Letting, renting, buying and selling explained
Guides to the rules, the money and the process, written for Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch and kept up to date. Each one lists its sources and the date it was last checked.
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Landlord guides
Letting a property in England: the legal checks, the agreement, the deposit, the money and the agent.
EPC rules for landlords: the minimum rating and what may change
EPC rules for landlords in England: the band E minimum, exemptions and penalties, the move to band C by 2030, and how to improve an older Bournemouth flat.
Read more Furnished or unfurnished: furnishing a let in Bournemouth
Furnished or unfurnished in Bournemouth: what tenants expect, fire safety labels, inventories, wear and tear, and furnished lets of 28 nights or more.
Read more Gas and electrical safety for landlords: CP12, EICR and alarms
Gas safety records, EICRs and smoke and carbon monoxide alarms for landlords in England: what each needs, how often, deadlines for tenants and the penalties.
Read more HMO and landlord licensing in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Which rented homes need a licence from BCP Council, how to check an address, what a licence asks of you, the penalties and the Article 4 rule for new HMOs.
Read more The landlord legal checklist for letting in England
Every legal check before you let a home in England: gas, electrics, alarms, EPC, Right to Rent, deposit, licensing, furniture, legionella and insurance.
Read more Letting agent fees explained: tenant find, rent collection and full management
What tenant find, rent collection and full management include, how letting agents charge, VAT, set-up and renewal fees, and what to compare before you sign.
Read more What a property manager does, month by month
What a property manager does through a tenancy: inspections, repairs, compliance, rent and statements, tenant contact, the end of tenancy and choosing one.
Read more Rent increases and arrears under the Renters' Rights Act
How to raise rent by section 13 notice, how tenants challenge it at tribunal, and how to handle arrears under the Renters' Rights Act, with payment plans.
Read more The Renters' Rights Act 2025: what changed for landlords on 1 May 2026
What the Renters' Rights Act changed for landlords in England on 1 May 2026: periodic tenancies, no section 21, new grounds, rent rules and what comes next.
Read more Right to Rent checks: who to check, how and when
Right to Rent checks for landlords in England: who to check, the manual, share code and digital identity methods, follow-up checks, records and penalties.
Read more Tenancy deposits: the cap, protection and returning it
Tenancy deposits for landlords in England: the five-week cap, holding deposits, the three schemes, the 30-day deadline, prescribed information and deductions.
Read more Tenant referencing explained: what we check and why
How tenant referencing works: identity, credit, affordability, employer and landlord references, guarantors, students, and the rules on families and benefits.
Read moreRenting guides
Finding, referencing, moving into and living in a rented home in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch.
The best areas to rent in Bournemouth, by who you are
Where to rent in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch for students, professionals, families, hospital staff and beach lovers: the areas, their homes and their transport.
Read more How to rent a home in Bournemouth: the process from search to keys
Renting in Bournemouth step by step: the search, viewings, the holding deposit, referencing, the deposit cap, your tenancy under the Renters' Rights Act, bills, council tax and parking.
Read moreSelling guides
Valuing, preparing, marketing and completing the sale of a home on the Dorset coast.
How to choose an estate agent in Bournemouth
Choosing an estate agent in Bournemouth, Poole or Christchurch: fees, sole or multi agency, tie-in periods, marketing, local evidence, redress and questions to ask.
Read more How property valuations work: rental, sales and what moves the figure
How agents value homes for sale and to let in Bournemouth and Poole: comparable evidence, position, parking, sea views, leases, service charges and condition.
Read more How to sell your home in Bournemouth: valuation to completion
The steps of a home sale in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch, from the valuation and the EPC to offers, the memorandum of sale, exchange, completion and the tax.
Read more Preparing your home for sale: what pays and what does not
How to prepare a home for sale in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch: decluttering, repairs, the EPC, paperwork, photography day, viewings, pets and parking.
Read more Selling a leasehold flat: lease length, the management pack and what buyers ask
What a leasehold flat seller in Bournemouth needs: the lease, the LPE1 management pack, service charges, reserve funds, lease extension and the 2024 reforms.
Read moreBuying guides
Stamp duty, surveys, leasehold flats, mortgages and the areas, for buyers moving to or within BCP.
The best areas to buy in Bournemouth and Poole, by what you want
Where to buy in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch by what you want: seafront flats, family houses, first homes, investment and villages, with character and transport.
Read more Buying a leasehold flat in Bournemouth: what to check before you offer
What to check before offering on a leasehold flat in Bournemouth: lease length and the 80-year line, service charges, management, restrictions, cladding and freehold.
Read more Conveyancing explained: from offer accepted to keys
The conveyancing process in England from offer accepted to keys: searches, enquiries, surveys, the mortgage offer, exchange, completion and what slows a chain.
Read more Buying your first home in Bournemouth
A first-time buyer's guide to Bournemouth and Poole: deposits, a mortgage in principle, stamp duty relief, the Lifetime ISA, leasehold or freehold, and where to look.
Read more Stamp duty in 2026: the bands, first-time buyer relief and the second home surcharge
Stamp duty in England in 2026: the residential bands, first-time buyer relief, the 5% surcharge on second homes and buy-to-lets, worked examples and the 14-day return.
Read moreBuy-to-let and investment
Yields, licensing, long lets against short lets, and what the local market rewards.
Buy-to-let in Bournemouth: what the market rewards
Buying to let in Bournemouth and Poole: tenant types, flats against houses, leases and service charges, parking, licensing, stamp duty, mortgage interest relief and which let suits.
Read more Student lets in Bournemouth: Winton, Charminster and the Talbot campus
Letting to students in Bournemouth: the academic calendar, HMO licensing and Article 4, guarantors, joint tenancies under the Renters' Rights Act, furnishing and summer voids.
Read moreLong stays and winter lets
Furnished stays of a month or more: who they suit, what is included and how they differ from a tenancy.
Corporate lets and relocation to Bournemouth: furnished homes for companies and new starters
How companies, insurers and NHS teams book furnished homes in Bournemouth from 28 nights: VAT invoicing, an account manager, several apartments and what the employee gets.
Read more Long stay or tenancy? Furnished lets from 28 nights against renting on a tenancy
A furnished long stay from 28 nights against an assured periodic tenancy: bills, deposits, notice, flexibility, cost and the legal line between a serviced let and a tenancy.
Read more Winter lets explained: November to March in a furnished home
How winter lets work on the Dorset coast: who takes a furnished home from November to March, what is included, how owners let this way, and the 28-night and 140/70-night rules.
Read moreRegulation and tax
The Renters' Rights Act, licensing, safety certificates, council tax and the taxes on property.
Council tax, second homes and business rates in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Council tax in BCP explained: bands, who pays during a tenancy, the 100% second homes premium, empty homes premiums, the 140/70 business rates test and furnished stays.
Read more Landlord tax explained: income tax, allowable expenses and capital gains
How UK landlords are taxed: property income, the 20% finance cost credit, allowable expenses, the £1,000 property allowance, domestic items relief, CGT in 60 days and Making Tax Digital.
Read moreMoving to Bournemouth
The town, the neighbourhoods, transport, schools and what it costs to live by the sea.
Moving to Bournemouth: the practical guide
Moving to Bournemouth: the town, the neighbourhoods, trains and buses, work, cost of living, GPs and hospitals, schools, and a furnished first month while you look for a home.
Read more Schools and universities in Bournemouth and Poole
Bournemouth University and AUB, the four BCP grammar schools and the shared 11 plus test, state admissions, independent schools, and what it all means for renters and buyers.
Read moreWeighing up your options
Comparison Furnished or unfurnished: which lets better in Bournemouth
The answer depends on who rents in your street. How furnished and unfurnished lets compare on tenants, rent, wear, inventories and fire safety, and the third route furnished flats open.
Read more Comparison Letting agent or self-managing: what the fee buys
Since 1 May 2026 a landlord in England carries more legal duties than before. What managing a tenancy yourself involves, what an agent's fee pays for, and how to choose.
Read more Comparison High street or online estate agent: selling a home two ways
One charges a share of the price when the sale completes, the other a fixed fee whether or not it does. What each does, who does the viewings and where the risk sits.
Read more
Comparison Long let or holiday let in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch
The tax advantage ended in April 2025 and the tenancy rules changed in May 2026. How a tenancy and a holiday let now compare on income, costs, rules and work.
Read more
Comparison Tenancy or winter and long stays: letting a furnished flat two ways
A twelve-month tenancy and furnished stays of 28 nights or more are different products with different rules. How they compare for the owner of a furnished flat.
Read more
What is your property worth to let or to sell?
A free, no obligation valuation from a local team that knows what each street lets and sells for. For a quick figure first, the instant rent estimate takes under a minute.