as far as rental goes, i would suggest using a letting agent if you have never let a property before, i use belvoir lettings(look them on google for a branch in your area), they charge a small percentage of your rental income for full property management and are very good( my rental income is �425 per month, their fee is �50 and they can find you a tenant in a matter of days too!!!
dont go overboard with new flooring etc because it may not even impress the potential tenant, as long as there are no issues with the current flooring.
Your mortgage company will need to know that you are letting the property out and will charge you an annual fee for the privelige, my lender is alliance and leicester and they charge �95 per annum, you will need landlords liability insurance too, get a comprehensive cover which would include legal cover(if any issues with eviction should arise) my insurance policy costs around �140 per year(available through belvoir), you will also need a gas and electrical safety check before a tenant moves in, this will cost roughly �100.
hope this helps!!!