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.