Creating an Information Folder for Tenants

newsgroup_monkey

Amen to the bin days.

We live in an area which alternates collections between regular and recycling. We only moved 6 miles up the road, but not only did we not know which day it was (LA had no idea) but we managed to get them muddled up.

whalster

All what has been said above is brilliant just a couple more things to add , writing this post you have used the internet it is a big help in many ways now not only refferencing prospective tenants , we always look for their face book pages now ,someone did not get a house last week after having a profile picture of himself right up to the camera with a can of lager and what the Americans call ' giving it the bird' Mmmm ! don't think so, Also we use street view a lot to see where they live now.
From a tenants point of view we always give an e-mail address , we always provide links to landlord websites and more recently over the last 6 months or so we provide links to You Tube videos on simple fault finding for heating boilers cookers fridges etc etc they are all on there. We are very gratefull to the tenant who pointed this out to us ,it is not our idea.
Also what saves a lot of calls is a list of things that are ok such as painting bedrooms different colours or hanging pictures which we always say is fine as long as it is put back if and when you leave but in the case of picture hooks sweep the walls with a tester for pipes and wires .
There is loads if things that can be done all of which make for a smoother life for all parties.

newsgroup_monkey

Even from a tenant's point of view Whalster, what is and isn't acceptable is a minefield. I go along with what you say, however, I'll put a different point of view together.

My contract says "I am allowed to put up pictures using commercial picture hooks".

I spoke to my LA about what constitutes a "Commercial picture hook" for clarity. They were horrified that I was actually intending to put up pictures! As it turns out, the room I want to put it in already has about a dozen rawl plugs scattered about the room (and mentioned in the inventory) so I'll simply re-use those.

Mentioning about painting rooms, clearly, this is another minefield. I would say I'm pretty good at painting. I've also seen some absolutely abysmal jobs - splattered ceilings, marked skirting, not to mention paint all over windows and carpets. Don't get me started on gloss!

Are you really sure you want to be "encouraging" tenants?

In the same way, it's like saying no pets. Clearly, having an outdoor rabbit is very different from having a smelly dog. A Budgie is very different from a cat. What about Spiders or Lizards? I'd be miffed if a LL said absolutely no to a bearded dragon or stick insects.

Callie22

whalster wrote: »

Also we use street view a lot to see where they live now.

Street view is often years out of date, so I'm not sure what use that can be if you're checking up on condition? The street view pictures of our last rented house, for example, date from 2009 which was when our landord was living there - and it looked a heck of lot less tidy then than it did when we rented it ...

G_M

Local doctor and dentist etc.

And don't forget to wrap the bottle of wine in nice tissue paper and leave on kitchen table with a 'Welcome to your new home' card.

Yes - I know some people think I'm mad, but it has paid dividends to me many times over in getting the LL/tenant relationship off on a good footing.

newsgroup_monkey

G_M, that really would be a very welcome gesture if I moved in somewhere.

For instance, my previous tenancy, we were there for nearly 6 years and we explained this to the LL when we moved in - in the end, it was their choice for us to leave as their circumstances had changed.

Although if we get anywhere over 80% of our deposit back, I'll ensure that we leave a fair gesture to them as we enjoyed their family home (it genuinely was a family home and work circumstance made them temporarily leave it).

Whereas I found out that my current LL owns nearly 500 properties, so I don't expect to hear from her.

G_M: I'll pass your suggestion on to my Mum who is a serial LL.

LittleMax

G_M wrote: »

Local doctor and dentist etc.

And don't forget to wrap the bottle of wine in nice tissue paper and leave on kitchen table with a 'Welcome to your new home' card.

Yes - I know some people think I'm mad, but it has paid dividends to me many times over in getting the LL/tenant relationship off on a good footing.

Yes, we left a card and bottle of wine with the house manual. It didn't stop our tenants contacting us after the rent was due to apologise for the late payment and claiming they didn't know where to pay it. Err think you'll find our account details in the big red folder that we left on the side (with the card and bottle of wine)
Oh yes silly us
Hmm nice try!

G_M

LittleMax wrote: »

Yes, we left a card and bottle of wine with the house manual. It didn't stop our tenants contacting us after the rent was due to apologise for the late payment and claiming they didn't know where to pay it. Err think you'll find our account details in the big red folder that we left on the side (with the card and bottle of wine)
Oh yes silly us
Hmm nice try!

Ah! But at least they rang to apologise. They contacted you, nicely, not you having to chase them.

The relationship works. That bottle might have made the difference between:

"Stupid landlord never gave us his bank details. So we needn't pay rent till he does" and

"Oh, nice landlord forgot to give us his bank details. So better ring him and ask".

LittleMax

G_M wrote: »

Ah! But at least they rang to apologise. They contacted you, nicely, not you having to chase them.

The relationship works.

Oh yes, we have a good relationship with them. It is our first venture into renting and we are only 4 months in but we are taking the view that we will treat our tenants how we were treated when we rented. Both times we rented direct from the landlord and both were decent landlords, but we were also decent tenants

Nice landlord has also allowed a dog, and let them redecorate, and they have paid for a new carpet in the living room - we provided the underlay. It's all win win stuff, they have indicated they want to stay long term, which suits us fine, and in return we need to let them make it a home they want to stay in long term.

fawd1

LittleMax wrote: »

, they have indicated they want to stay long term, which suits us fine, and in return we need to let them make it a home they want to stay in long term.

This is key I think. you'd be amazed at the number of landlords that want a long term tenant but will not let them change a millimetre of the house. We're lucky we're renting a house now with a minimum 3 year contract where the landlord has literally told us to do whatever we like. Admittedly he said this after he came to check on the repainting we'd done, so he knew we weren't going to paint the walls black, but still. It's lovely to rent a home that feels like my home, as opposed to someone elses that I'm borrowing.