Thinking of Letting Your Property in South Devon? 8 Decisions to Make Before You Advertise

Thinking about letting a property?

Perhaps you’ve bought somewhere specifically as an investment. Maybe you’ve inherited a property, you’re moving away from the area, or your circumstances have changed and selling isn’t the right option at the moment.

Whatever brings you to the rental market, it can be tempting to start with the obvious question:

How much rent could I get?

It’s an important question – but it isn’t the first one I’d ask.

Before a property goes anywhere near an advert, there are several decisions worth making. Getting those decisions right can make the whole letting process clearer, from preparing the property and finding a suitable tenant to deciding how much of the ongoing management you actually want to handle yourself.

If you’re thinking about letting a property in Torbay, Teignbridge or the South Hams, here are eight things I’d consider first.

1. What are your plans for the property?

Start with the bigger picture.

Are you planning to keep the property as a long-term investment? Have you inherited it and aren’t yet sure what you want to do? Is it somewhere you might eventually want to live in yourself?

Your answer can affect some of the decisions you make about improvements, furnishings, ongoing management and finances.

It is also particularly important to understand how the tenancy system now works.

Since May 2026, new assured tenancies in England are periodic rather than having a fixed end date. If you already know that you may need to regain possession of the property in particular circumstances, it is sensible to understand the current rules before creating the tenancy rather than assuming an old fixed-term arrangement will work in the way it once did.

You don’t need to become a tenancy-law expert before becoming a landlord, but you do need a realistic idea of what you want the property to do for you.

2. Who is the property likely to work well for?

There isn’t one single “South Devon rental market”.

A town-centre flat in Torquay, a family house in Teignbridge and a rural home in the South Hams can appeal to people for very different reasons.

Think about the property practically.

Does it have parking? Outside space? Good storage? Is it close to public transport or employment? Does the layout lend itself to a particular way of living?

This isn’t about deciding that only a certain “type” of person should be allowed to rent the property. Landlords need to follow the rules around rental discrimination.

It’s about understanding the home’s strengths so that it can be marketed accurately and prospective tenants can decide whether it genuinely suits them.

Local knowledge helps here. Two properties that look quite similar on paper can generate very different enquiries because of their exact location, layout and features.

3. What is a realistic asking rent?

Of course, rent matters.

But I would be wary of choosing an asking price simply because you’ve seen another property advertised at a particular figure.

Average rents vary across Torbay, Teignbridge and the South Hams, and even within those areas there can be significant differences between individual properties.

Look at the whole picture: location, condition, size, energy performance, parking, outside space, layout and current competing properties.

The right asking rent should reflect your property, not simply the highest figure you can find online.

There is another important change for landlords in 2026 too.

When a rental property is advertised in writing, the advert now needs to state a specific rent. Landlords and agents cannot encourage or accept offers above the advertised figure.

That makes setting the asking rent properly from the beginning even more important.

4. What actually needs doing before it is marketed?

Once you’ve decided to let, it is very easy to start spending money.

New carpets. New kitchen. Complete redecoration. A long list of improvements that gradually becomes a much larger project than intended.

Some work may absolutely be worthwhile.

But a rental property doesn’t need to look like a show home.

It needs to be safe, clean, well maintained and presented appropriately for its market.

Before spending heavily, look objectively at the property. What genuinely needs repairing? What looks tired? What would make a meaningful difference to the people viewing it?

Sometimes a deep clean, some sensible maintenance and a few targeted improvements will do far more than an expensive refurbishment.

We looked at this in more detail in our recent article, How to Prep a Rental Property for Market (Without Overspending).

5. Furnished or unfurnished?

There isn’t one correct answer.

In many mainstream long-term lets, tenants will expect to bring at least some of their own belongings. In other circumstances, furnished accommodation can make sense.

Consider the property, its location and what prospective occupiers are likely to need.

If you do provide furniture, think practically.

Will it withstand normal rental use? Does it add something useful to the property, or is it simply filling space? And are any furnishings you provide compliant with the relevant safety requirements?

Don’t furnish a rental simply because you have furniture you no longer want in your own home.

The property should feel intentional rather than like somewhere unwanted belongings have been stored.

6. Is the property actually ready to let?

“Ready for photographs” and “legally ready for a tenancy” are not quite the same thing.

Before marketing turns into move-in dates and signed paperwork, landlords need to be confident that the relevant requirements for their property are being dealt with.

• Energy Performance Certification
• gas safety
• electrical safety
• smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
• deposit arrangements
• Right to Rent checks
• licensing where applicable
• the correct tenancy information and documentation

The exact requirements can vary, particularly for HMOs or other properties subject to licensing.

My advice is not to wait until you’ve found a tenant before discovering what is missing.

A quick review before marketing can save an unnecessary scramble later.

7. How much of being a landlord do you actually want to do?

This is one of the most important questions – and one that is often left until last.

Finding a tenant is only one part of letting a property.

Once somebody moves in, there are repairs, communication, rent administration, inspections, contractors, records and all the little decisions that come with managing somebody else’s home and your investment.

Some landlords enjoy doing that.

Others don’t.

And plenty sit somewhere in between.

Bright Star offers Tenant Find, Pick & Mix and Fully Managed support because there isn’t one right level of involvement.

You might be perfectly happy managing the tenancy but want somebody else to market the property and conduct viewings.

You might want help with an inventory, referencing, photographs or an EPC.

Or you might decide that you would rather hand over the ongoing management altogether.

Work that out before the property is let. It is much easier to put a sensible system in place from the beginning than to discover three months into a tenancy that you’ve taken on far more than expected.

8. How will you present the property properly?

Once the property is ready, then it is time to think about the advert.

Good rental marketing isn’t about making a property sound better than it is.

It’s about helping the right people understand it properly.

Clear photographs, an accurate description and a useful floorplan can answer many questions before somebody even books a viewing.

Think about what somebody needs to understand.

Where is the parking? How does the outside space work? Is the second bedroom genuinely usable as a bedroom? How much storage is there? What features aren’t obvious from the first photograph?

Accuracy matters.

More enquiries aren’t necessarily better if half of them come from people who discover at the viewing that the property was never suitable for them.

Good marketing should create better-informed enquiries.

A little planning before advertising goes a long way

Letting a property can be a very positive step, but there is more to the decision than choosing an asking rent and uploading a few photographs.

Think about what you want from the property.

Understand what the local market is likely to value.

Prepare what genuinely needs preparing.

Get the important paperwork in order.

And be realistic about how much ongoing involvement you want.

You don’t have to decide to hand everything to a letting agent.

But if you’re considering letting a property in Torbay, Teignbridge or the South Hams, having a conversation before you advertise can help you work out what needs doing – and which parts you might prefer someone else to handle.

Thinking about letting a property in South Devon? Start with an informal chat with Sue at Bright Star Lettings. We’ll talk through the property, what you’re hoping to achieve and the level of support that would genuinely be useful – whether that’s one individual service, help finding a tenant or full management.