Initial Visit
Our letting service commences with an initial visit to inspect and appraise the property, to suggest an appropriate rental figure and to discuss the particular circumstances pertaining to the property and client.

Rental Assesment
The level of rent which can be justified for a property will be determined not only by the size of the property, but also by the standard of its condition and extent of the furnishings and equipment, the location and its surroundings and obviously the state of the lettings market at the time. Martin Kemp Property Management will evaluate all the various factors to give you balanced advice about the marketing of your property. It is normal that furnished / unfurnished properties are let at a rental inclusive of building insurance premiums and in the case of Leasehold properties, ground rents / service charges. The tenant is responsible for Council Tax, Water Rates, gas, electricity and telephone.

Finding a Tenant
Martin Kemp Property Services will market your property from both our Aylesbury and Wendover offices using "To Let" boards, inclusion of the property in our fully illustrated lettings bulletin, local and national newspaper advertising and town centre window display up to 4-8 weeks prior to it being available for occupation.

The Internet
WWW.MARTINKEMP.CO.UK - Your property would be featured on our very active website with a full colour photographs, full details, area maps and ariel photos. Through our association with Rightmove, Primelocation & Look 4 A Property your property would also be promoted 7 days a week 24 hours a day worldwide.

Viewings
Our fully trained staff always accompany prospective purchasers to the properties we have for sale. This enables our sales staff to properly evaluate the ability of the potential buyer to purchase your property. We are able to gauge the suitability of the applicant for the property and vice versa and are often able to guide a prospective buyer to a suitable property, perhaps a property they had initially discounted.

Advertising
Our illustrated Lettings Bulletin is the most comprehensive, up to date and well presented in the area. Normally a photograph of the property will be included. The bulletin is distributed to a regular flow of prospective tenants, all of whom are required to visit our offices, so our fully trained staff can assess both them and their requirements. We would advertise the property in local newspapers, including the Bucks Herald and where appropriate national newspapers and magazines. We are also in regular contact with large corporate applicants and all the major relocation companies.

References
Applicants who are assessed to be potentially suitable are shown the properties of interest. If they wish to proceed with a tenancy a non refundable reservation deposit and administrative fee is taken and we then take up appropriate references in the form of a credit check, employers reference and previous Landlord or mortgagee's where applicable. When these are received and are found to be satisfactory then we would liaise with you and recommend that a Tenancy be formally granted. If a tenant is self employed appropriate searches are undertaken.

Tenancy Agrement
We use our professionally prepared form of Tenancy Agreement in respect of all furnished / unfurnished lettings. Our fee to the Landlord for preparation of our Tenancy Agreement is £65 plus VAT. In most cases we draw up an Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement under Ground 1 or Part 1 of Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988 for a minimum period of 6 months.

Inventory
We will instruct our fully qualified, independent Inventory Clerk to draw up a detailed and thorough inventory of both the contents of the property and a schedule of the condition of the property and its contents. Our charge for initially making up the inventory is £100 plus VAT for properties with 1 or 2 bedrooms, £130 plus VAT for properties with 3 bedrooms and £180 plus VAT for properties with 4 or more bedrooms. This includes both creating the inventory from scratch and then conducting the check in and check out of the tenants. There will be an additional charge of £25 (1-2 beds) £50 (3 beds) and £70 (4+ beds) for furnished properties.

Subsequent check-in of Tenants where we already hold a full inventory will be charged at £50 plus VAT for properties with 1 or 2 bedrooms, £65 plus VAT for properties with 3 bedrooms and £90 plus VAT for properties with 4 or more bedrooms. Please note we will not conduct a check in or out using an inventory that has not been prepared by us.

To enable us to maintain a standard expected by Landlords and Tenants alike, it may be necessary for us to instruct gardeners and cleaners prior to the commencement of the tenancy.

Inventory / Damage Deposit
We take a substantial deposit from the ingoing tenant, to be held against the inventory, which they sign and agree on the check-in.  The deposit is calculated at the rate of one and a half month’s rent (eg. On a rental of £600 per calendar month a deposit of £900 is required)   This we hold under the The Tenancy Deposit scheme in a bonded clients’ account as stakeholders to be utilised in the event of any damage to the property or contents on the inventory at the end of the tenancy.

Please refer to our separate leaflet ‘What is the Tenancy Deposit Scheme? An explanatory leaflet for landlords and tenants’ available from our offices or on line at www.tds.gb.com

Note Whilst every care is taken when preparing the inventory we cannot accept liability for errors or omissions, neither can we accept any responsibility for Landlords’ own inventories.

Property Checks
During the course of the Tenancy our Management Team will investigate any defects which come to our attention, or are brought to our attention by the tenant. Our Management Team will also visit the property on a quarterly basis to inspect inside and outside at a charge of £8.50 plus VAT per inspection (£20 for Finding only). It should be appreciated that any such inspection can only extend to apparent or obvious defects and would not amount in any way to a Structural Survey of the property. We cannot accept responsibility for hidden or latent defects

Utilities
On the day the tenancy commences, the meters will be read and termination accounts for electricity, gas and water would normally be forwarded to our offices, for settlement out of the monthly income received. The relevant utility companies will be advised that the account should be transferred into the name of the tenant. We must point out that British Telecom plc will not take instructions from a third party, therefore we would advise you to make your own arrangements in respect of the telephone.

Rent
At the commencement of the tenancy we will collect the first months rent in advance in cleared funds. The date the tenancy commences will then become the rent due date and future payments in advance will be due on that day each month. Rent is normally collected from the tenant by standing order, which can take up to 12 days to clear through the banking system before being credited to the Landlords account.

Accounting
Our Accounts Department will provide a detailed monthly statement showing the rent due date, the date the rent was received, our commission deductions and any expenses. We will, if instructed to do so, settle our Landlords closing accounts for gas, electricity and water. The payment will be made to the Landlord nominated Bank or Building Society account direct. As of 1st January 1999, Banks and Building Societies will be able to accept payment direct to a Clients account only if accompanied by a preprinted payment slip. These are ordered by us when we receive a clients full bank details and normally takes approximately three weeks. The first months rent will therefore always be paid by cheque sent direct to the client.

Please note that due to the bank clearing system for standing order and cheques the net rent received will normally be giroed to you within 10-14 days of the rent being received.

Rent Arrears & Breaches of Covenant
We will inform the Landlord of any rent arrears or breaches of covenant, of which we are aware. If it is necessary to use the services of a solicitor in respect of the tenancy, the Landlord will be responsible for instructing him and for all fees incurred

Taxation
Where the Landlord is resident in the UK he must account to the Inland Revenue for rent received. Where the Landlord is resident abroad we are obliged by law to deduct income tax at the standard rate from the gross rental income and pay it to Inland Revenue. We are registered with the Inland Revenue under the Non Resident Landlord Scheme (NRL). Expatriate Landlords can register on this scheme through our office and Application Forms: NRL. 1 are available on request. Please Note - that where the property is jointly owned, each owner must apply individually for exemption under this scheme regardless of whether they have an income or not (this also applies to married couples). For full details of this scheme please consult your tax advisor or accountant.

We can recommend an accountant or suitably qualified person to be appointed to act on your behalf. An end of year statement can be compiled for the Landlord at a charge of £50 plus VAT. We must point out that we cannot be held responsible for a Landlord's Tax Liability arising from rental income.

Council Tax
The Council Tax is the sole responsibility of the tenant and they are asked to register with their local office. When the property is empty the standard Council Tax rate applies to the Landlord/Owner and no liability is accepted by ourselves as Managing Agents since our arrangement is for the duration of the Tenancy only. Where the property lies empty and unfurnished a Nil exemption is normally applicable for up to 6 months.

Insurance
The insurance cover for the property is the Landlords responsibility, both for buildings, structure and contents. It is essential to inform your insurance company that you intend to let the property. Ingoing tenants will be advised by us to arrange for contents insurance for their own possessions.

Cleaning & House Keeping
Martin Kemp Property Maintenance and The Big Yellow Buttercup Contracting Company.
We are delighted to inform you that we are now able to offer specialist Property Maintenance and Cleaning Services through our associated companies: Martin Kemp Property Maintenance and The Big Yellow Buttercup Contracting Company.

The team includes professional cleaners, who will undertake a complete Spring Clean Blitz, clean your windows or even just clean your cooker. They are also available for regular weekly or fortnightly cleaning. The gardening team, led by Stuart Wells, will cut the lawn on a regular basis, undertake tree surgery and even lay a new patio for you. Our team also includes experts on a range of tasks from installing a complete new bathroom suite for you to just changing the washer on a drippy tap. Bob the Builder is a dab hand with a paintbrush and Arthur’s abilities make him the most adaptable and accomplished individual for any job around the house.

We can be contacted on 01296 744151 between the hours of 9am and 5:30pm, Monday to Friday. We hope that we can be of service to you. NO JOB IS TOO BIG OR TOO SMALL FOR OUR TEAM

Property Maintenance
The Landlord is responsible for the upkeep, repair and renewal of the fabric of the property and its contents. Our management team is often called upon to arrange repairs or maintenance work as and when it may be necessary.

Our maintenance team includes "in house" contractors who are available at short notice for minor repairs and renewals and of course, in emergency situations. You may have seen the Martin Kemp Management maintenance van in your area. Our team of specialist contractors are also able to undertake more major works including:
• Total Redecoration of Properties - Internal and External
• Refurbishment of Kitchens and Bathrooms
• Installation of Central Heating
• General Building Works
• Electrical Renewals and Rewiring
For detailed estimates please contact our Maintenance Team on Aylesbury (01296) 422175. Contractor's accounts are usually settle by our Accounts Department from the rental income. We will try to contact Landlords before instructing contractors to do any work, although it must be pointed out that in an emergency, this is not always possible.

Consent to Let
Where the property is subject to a mortgage, permission is normally required from the Bank / Building Society to let the property. The Bank / Building Society will normally levy an administration charge. If the tenure of the property is leasehold, the freeholder's consent is normally required. If the freeholder, bank or building society require further information, please feel free to put them in contact with our Management Team. We strongly advise that you obtain consent to let from your Bank / Building Society at the earliest opportunity rather than applying once a tenant has been found.

Repossesion of Property
The Housing Act 1988 came into force on the 15th January 1989 and was further amended in 2004. The legislation means that all tenancies drawn up after February 1997 are Assured Shorthold.

Under the provisions of the Housing Act 1988 it is normally possible to regain Vacant Possession of a rental property at the end of a tenancy, providing relevant Notices have been served on the tenant. Martin Kemp Property Management arrange for the correct notice to be served before or during the course of the tenancy.

Forwarding Mail
Martin Kemp Property Management will forward mail when received from the tenant, but no responsibility can be taken for the Landlord's mail and it is recommended that it be redirected through the local Post Office.

Home Contents
It is usual when letting a property on an unfurnished basis to include carpets, curtains, cooker and refrigerator. If you want to let your property unfurnished, it should be kept to a bare minimum. Any furniture left must comply with the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 (as amended) and carry the appropriate BS Kite Mark. Our staff will be pleased to advise you on this point. Any items that do not comply must be removed from the premises. Selling or giving these items to the tenant is not acceptable. Most tenants require either a shower mixer or separate shower unit in the bathroom.

Smoke Alarms
It is our strong advice to all our Landlords to have smoke alarms fitted in all properties (1 per floor). If you wish we can arrange to have these installed at a cost of £30 each (fitted and inclusive of VAT). The tenants would then sign to take responsibility to check and maintain them.

Gas Safety Checks / Servicing
All gas appliances must have a safety check once a year by a "Corgi" registered plumbing/heating engineer and any defects acted on immediately.  Because this is a statutory duty we will instruct our own contractors to carry out this safety check prior to the commencement of a tenancy and thereafter on an annual basis throughout the period of the letting.  Any recommendations made by the contractors will be reported to you immediately and quotes provided where necessary.  The charge for this check is £80 plus VAT or £95 plus VAT to include a boiler service. 

UNLESS WE RECEIVE A CERTIFICATE FROM THE LANDLORD PRIOR TO A TENANT MOVING IN WE WILL INSTRUCT OUR CONTRACTOR TO CARRY OUT A GAS SAFETY CHECK AND SERVICE AND TAKE THE FEE FROM THE RENTAL INCOME.  Further information is available upon request.

FAILURE TO HAVE THE GAS SAFETY CHECK CARRIED OUT AND ANY RELEVANT WORKS DONE  COULD RESULT IN A CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.

Electrical Safety Check
As with the gas safety check, electrical safety checking is now a requirement in accordance with the Electrical Equipment (safety) Regulations 1994. A check of all electrical installations and appliances must be carried out prior to the letting by a qualified electrician and an appropriate certifcate presented. This includes a visual inspection of all electrical appliances, a detailed inspection of power and lighting circuits including random inspection of power points, light switches, ligh fittings (removal of covers) and the fuse box. The wiring circuit is checked to ensure that it is correctly earthed, (mains earth, gas and water). The contractor will report any faults and unsafe installations or appliances and provide a competetive fixed price quotation including parts and labour for any work that is required to comply with the current regulations. The charge for this check will be £80 + VAT per property plus £5 + VAT for each appliance.

Failure to have the safety check carried out and any relevant works done could result in criminal prosecution. If any remedial work recommended as a result of these test is not carried out by the Landlord prior to the tenancy, we may not be able to proceed with letting your property.

Commision and Charges
Our service can be tailored to the client's specific requirements. Our Platinum Management Service is charged at the rate of 15% of the monthly rental income plus VAT.

This service includes:
• All aspects of Managing the Tenancy
• Marketing the Property
• Advice on Taxation Matters
• Thorough Investigation and Full References on Prospective Tenants
• Advertising the Property Through Local Press, Our Website and Globally on the Internet

It also includes:
• Collection of Rent
• Detailed Monthly Financial Statement
• Arranging and Overseeing Maintenance Repairs and Renewals
• Handling any Insurance Claims
• Arranging Access for Contractors, Utility Inspectors
• Any other matters that relate to the Tenancy and the Property

We are also able to offer a finding only service with a commission charge of just 10% of the first six months rent plus 5% of any renewal period. We can also offer a finding only service and rent collection service for an additional charge of 2.5% of the monthly rental

Preparation of Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement
and serving of the relevant Notices £75

PREPARATION OF DETAILED CONTENTS AND CONDITION INVENTORY INCLUDING INITIAL CHECK-IN (excl VAT).

Original monthly statements – free of charge
Copy Statements to 12 copies (1 year) = £10.00.

Key cutting
- 1 key = £7.50
- each additional key = £5.00

Safety Certificates
- electrical = £80.00
- gas = £80.00
- gas inc. boiler service £95.00

All our fees are subject to VAT

If you require further information please contact Martin Kemp Property Lettings and Management.