On 06/09/16 12:05, David wrote:

Expect the property to be treated with less consideration than you would
use, and to need refurbishing after any rental. You may be lucky, of
course, but set your expectations realistically.

And price it in to your plan.

If you can keep tenants for 2-3 years, then you should be doing a full
repaint anyway between tenants - so scuffing and a few dings will not
matter.

If you expect to rent to families, do NOT have carpets in the lounge,
kitchen or loos. Unless you factor on replacing these or choosing
"university grade pre-puked-on" patterns.

OTOH if you are targeting upper middle class professionals without kids,
then light carpets throughout may be the order of the day.

Make sure everything is robust and well fixed - no loose taps, rails and
so on. It has to survive reasonable use without a mile long list of
caveats (which you or I might be able to tolerate in our own homes).

Appliances: either go cheap and replace often (and thus not mind if they
get knocked about a bit) or put decent stuff in. Depends on the target
market.

Find a good plumber, or ideally 2. Ditto electrician. Either put on a
retainer, or give the names to the tenant with instructions to call
directly if they cannot get hold of you. Sod's law says the heating will
blow up in January when you have nipped off for a holiday. Better they
call someone you approve of than a cowboy - or the most expensive firm
in the county!

You need the electrician and plumber anyway to do the required safety
checks, so that's a good time to meet some.