Becoming a First Time Landlord

Buy-to-Let investing can be exciting. From building your investments and saving for retirement to creating another income stream, becoming a landlord can open up lots of opportunities.  

Perhaps you have become what we term an ‘Accidental Landlord’ if you were unable to sell your home to move to another and so kept the former as an investment.  

You may have inherited property for the first time and want to keep it to let out. Whichever way you become a landlord, Samuel Estates can assist. 

Why Samuel Estates?   

Backed up with 16 years of experience in the London property market alongside in-house and external industry training, our staff can offer expert advice on both the letting process and your legal obligations as a landlord. Many of our team have been with us for a long time, so you are in safe hands. 

With several awards and an excellent reputation in the local community, we’ve already developed a proud reputation as one of South West London’s friendliest estate agents. Our local knowledge and competitiveness are second to none!  

We are proud to be an independent estate agency, free to make our own decisions. 

Our full membership of the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) and the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS), ensures that our landlords receive a leading service backed by expert knowledge of current legislation and that your tenancy contract is fair and clear. 
 

FAQs

How do I make money as a landlord?

The money you make can come from two potential income streams 

  1. Rent 
  2. Capital growth of the property value going up 

The property market has ups and downs, so it is possible to lose money if the property value goes down, your outgoings exceed rental yield, or if the property is vacant for some time.  

What fees will I need to consider when buying to let?

There is much to consider in terms of the expense and everyday running costs of a property.  

Fees associated with property purchase:  

  • Stamp duty  
  • Valuation / Property survey  
  • Legal costs  
  • Mortgage arrangement fees (If you already have a property with a standard mortgage you will need to seek your Lender’s permission to rent it out)  
  • Income tax is payable on your rental income, minus day to day running costs. There are specific rules for non-resident landlords. We have a dedicated section on this.   

It can be a good idea to chat with an accountant, if you have one, about the financial viability of becoming a landlord.  

What regular running costs will I need to consider as a new landlord?

It is essential to factor in the day to day running costs of a property into your calculations for rental yield.  

Here are some of the main costs:  

  • Letting agent’s fees  
  • Mortgage interest  
  • Redecorating  
  • Landlord’s insurance  
  • Annual safety checks 
  • Rent insurance 
  • General building maintenance  

What services do Samuel Estates offer?

We offer landlords a comprehensive range of lettings and property management services, tailored to suit every landlord. This includes:  

  • Landlord property acquisition   
  • Property letting  
  • Rental collection  
  • Property Management   
  • Bespoke Insurance Products 

Service Selector

Letting Service

A hassle-free, professional Let Only service

We offer two different letting service options to our landlords.

Learn more

A Fully Managed Service

Relax, with everything taken care of

Our experienced property management team looks after hundreds of properties for clients based both nationally and internationally.  

Learn more

Property Management

Pro-active Property Management

Our experienced property management team looks after hundreds of properties for clients based both nationally and internationally.  

Learn more

Our latest properties

What our customers think

  • chris graham

    Over the last few weeks I have dealt with Ryan and Daniel from the lettings team who were fantastic from the get go.Polite, professional, stayed in touch with regular updates.

  • chris graham

    Over the last few weeks I have dealt with Ryan and Daniel from the lettings team who were fantastic from the get go.

    Polite, professional, stayed in touch with regular updates.

  • Novak Bojovic

    I am a foreigner who was looking for a place in London for my university studies. The service by my agent Bilal was brilliant and most importantly very professional. The whole process was fast and the response on every question was quick and clear. One of the best attributes was the constant availability to solve any problems one might have.

  • Alessandro De Corso

    Our agent Stefano was so professional and great since the day of the viewing through all the process of the tenancy agreement. Everything was set up on time and by law without any weird things that sometimes happen with many agencies around London. High recommend and big thanks again to our agent for his kindness and availability to met our requirements.

    Alessandro

  • Mathew Chan

    I worked with Jessica from Colliers Wood office on my first time renting in London (and this country) and she been amazingly helpful. We suspect we are the more demanding kind of renters who needs to know everything about the property in details, Jessica has been patient and responsive throughout the entire process. We are very thankful to have Jessica's help, without which our moving into the country might not be as smooth.

    Samuel Estates's listings are all high quality ones and they offer complimentary move-in service. Highly recommended.

  • Sam Thomas

    After nearly 4 years of renting a property through Samuel Estates we can now reflect about our experience with them as a Letting Agent.

    Throughout our tenancy, all issues were responded to efficiently and effectively as well as being resolved in the end despite any hurdles along the way. The team on the whole are very proactive in their replies and were very helpful throughout our 4 years!

  • abinash patnaik

    We rented through Samuel Estates in Colliers Wood and dealt with Yohana Gabanes as our Property Manager who was amazing. She was always quick to respond to things and helped deal with any issues that arose during our tenancy. Our checkout was smooth and hassle free. We are so happy to have her again as our property manager for our current tenancy 🙂

  • Benjamin Ofereh-Mugbeh

    Had a very good experience and I believe that was only possible thanks to the professionalism and amazing care Jessica put into helping us. We can not thank her enough. I highly recommend asking for Jessica. THANK YOU 😊

  • Doctor OReilly

    Great experience with Samuel Estates so far, and especially Stefano. Very responsive to my emails and always helpful. Thank you for making my rental move a smooth transition!

  • Antonio Dabraio

    Great experience with Samuel Estates, Jessica has been able to help us with finding our new flat for renting and the process has been very smooth, and always helpful.

    Definitely recommending Samuel Estates !

Our office locations

Balham

45 Bedford Hill
London
SW12 9EY

Contact Office

Colliers Wood

30 Watermill Way
London
SW19 2RT

Contact Office

Streatham Common

432-434 Streatham High Rd
London
SW16 3PX

Contact Office