Landlord Services

Landlords with a property to let out, with such a realistic approach with potential tenants, it makes us the agent to assist you with the letting of your property.

Experience, qualifications and a natural instinct, all combine to enable us to create good, friendly, communicative tenancies.

We concentrate on the quality of tenants and tenancies we create, Rather than creating vast quantities of tenancies that then become problematic.

It is definitely worth getting it right at the beginning of a tenancy. Priority for us is the right tenant for your property followed by a rental figure that we are all happy with.

We do not want to deal with a problematic tenancy any more than you do.

We provide various levels of service depending on how much you want to be involved with the letting of your property.

See the Terms and Conditions section on the website for further information about different services available.

Please do give us a call to discuss your requirements and let us answer any queries you may have.

01273 727278

Buy To let Advice

Why consider Buy to Let and where to start?

The main reason usually is as a long term future investment. As a company that offers many services, we can help with all aspects of your financial project.

Step One – Identifying a specific property – We can advise you on properties that are more popular for letting. Once you have identified a property that you would like to buy, we will be more than happy to have a look at the property details.

Step Two – The letting potential – By consulting our lettings team you will receive an honest and realistic report of the pros and cons of the specific property you are interested in.

Step Three – Financing your project – Massey Property Services are pleased to be able to offer the services of our Independent financial advisor Mike Pattenden With access to over 2000 lenders, a solution for your specific requirements will usually be available. In the event that you have already arranged a Mortgage, we may well be able to better the rates you have been quoted.

Some Common Questions

And Some Common Answers!

Area

The whole of Brighton and Hove is popular and there are no real facts stipulating specific areas for specific people but here is a guideline.

Elm Grove and Lewes Road area of Brighton – This is an area close to the majority of the universities and consequently all sizes and types of properties will be popular with students.

Kemptown – Extremely popular as an up and coming cosmopolitan area of Brighton, close to the seafront and a 10 - 15 minute walk into town. An advert for property in this area always produces a good response.

Brighton Station / Town Centre – Commuters will always provide a good demand for this area, with a range of family houses and plenty of converted flats, an investment here should retain popularity for as long as London is 45 minutes away on the train!

Hove – The nature of some of the buildings in Hove sometimes creates the impression that Hove is more expensive; it’s more to do with the fact that Hove is home to some wonderfully large, feature properties. Any conversions tend to incorporate these features. It is only personal choice as to why some people prefer Hove to Brighton and vice versa.

In general, the most popular rental areas tend to be from Sackville Road in Hove all the way along the seafront to Brighton Marina. The popularity extends as far back as Preston Park. The surrounding areas are also good investments but can take slightly longer to let, simply because the majority of enquiries for rental properties tend to be for central locations. The surrounding areas however, boast alternative attractions such as – easier and free street parking, and are more residential. One of the main advantages of the outskirts is that once the property is let, it tends to be on a more long-term basis than a central more noisy property. The outer edges also appeal to people who commute to Gatwick or London by car, as much of the central congestion traffic is missed.

Type of Property

Period conversions – More popular by far with people looking to rent. High ceilings, feature fireplaces, ornate coving and general character will attract potential tenants.

Disadvantages of period conversions – Many properties are leasehold, meaning that freeholders own the building and make decisions on maintenance. Some annual maintenance fees can be the difference in a profit or just covering your costs. The popularity of a seafront flat will mean very few void periods during a year, but the wear and tear of an annual battering by the elements can severely affect the upkeep costs of the property.

Purpose Built Blocks – Usually very sensible on maintenance costs, however be prepared to allow for longer void periods in a year as 90% of potential tenants will be looking for conversions. Advantages of purpose built blocks – Whilst their popularity is not that of the older Brighton and Hove buildings, they are often cheaper to purchase, often larger than a converted property at a similar price and although you need to be prepared to achieve a lower rental figure, this will usually only be £50.00 – £100.00 per month cheaper, BUT…………. Your investment may have cost £20,000.00 - £30,000.00 less than a conversion.

Houses – Will appeal to either sharers/ students or a family. Sharers will probably help you achieve a higher rental figure but may not be long-term, with so many different adult living under one roof things are bound to change after six months, leading to a higher turnover of tenants. A family will tend to all move in together and all move out together, have fewer disputes and probably stay on a more long-term basis, but are probably looking to pay less than a group of 3 or 4 sharers.

2 or 3 bedroom flats – In order to target a larger part of the market, equal size rooms are advisable.

Studio and 1 bedroom flats – Central studios and one bedrooms will always have place high on a lettings list, the demand will always be high from single professional people whose days of sharing accommodation have ended.

Furnished or Unfurnished

Furnished – Wear and tear on items of furniture will require replacing or repairing. If it’s not in the property, you haven’t got to accept responsibility for it! Also for what it will cost to furnish a property, it will not make much difference to the rental figure. Furnishing a property involves trying to accommodate other people’s tastes, a very hard task.

Unfurnished – As a long-term investment, unfurnished properties are easier to manage. It is however advisable to provide a cooker and a fridge, and where possible a washing machine or at least space and plumbing for one.

Décor

Stick to neutral colours, easy to touch up as a property goes through a couple of tenancies, and once again, it saves accommodating different tastes. White tends to be preferable to Magnolia.

An idea of running costs

Mortgage payments

Buildings Insurance

Maintenance payments (if leasehold)

Letting Agents fees (see our terms and conditions)

Income on an investment rental property is taxable. We would strongly advise that you discuss this with an accountant.

This is intended purely as a guideline and answers the majority of questions we encounter in relation to early queries about this subject. Please feel free to contact our lettings team on 01273 727278 if you have any further questions. We will be more than happy to help.