With further investment in public transport, there are even more reasons to live in Manchester City Centre. And with the current credit crunch, it can be easier and more flexible to rent.

Salford Central Station has been transformed with an investment of £5 million to improve waiting areas, security, customer information and taxi and bus facilities.

Metroshuttle is a free bus service in Manchester city centre which was launched in 2002 to help commuters in the city centre ditch the car and reduce congestion. The service is frequent and has 3 routes:

• Manchester Circular
• Manchester Victoria, Shudehill, Castlefield, Deansgate, Oxford Road
• Piccadilly, Salford Central

The Metrolink Tram System will be extended from Manchester Piccadilly to Ashton-under-Lyne, with stops at Ancoats, Eastland, Clayton, Droylsden and Audenshaw, making the journey just a couple of minutes to the city centre. This is part of a major regeneration project for East Manchester.

And further plans are in consideration for a ‘Green Corridor’ for Oxford Road, where a low-emission high-frequency shuttle service will run between Christie Hospital, Salford Crescent, Parrs Wood Didsbury, Manchester Piccadilly, and terminating at Oxford Road railway station.

If you’re thinking of renting in Manchester, The Times has put together a list of ten things you should know before you rent.

Kings Residential have a fantastic selection of properties for rent in Manchester City Centre. Just click on the link below for a full and current listing.

Rent in Manchester

BBC’s Watchdog aired a feature on letting agents on the 9th January 2008. They had numberous complaints about unfair letting agency charges. They featured one particular agent – Foxtons in London because they charge a renewal commission every time they renew a tenancy agreement. Now, if there is some work to be done then this is fair enough but the fee needs to reflect the work performed.  They also named a few agents who charge smaller fees in the range £25 to £150 which would seem proportionate. The programme then went on to state that Kings Residential do not charge a renewal commission at all.

 Our fee structure on a managed property is 50% of the first month’s rent for the tenant find plus 10% of the rent that we collect. When a tenancy renews we do not charge a letting fee again. In our opinion this would be a bit rude. However, we do manage the tenancy for the duration of their occupancy and we do collect a monthly management commission from this. This is totally reasonable in our opinion. In return for this commission we collect the rent, chase arrears, serve legal notices, attend repossession hearings if necessary, look after maintenance issues, carry out inspections, perform rent reviews, and pro-actively manage the tenancy to encourage a lengthy occupancy from the tenant. When the tenant does decide to leave we  pro-actively market the property to minimise the void period between tenants. However, we have only found the tenant once so we only charge the tenant find once per tenant. Of course when a tenant leaves and we find a different tenant we charge the fee again.

I have furnished my apartment that I am about to pass to my agent to market. Is a TV required and if I provide one will it get me more rent…?

In most cases, when an apartment is advertised fully furnished a TV is not usually expected. It is seen more of a bonus as most people have their own anyway. Depending on the property and its location a TV will sometimes help secure a tenant a little faster or may be a deal clincher as most landlords will not bother. If you are aiming at the more corporate client then their expectations are a lot higher and they will most probably ask for one as part of the deal. In these cases we can achieve slightly higher rents. It is advisable to state to your agent from the start that you are flexible and that should a prospective tenant request a TV then you are willing to provide one based on certain conditions. You could use this to negotiate a longer tenancy or slightly higher rent but be careful not to scare the tenant off. But remember, if a TV is provided and it breaks down you are obliged to fix it or provide a replacement.

 My tenant has asked me to pay £124.99 for a BT line. Am I, as a Landlord really required to pay for the installation of a telephone line…?

This is totally at your discretion. Most short-hold tenancy agreements require the tenant to seek the landlords permission before any work is carried out on the property but I have never come across a landlord that has rejected the proposal. Some landlords offer to pay the full amount. Some offer to pay half. Unless the tenancy clearly states that you are obliged to supply a telephone line then the decision is totally up to yourself . You will probably only have to pay this charge once as it usually only applies to new properties that have yet to have a phone line activated. There is a moral argument that a landlord should pay it as the benefit remains with the property well beyond the first tenant but there is no obligation to do so. Our advice is to pay it in the interests of good relations.

My agent mentioned a break clause. What exactly is this..?

A break clause is sometimes added to a fixed term tenancy agreement. This is usually requested by the landlord or tenant if the initial fixed term is for a year or more. A break clause will most commonly allow either the landlord or the tenant to give notice at an agreed interim stage.

For example, a 12 month tenancy may have a 6-month break clause which means that the tenant or landlord can give notice to terminate at the 6-month stage.  Notice cannot be given prior to this date nor can it be given after the break clause stage has expired. When timing the notice it is important to bear in mind how much notice is required and when this has to be served.  For example, some tenancy agreements state that one month notice must be given by the tenant to coincide with a rent due date. Notice just one day after the rent due date can equate to nearly 2 month’s notice because it is not effective until the next rent due date.  The notice for the break should be given to expire at the 6 month stage in this example.

Landlords normally must provide 2 months notice whereas tenants should provide 1 month notice.

I am thinking of selling an investment property which has tenants in it. I have spoken to them about this and they are fine with it. Is there anything I need to consider here?

First of all I am glad that you have spoken to your tenants about this. Many landlords don’t and this can cause a lot of bad feeling and even cause your tenants to leave early. Unless it is written into their original contract tenants do not have to allow viewings and if the agent continues to do them against their permission that could amount to you breaking your side of the contract, which must allow them peaceful enjoyment of the property, and therefore not being entitled to rent! Since the tenants are happy with the arrangement make sure your agent has the tenants contact details and a set of keys / fobs. Ask your agent to give the tenants reasonable notice (at least 24hrs) and ask your tenants to keep the property tidy for viewings. Keep in contact with both your agent and tenants to make sure viewings are going smoothly.