Tenant Guide
Please contact us regarding any specific queries you may have.
Please note that we do not charge any Tenant Fees
Holding Fee -Equivalent to one weeks rent.
Following your successful viewing at the property and once we have received the agreement from the landlord you will be required to pay the holding fee to hold the property and for us to cease marketing whilst we obtain references and your ability to pay the rent. The online application for a tenancy must be filled in within 72 hours. We reserve the right to recommence marketing should there be unreasonable delays in completing the forms. Should the Landlord withdraw, this holding fee will be refunded. It should be noted by prospective Tenants that should they withdraw at any time after payment of the holding fee or the references and searches prove to be unsatisfactory, they will forfeit this fee in full. Once we have the results from our referencing company and are acceptable we will arrange a date for the tenancy to start.
An application form will be required to be completed, we will also need to verify your ID, this is to prove your eligibility and Right to Rent in the UK. We are happy to accept a UK passport or a citizen of the UK and colonies, or a national of the EEA or Switzerland, or that you are permitted to stay in the UK. The referencing procedure will include a credit check, a current/previous landlord check, and confirmation from your employer about your employment status
Self-employed applicants will be required to complete contact details of their accountant/bookkeeper to verify your earnings.
Honesty is the best policy, please make sure the application form is filled in correctly, should you have adverse credit please make us aware of this before submitting the form.
In the event a guarantor is required i.e. student, in receipt of housing benefit, newly employed or your income is lower than required, the guarantor will need to be a homeowner and prove they have the necessary income to pay the rent should you default.
We will prepare an Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement for all parties named on the agreement, this will be emailed to you prior to the start of the tenancy, for each party to sign electronically using DocuSign (www.docusign.co.uk) . A tenancy agreement is usually for a period of 12 months with an initial six-month break clause. Tenancy renewals subject to both landlord and tenant wishing to renew for a further fixed term are provided free of charge.
Schedule of Condition/Inventory
An independent Inventory Clerk will be appointed to draw up a report detailing the contents and condition of the property. A copy of this document will be given to you and you will be required to sign and return to us within 48 hours. The ingoing inventory will be used as a mechanism in which to compare and assess any damage at the end of tenancy.
Insurance
The tenant agrees and accepts that the insurance held by the Landlord does not cover the tenant’s belongings, and tenants are therefore responsible for taking out contents insurance to protect their own contents and valuables if they so require this insurance cover.
Luke Harris Residential work in partnership with Let Alliance who will provide you with a no obligation quote for tenant liability insurance upon completion of your reference application. Alternatively, you can provide us with a copy of your current policy details prior to your move in
Rental Payments
A standing order will be provided to you for your rental payments, the payment date on the standing order will be three days before the rent due date, this is to ensure that we have cleared funds to pay the landlord on time. Should the payment date fall at a time in the month that is difficult, the payment date can be changed and the appropriate pro-rata rental payments added to your first months rent.
Property Visits
As a service to our landlords who choose to instruct us on our Fully Managed service, we are required to carry out property inspections, usually every six months to start with then on an annual basis. We will call you to arrange a convenient time and usually lasts no more than 15 minutes.
Should you have a pet and the landlord has given his approval, we will add an addendum to the tenancy agreement, detailing the type of animal being kept at the property. Please note that you are responsible to ensure that the carpets are professionally cleaned by an approved carpet cleaning contractor at the end of your tenancy. Damage caused by the pet during the tenancy will be the responsibility of the tenant.
Tenancy End
Once you have given your written notice to end your tenancy, you should ensure you are leaving the property and its contents in the same condition as when you moved in (allowing for fair wear and tear). You will need to agree on what amount of your deposit will be returned to you with your landlord. You should provide your landlord or agent with your bank details so they can return your deposit.
Keeping in Contact:
If your contact details change for any reason during your tenancy, we ask that you update us with the new details. It is important that we have your up to date details, especially in the case of emergencies.
Gas Safety Records
If the property has a gas installation and/or appliances then in accordance with the Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations 1998, the Gas Safety Record must be renewed annually. Our Property Manager will contact you approximately 6 weeks prior to the renewal date.
We will instruct the contractor who will in turn contact you to arrange a date and time to carry out the inspection. It is a statutory requirement that you must allow the contractor access when requested.
Early Termination:
We do understand that sometimes people’s personal situations change and we will always do everything that we can to assist in these circumstances. Please be aware that the tenancy agreement that you have entered into is a legally binding agreement. Any request to terminate this agreement is completely at the landlord’s discretion. If your landlord agrees to an early release, you as the tenant will be liable for any costs the Landlord would incur to relet the property, as well as any rental payments due up until either a new tenant is successfully contracted to the property or your fixed term comes to an end, which ever happens the soonest.
If you wish to end the agreement, we ask that the tenants serve two month’s written notice to us subject to the contract being in the time frame where the break clause can be instigated.
Check Out Appointment
We will contact you when the Tenancy Agreement is due for renewal. If you or the landlord decides not to renew, we will arrange for our representative to carry out a Check Out once we receive the keys back from you.
On the Check Out our representative will check the property against the initial Inventory and compile a Schedule of Damage and Unreasonable Wear and Tear Report. They will also record the utility meter readings.
