Mattresses found within rental properties are stereotypically crawling with mites, covered in stains, being full of holes, and having springs sticking out of every angle, making them very uncomfortable. Although sadly this can be true in some cases, in reality, the majority of mattresses in rental accommodation are adequate – but it can be difficult to know where to start when choosing a mattress.

Here Andrew Waters, mattress expert at 1907 – a manufacturer of luxury natural and memory foam mattresses – offers some simple tips to landlords of private rented accommodation on selecting a mattress and its aftercare, in order to achieve the longest lifespan possible for the product.

Selecting a mattress

When selecting a mattress for rented accommodation, we recommend landlords use the same philosophy as they would when choosing a mattress for their own home – after all a tenant who is relaxed (helped by a good night’s sleep) is more likely to stay in a property for longer which makes the life of a landlord much easier!

Although it can be tempting to buy the cheapest mattress you can find, you may discover that you have to replace it more often than a better quality product and the signs of disrepair, such as stains or loose springs, become evident more quickly.

Instead, 1907 recommends that you buy the best mattress you can afford. By doing so you will achieve a greater lifespan for the mattress and you are likely to have happier tenants. Although there is no definitive answer as to whether to go for a memory foam or a natural mattress, it is worth considering both options for rented accommodation and understanding the properties of each.

Natural mattresses are filled with a range of materials including wool, horsehair, cotton and coir which provide varying support depending on the composition of each material – the various elements work together to offer benefits such as natural insulation, which combine to provide a comfortable night’s sleep. Natural mattresses contain open coil or pocket spring systems and some are even spring-free.

Memory foam mattresses on the other hand, have a unique open cell structure which reacts to body heat, moulds around your body and eliminates pressure points. Memory foam allows you to settle for long periods without constant tossing and turning, which gives you a restful sleep. Memory foam mattresses also contain open coil or pocket spring systems.

Caring for your mattress

To make sure your mattress wears evenly, they need to be turned regularly. Ideally you should flip and rotate a natural mattress once a month, and memory foam mattresses should be rotated end to end with the memory foam layer on the top once a month. Although there is no guarantee tenants will remember or be motivated do this, during inspections it’s always worth reminding them to do so, or doing it yourself during change-over.

At change-over time, if the mattress surface has become dirty or soiled, use an upholstery shampoo, with warm water and a sponge to clean it. However, it’s essential to not allow the interior materials of the mattress get wet, and do not use solvent-based cleaners as they can damage the foam in memory foam mattresses or discolour the fabric covering of a mattress which makes them aesthetically less appealing.

Mattress protectors or mattress toppers can also add significantly to the lifespan of a mattress so consider investing in one for rented accommodation. They are fairly inexpensive so can be replaced or washed when new tenants arrive.

For further information on how to care for your mattress and to view the 1907 range visit: www.1907beds.co.uk

I have been acting for both landlords and tenants in all aspects of enfranchisement both on a voluntary and statutory basis for 5 ½ years.

I tend to find that there are two types of landlord client. The first are those landlords that insist on a statutory notice being served under section 42 of the Leasehold Reform, Housing & Urban Development Act 199 (“the 1993 Act”). This enables tenants to extend their lease by 90 years in addition to the unexpired term of their lease. In return for a premium, the ground rent becomes a peppercorn (i.e. nil).

The second type of landlord client takes a more pragmatic approach to the management of their portfolio. If at all possible, they want to retain their ground rental income stream and either approach their tenants directly to negotiate a lease extension on voluntary terms or make it clear to their tenants that a voluntary approach can be made at any time to them to extend their lease. This has a number of advantages. The first being that a lesser term than 90 years can be added to an existing term of lease. Although this may attract a lesser premium, the landlord is able to negotiate an increase in ground rent immediately upon granting the new lease and throughout the new term of the lease. In addition, it is commonplace for the tenant to meet the landlord’s reasonable legal and valuation fees which under the 1993 Act are restricted and usually result in a residual liability from the landlord’s perspective for fees that cannot be recovered from the tenant.

A voluntary lease extension does not follow a strict timeframe and so the lease extension proceeds on the landlord’s terms as opposed to the tenant’s terms. A statutory lease extension sets out a clear timetable for responding to, for example, the counter-notice, application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal and completion. Furthermore, a tenant has to have owned their flat for at least two years before being entitled to a statutory lease extension.

Whether a landlord decides to grant a voluntary or statutory lease extension to a tenant does of course depend on the landlord’s objectives. Some landlords see their portfolios as providing them with an income stream and accordingly a voluntary lease extension would enable them to increase this income by, for example, doubling the ground rent payable under a lease or linking the increase in the ground rent throughout the rest of the term to, for example, the retail price index. There are no set rules as to how the ground rent increases throughout the term and it is always advisable to take specialist valuation advice to calculate the likely premium payable.

Some landlords take the view that a tenant must have owned the property for at least two years prior to an approach for a lease extension and that in accordance with other properties within their portfolio and their own practice, a lease extension must proceed under the 1993 Act by way of a formal notice being served by the tenant and an additional 90 years being added to the unexpired term and therefore the ground rent becoming a peppercorn.

A landlord does not have to grant a voluntary lease extension to a tenant but there are obvious advantages, as stated above, for doing so. In some circumstances, a statutory lease extension may be more appropriate.

Irrespective, it is essential that a landlord engages the services of professionals experienced to deal in this complex area of law to ensure that at all times, their interests are protected.

Katie Cohen
Leasehold Enfranchisement Partner
Child & Child Solicitors
katiecohen@childandchild.co.uk
020 7201 1865

Mary Latham, landlord and contributor to the lettingaproperty.com blog, explores a hot topic not unfamiliar to most landlords and tenants – ‘right of access!’

The reason that the legal process for taking our properties back from tenant is called Possession is because once we have given the keys to the property to the tenant that tenant legally Possesses the property.

We continue to own the property but it is now in the possession of the tenant. At the point at which we hand over the keys we have no natural legal right of access and this is something that gets many landlords into trouble. There is legislation that entitles us to access the property in an emergency or to carry out repairs or statutory obligations like Gas Safety Inspections but the legislation that protects a tenants right to “quiet enjoyment” is likely to override our rights of entry if the tenant does not give us permission to enter and we cannot prove without doubt that we had no alternative but to enter the property.

One of the questions that I am asked most often is “has my tenant got the right to change the locks and not give me a key?”

The simple answer is “yes”, a tenant has the right to protect his privacy. If a tenant believes, because of past experience or because of the many stories told about landlords walking into a tenanted property without warning, that the landlord will not respect his legal right to “quiet enjoyment” changing the locks will prevent the landlord from entering without his permission.

To read the full article, go to: http://www.lettingaproperty.com/property-blog/2013/01/how-does-a-landlord-gain-access-to-a-tenanted-property-rights-of-access/

LandlordZONE®, winner of the 2012 Landlord & Letting Magazine, property portal of the year award, has successfully launched its 12 days of Christmas promotion for 12 of its key clients.

One of the first independent property websites in the UK, www.landlordzone.co.uk has a direct e-mail marketing channel to over 100,000 registered landlords.

Founding director and editor, Tom Entwistle said, “We regularly mail out to our member database with solus broadcasts on behalf of our advertisers. This Christmas campaign was a great opportunity to promote 12 genuine offers to landlords from 12 of our regular advertisers”

Based on an advent calendar theme, each advertiser has one exclusive day, right up until the 20th of December, to promote their offer on the LandlordZONE® website, newsletter and e-mail broadcasts.

Each company has something special to offer landlords and agents in this Christmas season promotion – see: http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/xmas

The 12 participating companies are:

Day 1 – 5th December 2012 – www.lettingaproperty.com – Established in 2008, lettingaproperty.com is one of the UK’s leading online letting agents successfully assisting UK landlords find tenants nationwide.

Day 2 – 6th December 2012 – www.propertyportfoliosoftware.co.uk – Property Portfolio Software founded by experienced landlord, author and public speaker Amer Siddiq is a leading National Landlords Association approved property management package.

Day 3 – 7th December 2012 – www.rla.org.uk – The Residential Landlords Assocaition (RLA) is a leading voice for landlords in England & Wales representing over 12,500+ landlords with a combined portfolio of more than 150,000 properties.

Day 4 – 10th December 2012 – www.tenants4u.co.uk – Shereena Lingiah founded Tenants4U with a simple aim: “to create a direct and more cost effective way for landlords to let properties online” Run by a group of motivated property professionals Tenants4U is working to continually improve the service for landlords across the UK.

Day 5 – 11th December 2012 – www.totallandlordinsurance.co.uk – Building upon the extensive knowledge and experience of Hamilton Fraser (suppliers of the www.MyDeposits.co.uk approved scheme), the Total Landlord Insurance focus is to offer easy to understand insurance for landlords without sacrificing high quality buy to let cover, or a great price.

Day 6 – 12th December 2012 – www.knightknox.com – Knight Knox International offers an extensive range of property and services worldwide. Established in 2004, the company has sold over 4,000 properties across 50 countries. Well respected within the industry, Knight Knox has maintained an excellent reputation through our experience of full-market cycles in a fluctuating market.

Day 7 – 13th December 2012 – www.landlord-manager.co.uk – Landlord Manager for Sage – Property Management for Sage accounts is the flagship software product by Visionbase Software Limited providing a leading accounting solution for landlords and letting agents.

Day 8 – 14th December 2012 – www.elfinkitchens.co.uk – Elfin Kitchens are known throughout the industry as quality suppliers of unique compact mini kitchens. Elfin’s mini kitchens are competitively priced, with no compromise on quality. They offer swift delivery and kitchens that are clinical, tough and long lasting. Mini kitchens are ideal for private landlords, local authority accommodation and at work, as well as all types of key worker, student and private dwellings.

Day 9 – 17th December 2012 – http://uk.cameloteurope.com – Camelot Vacant Property Management – Camelot offers total Vacant Property Management that aims for optimal occupation, protection, management, insurance and utilisation of vacant property. Camelot’s goal is to minimise the risks facing owners of vacant property such as vandalism, theft, squatting and dilapidation and to maximise your returns.

Day 10 – 18th December 2012 – www.cover4letproperty.co.uk – Cover4LetProperty is a main LandlordZONE® sponsor and a leading supplier of Landlords’ Insurance and Unoccupied Property Insurance related products. They offer these products and specialist advice directly to landlords, agents and members of the public via their online quotation engine and their UK based call centre.

Day 11 – 19th December 2012 – www.loft-interiors.co.uk – LOFT Interiors is the “one stop” furnishing solution for UK landlords, offering a complete furnishing solution for the residential property industry. Established in 2003, they work hard every day to provide customers with the best possible service.

Day 12 – 20th December 2012 – www.accommodationforstudents.com – is the World’s No.1 Student Accommodation Search Engine. AFS feature at the top of the search engines and host more content than any other student accommodation website. They are Officially Partnered with many other sites including Funky student, MSN Student, and LandlordZONE. Last year AFS were a finalist at the New Media Age Awards for Best Use of Web Category.

Tom Entwistle, commenting further on the campaign so far, said: “Our Christmas campaign got off to a brilliant start on the 5th of December and, with some way to go yet, the feed-back we are getting from sponsors and landlords is very positive. Like everyone else in the industry we are looking forward to a well earned rest after a very busy year, and we are looking forward to putting together some great advertising campaigns for our clients in 2013.”