We believe in being transparent and upfront about how we operate, so here are what you can expect to find in a typical contract with us, subject to negotiation.
Contract Term
Our contracts run for a length of time to suit you, but we do look for long term contracts. Our typical contract runs for 3 years. Every year, on the anniversary of signing the contract, there is a break-clause that allows either of us to end the contract early by giving the other party notice that you wish to end the contract. At least 3 months notice must be given prior to the anniversary date.
Maintenance
We cover all maintenance costs below £100*, up to a cumulative total of £500* per year. In addition to this we cover routine electrical safety testing and gas appliance servicing. When necessary due to wear and tear we’ll refresh the decor, again at our costs. We’ll let you know when we carry our such repairs or servicing, but you don’t need to approve them.
Where there are larger repairs required we’ll let you know about them as soon as possible. We’ll arrange for quotes for the repairs and pass them on to you to choose which one you wish to go with, or you can arrange for further quotes of your own. If you choose one of the quotes we arranged we’ll co-ordinate with the supplier to arrange for the works to be done, however you as landlord are responsible for paying for them and will need to authorise the repair with the supplier. We’ll inspect the work once completed, to let you know the work is completed to a suitable standard and the suppliers invoice should be paid. Under the contract you are responsible for authorising the repairs in a timely manner. If you fail to do so we are entitled to select a supplier on your behalf and pay for it out of the rent payments to you. Similarly, if you have authorised the repair but then fail to pay the suppliers invoice on time we may pay it on your behalf and recover the payment made from the rent. This is to ensure we have the confidence of the suppliers we use to ensure we can continue to use tradesmen we know and trust.
Please note that our responsibility to co-ordinate repairs only stands where such co-ordination is relatively simple, where there is a repair required which is complex or multi-trade we would seek quotes from multi-trade suppliers who could co-ordinate the repairs on our behalf.
If you wish we can consider paying for the repairs on your behalf and spreading the cost of those repairs over the remaining rent payments. Such requests would be considered on a case by case basis.
*Note that amounts given are subject to change based on size of property and type of property. We typically aim to set an amount that ensures we can handle most minor repairs without needing to bother the landlord, ensuring speedy repairs for us and less hassle for you.
Inspections
You may request an inspection of the property at any time, to give you peace of mind that your investment is being looked after. We do prefer for inspections to take place when we do not have guests in, and would therefore suggest that such inspections take place during handover times between guests, we can let you know when those are on request. Alternatively we can arrange for photos or a video walk-through of the property and have those sent to you.
You will not have the right to enter the property unless previously agreed with us, this is for the privacy and security of our guests.
Furniture
We will consider both furnished and unfurnished properties. Where the property is furnished we do require the furnishings to be of a suitable quality, state of repair and style. Mismatched furniture is not acceptable.
Cancellation and suspension
If the property becomes unsafe or unfit for inhabitation, such as due to fire, flood, infestation or other problems outside our reasonable control, then we may choose to immediately suspend or terminate the contract. This includes situations where the property itself may not be directly affected, but access to it is, such as the only reasonable road to the property being unusable. We will only terminate where we believe the timescale for making the property suitable for use is excessively long, or it exceeds or comes close to the end date of our contract with the landlord and no extension to that contract has been signed with the landlord.
During a contract suspension no rent payments would be made. We would hand the property back to the landlord unless we were overseeing the repairs on their behalf.
In the event that new legislation is introduced by national or local governments that impose restrictions on operation of serviced accommodation, we are responsible for seeking any license, permits or other permissions as may be necessary to operate the property. If we are unable to gain such permission, and we are therefore unable to continue to operate the property as serviced accommodation, then we may terminate our contract with you. We would keep you updated throughout any such process. If we are unable to operate a property whilst an application or appeal goes through then we can choose to suspend the contract instead after discussing the situation with the landlord.
Costs we pay
In addition to the maintenance costs described above, we pay for;
- Cleaning
- Gardening
- Council tax
- Gas
- Electricity
- Water
- Broadband
- TV Licence
- Council tax or rates
- Contents insurance
Costs you pay
As you do today, you pay for;
- Mortgage
- Buildings insurance
Prerequisites
Before we can take on your property, and you can spend your extra free time fishing, there are a few prerequisites you need to take care of. We will need to see confirmation from your mortgage and buildings insurance providers that they have accepted use of the property as serviced accommodation. If they don’t then we can refer you to appropriate brokers who can assist with changing to a suitable product. If the property is in England or Wales, we’ll need to see proof that either you own the property Freehold, or that there are no restrictions on use by the Leaseholder that may prevent the property being used as serviced accommodation. These are all important checks to ensure you as a landlord are not exposed to unnecessary risk.
Properties we are looking for
We’ll consider properties of many types in many areas across the UK, including Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and consider each property on a case-by-case basis. If you’re interested in renting to us then get in touch with your property address and postcode, number of bedrooms and bathrooms and your rent expectation and we’ll get back to you.
Flats: Main-door flats, where the access door to the flat itself is on the outside of the building, or where there is no controlled access between the exterior of the building and the door to the flat itself, can all be considered. Flats where there is controlled access into the building we would need to determine whether we could install a key access solution externally or find an alternative solution that could work in that area.
Apartments: If your property is in an apartment building with controlled access, where we cannot put a key access solution on the outside of the building, we would need to investigate what other solutions would work in that area.
Semi-detached or terraced: We will consider these property types, they can work well for professional guests.
Detached: We really like detached properties, as they can be suitable for a wide range of guests.
Country, village or small town property: Location dependent, we would need to consider demand in that particular area, but we will happily take on country properties under the right circumstances, as long as we can ensure we can source services to clean and maintain the property. If your property has a large areas of grounds to maintain then we might not be able to take that on, but we can discuss things with you when we have the details.
Urban property: We look for properties in good or “ok” areas. We would not consider properties in areas with significant social issues. Properties in large towns or cities are usually of great interest to us.
Suburban property: If your property is on the edge of a large town or city, or one of the “commuter” small towns surrounding one, then it could be great for certain types of guests and we would look at these on an individual basis.
Island property: If your property is located off the British mainland, on one of the multitude of beautiful small islands, then we would be interested in taking a look. The challenge here is likely to be ensuring we can adequately service it with cleaning, laundry and maintenance services. Such properties are also likely to be highly seasonal in guest demand, so we’d need to closely look at our numbers.