The Eeleven guide to letting your property

The achievable rental value of your property is determined by many factors including location, number of bedrooms, distance from shops and transport, cosmetic appearance and general condition. Our mission at Eeleven is to achieve the highest possible rental figure that takes all these factors into account along with the current state of the local market.

We are not in the business of scaremongering and many rental properties – particularly newly built or recently refurbished homes – encounter zero problems. But when something does go wrong, it rarely happens at a convenient moment for the landlord or tenant. If an appliance breaks down, a leak appears, an accident happens or even if a tenant loses their job, it is extremely useful to have an experienced person taking care of it without disrupting your daily life.

Decide whether to let your property furnished or unfurnished. Furnished properties make better photos and give the best visual impression to potential tenants, making a faster letting more. And if the quality of the furniture is high enough, people will certainly pay a premium. Just remember that all furnishings must comply with fire regulations, and that wear and tear is a fact of life. Even for unfurnished properties, we recommend that white good are supplied with a bare minimum of a washing machine, cooker and fridge-freezer. Buying the cheapest appliances is generally a false economy and often deters better quality tenants, so aim for mid-range upwards. And keep an open mind over what you’re willing to include or take away. It’s often people with the most specific requirements who stay longer and make great tenants.

By using Eeleven as your letting agent, your property will be promoted across a variety of platforms and in a number of ways, from full format photography, plans and descriptions on our website, to listing on the UK’s biggest property portals – Rightmove, Zoopla and Primelocation – to more imaginative posts on our Instagram and Facebook pages. Wherever it’s allowed and physically possible, displaying a ‘To Let’ board will increase your audience: to your immediate neighbours, to their visitors, and to people passing by – all valuable sources of enquiries and viewings. the area. We’ll also contact potential tenants from our existing database with the aim of minimising void periods and getting you the best rental figure.

Every offer received by us on your property will be swiftly communicated to you along with detailed information on the potential tenants – their profession, their position, their preferred moving in date and, wherever possible, how long they’d like to stay. As the Landlord, you have the final say as to whether you wish to proceed and accept their offer. If not, viewings will continue until a suitable tenant is found.

At this point, we will take a holding deposit of one week’s rent from the potential tenants and ask them to visit our office with their Right to Rent ID which will be checked and copied. We will also commence the referencing process. During this time, viewings are suspended until all checks have been completed to everybody’s satisfaction. If the letting falls through at any point, we viewings will begin again immediately and the return holding deposit will be returned.

All tenants will undergo thorough background checks. We use an independent reputable referencing company to report on their suitability and credit-worthiness, including their payment history on any previous lending and any adverse credit, e.g. CCJ’s or bankruptcies. This information is provided by a variety of sources including credit reference agencies like Experian or Equifax and is compiled into a report which gives a final credit score, and whether they have passed or failed. The tenant’s identity is also verified as is their right to live and work in the UK. Eeleven will cover the cost of the Right to Rent checks including whether the tenants are subject to any immigration control. And if they have rented in the past, we will ask for a reference from their previous landlord. From all of the above we can make a very good assessment on a tenant’s suitability for your property.

As soon as the referencing is satisfactorily completed, the tenancy agreement will be prepared and sent to you and your tenants for signing with DocuSign. We'll ask the tenants to pay their first months rent and a further month’s rent as their security deposit, with cleared funds due before they move in.

We strongly recommend having an inventory taken, even for unfurnished properties. An inventory will include details on the kitchen and bathroom fittings, the decorative condition of the property and any other characteristics you want listed. Without an inventory, it is almost impossible to make any deductions for damage at the end of a tenancy. If an inventory has been taken, the Clerk will meet the tenants at the property to conduct the check in process. The meter readings will be taken, the keys will be photographed and then handed to the Tenant. Within the following seven days, the inventory will be sent to the Tenant for them to agree and sign, with a requirement to highlight any amendments within 14 days or the inventory will be locked down. If you choose Eeleven to manage your property as well, a further set of keys will be held at our offices.

All rental payments and deposits received by Eeleven are protected in line with current legislation. Security deposits are protected by the DPS (Deposit Protection Service) and if a landlord wishes to make deductions from a tenant's deposit, there is a set procedure. Full details are available here: Deposit Disputes Landlords are protected by Moneyshield in the event that Eeleven either goes into administration or fails to pay any rental monies due. We are also members of The Property Ombudsman (TPO) redress scheme