It’s not quite as simple as it sounds—but having said that, it does precisely what it suggests. A landlord, or property owner, is guaranteed a contracted amount of rent, every month, even if the property is occupied or not. A contract can last for a minimum of 6–12 months up to 5 years and 10 years. This rent is guaranteed by a real property manager or management company that manages the property for the duration of the contract.
A guaranteed rent scheme sounds, simple really, dosen't it?
So, how does guaranteed rent work?
Letting a real property comes with a whole host of responsibilities and operations. From collecting rent to dealing with issues, it is very time consuming.
If an owner holds a portfolio with more than a couple of properties, looking after them, and their tenants pay the monthly rent as written in the tenancy agreement, can soon turn into working a full-time job and they are not even sure to have a guaranteed rental income.
If you enter into a guaranteed rent programme or a rent-to-rent scheme, as it’s also known, everything associated with being the landlord becomes the responsibility of the property manager or a management company like UpperKey. Your only job is to bank the payments. What’s not to like?
Consider the various responsibilities many landlords face:
Finding tenants / advertising / marketing
Property maintenance and upkeep
Rent collection as written in the tenancy agreement
Housekeeping
Insurance
Paying utility bills and legal expenses
Eviction proceedings in the case of rent stops and eviction costs and court costs
Regular inspections
For a guaranteed monthly payment, you can stop worrying about all of the above. Think of the resulting free time you could generate from working with property experts and a dedicated team who has extensive experience in property management.
Where’s the catch with guaranteed rent?
The only real catch is that you may earn a little less than the market value of the property. The company or agency taking over the landlord duties will use the difference between what they charge their new tenant and what they pay you to make a profit. UpperKey always offers a free rental valuation during the whole process and above-market value rents to their property owners, in addition to a rent guarantee scheme. With Upperkey you are in the right place because we are taking care of everything to ensure a piece of mind every month!
How much do estate agents charge for guaranteed rent?
When you consider that the difference has to cover any insurance, maintenance for the property postcode, operating costs, hours repairs management service, deal with local authorities, advertising and upkeep the local authority, for as little as 10–20% it’s quite a task to undertake for estate agents.
For a property with an annual rent of £60k, your monthly income could still be as much as £54k after paying council tax with some void periods. Without having to lift a finger. Without having to pay landlord insurance premiums, advertising premiums or even covering the cost of redecorating. And almost risk free.
An empty property has no income—it’s a landlord’s biggest burden
If you’re in cahoots with a great letting agent or other estate agents providing peace of mind, then perhaps guaranteed rent isn’t right for you—but if you haven’t? Here’s what you’re guaranteed:
No more sleepless nights delivered by an empty property
No more shortfalls in income
No more working around-the-clock when someone else manages your property for you
You’re going to get paid whether there’s a tenant or not.
Another way of dodging a shortfall in rent is by taking out rent guarantee insurance.
A rose by any other name…
We’re often asked, “What is rent guarantee” and “How does a rent guarantee plan work?”
There are myriad variations for what we call guaranteed rent—but they all add up to being the same thing. Rent-to-rent schemes, guaranteed rent, guaranteed rental systems or guaranteed rent services; the one term, however, that isn’t covered by that far-reaching umbrella is rent guarantee insurance.
So, what is rent guarantee insurance?
You don’t want to get the 2 things confused. Guaranteed rent and rent guarantee insurance are entirely different things. You could be forgiven for thinking it’s a policy that covers an agent entering into a guaranteed rent arrangement. It’s not.
Rent guarantee insurance, or financial protection insurance, is a policy that covers a landlord for unpaid rent. This isn’t for periods when a property falls empty, but to tenants falling into rent arrears. These are the unexpected periods that they are unable to pay their rent. With guaranteed rent scheme insurance, owners can safeguard against rent arrears.
How much does rent guarantee insurance cost?
We can’t state point-blank what the market charges, nor would we dare to suggest a one-size-fits-all figure.
So, how much is rent guarantee insurance?
To offer a ballpark, typical insurance policy cost, they can often be as little as £100–200 per year, with a maximum claim amount of around £25k.
This type of policy can be a veritable lifesaver if your tenants suddenly fail to meet their rent payments. It could only take a few months without guranteed payment to create a real hole in your budget. Those shortfalls extend faster than you think when you also have the associated complication of removing a problem tenant from your property.
How does rent guarantee insurance work?
The general rule of rent guarantee insurance is when a tenant falls behind in their rent payments by over a month you can make a claim. Your insurance will then effectively cover the missing payments. Generally, they keep paying out for a fixed term, around 6–12 months.
Risk reduction on risky renters
Participating after paying the council tax in a council guaranteed rent scheme is an excellent facility for private landlords relying on the fixed rental income to pay a mortgage. It reduces the risk of taking on new tenants and opens the market to tenants with slightly less stable incomes, for example, those who are unemployed or in temporary contract work.
Wouldn’t you prefer to live without all the hassle?
Finding the right tenants Among the long list of duties to keep a property rental in prime condition and permanently occupied, a landlord needs to find suitable tenants.
Tenants for holiday sub let properties If your property is a holiday let, it means finding enough visitors to fill your calendar—52 weeks of the year.
You need to find guests who are looking for a property just like yours and in your area, so filling every week of the year could be quite a challenge.
What are ways to avoid rent arrears?
There are websites and agencies you can use to advertise your property, but they all take their cut of the profit. Factor in the value of your time and those profits will look much smaller than you might have anticipated. With a guaranteed rent scheme you can avoid the disappointment of a profit loss for your rental property, and even boost your fixed rental income.
Tenants for long-term leasing
If you let the property that is for a home or long-term property lease, life will often get in the way of smooth-run business. People change jobs, move towns, get married, get divorced, have families, have even bigger families. All of these events can mean that moving house is inevitable.
Once again, finding new tenants becomes a priority. You could be expected to find new tenants every 6 months or less. Management takes effort and valuable time, which is why it is easier to work with a property manager such as UpperKey.
Marketing and advertising
Trustworthy rent-to-rent management services will save you time and stress.
If their ability to find tenants is their strength, and it isn’t yours, they could even save you money.
It’s the agent’s responsibility to make sure your property is presented to the highest standard at all times. They’ll even arrange to have professionally taken photography to ensure they promote the property at its best. All of their endeavours are aimed at impressing the correct class of tenant.
Bills, bills, bills…
You can say goodbye to unexpected utility bills and financial surprises. Your agent, or the acting landlord for your property, will be responsible for all additional work. Any agent worth their salt will cultivate strong interior design to achieve the highest possible rates. They’ll also take care of any repairs and rejuvenation to boost those potential profits.
The payoff to the property owner, as you can see, can be extensive when taken care of in the correct manner. It’s certainly a program that many property owners should seriously consider during the current climate.
UpperKey: Providing Property Owners with Guaranteed Rent and Comprehensive Property Management
This type of policy can be a veritable lifesaver if your tenants suddenly fail to meet their rent payments. It could only take a few months without guaranteed payment to create a real hole in your budget. Those shortfalls extend faster than you think when you also have the associated complication of removing a problem tenant from your property.
Guaranteed rent by UpperKey works as laid out in this article and the first step to getting started is easy. You can contact UpperKey today to learn more about their guaranteed rent schemes in south east London, guaranteed monthly income payments in Paris, increased rental income in Dublin, rent guarantee in Rome. You"ll receive a same-day quote on how much guaranteed rent your home could generate based on the property type.
UpperKey has lots of property management services providing some peace of mind to those renting property. With prompt rental payments scheduled at the beginning of each month, property owners no longer need to worry about void periods where their rental properties are empty. This is a hassle free way to increase monthly rental income, at rent prices above the average market value, and that makes all the difference. With a high standard of service, UpperKey guaranteed rent schemes take care of every landlord's nightmare and provide steady rental income, month after month.
Learn how to reduce work and recieve guaranteed rental property investment on example of Dublin here. and follow us!