Gold Key: Your key to successful letting!
- Residential Letting
- Property Management
- Corporate Lets
- Relocations
Our landlords are special to us and we make sure that we listen to their needs. It makes no difference to us whether you are a fledgling landlord who needs to be guided through your first tenancy or a veteran landlord with years of lettings experience under your belt. Our ethos is the same: to tailor our service as far as possible to your requirements.
In addition to providing experience and advice, we utilise modern and traditional advertising methods to secure lets on individual properties. However, it is equally likely that we will let your property to one of our many personally referred tenants.
Your duty is to provide a quality property that meets certain legal and habitable standards. In so doing, your property is more likely to attract a quality tenant who will maintain it with a high level of pride and care.
While a majority of our landlords own buy-to-let or investment properties, we also work with corporate lets and relocations where rents are paid and guaranteed by tenants’ employers. We at Gold Key are not just another residential lettings and property management agency. We are a daily evolving business that continuously strives to exceed our clients’ expectations. We depend on and support your valued custom.
The two main services that we offer are Full Management and Tenant Finder Only.
Full Management:
A comprehensive property management service for which a monthly commission is deducted from the rent. It includes:
- Property advice to ensure best rental return
- Accompanied property viewings
- Tenant Find and Vetting
- Preparation of Inventory and Schedule of Condition
- Compilation and signing of Tenancy Agreements
- Transfer of utilities
- Rent collection and transfer to landlord account
- Monthly rent statements
- Quarterly property inspections + reports to landlord
- Tenant / Landlord Liaison
- Organising necessary repairs, as required and according to landlord instruction
- Rent Guarantee (if required)
- Deposit Protection
With the current abundance of rental properties, it is important that prospective tenants view yours as an attractive proposition. Advising you on how to present your property to achieve its best rental return is an integral part of our service. Sometimes a coat of fresh paint or a new carpet will breathe new life into your property and increase its rental value.
We always accompany applicants on viewings so that we can direct their attention to your property’s best features and acquaint ourselves with them and their particular requirements.
We source and reference (as comprehensively as possible) all tenants before accepting them for the properties on our register.
Before a tenant takes up residency it is important that the contents of your property and their general condition are documented so that any potential for disputes at the end of the tenancy is minimised. There are different levels available but we offer a basic Inventory with each new tenancy.
It is important for both landlord and tenant that an Agreement of how the tenancy should proceed is drawn up prior to the tenant taking up residency. This protects the rights and well-being of both parties and prevents misunderstanding by outlining each party’s individual obligations. It also minimises the risk of evictions. The Agreements are standard but flexible in that they allow for the addition and removal of clauses. We handle the Tenancy Agreement signing for the tenants.
Although it is tenants’ responsibility to do so, we notify all utility suppliers of occupancy changes and opening and closing meter readings so that changes in tenancies and billing proceed as smoothly as possible.
Rent collection is a main feature of Full Management. Rents are collected monthly via Standing Order and transferred from our account to yours on the rent due date.
Each time a rent is paid you will be notified and sent a Rent Statement with details of your individual property account.
Inspections are conducted on your property every three months and a report of our findings sent to you within a day or two of our visit. The purpose of the inspection is to check for faults, early warning signs of impending repairs and make a record of how the property is being maintained. We note any undue wear-and-tear and, in the event that the cause is tenant-inflicted, advise the tenant of how best to prevent or correct further degradation. The reports help you determine the best course of action to implement when a repair is due.
Having us act as middleman takes the pressure off the landlord-tenant relationship, often making it easier for both parties to communicate more effectively. Problems arising within the property or tenancy can be resolved quickly and harmoniously when an objective eye is cast upon the matter. Thankfully, most tenant / landlord liaisons are not problem based. Sometimes, the matter is as simple as the landlord requiring the tenant’s cooperation for access to the property for scheduled maintenance improvements.
It is inevitable that repairs – however minor – will be required at some time in the life of property ownership. When a tenancy is in force, we will implement the necessary steps to having the repair completed as quickly and cost-effectively as possible, according to the landlord’s instruction.
An optional rent guarantee that covers the length of the tenancy is available at a small charge. It ensures that your rent is covered and paid in the event of tenant default and legal fees are met in the event of litigation.
It is a legal requirement that all tenant deposits are protected by one of three government-backed insurance schemes that have been set up to protect tenants from unscrupulous landlords and letting agencies. There is a small fee payable by the landlord, which we pay and deduct from the first month’s rent. The scheme will arbitrate and issue a final decision in the event of an unresolved dispute between tenant and landlord at the end of a tenancy.
Tenant Finder
Flat fee or half the first month's rent, whichever is the greater, per tenancy. It includes:
- Tenant introduction
- Tenant vetting / referencing
- Tenancy Agreement (if required)
- Collection and transfer of first month's rent and deposit
- Rent Guarantee (if required)
- Deposit Protection (if required)
Some landlords prefer to manage their properties themselves but seek help in finding fully vetted tenants. We offer this service for a one-time fee.
Although no amount of referencing is a watertight guarantee of credibility, it is always preferable to solicit some form of testimonial to your prospective tenant’s character. We take referencing seriously and make our own enquiries in addition to any outsourcing we employ to acquire as comprehensive a picture as possible of the tenant we offer to inhabit your property.
We can compile an Agreement to your instruction or use our standard contract if you do not have your own Agreement available.
As a rule of thumb, we collect and transfer to you the first month’s rent minus our agreed fee. We also pass on the tenant’s deposit to your safekeeping when we do not manage a property.
An optional rent guarantee that covers the length of the tenancy is available at a small charge. It ensures that your rent is covered and paid in the event of tenant default and legal fees are met in the event of litigation.
It is a legal requirement that all tenant deposits are protected by one of three government-backed insurance or custodial schemes that have been set up to protect tenants from unscrupulous landlords and letting agencies. There is a small fee payable to the scheme by the landlord. The scheme will arbitrate and issue a final decision in the event of an unresolved dispute between tenant and landlord at the end of a tenancy.
Some non-managed landlords prefer to avoid the deposit registering procedure. We can protect the deposit on your behalf if you feel similarly or prefer that an outside party (other than the Government) hold it in trust for the tenant.
Some non-managed landlords prefer to avoid the deposit registering procedure. We can protect the deposit on your behalf if you feel similarly or prefer that an outside party (other than the Government) hold it in trust for the tenant.
Fees Schedule
- Full Management: 9% of monthly rent / 10% of monthly rent over £1000
- Tenant Finder: Half the first month's rent or £450.00, whichever is the greater
- General Administration Fee (Tenancy Set-Up): £250.00
- Referencing Fee ( per Tenant / Guarantor): £110.00
- Check-In Fee: £60.00
- Check-Out Fee: £60.00
- Inventory Fee: £75.00 - £135.00 (dependent on property size and furnishing)
- Deposit Protection Fee: £50.00 (for the duration of the tenancy)
- Rent Guarantee Insurance: Per quotation
- Tenancy Renewal Fee: £75.00
- Key Cutting: Cutting Cost + £5.00
- Gas Safety Certificate: £60.00 inc. VAT
- Energy Performance Certificate: £40.00
- Portable Appliances Tests: £15.00 per item tested
- Risk Assessment: £358.80 (£299 + VAT)
- Contractor Surcharge: 10% of completed works invoice or min. £10.00
- Check Landlord Supplied Contract: £35.00
- Check Landlord Supplied Inventory: £35.00
- Works Extra To Agreement: £60.00 per hour
Please visit the Contact Us page to get in touch with us about your property. We will be pleased to discuss your requirements and appraise your property for its rental potential.