Property Management Service for Owners

Letting year 2007 - 2008 

Enquiries about our property management service are currently being welcomed. Preference will be given to properties requiring little or no renovation and already meeting the Unipol Code of Standards.

Housing Provision

In 1984 Unipol established its Property Management Service which has developed into a professional service with 20 years experience. Unipol only manages housing for students and has an established expertise in this field.

Unipol has close links with almost all educational institutions in Leeds, but particularly with the University of Leeds and Leeds Metropolitan University whose members make up Unipol's Board of Directors. As well as being a property management service, Unipol runs an Accommodation Bureau which centralises all the student letting in Leeds and provides over 19,000 rooms each year for students. Unipol has a housing stock of its own, either on leasehold or as an owner, so as well as being property managers for owners we are owners ourselves.

What the Service Provides

Unipol will:

• advertise the house
• show students round the house and select suitable student tenants
• deal with the legal side of completing the property agreements
• hand out keys to the tenants
• instruct the tenants in the use of any appliances in the property.
• All tenants receive a Tenant's Handbook informing them of the rules and obligations they have towards the house.

Once the house is occupied:

• Unipol is the first point of contact for all matters concerning the tenants.
• Unipol collects the rent and deposits and deals with any slow payers.
• Owners are paid their rent monthly on 17th of each month.
• Unipol is the first point of contact for reporting repairs, running a 24 hour emergency service for events such as burglary or plumbing leaks.
• Unipol inspects the properties regularly, usually three times a year but more frequently if a problem is identified, and checks that the house is being properly treated and cleaned.
• At the end of the tenancy Unipol will undertake a final inspection, withholding any deposits for damage in excess of fair wear and tear. If necessary, Unipol will arrange a final clean of the property. Unipol also collects keys from the outgoing occupants and returns these to the owner or the next set of tenants.

The Cost of the Service

Unipol charges an initial fee for bringing the property into management (£200.00 plus VAT*) and a lower fee (£125.00 plus VAT*) for renewing any Management Agreement. The cost of Managing the house is 10% plus VAT*. There is an additional commission if Unipol undertake repairs on your behalf (5% with a £10 minimum*) which includes specifying and ordering work, paying contractor's invoices and checking repairs have been undertaken correctly.

How the Property Management Service Operates

If you are interested in the service, please request further information from Unipol. Initially you will be required to complete a basic form with information about your property/properties.

If we think your property will be a positive inclusion to our portfolio, we will visit the property and Unipol will advise on:

• the condition of the property and any work needed to make it suitable for students
• the rent level and number of occupants the house is suitable for (taking into account the house's location and level of amenity)
• suggestions to maximize letting and occupancy
• any other matters the owner wishes to arise.

Unipol charges a £55.00 (plus VAT) per property fee for this report, which is credited against your setup fee if you go on to join our property management service. This is to safeguard staff time and it is hoped that this does not deter any genuine enquirer.

Timing

Unipol cannot accept a property for management with existing tenants, so we will commence Management Agreements usually from 1st July or when a property is ready for occupation by new tenants.

We can usually arrange to view properties any time between October and the following July for the academic year. When the Management Service is full for the year (usually around July and August) we will not be able to consider further properties until after October for the following academic year.

Further Information

If you have further queries, please email housing@unipol.leeds.ac.uk. The initial information and form can be downloaded in pdf format here.

*prices correct Jan 2007.