Homeowners warned that not all houses are good for renting

Date:Monday 9th March 2009
Author: Max Freedman

Not all houses are suitable to be rented out, homeowners have been warned.

Alan Ward, who chairs the Residential Landlords Association, said that some people feel they need to rent out their houses because they cannot sell them in the current mortgage market, but warned that these properties are not necessarily right for that purpose.

He explained that "wear and tear" is inevitable and stressed the importance of having full inventories complete with photographs.

In addition, having a tenancy contract "in plain English" is also advisable.

Mr Ward acknowledged that financial constraints are impacting upon both landlords and tenants but said a "shrewd landlord will still want to choose the best tenant".

Last month, FindaProperty.com said that rent prices had dropped by 1.2 per cent compared to the previous month and by 4.8 per cent over the course of the previous year.

In February 2008 the average monthly rent was £872 but by February this year, the figure had fallen to £830, the website said.