Having viewed the property and arrived at a decision to make an application to rent we require all applicants to complete a referencing form through Rent4Sure which will then be processed to verify the information provided. The following fees must be paid in order to carry out this process:

£165.00 broken down into the following :-

• Reference fee – £55.00 per person
• Agreement fee – £110.00
• Guarantor fee – £55.00 (if applicable)

The submission of the referencing application is no guarantee of tenancy. A final decision as to whether or not a tenancy can proceed will depend on responses received and will be made in consultation with the landlord.

You will be required to provide personal details ranging from name and address to occupation and salary. You will be asked to provide financial, employer and character references as we can only agree to a tenancy subject to satisfactory replies from those referees. Our investigations will also include a search of the credit registers to establish your financial credibility and contacting your previous landlord / agent if you were previously a tenant. These are routine procedures taken to protect all parties.

Should you have County Court Judgements registered against you it may prove impossible to grant you a tenancy, unless satisfactory evidence of the clearance of debt is produced prior to the commencement of the tenancy.

Should you be unable to provide satisfactory references or credit checks you may still be offered a tenancy subject to a satisfactory guarantor being provided. The guarantor will need to provide satisfactory references and credit checks and will be expected to sign a form to guarantee your legal commitments in the tenancy, including payment of rent.

Given satisfactory replies to enquiries you will be offered the tenancy of the property, subject only to the terms of the tenancy agreement, the payment of the deposit, the agreed advanced rent and the landlord’s agreement that the tenancy can proceed.

Identification

To support your application you will need to provide two forms of identification. These could be a birth certificate, full driving licence, full 10 year passport or new style national insurance card.

Before any tenancy begins you will sign a Tenancy Agreement setting out the landlord and tenant obligations. A charge of £110.00 is made for the preparation of the original agreement and a further £100 for any extension agreement subsequently entered into.

A security deposit is required for all tenancies and is equal to ONE MONTHS RENT. This deposit is in addition to the advanced rent payment required.

Should rent and deposit be paid by cheque we must have at least 7 banking days to allow for clearance. Alternatively you may pay by cash, bankers draft or debit card, if that facility is available.

The deposit acts as security for the performance of your obligations as a tenant under the tenancy agreement. This deposit will be returned to you at the end of the tenancy term without interest and subject to a deduction for damage or any other deductions that may be necessary to compensate the landlord for any breach of the tenancy agreement.

The same security deposit is required from Housing Benefit Tenants. Should the property be covered by the Bond Board and you wish to apply for a Bond, we MUST have confirmation, in writing, that this has been agreed before the tenancy can commence.

From 6 April 2007 when you pay a deposit, your landlord or agent must protect it using a government authorised tenancy deposit scheme. This is to ensure you get all or part of your deposit back when you are entitled to it and any disputes will be easier to resolve. Within 14 days of paying your deposit your landlord or agent is required to give you details about how your deposit is protected. This includes the contact details of the tenancy deposit scheme and what to do if there is a dispute at the end of a tenancy,

Once acceptable references have been received and approved, a date will be agreed for the commencement of your tenancy. It is essential that you sign the tenancy agreement and pay the initial money in advance of this date.

The initial money consists of:

• First month’s rent in advance
• Security deposit – one month’s rent

The initial money must be paid by online bank transfer (account details below) cash, bankers draft or building society cheque.

Account details: Resida Group. Account No 11105936, Sort code 161830.

It is the responsibility of the tenant to obtain insurance cover prior to moving into the property and is also available from RESIDA Properties, please ask a member of our team.

Please note: Move-ins will only proceed on production of a valid contents insurance certificate or you may purchase cover from RESIDA Properties prior to the move in date. Failure to provide RESIDA Properties with a valid certificate may result in a delay with your move in.

An inventory and schedule of condition of the property, its contents, furniture, fittings and effects will normally have been prepared. This will be checked and agreed with you at the commencement of your tenancy and a charge will be made to you. (See check in fee above)

It is important that you take care in agreeing the inventory and schedule of condition at this stage as it will form the basis of any claim for damages, by your landlord, at the end of the tenancy. At the end of the tenancy the inventory and schedule of condition will be checked again, the cost of which is borne by your landlord. In your own interests we strongly recommend that you are present at both the check-in and check-out. If, however, the landlord does not require an inventory, there will be no charge for a check in.

You should be aware that responsibility for the property rests with the tenant during any tenancy. it is particularly important that any gas or electrical problems are reported immediately and the property is fully secured when you leave it unattended at any time .during the winter months, necessary steps must be taken to prevent the freezing of the water and heating systems .in leasehold properties, mainly flats and maisonettes, the tenant will be bound by the rules and regulations affecting all residents within the block contained in the head lease.

Should we need to replace items on the inventory or clean the house at the end of the tenancy, or if there has been a breach of the tenancy agreement, the return of your deposit will be delayed until all items are valued and replaced / cleaned. In any case we will aim to return your deposit within 28 working days.

Damage and breakage of the landlord’s fixtures, fittings and effects, lost inventory items etc, which occur during the period of the tenancy will incur deductions from your deposit. It is important, therefore, that you look after the property during the tenancy and take the utmost care to inspect the property and its fixtures and fittings at the outset. An inventory / statement of condition will be prepared prior to occupation and must be agreed by you at the outset.

This inventory / statement of condition will then form the basis of assessment of the property’s condition at the end of the tenancy term. Fair wear and tear will obviously be taken into consideration. Damages that occur will be charged to your account, as will invoices from contractors employed to undertake necessary repairs or replace any items.

You are responsible for the payment of all utilities (gas, electricity etc) and TV licensing during the tenancy and for the payment of final bills.

You are required by law to inform the Council Tax Registrar of your change of address and pay the appropriate council tax.

Before you sign for a tenancy you will be given a copy of the tenancy agreement and any appropriate notices. Read these carefully and ask us questions if you are unsure of any point.

During the tenancy term you have the right to enjoy the property without interruption provided that you abide by the terms and conditions of the tenancy agreement. However, we, as agents for the landlord, have an obligation under our contract with the landlord, to inspect the property at regular intervals. We undertake to do this at approximately 3 monthly intervals, but at more frequent intervals if deemed necessary. We will write to you to make a mutually convenient arrangement prior to such an appointment.

Inspection of the premises is primarily undertaken to ensure that you, as the tenant, are in all respects observing the conditions of the tenancy agreement, though this is not the only consideration of management. It further allows the opportunity for you to discuss with us any problem that might be experienced relating to the property and for us to consider repairs/decorations etc before they become a major concern. If, however, you experience any problems of maintenance or repair please notify us immediately in order that appropriate action can be taken. We have a number of trade’s people available to ensure that delays are minimised.

Rent should be paid to us by the due date each month. The method of payment is by Standing Order only and should be set up 3 days in advance of the due date to allow for clearance through the banking system. Failing to do this will result in late payment charges.

Where there are a number of occupiers sharing accommodation each person is jointly and severally liable to pay the rent as tenant and will pay the rent as a whole. Each tenant is jointly and severally responsible for the whole rent so that they are equally liable for the non-payment of rent by one of their co-tenants, should they fail to pay.

Preparations should be made to hand the property back to us on the due date. Arrange readings of meters and ensure that the authorities have your forwarding address for the payment of all invoices raised. In no circumstances should you allow the authorities to disconnect supplies. The authorities should be informed that the managing agent will contact them when the property is handed over and provide details of the new account holder. This may be the owner or a new tenant.

Inventory items should be placed in their respective rooms to facilitate easy checking on handing over. Read carefully the inventory/statement of condition, clean curtains, carpets etc if required and generally prepare the property for that final inspection. Liaise with us and arrange a convenient time for handing over the premises. We can advise of local trade people who will carry out all cleaning/preparation at a most competitive rate.

Once checking has been completed and deductions from your deposit agreed (if any), the deposit or balance of deposit will be returned to you.

These notes are intended to provide only a summary to assist you to understand the obligations undertaken when you wish to rent a property from a private landlord. It is not the intention to give an authoritative interpretation of the law. We hope that you have found them useful.

Please do not hesitate to call, visit or e-mail us at any stage prior to or during your tenancy if you wish to clarify any details.

Tel: 01302 851920

Email: info@resida.co.uk