I want to let my house out

[inabranstonpickle]

I am moving, but I don't want to sell up just yet :) so letting seems sensible for the interim.

It is a three-bedroomed terraced house, nicely presented but it does need some work doing. At the moment I am planning to put wooden flooring in the lounge and to change the locks on the windows as I can't find a couple of keys ()

What else do I need?

Thank you!

Before you do any of that you need to speak to the mortgage company (if you have a mortgage) and check they are okay with you renting it out. You also need to speak to the insurance company as your current insurance won't cover the house. You will need a gas cert and an electricity cert and wired fire alarms (I think).

Boiler service and any gas appliances certified, specific insurance , permission from mortgage lender, décor as simple as possible and leave paint for touch ups, inventory, agent /references/deposit scheme.

I don't have a mortgage, thank you.

I am planning on seeing an agent next week but want the house to be "ready to go" first, so to speak :)

there was a recent thread with somebody else doing the same - I think it is on chat. Lots of advice there on insurances etc.

you need it clean and tidy, with all your stuff removed. If there's anything big you want to leave, prospective tenants need to know at viewing.

you must have a gas safe cert, renewed annually. Electrical cert not compulsory but a good idea. You need a plan for dealing with issues such as boiler failure and leaks if you cannot do it - while fixes aren't expected in seconds, you obviously can't leave tenants with problems for a week or two until you get back from holiday.

also you need to dissociate - it is your house but will be their home. Their housekeeping standards may not match yours, as long as it is not a hazard to the property that is their business. There's also the worst case (rare but not impossible) scenario of a total trashing, for which you will need insurance.

If you want to maximise your chances of renting quickly and for a good price, the house should be neutrally decorated with decent quality flooring and carpets (because they will get far more wear and tear than if you were living there). Good quality, white bathroom suite is a must with decent quality water pressure. People expect good quality showers nowadays and a shower screen is better than a manky plastic curtain. Bedroom curtains should be blackout. Eyelet curtains are better than tape and hooks. Kitchen needs to maximise storage and you will be expected to provide a fridge/freezer, washing machine or washer/dryer and quite possibly a dishwasher. I am assuming obviously that there is already an oven and hob. If you have to do any work in the kitchen before renting, laminate worktops are perfectly fine. If you happen to already have wood or granite, expect them to suffer some damage - again, tenants just won't take the same care you will. If you are planning to replace anything like door handles, curtain rails, coat racks etc try to buy the best quality you can afford as all these things take a hammering from tenants and will save you replacing them in the longer term.

not totally sure about providing white goods - see what the agent thinks. Some people will have/prefer their own, and if it is theirs they can a) choose and b) you aren't responsible for fixes.

good point about the shower screen, also fit an extractor fan. Make sure the place has no eccentricities; tricky locks, things that don't work properly etc etc. Give bathroom and kitchen a thorough going over, make sure all is sealed, toilets are immaculate and that they flush properly!

copy all instruction manuals and leave the copies, also leave a sheet of 'quick start' stuff; how to get the heating/hot water on, when the bins are collected, things like that. Also leave polite reminders about things everyone should know but doesn't - nothing goes down sinks except liquids, not fat, and nothing goes down toilets except body waste and toilet paper. Provide them with a new toilet brush and a bathroom bin.

oh yes, set up a six month redirect for your post and change all addresses before that time. And put a restriction on the property at the land registry, advising them of your new address.

Many thanks :) this is all very helpful.