How to Prepare Your House for Letting Out to Tenants

*This is a collaborative post on how to prepare your house for letting out to tenants

Becoming a landlord has been an aspirational achievement in the UK for some time, as it signifies a level of financial security both at present and in the future. The rental market is particularly strong at the moment, too, as properties remain out-of-reach to many first-time buyers. 

As such, if you have the means to keep your old house while moving to a new one, you might be considering renting it out! But renting is by no means easy – and even the first steps before accepting tenants can be difficult to manage. What do you need to do before you let your property out to new tenants?

Deep-clean when preparing your house for letting

The first step to getting your property tenant-ready is cleaning it. No tenant expects to inherit grime when moving into a new property, and a clean house can serve to make a good first impression on those viewing prospective properties. 

Your cleaning should extend beyond the standard dusting and wiping-down of surfaces, though. If your carpets have been installed for more than a year, they may benefit from a professional washing by a third party. The grout in your kitchen and bathroom may need scrubbing, and you might also want to re-seal the bath, toilet and sinks for a fresh start.

Preparing your house for letting- Logistics and administration

There are numerous administrative hoops you will need to jump through as a new landlord, in order to operate legally. One such hoop is notifying the relevant authorities of your shift from occupant to landlord. Your home insurance company will need to know, as will your mortgage provider.

You will also be required to obtain an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) that demonstrates the energy efficiency of your home. If this certificate comes back with a rating of F or lower, you will be required by Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) regulations to spend up to £3,500 to improve efficiency.

In order to minimise future preventable issues with tenants – and to foster a positive relationship with them from the outset – you might see it fit to have all relevant property information printed in the form of booklets. These booklets could contain essential information like the property’s EPC rating and insurance coverage, as well as specific information like the location of gas and electricity meters and the water stopcock. You could also include your emergency contact information for ease of access.

De-personalise when preparing your home for letting

Your deep-cleaning session is the perfect time to reconsider the décor and contents of your prospective rental property. A majority of rental properties are presented to professional tenants as ‘unfurnished’, meaning they are devoid of any furnishings or appliances. There are variations on this format, where white goods such as washing machines and refrigerators are provided. If you are advertising your house as unfurnished, then you will naturally need to move, sell or dispose of its contents altogether.

However, there is also the option to advertise your property as ‘furnished’ – meaning your property comes with beds, storage and living room furniture included as well as white goods. These items are protected by your tenancy. But whether or not you are leaving furniture in the property, you will need to remove any personal effects that serve to personalise the property. These may be framed photos or documents, personal artworks or even esoteric decorations. To complete the de-personalisation of your property, you might repaint the walls in neutral colours.