# Anyone renting their home out in the UK while living in Spain?



## Sirtravelot (Jul 20, 2011)

Anyone? If so, have any advice on this or bad experiences?


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

I think alot depends on the amount of rent compared to the outgoings on the property. for example, if you've got no mortgage and you're getting a good rental then its worth it - even if you return and have to decorate. Most good agents do look after your home tho. they do a credit check on prospective tenants, they do regular inspections and give you the deposit if the tenants mess up!!

That said, I have friends who live in France, they rent out several flats in the UK and were once in a situation where their tenant, who received DSS housing allowance illegally. When he was caught, the DSS made my friends pay the rent back!! They also had difficulty getting the said tenant out when he stopped paying - he even had a homeless charity paying for a solicitor on his behalf!

Jo xxx


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

jojo said:


> I think alot depends on the amount of rent compared to the outgoings on the property. for example, if you've got no mortgage and you're getting a good rental then its worth it - even if you return and have to decorate. Most good agents do look after your home tho. they do a credit check on prospective tenants, they do regular inspections and give you the deposit if the tenants mess up!!
> 
> That said, I have friends who live in France, they rent out several flats in the UK and were once in a situation where their tenant, who received DSS housing allowance illegally. When he was caught, the DSS made my friends pay the rent back!! They also had difficulty getting the said tenant out when he stopped paying - he even had a homeless charity paying for a solicitor on his behalf!
> 
> Jo xxx




I had the same with with the DSS.. but it only counts if the DSS pay you direct, if the tenant receives the money and pays you the rent then you are not liable to pay it back, saying that I refused point blank to pay it, I told them it was not up to me to check on my tenants right to DSS.. they wrote to me twice and then I heard no more.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

We rented properties in the UK asnd Canada when we vlived in the UK and when we moved to Spain we rented our UK home for six months before it was sold.

We rented it to a Polish woman who broke the terms of the contract and sub-let every room. The agency which we paid for managing the property knew but did nothing. 

I personally would never get in the rental business again. In fact we were so fed up as we had difficult tenants, expensive repairs and the general worry of having strangers living in your properties that we sold the houses.

But that's just my experience. Others seem to do well out of renting out properties so my experience may not be typical.

I would say though that it can be difficulot to evict 'bad' tenants. If they fail to pay rent and damage your property it could cost a lot to evict them - you need a Court Order - and you will never get the back rent or money to cover any repairs.


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## Guest (Aug 22, 2012)

Where in the UK is the property ?

It all really depends how you go about it. Are you planning on doing it yourself or using a rental agency ?


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## 111KAB (Aug 3, 2012)

I have two rented out properties in the UK. For the first property I used a local agent who sourced the tenant, did all the checks etc then at 6 month renewal I did a deal direct with the tenant (ie cut out the agent charges) then on my own main property I felt confident to do the procedure myself. In both cases it is a question of getting the right tenants/deal. Both understand I am often out of the UK so don't bother me with minor issues plus I have a good maintenance man I can contact should there be a problem. If you are planning on doing it I would get a good agent on board for your first 6 months and don't accept DSS/unemployed/dogs/smokers/drug dealers etc ie make sure you rent (insofar as possible) to people who are going to respect your home.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

111KAB said:


> I have two rented out properties in the UK. For the first property I used a local agent who sourced the tenant, did all the checks etc then at 6 month renewal I did a deal direct with the tenant (ie cut out the agent charges) then on my own main property I felt confident to do the procedure myself. In both cases it is a question of getting the right tenants/deal. Both understand I am often out of the UK so don't bother me with minor issues plus I have a good maintenance man I can contact should there be a problem. If you are planning on doing it I would get a good agent on board for your first 6 months and don't accept DSS/unemployed/dogs/smokers/drug dealers etc ie make sure you rent (insofar as possible) to people who are going to respect your home.


Whilst I agree with most of the above...and especially about renting to undesirables.....how unless the tenant has been personally known to you for years can anyone determine in advance if a person will be a 'good' tenant?

And why single out dogs??? We have a very lage Rhodesian Ridgeback who behaves and respects property much better than some of our former tenants. 
Is a drug dealer going to tell you what s/he does before signing the contract, I wonder?
What if you rent to an employed person who then loses their job?
Too many imponderables. Our tenants were all employed, in good professional jobs and our properties commanded a fairly high rent but we still had problems.

But as I said, that's just my experience and may well not be typical. Very many people rent either one or many properties with no problems whatsoever. I have a friend who has several properties in London and the UK which he rents and he is very happy doing so.

It's just that I think you need to point out the downside as well as the positives.


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## 111KAB (Aug 3, 2012)

Apologies mrypg9 - I just meant you can cross off the standard tenancy list any aspects you consider not acceptable. I accept you can do all the checks under the sun however my main point is - do all the checks. Seek references from their employers, get credit references via the agencies and bank, obtain references from their former neighbours, interview them etc etc. I accept there can be downsides but you can minimize the potential for these if you do your checks.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

111KAB said:


> Apologies mrypg9 - I just meant you can cross off the standard tenancy list any aspects you consider not acceptable. I accept you can do all the checks under the sun however my main point is - do all the checks. Seek references from their employers, get credit references via the agencies and bank, obtain references from their former neighbours, interview them etc etc. I accept there can be downsides but you can minimize the potential for these if you do your checks.


No apology needed..and you are right, you can minimise risk.

But I am far too cautious, I'll admit that. I should have been named Prudence, not Mary....just as well my partner is less risk-adverse as we would never have lasted in business.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

My daughter rents her property out as a children's home and deals directly with them.. no middle man but before she let it she walked around the property with them and a video camera, showing how the house was when it was let and how it must be left when they give up the tenancy and this was written into the agreement simply because as a childrens home they changed the doors for firedoors, put in sprinklers and changed the triple garage into a time out space. On the whole no problems but they did contact my brother once to go and check on the place as they had a report about the hardwood windows.. they had taken out all the glass and nailed plastic onto them but this has been resolved and my daughter now has new hardwood frames and safety glass windows.. The fact it is on film and in writing what they can and cannot do has saved a problem. 

The childrens home people keep asking my daughter if they can buy the property but she refuses, she earns more from rental than she would from selling and putting the money in the bank plus of course she still has the property but I am guessing she has been lucky, I let out property and never again is my mantra


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## youngagepensioner (May 18, 2009)

If you have an adult child who is willing to live in the property, that is really the best. This is what we did. Our son lived in it with his girlfriend and a male friend, and then when we visited whe had a sofa bed in the sitting room.

Not ideal, but you know your house is not going to be trashed, the family member is there to make sure the other tenants pay their rent, and you get a place to stay when you are in the UK.

We now have the house back - lodger has moved on and son has bought his own flat where he lives with his girlfriend. Nothing wrong with our house that a bit of decorating wouldn't fix 

Otherwise, make sure you ahve a really trustworthy agent to manage the let for you.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

youngagepensioner said:


> If you have an adult child who is willing to live in the property, that is really the best. This is what we did. Our son lived in it with his girlfriend and a male friend, and then when we visited whe had a sofa bed in the sitting room.
> 
> Not ideal, but you know your house is not going to be trashed, the family member is there to make sure the other tenants pay their rent, and you get a place to stay when you are in the UK.
> 
> ...


 We did the same. My older daughters and their partners lived in ours and paid us rent. My husband commuted so stayed there while he was working in the UK. It worked really well

Jo xxx


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Having a relative staying in your house assumes many things: that they live and work in the area where your house is situated, that they can afford to pay a reasonable rent if not the market rent and of course assuming they want to.

My son and dil would have regarded our house, a two hundred plus year old cottage, as a definite step down compared to the property they own.

But if you can do it, fine.


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## Sirtravelot (Jul 20, 2011)

Danny&Claire said:


> Where in the UK is the property ?
> 
> It all really depends how you go about it. Are you planning on doing it yourself or using a rental agency ?


Bordering Glasgow. I'd rather not disclose anymore information  but it's not a bad area (not amazing either though some say it's popular).

I'll certainly be doing it through an agency. I couldn't handle the idea of being out of the country without having someone on it. I'll be having the agent manage the house for a year before I move over to see if he or she is any good. If he/she ain't - BOOM! Fired, get the next one. I already have two that I'm looking at.

Thanks everyone for your contribution, you guys are the best!


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

We are a little different in that A) we have inherited several properties over the years and B)bought properties over the years to rent out so apart from one instance we've never let our home out.

Our rules are pretty simple, you can paint but no wallpaper, don't pee off the neighbours because that pees off me and I'm really not nice when peed off and will have you out of the property (using legal means) asap. I provide a lawnmower and ask tenants keep the garden trim, not in writing but they all do it for us. 

We use good letting agents in Wales and the West Midlands who've not let us down to date.

Problems are sorted ASAP, nothing worse than a leaking roof etc to get people boiling, get it fixed.

We look at redecorating every couple of years if tenants move on or more as needed. Takes no time to paint a house.

Don't fear university students, we have two student houses and they are a great bunch, we only let to 2nd and 3rd year students as by then they are usually committed to finishing their studies. 

Get an accountant, keep all receipts etc. I grew up with professional parents who started buying property young and we inherited their portfolio (and accountant lol) so I've always been used to the pros and cons of being a landlord, our children will be taking over from us. The big thing is to get mortgage free as soon as you can, that is such a load off your mind and then you can make the income work for you, big or small as it may be.


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## Sirtravelot (Jul 20, 2011)

bob_bob said:


> We are a little different in that A) we have inherited several properties over the years and B)bought properties over the years to rent out so apart from one instance we've never let our home out.
> 
> Our rules are pretty simple, you can paint but no wallpaper, don't pee off the neighbours because that pees off me and I'm really not nice when peed off and will have you out of the property (using legal means) asap. I provide a lawnmower and ask tenants keep the garden trim, not in writing but they all do it for us.
> 
> ...


You've basically described what I want to do with my life. I understand renting laws in the UK are more advantageous for the landlord which can be a great thing, depending on which side of the lawn you are on.

I have a friend whose parents have a house in St. Andrews which they let out to students and they charge FOUR TIMES what you'd pay for in Glasgow.

Four times! Definitely makes you think. Great advice for second and third years.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Sirtravelot said:


> Bordering Glasgow. I'd rather not disclose anymore information  but it's not a bad area (not amazing either though some say it's popular).
> 
> I'll certainly be doing it through an agency. I couldn't handle the idea of being out of the country without having someone on it. I'll be having the agent manage the house for a year before I move over to see if he or she is any good. If he/she ain't - BOOM! Fired, get the next one. I already have two that I'm looking at.
> 
> Thanks everyone for your contribution, you guys are the best!



My OH inherited a nice house in Bishopton, bordering Glasgow. It's a really nice little village with an excellent fish and chip shop and a pub that has Bellhaven on tap.

She decided to sell rather than rent, put it on the market at 09.00 with a Glasgow estate agent....by noon it was sold!! And at a good price.

That was two years ago.


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## Sirtravelot (Jul 20, 2011)

mrypg9 said:


> My OH inherited a nice house in Bishopton, bordering Glasgow. It's a really nice little village with an excellent fish and chip shop and a pub that has Bellhaven on tap.
> 
> She decided to sell rather than rent, put it on the market at 09.00 with a Glasgow estate agent....by noon it was sold!! And at a good price.
> 
> That was two years ago.


Wish my family had been as lucky previous property. Nothing worse than waiting months on a house.


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## mestala (Jul 4, 2012)

Many of the above points are spot on.We at the moment rent our house out,and while the rent is shown every month in the bank account,you don't tend to worry.
First time the rent isn't there,warning bells sound.
In 4yrs renting it out "we do it ourselves",we have had a few problems to which I had to go back to uk "from Bulgaria" and sort things out.
You have to way up the costs involved,and see which way is best for you.
If you are a bit of a worrier,maybe you shouldn't do it.
If you want to take the worry out of the equation,let an agent do it.
BUT,be prepared to give up aprox 2 months of your yearly rental income up,as they charge for everything "even when they blow their nose" lol....and it can be a lottery finding a good,reliable one.

Good luck with it.

Steve


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## Sirtravelot (Jul 20, 2011)

Do you guys know more or less how long it takes to rent it out? I do understand that more people are renting in the UK and there isn't enough housing, and so on.

Also, if a house stays empty for a while, does one have to pay council tax, or are there exceptions?


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## onedaymaybe (May 19, 2012)

Sirtravelot said:


> Do you guys know more or less how long it takes to rent it out? I do understand that more people are renting in the UK and there isn't enough housing, and so on.
> 
> Also, if a house stays empty for a while, does one have to pay council tax, or are there exceptions?



Really depends on local supply & demand as to how long it will take to rent a property out - I own a property in York and it has always let within days...

Check with the local council - if it is unfurnished, you can get an exemption for an empty property for up to six months I believe.


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