10 best ways to find HMO tenants

Reply to the comment left by "john kelly" at "07/06/2014 - 19:10":

To some extent it may depend on the type of residents you have, but if you can legitimately say that it is in your resident's interest that someone checks on their welfare from time to time then that is yet another reason why you can justify entering their room and thus they don't have "exclusive possession". Likewise, if there are fire alarms in the room that need to be tested then again it is a good reason for withholding "exclusive possession" so that you can test the alarm and thus better preserve the life and safety of all residents. There is no definitive legislation that says what is or isn't a "licence", so you just have to incorporate as much as possible that would add weight to your argument that it is a genuine licence agreement.

well for example i have some rooms that one has the boiler to the house sited and some that have thermostats therefore on these rooms i genuinely need 24hour access to these rooms and i have made them special conditions on these tenants licences......could a court refuse this as 'exclusive possessions'?

Robert would it be possible to see an example of your licence?

Reply to the comment left by "Robert Mellors" at "06/06/2014 - 11:07":

Hi Robert we have a HMO student let in Sheffield and have not got any group signed up yet for 2014/15 - any ideas?

We don't charge anything extra either. We've even paid for Land Registry searches to check a guarantor owns the property the tenant says they do, found the tenant was lying, returned the deposit and month's rent to them and not even asked for reimbursement of the 2 x £4 fees for the searches! My husband is just glad to be shot of them.

Reply to the comment left by "Nicky Caley" at "07/06/2014 - 23:51":

Hi Nicky

Yes, plenty of ideas, but may be best to discuss them outside of this forum as what may be suitable for you may depend on what you want, what you're capable of doing, what income you need from the property, where it is, type of property, etc, etc, so far too many questions and answers to be putting it on the forum, therefore if you would like some help tailored to your specific circumstances please e-mail me robert.mellors@hotmail.co.uk .

Reply to the comment left by "Mark Alexander" at "06/06/2014 - 10:53":

Before I start looking for tenants I look at my property. Is it better than my competitor? This doesn't have to cost the earth. It's amazing the difference a coat of paint makes 10 litres of brilliant white matt paint £13-20. It's a pain to paint everywhere white but once it's done the touch up is a breeze - doors (not the frame) a different colour - I chose black (i'm into mono chrome at the moment) my house looks recently decorated for every new tenant.. If furnished - mattress protector for beds (waterproof with cotton) who wants to sleep on a stained mattress. Clean bathrooms and kitchen. Oven pride is brilliant no need for expensive professional oven cleaners. Laminate flooring no arguing with tenants about stained carpets - you get my drift. Now my property is ready for all those eager tenants and they will pay a bit more for a nicer place in my experence - LOL.

Next pricing - what is my competitor charging (remember my place is better). Also check your property's energy rating a house with good energy rating might be worth including bills in the price of the rent - tenants love that all inclusive price especially with HMOs.

House - check; pricing - check next tenants. In my experience it's always better to get a group rather than individual tenants. Take out two ads on sparerooms one for individuals and one for buddy up. If you do this in time you can have enough tenants to go in together to form a group. Make tenancy agreements (where possible) all end on the same day. That way you have an empty property available for a group avoiding void periods waiting for one tenant's tenancy to expire with other rooms empty or ending up on that merry go round of finding odds and sods with empty rooms. Also if you deal with the student market remember groups are looking from around Xmas for the following year get your property marketed early before Landlord Easter wakes up and thinks I need tenants for the next academic year.

Being a landlord is no different from any other business. To be successful you have to lead not follow. If you stay ahead of your competition you are in with a fighting chance. Don't bury your head in the sand.

Re: Waiting Lists,

When your dealing with lots of small flats & bedsits you should be running a waiting list - I've got about 30 on mine - I wish I had more property!
I don't advertise anywhere, just word of mouth, loads of referrals from happy tenants, current and past - they always pass my name on.

Re: John's situation

Don't be frightened of Housing Benefit.

I know John doesn't want HB tenants but there are some, like elderly or disabled that could become an asset as a long term tenant, especially in a hard to let small room.
Also, I deal with the NAS or SERCO type companies, I don't know who it will be in your area? They house asylum seekers and when they get their papers for residency they have 30 days to get out of their room - yes that's right - when they can stay legally in this country we make them homeless!
That's where I come in - I can find them somewhere to stay and more importantly, they start looking for a job, keep the place clean, never complain - they are very grateful for the help. They will be on HB to start so check out the local LHA rates the council pay. They get paid 4 weeks in arrears, so we don't charge any fees or deposits and also have to wait for 4 weeks but the people are genuine and as in your situation the room has probably been empty for 4 weeks anyway so what have you got to lose? Also, when they do leave they almost always bring a friend who wants the room! So no advertising costs - ever!
Speak to the people at Serco (or whoever in your area) ask to be put in touch with the person who deals with ending the tenancies - they have a horrible job of throwing nice people out on the street after 30 days notice. They will be glad of your help and your rooms.

Good Luck
Yvonne

Reply to the comment left by "Yvonne B." at "09/06/2014 - 14:48":

Lovely, thank you - I will try that!

I can’t understand why anyone wouldn’t understand a waiting list?
I’ve always had a waiting list. Why not?

I’ve operated without a waiting list & with a waiting list-And I just cannot see why anyone would not want a queue of people waiting for their houses? After all, we buy a house, we then try to find a a tenant.
Me & Rob reduce our time & costs massively by not having to ‘find a tenant’

Should a property come up, I han’t got to advertise. I han’t got to rush round seeing tenants last minute.
No empty houses.

A ‘waiting list’ has worked for me for 15 years. If people don’t want to operate one, fair enough.
Me & Rob would rather be in front, should a property come up. No advertising fees, tenants ringing us every week etc. etc.

Aaah, & I’ve just got back off holiday & don’t want a debate till I’ve gone through my waiting list for a forthcoming property coming up.

Reply to the comment left by "Mick Roberts" at "11/06/2014 - 07:39":

Surely there's a reason why people are prepared to wait though Mick. Could it be that no other landlord would rent their property to these tenants? If so, why would I want them?
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