Thanks for all your advice. I have a possible tenant`s coming to look on tuesday. They are letting at the moment (through an agency) and they gave me the agency name for me to do a reference. I called and they said they have been tenants of there`s for a few years and have never had any problems with them, rent has never been in arrears, kept the current property immaculate. The agency also said they could arrange gas safety checks, tenacy agreement and DPS for me for a charge without actually collecting the rent for me...so that might me easier than doing all that myself but I can still have all rent payable to my own account.

I have a new job which is taking me out of the area and although I have had my house up for sale for a while, obviously the way things are at the moment it has not sold. I have to leave in 6 weeks so will have to let my house. I don`t want to go through an agent as I do need as much rent as I can get to pay the mortgage so can anyone advise me on what I need to do. Do I need to register myself as a landlord? Where can I obtain a tenancy agreement? I have looked up the DPS and that looks pretty straightforward. What about any possible tenant who may wish to claim HB/CTB? I would be grateful for some help/advice please?