Buy to let in central & west London

Chard London Estate Agents - Buy to let in central & west London

If you are searching for a buy to let investment property for sale in London, we have the experience to help.

Whether you are a new or experienced landlord our services are tailored to help you achieve your London property investment goals.

To discuss your buy-to-let requirements for investment property in London contact Chard's Buy-to-let team.

Gareth Jones Buy-to-let Manager
gareth.j@chard.co.uk
020 7243 4500

Why buy to let with Chard?

Chard began as a dedicated lettings business which has evolved into one of West London's largest lettings agencies as well as a full service estate agency business. Unlike many other estate agents in London, lettings is our core business.

The buy to let team is headed by a director of the business, Gareth Jones. Gareth has eighteen years experience of the London property sales market. Our combined experience is at your disposal to ensure the success of your property investment in London

We offer comprehensive services, with real local know-how, to existing and would be landlords looking to buy property to let in Kensington, Chelsea, Hammersmith, Fulham, Westminster and surrounding areas.

Helping you buy for the market

We have hundreds of flats and houses for sale - but which ones are likely to offer the best yields and likelihood of long term capital growth? Our sales managers regularly review all new properties which we are instructed to sell together with their lettings manager counterparts to identify opportunities for buy to let investors.

Specialist finance

There are numerous mortgage products available to landlords. Identifying the right one you can be crucial to your buy to let success. We assist with specialist finance for buy to let landlords through our mortgage partners, Charles Cameron. www.ccameron.co.uk our contact there is kelly.lynch@ccameron.co.uk

Co-ordination

We take the time to listen to our buyers at the start of the process, thus saving time and ensuring we can identify buy to let opportunities that meet their specific requirements Whether you are buying a block of flats, a single studio flat or a family house our buy to let manager, Gareth Jones, Chard's Buy To Let Manager, will be your point of contact and will coordinate our sales, letting and property management teams to assist you throughout the buying and letting process

Property acquisition services

We offer comprehensive buying services for buyers whereby we trawl the entire market, looking at listings with other London estate agents to identify and help you secure an appropriate property - at the right price. An initial consultation with Gareth Jones, Managing Director of Chard Sales Ltd., together with one of our lettings managers, enables us to fully appraise your property requirements. We source candidate properties, advise on likely rental yield and refurbishment requirements and recommendations, and negotiate the property purchase on your behalf. For more information on the scope of this service and our fees contact Gareth Jones here

Objective rental appraisals

Our lettings managers are on hand to accurately appraise the potential rental value of any candidate property that you are considering buying through Chard or indeed any other local London estate agent. We have created one of London's most successful lettings businesses in little over a decade by building long term relationships with our landlords. That means delivering on our promises - and accurate valuations are crucial.

When valuing flats and houses to let, our lettings managers draw on the experience of renting thousands of properties within central London. Hundreds of corporate and private prospective tenants are registered at any given time with our offices and lettings teams covering Notting Hill & Kensington, South Kensington & Chelsea, Fulham, Pimlico & Belgravia|. We therefore offer up to the minute knowledge of the London lettings market as well as an intimate understanding of individual local markets.

Refurbishment services to maximise your rental yield

Buying is only the beginning. Our Lettings and Property Managers' experience enables them to advise you on cost effective works and improvements pre and post sale to maximise "tenant appeal" and your investment yield. Buy to Let is a business. We work with you to control costs whilst maximizing your rental income. Our Property Refurbishment team, headed up by Steve Hewitt, works within tight budgets and time-scales to optimise your rental return. We undertake projects of all sizes from total refurbishment of substantial family houses, to a lick of paint or some new blinds or curtains

We never forget that time is money

As soon as you have exchanged contracts (subject to vendor's consent and contract) we make most of the time before completion to arrange contractors' access (if appropriate) so everyone is ready to start as soon as you have keys! Should your property be ready to let at, or within four weeks, of completion our lettings teams will start actively marketing upon exchange of contracts with a view to identifying suitable tenants to move in as soon as the property is legally yours.

Protecting your investment - and future rental yield

We can also manage the property for you during the tenancy. It's essential for the long term success of your investment that the property and contents be maintained in good order and that any problems experienced by tenants are dealt with promptly and professionally. Dissatisfied tenants can lead to premature vacates - and the possibility of void periods eating in to your rental yield. At the same time we're ever conscious of the need to keep a tight reign on costs and Chard Property Management has developed links with numerous local contractors (many of whom rely on us for a substantial proportion of their business).who we have found to be reliable and offer value for money for our clients.

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Tips and advice for buy to let investors in London

Know where you are buying

It pays to take advice from property professionals when buying - that's why we recommend our retained client services for buy to let investors. Buying the best property in the wrong, or unsuitable location can be a very expensive mistake.

Research the lettings market

Who else is living in the street or neighborhood and what sort of properties do they want? It's essential that you know who you customers are likely to be. Are they students looking to rent studios or flats and houses to share, professionals in search of one and two bedroom flats to let or families who want larger houses and apartments with outside space?

Talk to an independant letting agent

It pays to take independent advice from local lettings agents. Don't be afraid to ask questions. What similar properties have they let recently in the area? Chard lettings managers will gladly offer examples of similar properties let in the locality where you are considering your buy to let purchase as well as advise on the likely tenant profile for your target property

Get your finances ready

Buy to let finance is widely available with hundreds of different mortgage and financing options for landlord investors. Talk to an independent financial advisor before starting your search. Having finance agreed in principle not only makes you a more realistic proposition when negotiating a purchase but will give you a good idea of what rental yields you will need to achieve for your particular circumstances.

Talk to professionals

Seek the best professional advice. Property search companies, accountants, solicitors, financial consultants, refurbishment specialists and lettings agents are there to help. Be prepared to pay and retain professionals for their time to ensure you are receiving advice that is right for you - not just for them!

Get informed advice on refurbishing

Know your likely tenants' expectations in terms of decor and furniture and plan accordingly. Properties that "tick the boxes" let fast and at the best rents. Chard Property Refurbishment offers help and advice with cost effective refurbishments to maximise rental yield.

Get the best strategic tax, legal and accounting advice

Decide what your long term goal is and which vehicle it maybe best to achieve this i.e. a limited company or in personal names. It pays to speak to accountants and solicitors with an established property investment background. We can help with recommendations.

Instruct the right letting agent

Many lettings agents in London promise, yet not all deliver. Our aim is simple - to let only to the highest caliber corporate, private and diplomatic tenants at the optimum rent and Chard has a proven track record in delivering the results our landlords expect.

Timing

Time is money. Any delay in getting your property let after purchase will reduce your rental yield. Planning, coordination and timing are therefore essential - we can help with advice at the outset to avoid costly delays.

Do the sums

Once you have found a property to buy at a sensible price, and have a realistic idea of it's rental value it's a good idea to sit down and work the numbers through!

What is the likely gross yield for the year? Bear in mind that there may be void periods between tenants. Property offered to let at unrealistically high asking prices tends to stay empty far longer than property that is sensibly priced. As a rule of thumb, smaller flats near good transport tend to be more price sensitive than larger flats and houses. Your lettings agent should be able to advise on the price/demand sensitivity of your proposed buy to let investment.

Once you've estimated your expected gross income or rental yield from your property there are necessary costs that need to be taken into consideration. These costs are principally:

Mortgage interest and capital repayments
Building service charges and ground rent (where leasehold). Landlords pay these charges to their freeholder or freeholder's managing agent, not the tenant.
Insurance. Landlords are responsible for their own contents insurance. Where THE property is leasehold the buildings insurance element is usually part of the service charge on freehold property as the landlord you will be responsible for buildings insurance. There are numerous insurance products available to landlords, which whilst not contractually necessary within the tenancy agreement, many landlords opt for including legal fees insurance and insurance against non-paying tenants.
Property maintenance. Residential landlords are generally responsible for redecoration where caused by fair wear and tear, both inside and outside (where applicable) the property.
Professional charges including lettings agents fees and VAT. Landlords are well advised to take specialist taxation advice when letting, and accountants' fees should therefore be taken into consideration.
Allowance for depreciation furniture and fittings wear out over time and need replacing. It's wise to make an allowance for this in your cash flow forecasting as a landlord.

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