Does anyone here let houses

[d000hg]

We've been planning to sell since last winter, once we finished the house. Now, it seems that might not be a good plan. Since the mortgage is only ~£300 a month, renting out our house (3 bed semi, bought for £70K in 2005) seems increasingly attractive.
But being lazy, I don't really want to have to do anything. How much effort is required both to get a house let, and to keep things running smoothly once you have a contract signed? I figure estate agents do a lot (and charge for it), what do you guys have to say about it?

[bogeyman]

Where's the house? Is it in a large town or city, suburban, rural, or what?

Find out the demand and average rental price of similar properties in the area.

Use a specialist letting and management agency rather than a high-street estate agent if possible. They are more geared up for it, and have reliable tradesmen on hand for maintenance, emergencies etc.

If you're lazy, you'll want to be as hands-off as possible and have nothing to do with the tenant. The agency will charge maybe 15% of rent (depending) but will take care of all the messy details like deposits, regular inspections, gas/elec certs etc.

[BigTime]

i've tried diy renting and selling and it's not worth the hassle. agents typically charge a month on a year agreement but you have to look after the tenants after that. change light bulbs etc. you can pay more for a managed service which is worth it if going to the property to sort out issues involves any inconvenience.

[Cyberman]

Renting is a very dodgy area IMO.
My neighbour let his house and the tenants deliberately caused almost 80,000 pounds of damage. A friend of mine got fined 2,000 pounds for illegally evicting a tenant after he refused to pay his rent.

There was also a story of Poles avoiding rent, bills etc last week by all sorts of dubious shenanigans. With unemployment rising the risks of non-payment of rent are rising all the time.

Good Luck !!

[bogeyman]

Renting is a very dodgy area IMO.
My neighbour let his house and the tenants deliberately caused almost 80,000 pounds of damage. A friend of mine got fined 2,000 pounds for illegally evicting a tenant after he refused to pay his rent.

There was also a story of Poles avoiding rent, bills etc last week by all sorts of dubious shenanigans. With unemployment rising the risks of non-payment of rent are rising all the time.

Good Luck !!

I've been letting properties for 12 years. Never had any of those problems.

Do it properly and professionally and you won't have a problem.

[TykeMerc]

I used to have a property that I let out for several years, I had no problems at all.

I regret selling it to be honest.

[Wilmslow]

I just agreed to rent mine out to a celebrity - hoping I don't get crack parties and get the house splashed on the cover of Heat magazine!

Fortunately it is a 12 month contract. within 2 weeks I had 2 people for the place, and I chose who I wanted. It is an easy market for renting at present!

[SizeZero]

Just because they were Big Brother rejects doesn't make them a celebrity.

Edit: Or was it Gary Glitter?

[d000hg]

Just because they were Big Brother rejects doesn't make them a celebrity.

Edit: Or was it Gary Glitter?

I vote for a BB reject. After all, they would suit the chav neighbourhood. Unless this is not the infamous house from Wilmslow's million other posts?

[Spacecadet]

I vote for a BB reject. After all, they would suit the chav neighbourhood. Unless this is not the infamous house from Wilmslow's million other posts?

I vote for Kerry Katona.. she must have lost her house recently
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7574708.stm