sparky370z Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 I have just fitted my kitchen, the best advice i wiuld give you is plan everything and follow that. I know sometimes thise plans need to be bent but it made my life so much easier. Make sure all your measurements are correct Check where all the sevices are and how you will run the new feeds and waste ect Make sure that there is an electrical supply close by. Only buy decent stuff or get the guy to recommed where to get the materials. If your not confident yourself get a professional. I would remove the worktops and re-jig the kitchen. More hassle in the start but easier to maintain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HassanZ Posted October 30, 2011 Author Share Posted October 30, 2011 In that case, don't rent to students...... Being a landlord is a pain in the backside at times... especially when the tenants are students! renting to students earns you nearly twice as much rent as you would expect from a family or a professional. The house is slap bang in the middle of a university area so renting to students is the wisest option. To be fair all the students I've rented to so far have been great! The only headache is having to find a new set of tenants every academic year as they don't tend to stick around longer than one year. I have found a lot of them tend to find girlfriends/boyfriends they decide to move in with When the new tenants move in, you have to go through the inventory and other check-in procedures again which can be a pain. Finding the tenants is not an issue as a university owned lettings agency does that for me. As the house is rented on a multiple occupancy (a contract per room), I have to find a group of 4 friends each year as it has 4 bedrooms. For the past 2 years 1 random person has joined with a group to form a group of 4. This could be risky just incase they don't get along! So far however, it has worked out fine. Also just to add, the university lettings agency has laid out strict rules with regards to renting out the property: - Hard wired smoke alarms on each floor and a carbon monoxide sensor in the kitchen. - All furniture has to abide by fire regulations. - All rooms have to either have a escape window or a fire door. - Valid EPC and gas safety certificates - All electrical appliances have to be PAC tested. - Deposits have to be protected through an external agency (ie MyDeposits). - The property has to be fully furnished (This includes bed, desk, chair and wardrobe in the bedrooms. Kitchen has to have a washing machine and all essential appliances and white goods. The communal room needs to have sofa seating enough for the number of tenants and a dinner table etc. Some or all of these apply to normal landlords too but they tend to be stricter with student landlords. There you go, you got your long winded explanation Are there any other student landlords on here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ioneabee Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 In that case, don't rent to students...... Being a landlord is a pain in the backside at times... especially when the tenants are students! renting to students earns you nearly twice as much rent as you would expect from a family or a professional. The house is slap bang in the middle of a university area so renting to students is the wisest option. To be fair all the students I've rented to so far have been great! The only headache is having to find a new set of tenants every academic year as they don't tend to stick around longer than one year. I have found a lot of them tend to find girlfriends/boyfriends they decide to move in with When the new tenants move in, you have to go through the inventory and other check-in procedures again which can be a pain. Finding the tenants is not an issue as a university owned lettings agency does that for me. As the house is rented on a multiple occupancy (a contract per room), I have to find a group of 4 friends each year as it has 4 bedrooms. For the past 2 years 1 random person has joined with a group to form a group of 4. This could be risky just incase they don't get along! So far however, it has worked out fine. Also just to add, the university lettings agency has laid out strict rules with regards to renting out the property: - Hard wired smoke alarms on each floor and a carbon monoxide sensor in the kitchen. - All furniture has to abide by fire regulations. - All rooms have to either have a escape window or a fire door. - Valid EPC and gas safety certificates - All electrical appliances have to be PAC tested. - Deposits have to be protected through an external agency (ie MyDeposits). - The property has to be fully furnished (This includes bed, desk, chair and wardrobe in the bedrooms. Kitchen has to have a washing machine and all essential appliances and white goods. The communal room needs to have sofa seating enough for the number of tenants and a dinner table etc. Some or all of these apply to normal landlords too but they tend to be stricter with student landlords. There you go, you got your long winded explanation Are there any other student landlords on here? EPC's are my role - so you can add another trade to the long list of occupations on here on a side note - you said your cousin can "do" electrics - as you have to provide Electrical Periodic Test - this must be done in accordance with the 17th Edition of the IEE regs - if he isn't qualified - you may have problems ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zugara Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Yep I am an EPC trained person and my wife is a lettings professional so I am well unto speed on lettings to students.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HassanZ Posted October 30, 2011 Author Share Posted October 30, 2011 I've just spoken to my far cousin who does this for a living. He's going to have a look and provide me with a quotation tomorrow. He said he will source the worktop and fittings for me also. Let's see if 'mates rates' comes in to play over here I've already sourced a Bosch washing machine for £120 delivered from a local appliance store. I am shocked, I didn't think I'd be looking into the hundreds for labour alone! Price always depends on who you use. My labour costs are high because of the way I carry out works. I'm very oldschool and very proud of how I work. If its not perfect then I wont leave it. When I complete works and leave you wouldn't know there has been an engineer in the house. If you pay cheap the usually you get what you pay for. If its your cousin i'd expect a decent price but don't let him get away with shawdy workmanship. Theres two different types of tradesman... a fitter and an engineer. Thanks for the heads up, I will ensure the work is of a high standard. He is a professional kitchen fitter who has been on a few courses to get his qualifications etc so he is clued up. With regards to how you do your work, that's how everyone should be but unfortunately you get the odd cowboys who're out there to do others over by doing a bodge job, take the money and go. A year or so later major problems will occur due to the quality of the work but the 'engineer' cannot be tracked down. I suppose that's life hey... In that case, don't rent to students...... Being a landlord is a pain in the backside at times... especially when the tenants are students! They have probably been using it as a beer fridge anyways. Leave it where it is, buy another and plant it at the other side and get your cousin to plumb it in HAHA that's a good one! I tend to have students who are in their second or final year so they do seem more serious about their studies rather than getting pi**ed up every night and getting laid. First year students tend to stay in university halls then branch out to private accommodation/houses once they've found their friends. When I was a university student myself 2 years ago (graduated in 2009), I worked for a company called Unite for 3.5 years whilst being a student. Unite are the UK's largest landlord. I was responsible for managing 4 student halls across the University campus (over 1,000 flats) in the evenings and weekend, this was the best 4 years of my life!! This is how I got the idea of becoming a student landlord, through my experience in this occupation. NeilP said "My labour costs are high" Neil your labour costs are not "high" they are the going rate for a qualified tradesman as opposed to someone on the dole who does a bit of plumbing and kitchen fitting for cash. Hassan we do a lot for student landlords and I know where you are coming from. However as an example of how profitable student letting can/should be we've just done a large terrace in Manchester bought for £160.000 spent £8,000 now with four students in each paying £360 per month (total £1440) . What else can you put £170k into at the moment that gives you over a grand a month? I agree with you mate, there are plenty of people around (usually foreigners) who are prepared to get the work done to a high standard for quarter of the normal cost. They tend to be very hard workers too! The only reason I wouldn't use them is because they most likely won't have the required qualifications. As a student landlord I have the responsibility to ensure all the work is carried out legally, following all legislation laid out. That is exactly why I chose to purchase a property next to the university campus and go for the student letting market rather than the residential letting market. There is a lot of potential! I also rent my property to 4 students on a multiple occupancy basis with 1 communal room. What do you do for student landlords then, refurbishment? Housing development? I have just fitted my kitchen, the best advice i wiuld give you is plan everything and follow that. I know sometimes thise plans need to be bent but it made my life so much easier. Make sure all your measurements are correct Check where all the sevices are and how you will run the new feeds and waste ect Make sure that there is an electrical supply close by. Only buy decent stuff or get the guy to recommed where to get the materials. If your not confident yourself get a professional. I would remove the worktops and re-jig the kitchen. More hassle in the start but easier to maintain. Thank you mate, I really appreciate your advice! I will not be touching the kitchen myself, I am useless!! I will let my cousin get on with it once we agree a price (I hope!!) In that case, don't rent to students...... Being a landlord is a pain in the backside at times... especially when the tenants are students! renting to students earns you nearly twice as much rent as you would expect from a family or a professional. The house is slap bang in the middle of a university area so renting to students is the wisest option. To be fair all the students I've rented to so far have been great! The only headache is having to find a new set of tenants every academic year as they don't tend to stick around longer than one year. I have found a lot of them tend to find girlfriends/boyfriends they decide to move in with When the new tenants move in, you have to go through the inventory and other check-in procedures again which can be a pain. Finding the tenants is not an issue as a university owned lettings agency does that for me. As the house is rented on a multiple occupancy (a contract per room), I have to find a group of 4 friends each year as it has 4 bedrooms. For the past 2 years 1 random person has joined with a group to form a group of 4. This could be risky just incase they don't get along! So far however, it has worked out fine. Also just to add, the university lettings agency has laid out strict rules with regards to renting out the property: - Hard wired smoke alarms on each floor and a carbon monoxide sensor in the kitchen. - All furniture has to abide by fire regulations. - All rooms have to either have a escape window or a fire door. - Valid EPC and gas safety certificates - All electrical appliances have to be PAC tested. - Deposits have to be protected through an external agency (ie MyDeposits). - The property has to be fully furnished (This includes bed, desk, chair and wardrobe in the bedrooms. Kitchen has to have a washing machine and all essential appliances and white goods. The communal room needs to have sofa seating enough for the number of tenants and a dinner table etc. Some or all of these apply to normal landlords too but they tend to be stricter with student landlords. There you go, you got your long winded explanation Are there any other student landlords on here? EPC's are my role - so you can add another trade to the long list of occupations on here on a side note - you said your cousin can "do" electrics - as you have to provide Electrical Periodic Test - this must be done in accordance with the 17th Edition of the IEE regs - if he isn't qualified - you may have problems ?? Ahh....I'll be getting in touch with you in a few years time then to get my EPC certificate renewed then They're quite convenient as they last 10 years! Don't worry my cousin is no a cowboy, he's got all his qualifications/accreditation to carry out anything related to kitchen work (including electrics NICEIC and plumbing). I'm sure he's 'Gas Safe' certified too. With regards to electrics, I don't think any modifications will be required electrically, just plumbing work will need to be carried out. I had to upgrade my consumer panel/board (whatever you call it) last year as it was really old and would not pass the electrical safety test/Periodic Inspection Report on the property. At least I'm okay for the next 5 years now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeroy Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 It looks like the best option is to break through the wall and pull the washing m/c outside That's one tight kitchen. On a serious note, if the worktops are still serviceable can you ; Disconnect sink waste and tap tails Lift worktop off Lift washing m/c over the units to get it out? Then install new washer the same way and refit worktop / silicon. I know the washing machine will be heavy and the space is awkward so this might not work. At least it'd avoid moving the sink base unit as it's probably tied down with plumbing stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sasha@lazytrips Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 If I were you, the simplest thing to do is this: pull out machine as far as you can and dismantle any pieces that you can off it. Then break it up without flooding the house carefully and get to the water supply and block that off eventually. Get all the bits of metal & plastic and stick them in the bin. Then go buy a slim depth washing machine (these can be around 40cm deep) and from the pictures should fit back down between the two worktops. That'll be the most effective way of sorting the problem without breaking your whole kitchen up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 I thought there were regulations that meant you couldnt have kitchens so narrow as that?! Ive fitted 3 kitchens now, completely gutted, replumbed, rewired and refitted, incl tiling and everything. A small kitchen like that isnt a massive job, but it can still take you a fair old while to get perfect. As others have said, the materials will cost you next to nothing. You can get carcases and doors cheap from wickes, a sink is 25quid, a worktop can be had for 40quid etc. etc... But its the labour involved etc. Personally id do it myself if i was you. Its easier than you think! Good luck!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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