Here are just a few tips on how to get your buy-to-let ready for summer.

●     Spruce Up The Garden

It can be extremely difficult to keep your garden looking nice over the autumn and winter months, especially as the grass is usually too damp to cut and most plants won’t grow in the cold weather.

However, by the time spring and summer rolls around, there are no excuses, and just a couple of hours’ hard work outside before you put your property on the rental market can make a huge difference.

You don’t need to go to great lengths or expense either. Just mowing the lawn and pruning some of the trees can make the garden feel much more spacious, and it’s easier on the eye too.

If you do want to go that little bit further, then consider getting some solar lights or fairy lights, so your new tenants can make good use of the garden on those balmy summer evenings.

Another tip to remember when it comes to the garden is to leave some equipment in the shed so that your tenants will be motivated to keep it maintained to a high standard too.

●     Clear Out The Gutters

With all the falling leaves and heavy rain that comes in autumn and winter, it’s quite possible that your gutters could be blocked up, and at the very least they’re likely to have some dirt and moss build up in them.

To save yourself a potentially big headache in future, it’s worth having them cleared out before you rent the place out. After all, you don’t want to be getting a call from your new tenants after a couple of weeks to tell you there’s an overflowing gutter that’s beginning to buckle.

●     Clean Your Windows

Your windows will attract dirt and muck throughout the winter months, and this will show up badly when the sun starts shining on them.

Make sure to give them a good scrub, or get a window cleaner to pop round if you prefer. It’s a fairly quick, inexpensive job to carry out, and it will make the property’s interior feel much brighter, as well as leaving them sparkling on the outside.

●     Give Your Property a Lick Of Paint

If your property’s looking a bit tired or outdated then a fresh lick of paint could be just what’s needed to help attract new tenants.

It’s also a good idea to avoid injecting your own personality on the place too much, and just keep it neutral. Remember, when potential tenants come to view a property they’re looking to imagine themselves living there, so zebra-print wallpaper, or safari murals might not be to everyone’s liking!

Neutral colours like magnolia and light grey will help attract more tenants, and they have the added benefit of making the rooms look bigger and brighter.

●     Check Everything’s Working – No Bodging!

When your new tenants move in they’ll expect everything to be in full working order, and as the full summer approaches it’s the ideal time to get all those little odd jobs done and have everything fixed.

When it’s your own home it can be easy to leave little jobs to build up and just learn to live with them, but when you’re renting a property to tenants it’s important that everything’s up to scratch when they move in.

So whether it’s replacing broken light bulbs or checking that the smoke alarms are working, ensure that you’ve toured the whole property and checked that everything’s in full working order.

When it comes to more complex jobs, such as plumbing and electrics, only fix it if you’re experienced and qualified to do so. It can be tempting to attempt a repair yourself and save a bit of money, but if you’re not fully confident in what you’re doing then you’re likely to have a far bigger problem to deal with after your tenants have moved in.

●     Make Sure You Are Fully Insured

It may seem obvious to many people, but you’d be surprised how many landlords don’t have adequate insurance cover for their buy-to-let property.

Hopefully you won’t need it, but it’s worth getting the best cover you can, just in case you have problem tenants or costly repairs to pay for.

●     Increase Security

Whether it’s a new burglar alarm or simply a doorbell with a camera that can be viewed from anywhere, it’s wise to increase your property’s security ahead of the summer.

The warmer weather means your tenants are likely to spend more time out of the property and leave windows open for lengthy periods – both of which can attract opportunist thieves.

Marvins are your local property experts for the Isle of Wight area. Call us on 01983 292114 or email [email protected] to chat with a member of our friendly and experienced team.