Professions
Floor plans for private landlords
Letting a single flat does not call for a construction drawing. What is needed is a clear plan for the advert and a floor area that goes into the tenancy agreement and can stay there.
Both are achievable with modest effort. The mistake private landlords make most often is adopting an area figure from an old document without checking it — surprisingly often it is wrong, and the discrepancy regularly runs against you.
Floor area in the tenancy agreement
The floor area in a tenancy is not a formality. If the real area is materially smaller, that can found a rent reduction. So do not adopt a number you cannot follow.
Work it out instead: measure the rooms, take out ancillary spaces, count the balcony normally at a quarter, weight sloped ceilings by height. The editor keeps those factors per room and shows the derivation.
- Cellar, laundry room and garage do not count
- Balcony normally at 25 per cent
- Weight sloped ceilings by clear height
- Keep the derivation, not just the total
The advert with a plan
An advert with a floor plan generates fewer but better-matched enquiries. That is especially valuable in private letting, because you run the viewings yourself and every unnecessary one costs your own time.
Keep the plan plain: room names, areas, doors and windows. Restrained furniture helps with scale; dimension chains and technical detail help nobody and look forbidding.
Handover and keeping a record
A plan is useful at handover too: you can attribute meter readings, keys and rooms unambiguously instead of describing them. A PDF attached to the handover record costs nothing and prevents misunderstandings.
Also keep the plan as your own file. When you renovate, sell or re-let in a few years you already have the basis, instead of starting from an old copy again.
Frequently asked questions
Does the floor area in a tenancy have to be exact?
It has to be defensible. Material shortfalls can found a rent reduction, so do not adopt a figure from an old document that you cannot follow.
Does the cellar count as let floor area?
No. Cellars are ancillary spaces and stay outside living area. You can list the cellar separately in the agreement as included in the letting.
Do I really need a plan for an advert?
It is not compulsory, but it noticeably reduces unsuitable enquiries. In private letting the time you save is your own.