Landlords - How To Avoid The Dreaded Void Periods

All landlords at some point will experience the unfortunate situation of

having void periods, hopefully not for any protracted periods. Read a few

our tips which could help you to avoid these situations, or at least reduce

them to a minimum.

Do your research

One of the easiest ways to avoid long void periods for your property is to

ensure that you have the right tenant in your property in the first place.

Having a tenant in your property who is suitable and can afford the

requisite rent will, of course, reduce any headaches for you later down the

line. Ensure that you agent has properly referenced tenants, and if at all

possible, try to meet prospective tenants to establish a good relationship

from the outset.

Short term vs. long term

As well as researching your tenants, investigating the area that you are

letting your property within to ensure that you are asking for a fair price

will also help you to side-step any void periods. A keenly priced property

will attract more applicants, giving you a greater choice of tenants. It is

important to keep in mind here that offering a more competitive rental

price could lead to longer tenancies, therefore finding the balance is

imperative for any landlord.

Property inspections

Regularly inspecting your property can be a good way to build up further

rapport with the tenant if you are managing a property yourself, and

allows you to ensure that it is in a good condition. This can benefit you in

multiple ways; firstly, it helps to ensure that your property is of a nice

standard for the current tenant, as well as meaning you don’t have to

waste any time should your tenant move out and you want to bring your

property to market immediately.

Find the right agent

With the raft of new legislation which has come into place in the lettings

industry, having a well-informed and proactive estate agent has never

been more important. Employing an agent on a fully-managed service will

take many of the responsibilities out of your hands as a landlord and with

the superior marketing available, as well as pools of applicants who are

tried and tested, the most straightforward way to reduce your void

periods could be to choose your agent wisely.