When looking for the perfect tenant for your property, there are a few things a landlord or agency can do:

Contact the previous landlord or agency. Contacting the current landlord may not give a true representation of what the tenants are like - at the off chance that the landlord is looking to remove the tenant from their property.

Questions we recommend you ask:

• Did the tenant take care of the property?

From the get-go, you want to ensure that the prospective tenants respect and look after any property they are renting. This will save time, effort, and money at the end of the tenancy.

• How much was the monthly rent?

Getting an idea of how much rent the tenants paid, can give a clear indication of how much the tenants can afford and whether your property will be appropriate for them.

• Was the rent paid on time?

As well as knowing how much rent the previous tenants paid their landlord, we advise that you also find out if tenants paid on time. The last thing any landlord wants is a tenant that is in rent arrears whilst living in their property. This also limits the chances of going through the hassle of the eviction process.

• Did they have any pets or smoke?

Smoking and being a pet owner can contribute heavily to mess, dirt, and damage to the property that can sometimes be irreversible and very expensive to repair. We suggest landlords make it clear when their property is being advertised, rules about pets, and smoking are made very clear. If landlords do wish to allow pets/ smoking, having clauses set in place from the start of the tenancy, to ensure that tenants are responsible for cleaning the property as it is handed back to the landlord.

Employment References:

• With regard to checking affordability, we always suggest that tenants get a direct reference from the tenants' employees. Communication with the tenant's employee can give a clear understanding of the tenant’s personality as well as how responsible they are. This will also help legitimise the prospective tenant’s application.

Kronos Estate Agents is an ARLA certified agency. That means we have access to the most current up to date information, and we are held to a higher standard than most high street agencies are not. We can do all your referencing checks for you to ensure that your property, finds it's perfect tenants. We use software that leaves very limited room for human error, and ensures that all documents uploaded and used to reference check a tenant, are checked to ensure that they are legit.