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Property investors turning to renting out properties during the housing market slowdown are being encouraged by newspaper commentators to consider legal and practical implications before taking the plunge and becoming landlords.
Owners must take into account health and safety legislation before renting, writes Julie Hind, in the Newcastle Journal.
Ms Hind reports buy-to-let landlords should not "take for granted" that all their tenancy agreements will be assured shorthold tenancies.
She writes: "There are certain requirements that are essential when drafting a tenancy agreement and remember it is a legal document, so both parties must comply with the terms.
Tenant and landlord disputes can also be avoided by making sure all tenants are subject to references and credit checks, she added.
Last week the Times also reported that would-be landlords will have to make sure tenant deposits are insured and protected by a tenancy deposit scheme.
From October residential landlords will also have to provide energy performance certificates for prospective tenants to look at.
