I’m so excited to share with you that McCartan Lettings has been awarded the highest level rating of Best Practice Agent by Rent Smart Wales in our first audit!

Operating at best practice standard means not just complying with the many housing laws, but going above and beyond to provide the highest levels of support and service to our landlords and tenants.

As you know, it has always been hugely important to me to work to best practice standards. There are always risks involved in letting, but we work hard to reduce those for our landlords, to protect you from £1000s of fines, banning orders, rent repayment orders, etc, and to ensure your tenants are renting safe, secure homes.

The Audit

Grades were awarded for 5 different areas:

• Licence Conditions
• Before Letting
• Setting Up a Tenancy
• During a Tenancy
• Ending a Tenancy

We received a grade of “Best Practice” for each area.

As part of the audit, we had to provide evidence of our processes and procedures, the information we provide to landlords and tenants, and proof of our membership to Client Money Protection, Professional Indemnity, and Redress schemes.

Agents who have been audited and graded will receive certificates and window stickers from Rent Smart Wales (RSW) to display in their offices. It isn’t currently compulsory to display these, but the information we received from RSW suggests it may become compulsory in the future, similar to the Food Hygiene Ratings.

Do Landlords Really Need Protecting?

It might seem overly dramatic to talk about “protecting” landlords, but it really isn’t. There are round 270 pieces of legislation in England and Wales relating to housing, and the penalties for not complying with them can include fines, rent stopping orders, losing the ability to regain possession of your house – and in the most extreme of cases, prison sentences.

To manage a tenancy compliantly, you have to be familiar with all of this legislation which includes but is not limited to Consumer Protection Act 1987, Housing Act 1988, Housing Act 2004, Housing (Wales) Act 2015, Deregulation Act 2015, Gas Safety Regulations, Electrical Safety Regulations, Deposit Registration Requirements, Consumer Rights Act 2015, Housing and Planning Act 2016, Energy Efficiency Regulations 2015, Energy Efficiency Regulations 2018, Renting Homes (Fees)(Wales) Act 2019 – and now the Coronavirus Act 2020, too.

Landlords cannot afford to risk their property investments to legislative oversights or misunderstandings of the law.

Exclusive to You – Lettings Heath Check Offer

As a thank you for reading my newsletter and as a celebration of our Best Practice status, I’m offering 8 Swansea Landlords the chance to have a free Lettings Health Check of their tenancy/property.

If you would like to be one of those 8 landlords, get in touch here to book a quick 5 minute chat with one of our lettings experts today or call 01792 430100. They’ll arrange a convenient time with you for the check!

Related: Community at the Heart of Operations at McCartan / Let on First Viewing – Twice!