Landlords boydens.co.uk 32 Mrs L: ‘It really pays to have Full Management services’ How long have you been a landlord and what made you want to become one? I have been a landlord for over 15 years. I became a landlord after I married and, rather than sell my own house, I decided to rent it and see how it went being a landlord; I now let three properties. What do you think it takes to be a good landlord? I would advise any landlord to take out Full Management services on the property to remove as much worry as possible. It is also important to keep the property in good condition (both the tenant and the landlord) and to fix things quickly. How can tenants ensure a positive relationship with their landlord? As a landlord, the property is my investment and so tenants respecting that and keeping the property in a good condition will always be seen as a positive. I do view my tenancies and the management of the relationship between landlord and tenant as a business transaction. Working full time, I like to be involved as little as possible and so I rely on Boydens to deal with the tenants in this regard. What have you learnt most from your time as a landlord? There is a misconception of wealth when it comes to landlords. Much of the value realised does not come from the rental, but from the value in the property itself which, for me, is part of my retirement fund. What advice would you give to someone starting out as a new landlord? Unless you are prepared to manage everything to do with the rental, it really pays to have Full Management services or else the rental process will dominate your life. Also, I would recommend new landlords purchase a newer property rather than an old one as, although it doesn’t necessarily follow, the maintenance is likely to be less on a newer property. Flats in older properties tend to have higher management fees. “Unless you are prepared to manage everything to do with the rental, it really pays to have Full Management services.” If you are thinking about becoming a landlord, or extending or moving your portfolio, contact our lettings experts below: Coastal Branch: Matthew Hayward 01255 853911 matthew.hayward @boydens.co.uk Colchester Branch: Brian Purvis 01206 771213 brian.purvis @boydens.co.uk Sudbury Branch: Angela Jeffery 01787 888601 angela.jeffery @boydens.co.uk West Essex Branch: Jules Cain 01376 570335 jules.cain @boydens.co.uk
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