Landlord FAQ's

Rental values in Worcester have increased by 6.3% last 12 months (Aug 2023). Houses let for £927 per month (as an average value), flats let for £695 per month, but this all depends on the number of bedrooms, size, location and condition of the property. We have properties on our books ranging from £500 PCM through to £1600+.

At Northwood Lettings and Estate Agents we have many years expertise in the Worcester market, we have a portfolio of 200 properties and have been established since 2003. We have access to all rental property rents across Worcestershire, so can assess your property against those rates and what kind of return you can hope to expect. We can visit your property and provide you a personalised valuation which is completely free of charge.

Many agents offer an apparently low “headline-grabbing” fee, but do check on the myriad of other fees and charges added on top for other bits and pieces that you will need to budget for. With the exception of our Guaranteed Rent Service which has no fees, everything is wrapped up in just three charges:

1. Letting Fee – a fixed fee for letting a property to a brand-new tenant be it a 1-bed flat or a 6-bed detached house (including inventory and set of property photographs)
2. Renewal Fee – for renewing a tenancy contract with an existing tenant.
3. Management Fee – (for our Fully-Managed Landlord Service) a monthly fee that covers everything else including tenancy deposit protection, rent collection, property inspections, coordination of maintenance/repairs and end-of-tenancy checkouts.

Being a successful property landlord brings financial rewards, but it also comes with responsibilities and risk. Choosing the right letting service for you and your property is all about finding a balance of these three things that you are comfortable with. We help by offering three main services: Tenant Find, Fully Managed and Guaranteed Rent.

Many agents offer an apparently low “headline-grabbing” fee, but do check on the myriad of other fees and charges added on top for other bits and pieces that you will need to budget for. With the exception of our Guaranteed Rent Service which has no fees, everything is wrapped up in just three charges:

1. Letting Fee – a fixed fee for letting a property to a brand-new tenant be it a 1-bed flat or a 6-bed detached house (including inventory and set of property photographs)
2. Renewal Fee – for renewing a tenancy contract with an existing tenant.
3. Management Fee – (for our Fully-Managed Landlord Service) a monthly fee that covers everything else including tenancy deposit protection, rent collection, property inspections, coordination of maintenance/repairs and end-of-tenancy checkouts.

Working out just how much rental income you might receive after fees and charges can be a challenge when comparing different letting companies. Northwood believes fees should be clear and transparent with no “nasty surprises” further down the line.

At Northwood Lettings and Estate Agents we know that it can be a daunting and complex arrangement to let out your property, but will be there every step of the way to help you, but should your plans change then we do not charge for any time spent by us and there are no tie-ins.

Our hallmark Northwood Guaranteed Rent Service (not to be confused with guaranteed rent insurance policies offered by other companies) includes a full letting and management package and gives the added peace of mind of a fixed rent start date with an agreed rental income for 1, 2 or 3 years at a time, payable each month even if the property becomes empty or the tenant is late paying (or doesn’t pay at all). This really is a “Let it and forget it” solution that over 12,000 property owners in the UK enjoy. For more details see –

On a fully managed service we will chase rent arrears and instigate legal proceedings on your behalf to recover any missing payments and to get the property back and rented out to new tenants. If you are on a Tenant Find only service then you will be responsible for any steps that you wish to take, but please do ask us for advice, as we are happy to help.

We very rarely see non-payments as each tenant is carefully credit checked and vetted for ability to pay, this can be further mitigated by the use of a guarantor and/or payment in advance for a number of months rent as part of setting up the tenancy agreement.

Choosing a fully managed service allows you to completely relax. You never have to worry about the let. It creates a professional distance between you and the tenancy, and means you can avoid having to deal with all the bad bits like rent arrears and deposit disputes, plus we can make sure that all of your legislative and legal responsibilities are kept on top of. For complete peace of mind, the Northwood Guaranteed Rent Service (as used by 12,000+ landlords across the UK) is well worth looking at.

Northwood Lettings and Estate Agent’s Fully Managed service will set up and manage the payments from the tenant via standing order in to our account. Once the funds have cleared, we will then transfer the money to your account minus our commission and any outgoings or fees (such as maintenance work / contractor payments). You will receive a statement every month from us outlining your property income and expenditure.

If you choose our tenant find service, then we will collect the first months rent (alongside registering the deposit in the location of your choice) and pass that on to you via a bank transfer, however from there on in you will need to ensure that your tenant pays via the method and to the account location of your choice. This would usually be standing order to your bank account.

The Northwood Guaranteed Rent Service gives the added peace of mind of a fixed rent start date with an agreed rental income for 1, 2 or 3 years at a time, payable by Northwood each month on the same day, even if the property becomes empty or the tenant is late paying (or doesn’t pay at all). This really is a “Let it and forget it” solution that over 12,000 property owners in the UK enjoy.

Landlords and letting agents are required to register tenant’s deposits with an approved tenancy deposit scheme – tenancydepositscheme.com. Northwood Lettings and Estate Agents is a member of the Insured Tenancy Deposit Protection Scheme administered by TDS. We register each tenant deposit within 30 days of commencement of the tenancy and ensure that the deposit remains protected for the duration of the tenancy. The cost of this is included in our management fee.

The Tenancy Deposit Scheme is there to protect the tenant’s money and help to resolve any disputes at the end of the tenancy.

Northwood Lettings and Estate Agents is committed to keeping your money safe, all our client money is held in specialist designated client money bank accounts and these are balance checked every day, as well being audited. Northwood Worcester has Client Money Protection (CMP) cover through Propertymark – https://Propertymark.co.uk, this scheme provides compensation for landlords, tenants and other clients in the event that any client funds were misused.

An inventory is a detailed list of the contents and condition of your property taken before the tenant moves in. It is important that if there is a dispute over damage at the end of the tenancy, you have proof of the original condition of the property and its contents. At Northwood Lettings and Estate Agents Worcester we provide a fully comprehensive (including photographs) inventory as part of our Letting Fee (applicable to Tenant Find and Fully Managed services) and is not an extra, nor is it variable depending on the size of your property. Other agents may charge separately for this service.

Either the tenant pays to fix the damage, or the cost for fixing the damage is removed from the tenant’s security deposit at the end of the tenancy. However, fair wear and tear should be allowed for.

You need to give the tenant appropriate notice before you enter the property.

The landlord or the letting agent gives the tenant notice that they will be visiting the property to check it is being looked after, and to check for any potential maintenance issues. At Northwood Lettings and Estate Agents Worcester we conduct these twice yearly as a standard, but also can do more frequently if required/requested. These unlimited visits are included as part of our Monthly Management (Fully Managed service) and is not an extra fee, however other agents do charge for these visits.

The Property Ombudsman (TPO) is an independent body to which landlords can refer any complaint should the agent fail to address it to their satisfaction. We are subject to their property redress mechanism.

The Right to Rent scheme, which helps to make sure that people renting property in the UK have a legal right to be here, was rolled out across England in February 2016. Northwood Lettings and Estate Agents Worcester do this check as part of our tenant referencing process (included in our Lettings Fee), but if a landlord carries out their own checks they will now need to get an acceptable proof of residency or risk a fine.

Client Money Protection (CMP) Scheme provides compensation for landlords, tenants and other clients when agents misuse or misappropriate their rent, deposit or any other client funds. Northwood Worcester has CMP cover through Propertymark.

All landlords could be liable to pay tax on their rental income, whether they live in the UK or are based overseas. Northwood Lettings and Estate Agents can support you in your Non Resident Landlord submissions and also in providing monthly and annual statements to support any tax returns you need to submit.

The tenant is responsible for the council tax (unless you decide to include this in the rent) this is clearly stated in all the Northwood tenancy agreements. If the property is standing empty, it is the landlord’s responsibility to pay.

An Energy Performance Certificate, or EPC for short, is a report detailing the energy efficiency of a property. It gives a property an energy efficiency rating from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient) and is valid for 10 years. All landlords are required to purchase an EPC for a property before they let it and, since 1st April 2018, the property must have a minimum rating of E on its EPC. It will be unlawful to rent a property which breaches this requirement with a penalty of up to £4,000. At Northwood Lettings and Estate Agents in Worcester we can arrange for your EPC assessment to be conducted.

There are a few easy and cheap ways to improve your property’s EPC rating. Ensuring all your lightbulbs are energy savers is a simple change. Loft insulation should be at least 270mm and if you have cavity walls ensure these are filled with insulation.

More expensive ways to improve your property’s EPC rating include replacing an old, inefficient boiler; replacing single glazing, adding modern controls like room thermostats; or adding renewable technologies like solar panels to the property.

The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 (GSIUR) outline your duties as a landlord to make sure all gas appliances, fittings, chimneys and flues are safe and working efficiently. If you’re letting a property with gas appliances installed, you’ve got three main legal responsibilities:

Gas safety checks

To ensure your tenants’ safety, all gas appliances and flues need to undergo an annual gas safety check – which should always be carried out by a suitably qualified Gas Safe registered engineer. Once this has been done, you’ll be given a Landlord Gas Safety Record (LGSR) with details of all the checks that were carried out.

Gas Safety Record

Following the annual gas safety check and receipt of your Landlord Gas Safety Record, you’ll need to provide a record of this check to your tenants. By law, a copy of your Landlord Gas Safety Record should be given to your current tenants within 28 days of the gas safety check – and for new tenants, you’ll need to provide this at the start of their tenancy.

Maintenance

You’ll need to make sure that all gas pipework, appliances, chimneys and flues are kept in safe condition.

At Northwood Lettings and Estate Agents we will arrange for a Gas Safety Check to be conducted and the LGSR is provided to your tenants, and is maintained in line with the regulation, as part of our fully managed service

It is recommended best practise to have a Portable Appliance Test (PAT) carried out to make sure the appliances included in the let are safe.

Yes, to comply with the legislation an EICR must be carried out before you can let your property. At Northwood Lettings and Estate Agents we can arrange for an EICR to be conducted, and as part of our fully managed service we will also ensure that it is maintained in line with the regulation.

You must ensure that all furnishings comply with furniture and furnishing regulations. All compliant furniture must display standard labels in a prominent position. This is to reduce the risk of fire within the property

Yes, the legislation requires a working smoke alarm to be installed on each floor. At Northwood Lettings and Estate Agents we can arrange for appropriate smoke alarms are installed and are working in line with the regulation.

Yes, from 1st of October 2022, a CO alarm is required to be fitted in every habitable room of a rental property containing gas appliances (excluding appliances used for cooking purposes). The landlord is required to carry out a checks and tests to ensure that carbon monoxide alarms in the rental property are working the day any new tenancy begins. At Northwood Lettings and Estate Agents we can arrange for appropriate carbon monoxide (CO) alarms are installed and are working in line with the regulation.

Your mortgage lender needs to give you permission before you can let your property, and they may impose special conditions. If you are buying a property with the intention of letting it out, you may be able to obtain a buy to let mortgage.