When you commence your search for a property to rent, please register your details and property requirements with us. Our experienced consultants will diligently match your requirements with suitable properties, advising you of them regularly by your communication methods of choice. Our website is updated with properties to rent before the property portals and our staff often have advanced knowledge of future listings before they reach our site.
You can most likely picture the type of property you wish to rent, finding it may be more challenging than you think though. The location is key, the area needs to fulfil your recreational and work life balance. Be specific about the property you seek, a list of 'must haves', 'nice to haves' and 'don't wants' will help define properties to view. Don’t compromise on those deal breakers though or you’ll come to regret it. Budget should be a key factor in your property search. Don’t overstretch yourself financially, make sure you consider all other costs involved, including bills, council tax, moving costs etc. Your take home pay (of all tenants combined) should be at least 2.5 times the annual rent, otherwise you may not pass referencing on your income level.
Once you’ve found a property, you will be required to pay a one week holding fee to begin negotiations with the landlord. When your offer is accepted, this money will form part of the your five week security deposit upon successfully entering an Assured Shorthold Tenancy. Your holding deposit payment will be forfeit should you fail to comply with the terms set out within the offer form. If the landlord cannot or will not let to you it will be returned.
Once your offer is accepted, reference checks will commence to establish your identity, place of work, earnings and to confirm that you do not have any adverse credit. Verification will be sought to confirm your right to reside in the UK and that you are not subject to any immigration controls. To avoid jeopardising your application you should declare whether you have any unsatisfied CCJ’s or bankruptcies. To facilitate these checks, you will be asked to provide a photographic ID together with evidence of your Right to Rent in the UK, your earnings, and your current address.
If you’re a student or on a low income below the required minimum of 2.5 times the annual rent, you may need a guarantor. A guarantor is someone who should have a clean credit history, be UK based and be in full time employment with take home earnings of a minimum of 3 times the annual rent. The guarantor should understand their obligations as they will be asked to sign a legally binding document agreeing to certain conditions which will include paying the rent if for any reason you are unable to meet your commitment.
The tenancy agreement is the legally binding document that outlines your rights and obligations as tenants, alongside the obligations and expectations of your landlord. All parties must sign this document, along with any additional supporting documents (if applicable) within 48 hours of receiving it.
Once all parties have signed the tenancy agreement, you will need to pay a security deposit (minus the holding fee already paid) along with your first month’s rent. Your security deposit (also called a dilapidations deposit) is there to indemnify the landlord against loss of rent or to pay for any damage if you were found to be responsible for causing it. In general, the amount required is equivalent to 5 weeks rent. By law this must be protected in a Government approved deposit scheme within 30 days from the start of the tenancy. The Landlord or his Agent is required by law to give you the “Prescribed Information” with details of the relevant scheme.
The Inventory and/or Schedule of Condition process is a formal way of noting the cosmetic condition and contents of a rented property. The inventory document is then given to all parties to sign at the beginning of the tenancy. At the end of the tenancy, the same document is then used compare the state of the property and on the findings of this comparison the deposit is then awarded appropriately.
We will contact you eight weeks prior to the end of tenancy date to see if you wish to renew your tenancy or vacate the property at the end of your tenancy.
If you serve notice to end your tenancy, the clock then starts ticking. The date you leave will be agreed and the agent will put the wheels in motion. If the property is put back on the market, viewings may take place so it’s important to keep the property looking nice and tidy for them to show round prospective new tenants.
If an inventory was compiled when you moved in, the inventory clerk will meet you at the property on your last day to conduct the check-out process and at that point you surrender the property back to the Landlord/Agency by handing over your keys. From that point on, you will not be allowed to return to the property. The Landlord/Agent will then be in touch with you within 10 days of that date to arrange the return of your deposit if there are no deductions. If, however the landlord wishes to make deductions from your deposit, there will be a set procedure for that to take place. Details of which can be found on the website for the deposit scheme that is being used.
There are strict timescales involved in ending a tenancy. This starts from the date notice is served which is usually one or two months, depending on what has been agreed.
Once notice is served the clock starts ticking. The date you leave will be agreed and the agent will put the wheels in motion. If the property is put back on the market, viewings may take place so it’s important to keep the property looking nice for them to show round prospective new tenants.
If an inventory was compiled when you moved in, the inventory clerk will meet you at the property on your last day to conduct the check-out process and at that point you surrender the property back to the agency by handing over your keys. From that point on you will not be allowed to return to the property. The agent will then be in touch with you within 10 days of that date to arrange the return of your deposit if there are no deductions. If, however the landlord wishes to make deductions from your deposit, there will be a set procedure for that to take place. Details of which can be found on the website for the deposit scheme that is being used.
