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There are several factors that play an important role in determining just how successful the whole experience of letting can be for the investing landlord.

A question that's always at the forefront is, "will I get suitable tenants?" At Foxtons, every tenant has to provide references that are checked rigorously. However, perhaps the best solution to the problem of finding a reliable tenant is to make use of Foxtons Corporate Services.

Only the best tenants

Foxtons Corporate Services is currently working with more than 600 of the world's most respected companies, who rely on us to find accommodation for their key personnel. International companies are constantly hiring new staff and potential employees are only taken on after they've been through intense selection procedures, meaning corporate tenants come with bona fide references already in place.

"Foxtons deal with a lot of banks and law firms; that's the calibre of corporate tenant we have coming through", comments Sarah. "When a company pays an employee's rent that employee is clearly a valued member of staff. Corporate tenants respect that fact and as a consequence will respect the property."

Let your property fast!

An empty property loses you money, every day, every week. Foxtons realise that landlords must find nothing more vexing than the knowledge that their property is vacant. They also realise that there's no reason why good-quality accommodation should stand empty. At Foxtons, thousands of active prospective tenants are registered at any one time, most of them looking to move within a few days.

Maximise your rent

Of course, one of the main considerations for any landlord, and probably the main reason anyone gets involved in letting property, is the rent the property is able to command and the return this offers to the landlord.

If your property is not giving you the sort of return that you were hoping for, now may be the time to consider renting it on a short let basis.

Foxtons short lets typically increase your rent by between 25% and 75%.

A short let can run from a few days up to six months. The property should be fully furnished and should have all the 'mod cons'. All the bills (except the phone bill) are usually included in the rent.

The best comparison to think of is a hotel. As Sarah says, "For £100 a night you can get a basic room at a hotel. For £700 a week, you could rent a beautiful one bedroomed flat and have your own reception room and kitchen as well. It's a home away from home; and you're not tied to a hotel's timetable.

"About 80% of the people who use a short let are corporate clients working in the UK on a special project for a few months. They want to able to stay in a place where they won't feel as if the walls are closing in on them after a week! These tenants work long hours and they want a home where they can relax at the end of a hard day."

Perhaps the most attractive aspect of the short let is that the rent for the duration of the tenancy is paid in full up-front; and if it's a corporate tenant then it's usually their employer who pays the rent.

The short let option is an effective way of ensuring that when you let a property it will be a genuine boon, not a millstone.

With one of the most extensive registers of both private and corporate tenants looking for a home in London and Surrey, and with dedicated lettings staff committed to securing the best deal possible for landlords, Foxtons is the natural choice for anyone considering letting their property.