Make sure that your tenant application form contains a minimum of the following details: prospective tenants address for the previous three years, National Insurance number, birth date and contact details for the next of kin.
Ensure that you get copies of at least two forms of identity; ideally passport and driving license.
Check your tenants credit reference; there are plenty of companies willing to help and the cost has come down substantially in recent years.
Check the prospective tenants past three month's bank statements.
Listen carefully to their circumstances: often individuals who are in a great hurry or who have been living with friends should be given a wide berth.
Think carefully when setting the rent; what makes more sense: a modest stable income or a higher unstable income?
By holding the deposit with a government approved tenancy deposit scheme, you'll be able to avoid the all-too-familiar scenario of tenants leaving the property in a damaged/ dirty state and refusing to pay the last month's rent.
Make a detailed inventory of everything in your let property, photographs can be useful to illustrate the condition of the building/ contents.
Get comprehensive insurance that covers, buildings, contents… and importantly accidental injury to tenants and visitors.
Suggest that all tenants also take out contents insurance cover.
