guidance notes for prospective tenants
We endeavour to ensure that all of our property details are accurate but they should not be relied on as statement or representation of fact. They do not constitute any part of an offer of contract. For the avoidance of doubt we strongly recommend that you personally verify all the information, including what furniture/appliances etc may or may not be included in the tenancy.
tenancy agreement
All properties are let on a minimum term of six months. In this time you cannot give notice, unless it coincide with the end of the term and then you must let us now one month before this. All adults wishing to reside at the property will be named on the tenancy agreement. The tenancy agreement will provide for all persons under the tenancy to be jointly and severally liable for the payment of rental and compliance with the covenants contained therein. Adults who are not named on the tenancy agreement may not live in the property.
good faith deposit
If you wish to reserve a property in your name we will require a good faith deposit of £200 in cash or bankers draft to be paid at our office. The property will then be taken off the market and not offered to anyone else unless the time stated in the paperwork you sign has elapsed. The good faith deposit will then be deducted from the balance of monies due on the signing of the contract.
references
All adults who wish to reside at the property will need to complete a reference form. We use a tenant referencing agency and you will need to complete and pay for the references before they can be processed so we ask that you pay these monies (£40 per person) either when putting down the good faith deposit or within 48 hours of filling in the good faith deposit paperwork. For your information, part of the referencing process includes a credit search so if you are aware of any adverse credit history this must be disclosed and we will/may then require you to provide a guarantor. All tenants therefore, must be in full time permanent employment or receive a regular income each month ie pension. If you require a guarantor they must be uk based, a home owner and able to provide proof of income. References can take between 7 and 10 working days to complete, so please ensure that any application form is fully completed and returned to the office as soon as possible along with all necessary forms/copy statements etc and a copy of either a current driving licence or passport etc to prove your identity. Please note that the reference fee will not be refunded in any instance.
Should any references prove unsatisfactory or the applicant withdraws their offer for any reason, then the good faith deposit (as listed above) will not be refunded. However, if the landlord withdraws from the let then the good faith deposit will be refunded.
Please note that submission of an application form and the payment of any good faith deposit does not signify acceptance as a tenant for the specified property. In the event of an application not being accepted we are not obliged to give reasons or enter into further discussion on the matter if not deemed appropriate by ourselves.
fees
Our agreement fee is £117.50 (inclusive of vat) per person or per bedroom, whichever is greater. A renewal fee of £29.38 (inclusive of vat) per property will be charged each time you sign for a further fixed term contract.
inventory
Please note that if a professional inventory is held for the property, tenants are liable to pay for the cost of said inventory and the landlord will pay for the cost of the check out at the end of tenancy. We use an independent company to prepare inventories and check outs so to be completely fair to landlord and tenant.
rent
Rent is payable monthly, in advance, by standing order mandate. We will require a standing order to be set up to meet the full rental commitment. The day that you move into the property will be your rental due date, therefore your standing order mandate will be dated 4 days prior to this date in order for the money to be transferred from your account into ours for your due date –unfortunately standing orders take this long, they are not an instant transferral. So please bear this in mind when you decide which date you wish to move into the property. We would also like to point out that whatever private arrangements may be made regarding the rent, each tenant is responsible for ensuring that all the rent is paid in full on a timely basis.
deposit
We will require a dilapidations deposit to be paid on the day that you move into a property, this will usually be in excess of one months rent and will be held by this office until such time as you vacate the property. We are a member of the dispute service tenancy deposit scheme and you will receive in the post a copy of tenancy deposit certificate and leaflet containing information about the scheme, once you have moved in. For further information on the dispute service please visit www.thedisputeservice.co.uk
housing/sickness benefits
please note we only accept people in receipt of benefits where indicated.
