Would you make a good landlord?

Renting a property can be financially rewarding, but a good relationship with your tenants is vital, says Liz Hodgkinson

Would you let your tenant watch cricket on your telly? This was a decision I had to reach recently when a tenant of mine had to evacuate his flat for essential maintenance work. As a cricket obsessive, he was delighted to be able to watch his favourite game. On the other hand, I was treated to a lengthy disquisition on the relative weights of modern cricket bats. All in a landlord's day.

Would you let your tenant watch cricket on your telly? This was a decision I had to reach recently when a tenant of mine had to evacuate his flat for essential maintenance work. As a cricket obsessive, he was delighted to be able to watch his favourite game. On the other hand, I was treated to a lengthy disquisition on the relative weights of modern cricket bats. All in a landlord's day.

Although most buy-to-let advice concentrates on ways to maximise your investment, none of it will begin to work unless you've got what it takes to be a landlord in the first place. Success in renting out property depends on the quality of the human relationship between landlord and tenant.

Tenants want to feel at home in your property, and that you as the landlord care about them. Because of this, you can't just wimp out and leave everything to managing agents. What if your tenant's lights all fuse at 10pm? The agents will have long ago turned out their own lights and gone home.

Most tenants want at least a civilised working relationship with their landlord, so how do you make it happen? Long-term landlord Lesley Henderson, author of The Tenant's Survival Guide, says: "Success in this game depends above all on mutual respect. Those landlords who do best commercially are always those who add the personal touch.

"This is one business transaction where a personal relationship is essential. Without it, both parties can hide from each other. It's easier for tenants not to pay the rent if the landlord is an unknown quantity, and easier for landlords to offer substandard properties when everything is handled by the agent. How many hours a week does it take, for goodness' sake, to be a landlord? My advice is: unless you are prepared to have a personal relationship with your tenants, don't even consider being a landlord. It can't be done long-distance."

Jennifer Reigate, an inventory clerk whose work includes sorting out disputes when tenancies end, says: "It's important to strike the right balance between being too remote and being too friendly. In my experience, problems always happen when landlords and tenants become too close to each other. When this occurs, it's easy for tenants to forget that they are one half of a legally binding business transaction."

All good advice, but how does one get it right? Here are my own tips for landlords, based on six years in the game.

* Always remember that, above all, you are involved in an ongoing financial transaction with your tenant. This means you have to be businesslike and courteous, but not to the extent of becoming best mates. Maintain some distance.

* These days, first names are in order. Any other nomenclature is too formal. If using an agent, make sure you meet your tenant yourself before they move in.

* Ensure that the property, whether furnished or unfurnished, contains clean, clear instructions and guarantees in a neat plastic folder. All instructions liable to get wet, such as those for the washing machine, should be laminated. The tenant's folder should include numbers for emergency plumbers, electricians and so on, and also note places of interest, restaurants and shops, bearing in mind that most tenants will be new to the area.

* Go the extra mile and leave basics such as bread, milk, water, fruit and maybe a bottle of wine for the incoming tenant. These little touches cost hardly anything, but make the most enormous welcoming difference.

* The property should be immaculate when the tenant moves in. Include mention of any quirks or peculiarities about the property and information such as when rubbish is to be collected.

* Once tenants have checked in, leave them alone. Do not be tempted on any account to invite them for drinks or dinner.

* Attend to any problems immediately. If you can't get a repair sorted out right away, contact your tenants and let them know. Keep them informed of progress.

* Never enter the premises without permission. While they are paying rent, it's their home, not yours. Landlords are permitted to inspect the property at 24 hours' notice, but keep this very occasional.

* Don't worry too much about the state of the property when your tenants are in residence. So long as they leave it as they found it on vacating, there's not much you can do about its condition in the meantime.

* Don't be mean. So long as you are satisfied with the condition of the property at the end of the tenancy, pay back the deposit in its entirety as the tenants hand over the keys. Don't make them wait, as they may well need the money for their next deposit.

* Finally, don't ever forget that the better the landlord, the better the tenant.

'The Tenant's Survival Guide', by Lesley Henderson, Robert Hale, £9.99; Liz Hodgkinson is the author of 'The Complete Guide to Letting Property', Kogan Page, £9.99