Tips to Make a Landlord’s Life Easier

Landlords and property companies have a bad reputation but the majority of them are just trying to maximise their income and aren’t out to give their tenants a hard time. With the global financial crisis of recent years, it is becoming harder than ever for first-time buyers to get a foot on the ladder, meaning that more and more young people are looking for good quality rental properties as an alternative. Investing in rental property can potentially be very lucrative for those willing to take the time to do it right.

But whilst there can be great financial rewards for renting out properties, it can also be a headache if you don’t understand the way the system works or aren’t properly prepared. Here are some tips on how to take the stress out of this business for both you and your tenants:

Get fully insured: Of course, you are required to get buildings insurance when you own a property, but not every landlord is aware that they should also get contents insurance. Perhaps it is because they assume it is the responsibility of the tenant to insure their own belongings – but this is to forget items such as carpets, kitchen or bathroom fixtures which will come as part of the property and can be damaged in the event of fire or flood. Cover yourself for every eventuality and you could save yourself a lot of time and expense further down the line.

Invest in property software: Many landlords are reluctant to put their faith in an agent to manage their property for them – and sadly, often rightly so. But if you have several properties to manage it can soon become too much of a strain to try and keep track of everything yourself. In this situation, property management software exists to do a lot of the work for you so you don’t even have to think about it. It can, for example, send automatic arrears letters to tenants, provide you with instant access to specific details about your portfolio, produce accounts and bank statements and even generate reports.

Get a tenancy agreement: This is an absolute essential as it means both you and your tenants are protected by law. I have heard so many cases of landlords letting to ‘friends’, only to lose out badly when they refuse to pay rent or damage the property and then leave without giving notice. You should also run a credit check and ask for references on potential tenants to give you further peace of mind.

Do it yourself: Once you have the above-mentioned property software, there is really no need for an agent. To further cut costs, use skilled friends and acquaintances to carry out maintenance or repairs, or do it yourself if you are able to. Do be aware of your tenants’ rights though: for example, once the tenancy agreement has been signed you can’t enter the property without giving proper notice.

Get certified: You will soon get into hot water if you don’t have all the necessary certifications in place before you let your property. Since 2008, all landlords are required to have Energy Performance Certificates for their houses, and the Landlord and Tenant Act of 1985 legally obliges all landlords to ensure that all electrical appliances and installations are safe before the tenant moves in, as well as carrying out checks every five years. Gas installations also have to be checked, so bring in a CORGI registered engineer to do this.

Musical Theatre Schools How Your Child Could Benefit From Taking a Course in the Performing Arts

Whether your child is reserved or outgoing by nature, he or she will almost certainly benefit from taking a course at one of the many established musical theatre schools. Although musical theatre is considered the toughest of all performance mediums, the three core activities of musical theatre, namely: singing, dancing and drama, offer many positive benefits including:

Confidence BuildingSchool children, students and adults are often called upon to present or perform to their peers. Instilling the qualities necessary for accomplished performance in a creative, yet structured environment, produces exceptional results, and builds a sense of self-worth and personal achievement. Whilst shy children find their confidence through unearthing and developing their unique talents, more confident, outgoing children, will develop valuable life skills such as listening and empathy.

Nurturing IndividualityThrough providing a fun and entertaining learning environment, students feel nurtured, inspired and constantly positive. It’s vital that teachers promote individual creativity and that each child’s contribution is acknowledged and valued.
Children should be encouraged to dream, to challenge themselves and grow in line with their goals. An uplifting environment where each small achievement is celebrated is conducive to producing uniquely creative individuals who can think and act for themselves.

Encouraging Great TeamworkFinding a class which motivates your child and encourages social interaction, enthusiastic participation, cooperation and teamwork is essential. Learning to work well in a disciplined environment with respect for their tutors and fellow ‘performers’, is essential training for any youngster. Teamwork and team-building skills are highly valued in the world of work. Just look how many times the Team Leader gets fired on The Apprentice! Seriously, encouraging youngsters to work well in team activities will definitely stand them in good stead as they progress to adulthood.

Developing Musical AppreciationMusical theatre is perhaps unique in that offers training in three arts-related disciplines for the price of one! It’s the perfect course for any young person who is either multi-talented, or else, isn’t sure where their talents lie exactly, and may be in need of some ‘coaching and coaxing.’
To give a young person the gift of an introduction to the performing arts is a fine and generous thing to do. No doubt as the proud parent waiting in the wings, you will be graciously rewarded the first time you see your child perform on stage.

But much more than the extent of their singing, dancing or acting ability, you will be providing your youngster with valuable life skills that will see them well, whatever career choice they decide to pursue.

Management Software The Best Way to Run a Property Business

Whether you are running a large property business or are a private landlord with just a few houses to rent, the time has come to bring your methods up to date. Forget about your paper-based systems or Excel spreadsheets and invest in the latest landlord management software. You will notice a difference immediately as the fully automated system takes charge of every aspect of your portfolio, saving you a significant amount of both time and money. You’ll never want to go back.

So what exactly are the main benefits of using property management software? To begin with, it can be tailored to meet the needs of anybody working within the property business, from those with just a few tenancies to those managing lettings into the hundreds of thousands. For example, if you have a mixed property portfolio then you can purchase software which, along with accounting and reporting services, also comes equipped with a special service charge module to allow you to deal with complex lease provisions.

Furthermore, landlord management software gives you the ability to maintain real control over your portfolio. We all know how easy it is to let things slide, and one forgotten payment here or routine maintenance visit there can soon see your business descending into chaos. Control over your portfolio means the total automation of routine jobs such as arrears collection, letters to tenants or maintenance reminders. It also means a fully detailed event and transaction history retained in the system as long as you need it, so you can access any important or relevant information in seconds.

Security is also very important to most landlords or property agents, and again this is where managing your business using software emerges as the winning approach. With a paper-based system it is much easier for unauthorised persons to access information on your portfolio, whereas landlord management software will come with a security system which allows you to set individual access rights for each of your staff – or not, as the case may be.

Lastly, if you want a more detailed report on a certain aspect of your portfolio, using specialised software is the best way to get hold of this both quickly and accurately. Built-in report generators will allow you to pick and choose the information you want to create reports and statements which are tailored to the needs of your business. Yes, this kind of software comes at a price initially, but once it is implemented you will soon see savings in terms of both time and money.