Frequently asked questions

We have a physical office in East Dulwich SE22, not far from London Bridge or Victoria, so we are a traditional type of agent. However we think the world is changing, and people are 'more online' than ever before. We think the industry will eventually change, and we like some of the principle services that online agents offer. Therefore we offer a hybrid choice of full traditional services for those that require it, or services at a reduced cost for those that would prefer to have some involvement in the selling or renting process - because one size never fits all.

Yes, We are members of ARLA (Association of Residential Letting Agents) and The Property Ombudsman redress scheme and follow their Codes of Conduct.

The fee is calculated at a percentage of the annual rent fee agreed. For example, if your rent was £1000 per month, that would be £12,000 per annum. And if you were selecting to do your own viewings at a rate of 4% plus vat, it would be £12,000 x 4% = £480.00 plus vat which equals a total fee of £576.00.

If we have charged you for a 12 month tenancy term and your tenant exercises their right to use a break clause, we will apply a credit to your next invoice, subject to you using us to re-let your property. For example if your tenant leaves after 6 months, and we find new tenants signing a 12 month tenancy, you will only be charged for 6 months rent for your new tenants.

Unlike most agents who charge a large commission payment on the extension of the intial tenancy we only charge a small adminstration fee.

No, we really would prefer if you didn't. Of course, some tenants will ask you what rent you'll accept and if you are willing to give up this information, we ultimately cannot stop you from doing so. However by doing so you may have potentially compromised our ability to negotiate the 'best rent' from the tenants. We'd always ask that in these circumstances you simply refer any questions from prospective tenants back to us.

When you let a property, it isn't without risk and the goal should always be to mitigate these risks. The two biggest threats to a Landlord is damage to your property and non-payment of your rent. In 2006 The Department for Communities and Local Government published an article that stated that the average cost to landlords to evict non-paying tenants was as much as £3200. When an agent carries out reference or background checks on your proposed tenants most use one of the UK's various tenant referencing specialist Companies. Once the tenant is verified and passes any checks as suitable the agent or landlord can purchase a rent insurance policy or warranty that will pay your agreed rent if the tenant stops paying for any reason. Usually these policies cover the legal costs of evicting the tenants from your property. At Fishneedwater, we provide a rent insurance policy to all our management clients completely free of charge in the first year of management.

Absolutely you should. Not having an Inventory presents a huge financial risk because you may not be awarded a any compensation from a Tenant Deposit Scheme in the event that your tenant causes damage to your property. Your inventory should have photos, complimented with detailed written descriptions of the condition of your property and all its contents, and it should be signed and dated as agreed by your tenant if you prepare yourself. The other option and our recommendation is to use an Independent clerk and preferably one that is AIIC accredited, as you'll know they will have indemnity cover in place to protect you should there be any omissions in the report that ultimately costs you. If you let your property using Fishneedwater, we will provide an Inventory check-in from an AIIC accredited Company at the start of your tenancy at no cost to you.

We charge a tenancy admin fee to prepare, administer and have your tenancy agreement signed as well as performing referencing and the Right to Rent Checks.

We also charge  to register your tenants deposit in our DPS scheme membership . This fee includes us preparing your statutory Prescribed Information forms, having your tenants sign it, handling the repayment of your deposit and advising you on the best course of action to take at the end of your tenancy if there is damage.

There will be an inventory check-out fee to pay at the end of your tenancy, but this is optional as you do not have to pay for a check out. If you suspect there is damage however, you will need one to support any claim for compensation from your tenants deposit.

You can find a list of our fees here https://www.fishneedwater.com/landlord-faq#landlord-fee

Its really a question of how long it takes us to travel to and from your location, how likely we think we can attract a tenant quickly for you and whether your property generates the income required for any additional hours spent traveling. For example we may not want to travel to East Ham to let a studio, however recently we let (and manage) a rather splendid duplex apartment in Greenwich, and we were happy to carry out all tenant viewings.

Fishneedwater prides itself on being able to fulfil customer expectations, and meet their needs. Whilst it is always our desire to achieve this, should there be a concern from our client we would always wish to be able to resolve it quickly and be given the opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to quality customer service. In order to do this, and engender an approach within our business of ownership and responsibility by all our team for the service provided to our customer we apply the following approach to any customer complaint / concern:

1. Please refer all complaints initially to the Department that they relate to. (Lettings/Sales/Management/Accounts). Presenting your complaint directly to the party you have been liaising with. Whilst we would anticipate that this party will have resolved your issue at this stage, should you not receive a satisfactory response or resolution to your problem please proceed as below:

2. Please refer the complaint to our Operations Manager Nikki Sargent. Once the complaint is received the matter will be acknowledged within three working days and investigated fully. A full response will be received from the appropriate Fishneedwater representative within 15 working days. This representative will be a senior member of the team managing the issues on which you have reason to complain.

3. Upon receipt of the response if this is not satisfactory please advise Anthony Sargent and the matter will be referred for review. A full and final response from a Fishneedwater representative will be received within 15 working days. We would obviously anticipate that no response would leave issues unresolved having been considered to this stage. A 'full and final' response will be advised as such within the detail of the response and will have been provided on behalf of Fishneedwater by an appropriately senior member of the management team to ensure it has been given appropriate review and consideration.

4. However, should this 'full and final' response not be satisfactory please find detailed below the website contacts for each of the following bodies to which Fishneedwater are members. Each will ask you to have ensured you have received a full and final position from us prior to you being able to lodge a complaint with them for review and will guide you on the necessary steps to take. They will then consider the complaint and review the matter.

ARLA - 0845 250 6001 (www.arla.co.uk)

or

The Property Ombudman, Milford House, 43-55 Milford Street, 43-55 Milford Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP1 2BP. Web: www.tpos.co.uk Tel: 01722 333306

Please note the following:

You will need to submit your complaint to The Property Ombudsman within 12 months of receiving our final viewpoint letter, including any evidence to support your case.

The Property Ombudsman requires that all complaints are addressed through this in-house complaints procedure, before being submitted for an independent review.