting tenants that require lots of your time and cause nothing but problems. Property location can dictate certain types of tenants, such as families seeking places close to schools and leisure facilities, or students close to a university.

Letting agents can assist in finding and vetting prospective tenants, securing references and performing credit checks for example – their resource comes at a cost, but it can be money well spent if they avoid costly problems in the long run.

Property maintenance

As a landlord, the property is your sole responsibility, and anything that needs repairing or maintaining falls to you to fix. You need to be easily contactable by phone or email, and it will help to have a network of affordable trade contacts who can resolve a variety of challenges at short notice. Be mindful that your responsibility extends to the outside of the property too, including gardens – it pays to consider low-maintenance setups such as patio instead of grass to reduce gardening costs, for example.

Dealing with tenants

Think whether you are up for the challenge of dealing with all types of tenants, even the most difficult ones. Ask yourself if you’re willing to have difficult conversations when needed, for example missed rent, communicating payment rises or issuing eviction notices to your tenants when the time comes. If you think this sounds a daunting concept, then a letting agent will be able to handle this for you.

No rent coming in

Be prepared, and budget for the eventuality that there are periods of time when you are not collecting any rent. The housing market can be unpredictable, so it is wise to contingency plan for a period without income, and how long you can last paying any mortgage & rates for before having to sell.

Gas safety check

Checks must be carried out annually, making sure any gas equipment is safely installed and maintained. You must have a copy of the gas safety record before, or within 28 days or a tenant moving into your property.

Legionella risk assessment

Landlords must carry out risk assessments for Legionnaires Disease, a lung infection caused by inhaling contaminated water droplets. It is advisable to familiarise yourself with the periodic checks required and responsibilities in this area.

Leasehold properties

Service charges and ground rents are normally all payable by the landlord and not the tenants. You also need to consider the length of lease remaining as this could need extending during your ownership.

Furnished or unfurnished

Fully furnished properties may be more attractive to prospective tenants, however if they are unfurnished then it can save money on replacing items due to wear and tear.

Provision of white goods

Generally provided across both furnished and unfurnished properties, landlords provide white goods, it’s prudent to consider the cost of replacements and repairs, and budget this in from the outset.