Rent Payments

One month's rent is required in advance and as above must be paid in full before the tenancy starts and before we hand over the keys. This amount must be paid in cleared funds, for example debit/credit card, direct bank transfer, banker's draft, cash. Cheques will not be accepted.

Rent is to be paid on a monthly basis by standing order on the 1st of each month. You will be required to pay a full month to move into the property. You will then pay a pro-rata amount one month later to take you to the end of that calendar month and then pay on the 1st of each month thereafter.

Inspections

Quarterly inspections will be carried out on all properties; this provides gives you the chance to raise any concerns or maintenance issues with the property manager. Any damage to the property will be documented with photographs and may affect the return of the deposit.

Return of Deposit

This deposit is returned at the end of the tenancy, this is obviously dependent on the condition in which you leave the property upon departure. We will  carry out various obligatory checks and procedures on behalf of the landlord. Once we are satisfied the deposit will be requested for payment and returned to you via bank transfer. Please be aware that it is not permissible for you to cancel your last month's rent payment because we hold a security deposit. The deposit is legally a separate issue from rent payment and you will be in breach of your contractual agreement if you do this and it could damage your credit rating.

Utilities

All monthly rents are excusive of utility charges; you will be directly responsible for any Gas, Electric &Water bills. At the start of each tenancy you are responsible of obtaining the current and relevant meter readings of which need to be supplied back to our office. We then notify the utility suppliers with the meter readings so that the account can be transferred into your name. It is also advisable that you contact the suppliers yourself in order to avoid any serious problems arising.

Insurance

You are advised to obtain contents insurance for your personal possessions.

Holding Deposit

If you are interested in any of our properties and would like to progress to the application stage you will be expected to pay a deposit equivalent to one calendar months rent. Half of which is payable immediately before the application process takes place. This is known as the holding deposit and indicates that: You are willing to proceed with the application and obtain references. You are willing to commit and move into the property on an agreed date. This enables us to take the property off the availability list or off the market. Please be aware that until a holding deposit is collected we (and sometimes other agents) will continue to show the property to prospective tenants and so you risk losing the property to another prospective tenant.

Period of Tenancy

The most common tenancy offered is usually equivalent to 6 months and is known as an assured Short hold tenancy. If you want to stay longer than the initial six months you will be asked to renew your tenancy either for another 6 months or your contract will automatically switch into a periodic tenancy which means you are not committed to any further fixed term but will be required to give one months notice should you want to end the tenancy. 12 Months tenancies can also be obtained if preferred and in some circumstances we can negotiate even shorter tenancies, for example 3 months. This is normally at the landlord's discretion. GuarantorsA guarantor is needed for those Tenants who have recently moved to the UK and therefore cannot provide previous traceable UK addresses, or for Tenants whose annual salary does not satisfy the rental guarantee requirement of exceeding the property's annual rent by 2.5 times. A guarantor is usually a parent or relative that is willing to sign a consent form stating that should you default on the rent for what ever reason they are then liable for the outstanding amount.

Move in and Checkout Procedures

A Check in will take place at our office on the day you collect your keys. This is where you will sign the tenancy agreement; pay the remainder of the deposit and your first months rent in advance.

An up to date inventory will also be supplied at the start of the tenancy and you are expected to check this when you get to the property and return it with any amendments within 3 working days. When the tenancy ends a check out report will be prepared. There will be a small charge for the check out report which will be deducted from your deposit.

Maintenance and Repairs

You as the tenant will be required to report any maintenance and repairs required to the Landlord / Letting Agent as soon as it comes to your attention. This will help ensure that the full deposit is returned at the end of the tenancy.

Tenancy Renewal

If you decide to renew the tenancy after 6 months then a small renewal fee will apply.

Council Tax

We will notify the local authority of your residence at the start of your tenancy. They will then calculate your monthly council tax payment of which you are directly responsible.

TV Licence

You are responsible for the payment of the TV license, regardless whether the television is provided by the landlord.

Telephone

If you require the telephone line you are required to register your own account with BT or whoever the provider may be. You can discuss this with BT by dialling 150 from the UK. It is your responsibility to terminate you account upon departure. Not all properties will have an active BT line. Even if you are the 3rd or 4th occupant of a property it is quite possible that you are the first person to connect the line. BT do charge a premium for the first connection. We cannot monitor which properties have installations and take no responsibility for this or for the cost of connection.