The Cornwall Residential Landlords Association was set up in 1993 to serve the interests of private landlords in Cornwall. It collects and represents the views of landlords to local and central government, disseminates information about the law and practice of being a landlord to its members and is a focus for the exchange of information and views of landlords in the county. In 2005 it became a company limited by guarantee.
There are…

1.1 Before letting your property make sure your property is in good condition. In particular
- Are the structure, the fixtures and the fittings in good condition? (see section 4)
- Are they clean and in good decorative order?
- Has a gas safety check has been carried out? (see 4.11)
- Does your furniture comply with the law? (see 4.13)
- Is the electrical system safe? (see 4.15)
…

2.1 The tenancy agreement sets out the legal framework. Although the law is fairly heavily weighted towards the tenant, it does give you certain rights provided that the legal framework is set up correctly. You can, to a certain extent, dictate the rights and obligations of both parties. However, if you fail to complete the documents properly, you can find that you are stuck with a bad tenant and that will result in endless work in sorting out the…

3.1 Accounts.
You must keep properly written up accounts for each tenant showing all money received, held and paid and the current balance of each tenant’s account. At least every 14 weeks you should reconcile your tenant ledger balances with rent and other money due. You should send a written account to your tenant for all money paid and held, whether or not any money is due, at appropriate intervals and at least once every year and…