Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 5240 THE RIVER MAGAZINE | Autumn 2016 | F O O D & D R I N K | L andlords who live far away from a property they rent out may have little choice but to retain the services of a property management company to look after their asset. However, for landlords living close to their rental properties the decision is less cut and dry, although time-poor landlords may opt to pay for a full property management service to avoid the hassle of having to deal with any problems and maintenance issues during the tenancy when they inevitably occur. However, according to Lee Whitelock, director of leading independent estate agency in SE1, Garrett Whitelock, apart from hassle avoidance, there are a number of significant reasons why landlords should consider a full property management service rather going it alone or opting for a ‘let only’or ‘rent collection’service. Since the buy-to-let boom took off in the early 1990s, changes to regulations in the lettings industry have been rife. For example, landlords now need to check the immigration status of new tenants, they must obtain an Energy Performance Certificate for each property they rent out, they are legally required to obtain a Gas Safety Certificate, and in some areas they may require a licence to rent out their property. Keeping on top of all the constantly changing regulations can be daunting to say the least. “Landlords dealing with the letting and management of a property themselves take on the full responsibility of compliance, whereas those that appoint a professional property management company and opt for full property More than just help with the than just help with the Is a full property management service worth the extra expense for landlords? by george swinton | p R O p e R t y | | F O O D & D R I N K | L Is a full property management service worth the extra expense for landlords? | p R O p e R t y |