Letting an Empty Property

See Factsheet 2: Letting your house or flat

Are you a new or prospective owner of a property standing empty? There are schemes available to help you get renting through an agent or becoming a landlord yourself. We want to encourage owners to take these steps but the work involved in being a landlord should not be underestimated.

• Go to the West of England Private Housing Information website at www.privatehousinginformation.co.uk.
• Read the Landlord Manual online or as a download to find many answers.
• Tax information (this link goes to the 'Tax' chapter of the Landlord Manual). This is important as there will be tax implications when you become an owner or buy-to-let landlord.
• Check with us how tax works if you're in charge of an empty property.

Renting through council-run, tenant finding or rent deposit schemes   

Under these schemes local authorities are able to assist in finding suitable tenants for your property.  A deposit guarantee scheme can also involve the council guaranteeing an agreed level of rent as a deposit (usually one month). 

• For information on schemes run by your local authority, use the contact numbers at the 'Need help to get let?' page.
• For help finding a tenant head to the Find a Tenant page.
  

Renting through a lettings/managing agent

If you want to let your property, but don't have the time to do it yourself and would like someone else to deal with the details of letting and managing the property, then you will want a reliable agent.

Organisations such as The Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA), Bristol Association of Letting and Managements Agents (BALMA) will help you choose an agent you can depend on.

Private renting with the owner as landlord

This option is for landlords who are confident that they know their responsibilities and best practice in managing properties.  This option saves you the cost of an agent, but can require a considerable investment in time.  If problems arise, you may require advice from a professional such as a lawyer or accountant, which may come at a cost.  Landlord associations are a good source of advise and assistance and can provide most of the information that a self-managing landlord would require.

The West of England Partnership has developed a Landlord Manual which has comprehensive, quality information for private landlords and agents.  This document is available on this website under Online Landlord Manual

Below are some useful contact numbers for organisations that may be able to help with letting your property: