This is when landlords encounter difficult renters – those who vandalise properties, disturb neighbours and do not respect policies like pet bans. By far the worst offence is none payment of rent.
Approximately 10% of those people renting are considered bad renters, with over 30,000 renters evicted each year. Evictions can be a long drawn out process and costly with it, and usually come about due to non payment of rent. The court proceedings can take up to six months at an average cost of £800 plus the missing revenue from the property for what could be five months worth.

Should the rent day not be met, in the first instance you should visit the tenant and request the payment. Apply some pressure by visiting and telephoning regularly. If there is no response you can then threaten legal action. You can only proceed to court after eight weeks of rent has been missed.

Avoiding this is by far the best option – so by getting a minimum of one months’ rent as a deposit will help and ensure the tenancy agreement stipulates the terms and conditions clearly for payment dates and the consequences of none payment. Also have a detailed inventory of all the items in the property, to avoid discrepancies later on. Put values next to items if necessary.

Seek professional help when evicting people, as most renters will oppose it and it could get messy. Don’t get too personally attached – even though it is your property, remember it’s a profession you have entered in to.

Over half the renting population are pet owners, so don’t make a rash decision and deny pets from your property, as you could be reducing the number of potential renters considerably.

Negatives attached to renters with pets:

• Pets cause damage if not under the correct supervision by their owner – this can lead to repairs that exceed the initial deposit, and trying to obtain any back dated claims from ex-tenants can prove difficult

• Pet odours can linger, so you may find cleaning bills are higher and items like carpets may need replacing more frequently

Positives associated with offering pet friendly rentals:

• Pet owners prefer longer terms as pet friendly rental accommodation may be limited

• Larger deposits are usually agreed because of the potential of higher cleaning bills or to cover damage caused by pets

So when deciding on whether to accept pets take into account the potential costs it may incur, but weigh up the benefits of maybe being the only rented property in an area, thus making your property more desirable to those with pets.

When drafting up your agreements with tenants, be aware to build in clauses that clarify whose responsibility it is to repair broken or damaged items – ranging from the smallest utensil to the roof on the house. Certain elements will fall under general maintenance, so be clear with what stops at maintenance and becomes a repair.

Fires for example can be one of the largest problems to occur in a rented property, as they affect both the tenant’s possessions and the landlord’s property. Both parties should have separate insurance policies, which can make it more complicated to sort out.

If providing part or fully furnished rented space, one important regulation to adhere to is The Furniture and Furnishings Fire Safety Regulations where all items such as pillows, sofas, beds, chairs, mattresses and such forth should have all been tested and labelled to certify they have met the regulation requirements.

Failure to do so will create problems when either tenant of landlord come to claim. Prevention is by far the best policy to take.

Screening potential tenants should be carried out is a fair and methodical fashion. A lot of the information you need can easily be obtained by asking the possible tenant to complete an application form.
The form should ask for the following information:

Credit history, current income and employment status

Social security and national insurance numbers, plus driver license details

Obtaining references from any previous landlords will also give you a good indication if the tenant was regular with payments and if any damage was left when they moved out.

Take in to account the fair housing laws and ask every applicant to supply the above. That way you can ensure you rent to the most suitable candidate for hopefully a trouble free lease.