Showing posts with label Chichester average rent. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chichester average rent. Show all posts

Thursday, 1 May 2025

How quickly will you start receiving rent?


When you first buy a rental property, you need to factor in that you won’t get the keys and instantly start receiving rent (unless you buy with tenants in-situ).

It is likely that you’ll first need to undertake some maintenance or refurbishment to the property. You will also need time to advertise the property, conduct viewings, reference the chosen tenants and complete all of the relevant paperwork and safety checks before finally moving them in and starting to receive some return on your investment.

Being pro-active can help to minimise this initial void period. I try to advertise the property as soon as I am allowed to by the seller, have confirmed the ‘earliest move-in date’ and can take representative photographs that show the property off well. 

Ideally you would conduct viewings at this stage too i.e. between exchange and completion. If that’s not possible, marketing it early still enables you to take prospective tenants names, numbers and details so that once you are in a position to conduct viewings you have a shortlist of interested parties ready to go on day one.

Letting agents or landlords with multiple properties may also have a head-start as they will often have tenants on a waiting list or who ‘missed out’ on a previous property but may find yours of interest.

It is also important to advertise the property at the correct rental price. You may even consider offering the property below the ‘going rate’ so as to attract more interest, rent the property quicker and thus minimise your initial void period on your first let (when the property is earning you nothing). 

Ideally the first batch of viewings will lead to suitable tenants who wish to rent the property. The next issue then becomes when they can move-in. It’s unusual for someone to be able to move-in immediately, as they will typically have a notice period to honour with their current landlord.

Property type can play a part here - smaller properties may be filled quicker as the tenants are naturally of a more transient nature, whereas larger family homes often come with tenants that have more commitments (and stuff to pack!) before they can move.


 In normal circumstances, if a property is advertised and a tenant is not found within a couple of weeks (not necessarily moved in, but scheduled to do so)  then I would say something is wrong - normally the price, property or marketing. One key proviso for a landlord is that the objective should always be to get the best tenants possible, not necessarily the first ones that come along. 

If you are buying a rental property and would like someone to help you find the right tenants as quickly as possible, please get in touch.







Thursday, 17 April 2025

How much are Chichester’s landlords spending on property maintenance?


As another tax year recently came to a close, annual account statements were sent out to all of my landlords who use my fully managed service. It’s something I include (free of charge) as part of my lettings service, but I think it will make my landlords (or their accountants!) lives easier come self-assessment time.

The statement breaks down the total rent they have received in the tax year for each property, along with any deductions that were made i.e. CRJ Lettings’ management fees and any maintenance costs. It’s similar to what they receive each month when the rent comes in, but this time for the whole tax year.

Not only is this a nice overview for the landlord, whilst again demonstrating my complete transparency in regards to fees, but it also ensures all costs are accounted for so that they can claim the maximum tax relief. This is increasingly important when the deduction of mortgage interest has been taken away, having been replaced by a (often lesser) ‘tax credit’.

It also gives me some great figures to analyse, which I wanted to share with you.


The average rent my landlords are achieving is £1,228pcm, which means the bulk of my managed properties are slightly cheaper than the current average rental property available in Chichester (which costs £1,300pcm). More telling is the fact my landlords have received all of the rent due to them. Each year I question whether I will repeat this achievement, such is the economic landscape and frequent tales in the press of non-paying tenants. 

What’s more is that my unique fixed-fee structure is proving to be excellent value for my landlords; demonstrated by an average charge of just 8.5% for an award-winning full management service. One landlord is paying just 5.8% as their property achieves a particularly high rent, meaning my fixed fee proves to be even better value for them.

What is also interesting to see is that my landlords are spending an average of just £361 a year on property maintenance, which is only 2.5% of the total rent they receive. Common lettings advice is to set aside 10% of your annual rent to account for property maintenance, so it seems my landlords are doing far better than this. 


I suspect this is partly because I tend to manage more modern properties, which should inherently have fewer issues, but also because I tend to endorse the attitude of ‘prevention being better than cure’ i.e. spending a little in the short-term to save a lot in the long-term.

I hope it’s also partly down to the carefully selected maintenance contractors I use, who offer reasonable value for money, plus the fact I don’t add a mark-up to maintenance costs or charge additional commission on such works. I’ll also typically run through a few simple steps with tenants when issues do occur, in case we can resolve them without the need for paid help.

Landlords; let me know how much you’re spending on maintenance and where you’re spending it (boiler repairs and faulty toilet flushes made up a good chunk of our maintenance spend this year!). And if you’d like to discuss the ins and outs of how I can make the management of your rental property a little bit easier and perhaps more cost-effective, please get in touch.









Thursday, 25 April 2024

How much are Chichester’s landlords spending on property maintenance?


As another tax year recently came to a close, annual account statements were sent out to all of my landlords who use my fully managed service. It’s something I include (free of charge) as part of my lettings service, but I think it will make my landlords (or their accountants!) lives easier come self-assessment time.

The statement breaks down the total rent they have received in the tax year for each property, along with any deductions that were made i.e. CRJ Lettings’ management fees and any maintenance costs. It’s similar to what they receive each month when the rent comes in, but this time for the whole tax year.

Not only is this a nice overview for the landlord, whilst again demonstrating my complete transparency in regards to fees, but it also ensures all costs are accounted for so that they can claim the maximum tax relief. This is increasingly important when the deduction of mortgage interest has been taken away, having been replaced by a (often lesser) ‘tax credit’.

It also gives me some great figures to analyse, which I wanted to share with you.

The average rent my landlords are achieving is £1,140pcm, which means the bulk of my managed properties are cheaper than the current average rental property available in Chichester (which costs £1,395pcm). More telling is the fact my landlords have received all of the rent due to them. Each year I question whether I will repeat this achievement, such is the economic landscape and frequent tales in the press of non-paying tenants. 

What’s more is that my unique fixed-fee structure is proving to be excellent value for my landlords; demonstrated by an average charge of just 8.7% for an award-winning full management service. One landlord is paying just 5.6% as their property achieves a particularly high rent, meaning my fixed fee proves to be even better value for them.

What is also interesting to see is that my landlords are spending an average of just £414 a year on property maintenance, which is only 3% of the total rent they receive. Common lettings advice is to set aside 10% of your annual rent to account for property maintenance, so it seems my landlords are doing far better than this. 

I suspect this is partly because I tend to manage more modern properties, which should inherently have fewer issues, but also because I tend to endorse the attitude of ‘prevention being better than cure’ i.e. spending a little in the short-term to save a lot in the long-term.

I hope it’s also partly down to the carefully selected maintenance contractors I use, who offer reasonable value for money, plus the fact I don’t add a mark-up to maintenance costs or charge additional commission on such works. I’ll also typically run through a few simple steps with tenants when issues do occur, in case we can resolve them without the need for paid help.

Landlords; let me know how much you’re spending on maintenance and where you’re spending it (boiler repairs made up a good chunk of our maintenance spend this year!). And if you’d like to discuss the ins and outs of how I can make the management of your rental property a little bit easier and perhaps more cost-effective, please get in touch.

This article was featured in...





If you are looking for an agent that is well established, professional and communicative in Chichester, then contact us to find out how we can get the best out of your investment property.

E-mail me on clive@crjlettings.co.uk or call 01243 624 599.

Don't forget to visit the links below to view my previous buy-to-let deals and Chichester Property News articles:

c/o CRJ Lettings, 30B Southgate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 1DP



Chichester rental valuation

Thursday, 12 October 2023

How quickly will you start receiving rent?


When you first buy a rental property, you need to factor in that you won’t get the keys and instantly start receiving rent (unless you buy with tenants in-situ).

It is likely that you’ll first need to undertake some maintenance or refurbishment to the property. You will also need time to advertise the property, conduct viewings, reference the chosen tenants and complete all of the relevant paperwork and safety checks before finally moving them in and starting to receive some return on your investment.

Being pro-active can help to minimise this initial void period. I try to advertise the property as soon as I am allowed to by the seller, have confirmed the ‘earliest move-in date’ and can take representative photographs that show the property off well. 

Ideally you would conduct viewings at this stage too i.e. between exchange and completion. If that’s not possible, marketing it early still enables you to take prospective tenants names, numbers and details so that once you are in a position to conduct viewings you have a shortlist of interested parties ready to go on day one.

Letting agents or landlords with multiple properties may also have a head-start as they will often have tenants on a waiting list or who ‘missed out’ on a previous property but may find yours of interest.

It is also important to advertise the property at the correct rental price. You may even consider offering the property below the ‘going rate’ so as to attract more interest, rent the property quicker and thus minimise your initial void period on your first let (when the property is earning you nothing). 

Ideally the first batch of viewings will lead to suitable tenants who wish to rent the property. The next issue then becomes when they can move-in. It’s unusual for someone to be able to move-in immediately, as they will typically have a notice period to honour with their current landlord.

Property type can play a part here - smaller properties may be filled quicker as the tenants are naturally of a more transient nature, whereas larger family homes often come with tenants that have more commitments (and stuff to pack!) before they can move.


 In normal circumstances, if a property is advertised and a tenant is not found within a couple of weeks (not necessarily moved in, but scheduled to do so)  then I would say something is wrong - normally the price, property or marketing. One key proviso for a landlord is that the objective should always be to get the best tenants possible, not necessarily the first ones that come along. 

If you are buying a rental property and would like someone to help you find the right tenants as quickly as possible, please get in touch.







Thursday, 13 April 2023

How much are Chichester’s landlords spending on property maintenance?

As another tax year recently came to a close, annual account statements were sent out to all of my landlords who use my fully managed service. It’s something I include (free of charge) as part of my lettings service, but I think it will make my landlords (or their accountants!) lives easier come self-assessment time.

The statement breaks down the total rent they have received in the tax year for each property, along with any deductions that were made i.e. CRJ Lettings’ management fees and any maintenance costs. It’s similar to what they receive each month when the rent comes in, but this time for the whole tax year.

Not only is this a nice overview for the landlord, whilst again demonstrating my complete transparency in regards to fees, but it also ensures all costs are accounted for so that they can claim the maximum tax relief. This is increasingly important when the deduction of mortgage interest has been taken away, having been replaced by a (often lesser) ‘tax credit’.

It also gives me some great figures to analyse, which I wanted to share with you.

The average rent my landlords are achieving is £1,175pcm, which means the bulk of my managed properties are cheaper than the current average rental property available in Chichester (which costs £1,295pcm). More telling is the fact my landlords have received all of the rent due to them. Each year I question whether I will repeat this achievement, such is the economic landscape and frequent tales in the press of non-paying tenants.                                                                                                                                            What’s more is that my unique fixed-fee structure is proving to be excellent value for my landlords; demonstrated by an average charge of just 8.9% for an award-winning full management service. One landlord is paying just 5.4% as their property achieves a particularly high rent, meaning my fixed fee proves to be even better value for them.

What is also interesting to see is that my landlords are spending an average of just £470 a year on property maintenance, which is only 3.5% of the total rent they receive. Common lettings advice is to set aside 10% of your annual rent to account for property maintenance, so it seems my landlords are doing far better than this. 


I suspect this is partly because I tend to manage more modern properties, which should inherently have fewer issues, but also because I tend to endorse the attitude of ‘prevention being better than cure’ i.e. spending a little in the short-term to save a lot in the long-term.

I hope it’s also partly down to the carefully selected maintenance contractors I use, who offer reasonable value for money, plus the fact I don’t add a mark-up to maintenance costs or charge additional commission on such works. I’ll also typically run through a few simple steps with tenants when issues do occur, in case we can resolve them without the need for paid help.

Landlords; let me know how much you’re spending on maintenance and where you’re spending it (several replacement boilers made up a good chunk of our maintenance spend this year!). And if you’d like to discuss the ins and outs of how I can make the management of your rental property a little bit easier and perhaps more cost-effective, please get in touch.


This article was featured in...





If you are looking for an agent that is well established, professional and communicative in Chichester, then contact us to find out how we can get the best out of your investment property.

E-mail me on clive@crjlettings.co.uk or call 01243 624 599.

Don't forget to visit the links below to view my previous buy-to-let deals and Chichester Property News articles:

c/o CRJ Lettings, 30B Southgate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 1DP



Chichester rental valuation

Thursday, 28 April 2022

How much are Chichester’s landlords spending on property maintenance?


As another tax year recently came to a close, annual account statements were sent out to all of my landlords who use my fully managed service. It’s something I include (free of charge) as part of my lettings service, but I think it will make my landlords (or their accountants!) lives easier come self-assessment time.

The statement breaks down the total rent they have received in the tax year for each property, along with any deductions that were made e.g. CRJ Lettings’ management fees and any maintenance costs. It’s similar to what they receive each month when the rent comes in, but this time for the whole tax year.

Not only is this a nice overview for the landlord, whilst again demonstrating my complete transparency in regards to fees, but it also ensures all costs are accounted for so that they can claim the maximum tax relief. This is increasingly important when the deduction of mortgage interest has been taken away, having been replaced by a (often lesser) ‘tax credit’.

It also gives me some great figures to analyse, which I wanted to share with you.

The average rent my landlords are achieving is £1,090pcm, which is on par with the current average rent in Chichester of £1,100pcm. Just as importantly, they have received all of the rent due to them. This time last year, I questioned whether I’d be able to make that statement again, as the government’s financial support relating to the fallout from Covid-19 softened. 

What’s more is that my unique fixed-fee structure is proving to be excellent value for my landlords; demonstrated by an average charge of just 8.9% for an award-winning full management service. One landlord is paying just 5.7% as their property achieves a particularly high rent, meaning my fixed fee proves to be even better value for them.

What is also interesting to see is that my landlords are spending an average of just £460 a year on property maintenance, which is only 3.5% of the total rent they receive. Common lettings advice is to set aside 10% of your annual rent to account for property maintenance, so it seems my landlords are doing far better than this. 


I suspect this is partly because I tend to manage more modern properties, which should inherently have fewer issues, but also because I tend to endorse the attitude of ‘prevention being better than cure’ i.e. spending a little in the short-term to save a lot in the long-term.

I hope it’s also partly down to the carefully selected maintenance contractors I use, who offer good value for money, plus the fact I don’t add a mark-up to maintenance costs or charge additional commission on such works. I’ll also typically run through a few simple steps with tenants when issues do occur, in case we can resolve them without the need for paid help.

Landlords; let me know how much you’re spending on maintenance and where you’re spending it (fencing companies made up a good chunk of our maintenance spend due to the storms earlier this year!). And if you’d like to discuss the ins and outs of how I can make the management of your rental property a little bit easier and perhaps more cost-effective, please get in touch.


This article was featured in...









Thursday, 15 April 2021

How much are Chichester’s landlords spending on property maintenance?

As another tax year recently came to a close, annual account statements have been sent out to all of my landlords who use my fully managed service. It’s something I include (free of charge) as part of my lettings service, but I think it will make my landlords (or their accountants!) lives easier come self-assessment time.

The statement breaks down the total rent they have received in the tax year for each property, along with any deductions that were made e.g. my management fees and any maintenance costs. It’s similar to what they receive each month when the rent comes in, but this time for the whole tax year.

Not only is this a nice overview for the landlord, whilst again demonstrating my complete transparency in regards to fees, but it also ensures all costs are accounted for so that they can claim the maximum tax relief. This is increasingly important at a time when the full deduction of mortgage interest has been taken away, having been replaced by a (often lesser) ‘tax credit’.

It also gives me some great figures to analyse, which I wanted to share with you.

The average rent my landlords are achieving is £1,100pcm, which is 11% higher than the current average rent in Chichester of £995pcm. Plus, they have received all of the rent due to them. This time last year, I seriously questioned whether I’d be able to make that statement again, as the impact of Covid-19 began to bite. With some swift management and guidance for those tenants who needed it though, I’m quite proud to have maintained that great track record.
What’s more is that my unique fixed-fee structure is proving to be excellent value for my landlords; demonstrated by an average charge of just 9.1% for an award-winning full management service. One landlord is paying just 5.7% as their property achieves a particularly high rent, meaning my fixed fee proves to be even better value for them.

What is also interesting to see is that my landlords are spending £558 a year on average on property maintenance, which is just 4.5% of the total rent they receive. Considering that figure includes a large proportion of properties that needed to comply with the new electrical regulate ons, it is remarkably low.

Common lettings advice is to set aside 10% of your annual rent to account for property maintenance, so it seems my landlords are doing far better than this. I suspect this is partly because I tend to manage more modern properties, which should inherently have fewer issues, but also because I tend to endorse the attitude of ‘prevention being better than cure’ i.e. spending a little in the short-term to save a lot in the long-term.

I hope it’s also partly down to the carefully selected maintenance contractors I use, who offer good value for money, plus the fact I don’t add a mark-up to maintenance costs or charge additional commission on such works. I’ll also typically run through a few simple steps with tenants when issues do occur, in case we can resolve them without the need for paid help.

If you’d like to discuss the ins and outs of how I can make the management of your rental property a little bit easier and perhaps more cost-effective, please get in touch.


This article was featured in...


Thursday, 10 September 2020

How quickly will you start receiving rent?


When you first buy a rental property, you need to factor in that you won’t get the keys and instantly start receiving rent (unless you buy with tenants in-situ).

It is likely that you’ll first need to undertake some maintenance or refurbishment to the property. You will also need time to advertise the property, conduct viewings, reference the chosen tenants and complete all of the relevant paperwork and safety checks before finally moving them in and starting to receive some return on your investment.

Being pro-active can help to minimise this initial void period. I try to advertise the property as soon as I am allowed to by the seller, have confirmed the ‘earliest move-in date’ and can take representative photographs that show the property off well. 

Ideally you would conduct viewings at this stage too i.e. between exchange and completion. If that’s not possible, marketing it early still enables you to take prospective tenants names, numbers and details so that once you are in a position to conduct viewings you have a shortlist of interested parties ready to go on day one.

Letting agents or landlords with multiple properties may also have a head-start as they will often have tenants on a waiting list or who ‘missed out’ on a previous property but may find yours of interest.

It is also important to advertise the property at the correct rental price. You may even consider offering the property below the ‘going rate’ so as to attract more interest, rent the property quicker and thus minimise your initial void period on your first let (when the property is earning you nothing). 

Ideally the first batch of viewings will lead to suitable tenants who wish to rent the property. The next issue then becomes when they can move-in. It’s unusual for someone to be able to move-in immediately, as they will typically have a notice period to honour with their current landlord.

Property type can play a part here - smaller properties may be filled quicker as the tenants are naturally of a more transient nature, whereas larger family homes often come with tenants that have more commitments (and stuff to pack!) before they can move.


 In normal circumstances, if a property is advertised and a tenant is not found within a couple of weeks (not necessarily moved in, but scheduled to do so)  then I would say something is wrong - normally the price, property or marketing. One key proviso for a landlord is that the objective should always be to get the best tenants possible, not necessarily the first ones that come along. 

If you are buying a rental property and would like someone to help you find the right tenants as quickly as possible, please get in touch.


This article was featured in...









Chichester rental valuation

Thursday, 30 April 2020

How much are Chichester’s landlords spending on property maintenance?

Drill, Blueprint, Nails, Tape measure, building tools 
As the tax year recently came to a close, annual account statements were sent out to all of my landlords who employ me on a full management basis. It’s something I do (free of charge) as part of my lettings service, but I think it will make my landlords (or their accountants!) lives easier come self-assessment time.

The statement breaks down the total rent they have received in the tax year for each property, along with any deductions that were made i.e. my management fees and any maintenance costs. It’s similar to what I send each month when the rent comes in, but this time for the whole tax year.

Not only is this a nice overview for the landlord, whilst again demonstrating my complete transparency in regards to fees, but it also ensures all costs are accounted for so that they can claim the maximum tax relief. This is increasingly important at a time when mortgage interest relief for landlords is reducing.

It also gives me some great figures to analyse, which I wanted to share with you.

The average rent my landlords are achieving is £1,125pcm, which is 13% higher than the current average rent in Chichester of £995pcm. Plus, they have received all of the rent due to them i.e. there were no non-paying tenants all year - phew! Unfortunately, I’m already wondering whether the fallout from Covid-19 will end that great track record, but the financial stimulus packages announced should go some way to helping tenants in that regard.
What’s more is that my unique fixed-fee structure is proving to be excellent value for my landlords; demonstrated by my landlords being charged a total of just 9% for their full management service on average. One landlord is paying just 6.2% as their property achieves a particularly high rent, meaning my fixed fee proves to be even cheaper for them.

What was also interesting to see is that my landlords are spending £450 a year on average on property maintenance, which is just 3.9% of the total rent they receive.

As common lettings advice is to set aside 10% of your annual rent to account for property maintenance, it seems my landlords are doing far better than this. I suspect this is partly because I tend to manage more modern properties, which should inherently have fewer issues, and because I tend to endorse the attitude of ‘prevention being better than cure’ i.e. spending a little in the short-term to save a lot in the long-term.

I hope it’s also partly down to the carefully selected maintenance contractors I use, who offer good value for money, plus the fact I don’t add a mark-up to maintenance costs or charge additional commission. I also often run through a few simple steps with tenants when issues occur, in case we can resolve them without the need for paid help.

If you’d like to discuss the ins and outs of how I can make the management of your rental property a little bit easier and perhaps more cost-effective, please get in touch.


This article was featured in...





If you are looking for an agent that is well established, professional and communicative in Chichester, then contact us to find out how we can get the best out of your investment property.

E-mail me on clive@crjlettings.co.uk or call 01243 624 599.

Don't forget to visit the links below to view my previous buy-to-let deals and Chichester Property News articles:

c/o CRJ Lettings, 30B Southgate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 1DP



Chichester rental valuation

Thursday, 18 April 2019

How much are Chichester’s landlords spending on property maintenance?


As the tax year recently came to a close, annual account statements were sent out to all of my landlords who employ me on a full management basis. It’s not something I publicise I do (free of charge) as part of my lettings service, but I think it will make my landlords (or their accountants!) lives easier come self-assessment time. 
The statement breaks down the total rent they have received in the tax year for each property, along with any deductions that were made (my management fees and any property maintenance costs). It’s similar to what I send each month when the rent comes in, but this time for the whole tax year.
Not only is this a nice overview for the landlord, whilst again demonstrating my complete transparency in regards to fees, but it also ensures all costs are accounted for so that they can claim the maximum tax relief. This is increasingly important at a time when mortgage interest relief for landlords is reducing.

It also gives me some great figures to analyse, which I wanted to share with you.

The average rent my landlords are achieving is £1,100pcm, which is 11% higher than the current average rent in Chichester of £995pcm. Plus, they have received all of the rent due to them i.e. there were no non-paying tenants all year - phew!
What’s more is that my unique fixed-fee structure is proving to be excellent value for my landlords; demonstrated by my average landlord being charged just 9.2% in total for a full tenant find and ongoing management service. One landlord is paying just 6.2% as their property achieves a particularly high rent, meaning my fixed fee proves to be even cheaper for them.
What was also interesting to see is that my landlords are spending £470 a year on average on property maintenance, which is just 4.5% of the total rent they receive. 

Common lettings advice is to set aside 10% of your annual rent to account for property maintenance, but my landlords are doing far better than this. I suspect this is partly because I focus on more modern properties, which should inherently have fewer issues, and because I tend to endorse the attitude of ‘prevention being better than cure’ i.e. spending a little in the short-term to save a lot in the long-term.

I hope it’s also partly down to the carefully selected maintenance contractors I use, who offer good value for money, plus the fact I don’t add a mark-up to maintenance costs or charge additional commission. I also often check issues for myself to see if they can be rectified by me, free of charge, before getting in the paid help. 

If you’d like to discuss the ins and outs of how I can make the management of your rental property a little bit easier and perhaps more cost-effective, please get in touch. 



This article was featured in...





If you are looking for an agent that is well established, professional and communicative in Chichester, then contact us to find out how we can get the best out of your investment property.

E-mail me on clive@crjlettings.co.uk or call 01243 624 599.

Don't forget to visit the links below to view my previous buy-to-let deals and Chichester Property News articles:

c/o CRJ Lettings, 30B Southgate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 1DP



Chichester rental valuation