Before you can start advertising your property, you need to settle on a rent to charge. Check out property websites to gauge the market rate for similar properties, and don’t overcharge if you want to rent your property quickly.
To advertise on the big property portals like Rightmove or Zoopla, you will need to use either an online or high street letting agent as they don’t take adverts directly from private landlords.
Once you’ve found a tenant, there are still some things you need to do.
Conduct a right to rent check: in England you must, by law, check that all prospective tenants over the age of 18 have the right to be in the UK before you can rent a property to them. You may be able to check a tenant’s right to rent online. There is no requirement to check a tenants’ right to rent in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
Carry out tenant reference checks: it’s not a legal requirement, but every landlord should carry out tenant reference checks to help you minimise the risk of getting a troublesome tenant. Tenant referencing is a condition of rent guarantee insurance.
Proof of deposit protection: if you take a deposit from your tenant, it must be placed in a government-backed tenancy deposit scheme (TDP) within 30 days, with information provided to the tenant. There are three TPD options in England and Wales: Deposit Protection Service, Tenancy Deposit Scheme, and My Deposits.