Posts with tag: students

August 16th… a day full of celebrations and excitement for those students who will soon be furthering their academic journeys.

However, not only is this a significant day for students, but for landlords this should be an important reminder about student accommodation. Have you ensured that students will be attracted to your property? Do you really know what they’re looking for?

Key decoration and furnishings that students expect in their rental property:

Colour Schemes

When considering a colour scheme, going down the neutral route seems the most appropriate way to go as it will appeal to more people, and will easily match with any type of furniture and furnishings.
When deciding on paint, use a satin finish so that it will be easy to clean walls in between tenancies and reduce the remedial work to get the property ready for the next tenant. Use high durability paints that contain acrylic or latex to reduce the requirement for redecoration. If you need a quick change between tenants, be sure to use water based acrylic paint – it is less time consuming.

Flooring

Go for a mid-tone carpet that doesn’t expose dirt or stains. Cheap carpets may be appealing but are far likelier to become distressed or damaged, especially with regular professional cleaning. So, choose the best quality flooring you can afford. Light carpets are difficult to maintain and show dirt and stains too easily.
Carpets are generally preferred in sleeping areas, but good quality laminate or wooden floors are also popular and offer a far more modern feel.

Furnishing

Providing a furnished property is perfect for students who need a clean, pleasant and safe space to study.
Ensure that each room has the basics covered:
Lounge – sofa and side table
Dining area/room – table and chairs
Bedroom – bed and bedside tables
As you are aiming at a student, you may want to invest in a desk and chair to meet their study needs.
Supplying white goods in your rental may also be an added incentive to achieve a quick rental. The minimum would be a cooker, washing machine and fridge/freezer.

As a landlord, you need to ensure that these key things are in place prior to the viewing process:

• Go through the property and ensure it is clean and presentable
• If you were the prior resident arrange to have your mail redirected
• Transfer utility bills into the name of the new tenant
• Arrange for the council tax to be paid by the new tenant
• Leave instructions for all appliances with each appliance.
• Make sure all relevant equipment is labelled correctly
• Copy the house keys so that each tenant has a set

Ensure that you can provide your tenants with the following:

• An Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreement
• A Schedule 2 Ground 2 Mortgage Notice
• Energy Performance Certificate
• Gas Safety Certificate
• How to rent guide
• Standing Order
• Smoke alarm checklist
• Inventory of the property

On the day your tenants move in:

• Take final meter readings and give them to the tenants
• Conduct, agree and sign the inventory with the tenants
• Demonstrate the workings of relevant equipment – alarms, locks
• Explain how to use any safety equipment – extinguishers, blankets
• Provide emergency contact numbers and written explanations of how to deal with an emergency in the property
• Allow the tenants to ask you any questions they have
• Hand over the keys

As well as this list of key things you should ensure you have in your student property, we have answers from some local students. This is what the recent graduates of Nottingham Trent University have commented, regarding what they think students look for when they start University.

As a graduate, what do you think landlords could do to attract students to their properties?

“Honestly, I think offering rent with bills included at a reasonable price saves a lot of hassle. These new students will 9 times out of 10, not really know how to handle their money and might get confused and stressed about balancing separate bill payments on top of all the studying they are required to do.

“In addition, ensuring that the property has a double bed is a big plus. Students want to feel comfortable in their accommodation. For some, this is a totally different ballgame. They are in a city they have no clue about and will already feel anxious about this entire experience. So, maybe landlords could ensure that there is a decent bed and affordable bills that work for both parties. This would most definitely attract students in my opinion.”

In terms of what I think students want in addition to this, is added extras such as fast, quality broadband, decent white goods and facilities like a fully functioning washing machine, maybe a tumble dryer too.”

What kinds of things did you look for specifically when you were searching for a property?

“Personally, I narrowed down my search by making sure that there were three basic things in each property. I knew that I wanted a property with decent insulation, gas heating and double-glazed windows.

I wasn’t too bothered personally about the decoration inside the property, but I wanted to be certain that I would be warm and comfortable during my tenancy. Luckily, my landlord was lovely and ensured that we had everything we needed. This made my experience a pleasant one. I would suggest that all landlords wanting to increase their chances of more viewings should ensure that these things are prioritised.”

When you were a student, which property type did you pick, and why?

“We lived in a terraced house as a group of 4. Initially, we didn’t really mind where we were going to live because it would have only been for a year, however, to save searching for another property towards the end of our second year at University, we decided to renew our tenancy after the year was up and continue living in the property.

We all picked this property because the rent was manageable and was decent for what we had. The landlord was fair with this and we had decent furniture, despite the house being slightly old, with a few cracks and damages here and there.

Overall, I’d say we picked it because of the rent price, the amount of kitchen and general living space we had and also because it was nearby to public transport which we all needed to get to University and around the city. This definitely worked in the landlord’s favour, as we had a nice house, easy access to transport and affordable rent. “

Lastly, we want to remind landlords that it is paramount to cover your investment, this is why Just Landlords, the Landlord Insurance provider provides the highest quality and widest cover as standard, for both ordinary landlords and student landlords. Please visit our website to enquire further.

As a brand-new group of students begin their academic journeys, the Master Locksmith Association, leading trade association of the locksmithing profession, has issued new advice to landlords of student property.

It is no secret that student accommodation is amongst the most targeted property in the country, thanks to a combination of lax security measures and the potential of rich pickings; for would-be thieves.

A recent study discovered that 1 in 4 students are burgled during their time at University, with a large £25m lost to thieves since 2014. Moreover, 80% of student thefts occur at city universities, where privately-rented, multiple occupancy student accommodations are more common.

With a new generation of so-called ‘silver spoon students’ no arriving at University, for whom Wi-fi, en-suite facilities and flat screens are considered basic amenities, the cost to landlords of repairs has potentially never been greater.

Managing Director of the Master Locksmiths Association (MLA) gives the following advice for student landlords:

1. Know who has access to your property: Would-be thieves don’t always need to force their way into your property. Workmen, letting agents and past tenants may still have keys to your property. Even if you ask for all keys to be returned, there’s no guarantee that they don’t have copies. A patented lock system is a simple, cost-effective way to limit the number of keys in circulation and prevent keys from being cut without proof of ownership.

2. Think like a burglar: Before new students move in, take the opportunity to review security on your property. Remove any large objects or debris outside that could potentially be used to gain entry and repair any broken doors or windows. Be sure to take a look at other similar properties nearby and look for anything different on your property that could make it obvious it is student accommodation.

3. Discuss security: Your new tenants may never have had the responsibility of securing a property alone before, so walk them through what you expect of them when they first move in. Perform routine visits to the property to ensure your tenants are correctly maintaining security and regularly testing the burglar alarm.

4. Install preventative measures: Dusk-till-dawn security lights around the property will help deter thieves from attempting to gain access and alert your neighbours to any attempt to gain access. Interior light timers can also give the impression that someone is in.

5. Invest in good-quality security fixtures: Quality locks and security measures not only reduce the likelihood of theft, the increased lifespan of the products will save money in the long term. For a list of rigorously tested security products, visit www.soldsecure.com.

6. Don’t be tempted to DIY: If you have concerns about the security of your property, hire a professional – the average cost of fixing botched DIY jobs is £323 Your local MLA-approved locksmith will be able to provide a thorough and independent safety and security assessment, offering advice and installation services on all security upgrades necessary to meet insurance requirements.

7. Security and Safety: Equally as important as security is safety. It’s very easy for the wrong kind of door hardware to be installed or fitted to an individual property, especially in homes of multiple occupation (HMO). In addition to this, HMO licencing could be in for some changes and landlords could be held directly responsible in an emergency situation – so advice from a trained professional from organisations such as the MLA are essential to prevent issues such as entrapment.