As a member of the ARLA Propertymark with Client Money Protection in place, County Lettings will ensure that your money, your property and rights are protected. County Lettings offer the highest levels of professionalism and adhere to a strict code of practice.
Why Choose County Lettings Ltd
- We are a member of the ARLA Properymark
- We have Client Money Protection in place to protect your money
- We offer a competitive and cost effective fee structure to maximise income
- We have a large portfolio of individual and corporate clients
- We are the longest established Letting Agents in the area
- We are solely committed to residential lettings and management
- We have an in-house dedicated Property Management Team to deal with all Compliance and Maintenance issues
- We only use local, accredited and reliable Maintenance Contractors
ARLA Propertymark Member with client money protection (CMP)
County Lettings are members of ARLA Propertymark, the only professional body that is solely concerned with the self-regulation of letting agents. County Lettings are therefore required to work to a strict code of practice and are committed to providing the highest standards.
Letting a property brings many responsibilities for the Landlord and the continual updating of legislation can be confusing but choosing a regulated agent will ensure you are fully compliant with your obligations.
County Lettings also have Client Money Protection in place which means our client bank account MUST be regularly audited to check that we adhere to strict accounting practices. Client Money Protection is a compensation scheme run by the National Federation of Property Professionals (NFoPP) which provides compensation to landlords, tenants and other clients should an agent misappropriate their rent, deposit or other client funds.
Competitive
County Lettings offer a competitive and cost effective fee structure and have a large portfolio of clients that range from multi-national companies through to smaller private property investors.
Longest established sole letting agents in the area
There are many reasons for deciding to let your property and by choosing County Lettings, whose name has been prominent in the area for over 30 years, you can rest assured you have made the right choice.
We pride ourselves on being the longest established letting agents in the area solely dedicated to Residential Lettings and Management. We aim to provide both Landlords and Tenants with our wealth of experience and expertise, together with our local knowledge that is second to none. We have prominent offices in Hertford & Ware. We are well regarded and respected locally by those who have chosen to work with us, which is reflected in our testimonials.
Property management
For all fully managed properties, we have an in-house dedicated Property Management Team to deal with all Compliance and Maintenance issues. We only use local, accredited & reliable Maintenance Contractors.
Landlord information
County Lettings will tailor our services to meet your specific needs, circumstances and criteria enabling us to secure you the most suitable tenant at the very best rental price possible. What we will never compromise on is Quality of Service.
Whichever service you choose, whether you are a first time landlord or a seasoned one with many properties, our experienced staff will be on hand to deliver a First Class Service.
Marketing your property
Your property will be part of an extensive on-line marketing campaign, placing your property on sites viewed by millions, giving it the kind of exposure it deserves, thus generating a speedy let. Our offices also maintain an extensive applicant register, so we immediately have potential tenants when taking on new properties. Our offices are based in prominent town positions with window displays; produce photo property listings; and use our distinctive ‘To Let’ boards, all of which are highly effective methods of promoting properties available to rent.
SERVICES
County Lettings offer 3 main services:
Fully Managed Service
Our fully managed service provides landlords with a complete lettings service ensuring peace of mind. This service is ideal for landlords who may not be able to have hands on involvement in the day to day running of the property – a job relocation overseas for example. We will ensure that the rent is collected and transferred to your bank account each month and issue monthly rental statements.
If repairs are required we will ensure that the necessary work is carried out and use our professional and reliable contractors who have worked with this Company for many years. If you would prefer to use your own contractors, you just need to let us have their names and contact numbers.
We will carry out quarterly inspections and report back to you on our findings.
In short, we will manage all the major aspects of letting your property.
Rent Collection Service
This service is exactly as it sounds and is ideal for landlords who wish to play a more active role in the management of their property. We will ensure the rent is collected and transferred to your bank account each month and issue monthly rental statements.
Tenant Find Service
This service is ideal for landlords who prefer to look after the day to day running of their property. As the name suggests, it is designed to take the strain out of sourcing suitable tenants. Once a tenant is found, they will come into the office on the day they move to pay the monies due and sign the Tenancy Agreement. Thereafter, they will deal with the landlord directly and pay the rent into the landlord’s preferred bank account each month.
On all of the above services, we will advise you thoroughly about letting your property so that from the outset you are kept informed of developments and progress. We will undertake professional marketing of your property to prospective tenants and carry out rigorous tenant referencing and credit checks on your behalf.
Contact us now to discuss your individual requirements and maximise your income.
By selecting County Lettings, you may rest assured that with over 30 years of specialist lettings knowledge, you will have made the right choice!
General Information about residential lettings
Tenancy Agreement – Our experienced lettings staff are able to advise landlords about the different types of tenancy and the legal aspects of a typical tenancy agreement.
Deposit – A deposit usually the equivalent of 5 weeks rent is taken from the tenant prior to the start of a tenancy. County Lettings hold the deposit as stakeholders throughout the term of the tenancy and refund it to the Tenant (less any deductions) after the end of the Tenancy. All deposits taken on an Assured Short hold Tenancy are held according to the terms of the Tenancy Deposit Scheme.
References – County Lettings apply for references on all prospective tenants.
Inventory – A full inventory of the contents and conditions of the property must be prepared before the commencement of the tenancy. Without a proper inventory it is very difficult to make any kind of claim against the deposit for damages, breakages or missing items.
Tax – Income tax is payable on rental income arising from a property in the UK. It is the responsibility of a landlord to declare their income when completing their annual tax return. Non-resident landlords should apply to the HM Revenue and Customs for an exemption certificate in order for us to make payments of rent without withholding any against possible tax due.
Insurance – It is the landlord’s responsibility to check that their Buildings and Contents Insurance are in order and to inform their insurers that the property is to be let, as this may affect the cover and/or premium.
Fire and furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 (Fire Safety Amendments 1993 Regulations) – This legislation stipulates that it is an offence to furnish a let property with furniture and furnishings which do not comply with these regulations.
The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1994 and as amended 1998 – It is the landlords responsibility to maintain the gas appliances (if any) at a property. It is also a requirement that a safety check is carried out prior to any tenancy and annually thereafter for as long as the property remains let. We will not let a property until we are in receipt of a copy of a current landlords Gas Safety Record. A copy of this should also be left in the property as well.