Tenant FAQ’s
What information do I need to provide?
The more details you can provide about yourself and your requirements, the easier it is for us to be able to find you the right property for you.
Try and have the following information available when you contact us
- Your name, address and contact number.
- Who the rental property is for (how many tenants / family / individual etc).
- Whether you have children or pets.
- What type of property you are seeking (how many bedrooms, furnished or unfurnished etc).
- Your preferred location.
- Your employment status.
- When you need to move by and how long you will require the tenancy to last.
This basic information will help us to assist you.
Do you accept housing benefit payments?
Yes we do accept applications that involve housing benefit, social security payments for rent, or council assisted deposit schemes providing we have obtained the Landlords permission. Some insurance companies prevent Landlords from accepting people in receipt of benefit.
What if I don’t have a specific property in mind?
By registering with us, we’ll keep your details and requirements and be able to advise you of any properties that become available meeting your specifications.
When can I view properties?
We will endeavour to arrange viewings at your convenience and will always accompany you on viewings if you ask us to. It may sometimes be possible to make special arrangements by appointment, if your availability is limited, please contact us to see how we can help. Please also bear in mind that some properties may well still have tenants in them and we will need to be sensitive to their situation also.
Do I need to supply references?
Once you have found your property and after we have discussed your request with the property owner, you will need to complete application forms (for each adult tenant) and you will be required to pay a non-refundable referencing fee. We will then reserve the property for you whilst we undertake the following checks:
- Credit checks and CCJ history
- Your previous address history
- Your employement situation and employers reference
- Previous of current Landlord references
Only once we have satisfactory responses to our enquiries can we set up a tenancy for you.
Will I need a guarantor?
There may be some instances where, due to your particular circumstances, we would need to ask for someone to act as guarantor for your financial obligations. Typically, guarantors might be parents or relatives, but other UK residents may be able to perform this task providing they can demonstrate the means to cover the obligations over the tenancy period. Of course anyone commiting to this role will need to formally sign a declaration to fulfil the role. Where, for example, a young adult newly into first time employment, applies for a tenancy, it may be necessary due to a lack of credit history to seek reassurance from a 3rd party over the certainty to meet the tenant’s financial obligations. In the event that we feel a guarantor is likely to be necessary, we will discuss this with you, your proposed guarantor and the landlord to ensure all parties are happy to proceed in this way.
Will my deposit be protected?
As a member of two of the Government approved Tenancy Deposit Schemes , we will take and hold your deposit fully in accordance with the requirements of the deposit regulations, your deposit will typically be equivalent to one months rent plus £100.00 although this may be adjusted to cover particular circumstances e.g. pets at rent plus £350.00
At the end of the tenancy we will make arrangements for the property to be checked by an Independent Inventory Clerk. We will agree with you and the landlord about making arrangements to refund your property security deposit, providing you have taken proper care of the property its contents and suroundings, attending to all domestic cleaning and that you do not have any outstanding rent or unpaid bills. If we are unable to reach agreement over the return of your deposit, we will arrange for the matter to be passed over for arbitration in accordance with the terms laid down by the scheme return quickly.
When do I get the keys to the property?
What if I need assistance during my tenancy?
Most of our properties are under ‘Full Property Management” which means that we are available at all times to assist you with problems or maintenance issues. Of course outside our office hours we can deal only with emergency situations (such as water leaks etc), but you will be given all the information you need for your property when we hand it over to you.
Where a property is not maintained by us, for example, where we are operating on an introduction only basis, we will still provide you with a moving in pack and will ensure all the details you need for contacting the landlord or his representative are provided as necessary.
What if I want to extend my tenancy or if I need to leave the property early?
Of course when signing a tenancy agreement, you are committing to a legal contract to take the property for the duration of the tenancy. As such you will be responsible for the rent and bills as detailed until the tenancy end date.
When the end of your initial tenancy period occurs your tenancy will automatically become a Statutory Periodic Tenancy. This means that it will run for an indefinate period on a month by month basis. You will be required to give your landlord 1 months notice on or before a rent due date and they will be required to give you 2 months notice on or before a rent due date. Notice should always be in writing and e-mails are accepted as notification of the termination of a contract.
Under the conditions of all our tenancy agreements at least one months notice is always required by us in writing on a rent day this must be done at the end of any given tenancy period or renewal even if you are runing month to month the same conditions apply. It is always best to check with us when you first think of even potentially giving notice to avoid any contractual misundestandings for example.
Where particular circumstances mean you really do need to leave early then you should talk to us as soon as possible, we may be able to agree with the landlord that the property should be re-marketed and new tenants found. This is entirely at the discretion of each individual landlord. You will however remain responsible for the property and financial commitments, including administration charges incurred by us until such time as the property is re-let or the tenancy reaches a natural end.