Recently we were contacted by a landlord in need of help. The tenants he found via Gumtree had sublet his two-bedroom terrace house and he had not been paid the due rent, writes Campbell & Co

After some research we were able to establish this was not the first time these tenants had sublet properties illegally.

Campbell & Co served notice and gained vacant possession. We marketed the property and following completion of reference checks, the house was let to a professional couple.

Lessons to be learned

It is recognised that problematic tenants tend to use Gumtree, as they know private landlords tend not to have the referencing capability of good letting agents.

Private Landlords who wish to use Gumtree to advertise your property for rent, should complete the following;

Get the tenants to complete an application form. This just needs to capture their name, date of birth, current address, previous addresses for at least three years, and their employment details, if employed.
Take copy of photo id and also a recent utility bill confirming their current address.
Contact previous landlord or agent to confirm the tenant lived at the address they have provided and that they paid rent on time and looked after the property.
Contact employers to confirm the employment details they have provided are correct.
Collect next of kin details including address and contact details
Ensure a compliant tenancy agreement is signed. You must also issue the tenant with a statement of tenancy terms and a rent book, in order to comply with the 2006 Private tenancies (NI) Order.

Campbell & Co can provide specialist advice on all aspects of renting, managing and selling properties.