Creating an Information Folder for Tenants

Counting_Pennies_2

I wonder if you can help.

I am just about to rent out a house to tenants for the first time.

I am thinking of making a folder of information for them, whilst they are coming from outside the area, it is to concentrate more on the house, how to use boiler, instruction manuals for the other appliances. Can you think of what other information I should include?

Many thanks

ognum

I have these for my properties, they are not about the area but about the house, contain instruction books, phone numbers etc.

Don't put the origional instruction books in, either photocopy or down load from the Internet, these files frequently get packed when people move and you will need to replace!!!

flutterbyuk25

Good idea.

House things I'd include would be

- Any quirks your house has e.g. certain way to lock the patio doors (like in my house!)
- When bin/recycling day is
- When the meters/fuse box/stop c*cks are
- Parking arrangements (if you have them and they are not obvious!)

Other nice touches could include:

- names of your immediate neighbours (if you know them!)
- local bus numbers and nearest bus stop as they are not local
- location of nearest shop/takeaway

HTH

Callie22

Please don't include information on how to claim housing benefit. My current landlord did this and I actually found it quite offensive, given that he was renting his house out through one of those agencies that specify 'no DSS, no pets, no kids, no breathing ...'

propertyman

flutterbyuk25 wrote: »

Other nice touches could include:

- names of your immediate neighbours (if you know them!)

Really??? I would not like a complete stranger come up to me and say hello-(name).


Do put together a manual with "Do not ******* put me in a drawer" on the front .

A simple list of emergency procedures and numbers nicely framed in the kitchen is always useful or laminated into a fridge magnet is handy too.

BoudiccaUK

If you have a plumber or electrician you use regularly I would include their phone number too. But stipulate that it is only for use in an emergency where further damage would occur and that for regular repairs/maintenance they should contact you first.

Like others have said make sure you only put copies in as these files do disappear.

I also put the tenants copy of the gas safety certificate in there.

Your own contact details - unless you use an agency.

A friendly but obvious sign to remind them of no smoking or no pets if that is the case. Is there a garden or even a bed of soil in the yard? You may want to gently remind them that it is their responsibility to keep it from becoming overgrown. All that is in the contract but in my experience very few tenants actually read what their responsibilities are.

Good luck and don't worry too much about horror stories. Most tenants are ok if you look after them.

BigAunty

Winter precautions - there's probably a template letter out there on the internet. Some tenants try to save money when they go away on holiday by switching off the heating which leads to burst pipes in winter. Or you can just send a letter to them at the start of winter rather than have it buried in a book.

A leaflet on how to prevent damp and mould (many local councils and housing associations have published them). A couple of my friends who rented out their own previously owner-occupied properties have had them returned in a mouldy condition because their tenants did not do the basics, like open windows/use fans when cooking, report broken fans in bathrooms, have dried washing in the house. They never suffered from damp/mould when they lived in them but their tenants made them mouldy and blamed it on the house rather than their behaviour.

torbrex

Location of gas & electric meters and who the suppliers are along with reading taken on the day the keys are handed over.
Details of the fuse box ie. which fuse controls what.

Location of nearest recycling centre/dump might be helpfull as well.

agrinnall

propertyman wrote: »

Really??? I would not like a complete stranger come up to me and say hello-(name).

I can't see any problem at all in providing the names of neighbours, it's not like it's a secret. Perhaps that's because my experience of renting (from both sides) is with flats where there is an expectation that the occupants names are likely to be publicly displayed anyway.

One advantage that I can see is if their post gets misdelivered to to the tenants' address, the tenant will have an idea of which letter box to put it through.

johnmcga

You sound like a decent landlord who's putting some thought into what your tenants require, so that's good to hear. I've had many landlords over the last ten years and have received a useful pack like this precisely once!

All the obvious stuff is good, things like:

- Emergency / out of hours contacts
- Landlord's details
- Copies of instruction manuals for appliances etc
- Location of stopcocks / fuse boxes
- Information about where to find and access utility meters (I would have really struggled in our current place, had the landlord not explained we have to go down four flights of stairs and through a locked door that has a sign saying 'no unauthorised access' on it!)
- Bin and recycling information
- Gas safety certificates
- Details of current utility suppliers (as a tenant, it can be a pain finding this out if you don't know already)

I know not all tenants are the same, but personally I'd be a little put out at receiving too much information reminding me of my responsibilities, having just handed over a big deposit and signed a contract.

Would you be ok with your tenant handing you an information pack reminding you of your responsibilities as a landlord in return?

Tigsteroonie

flutterbyuk25 wrote: »

- When bin/recycling day is

flutterbyuk25 wrote: »

- names of your immediate neighbours (if you know them!)

Or the tenant could go round to the neighbours, introduce themselves, and ask about bin days ...