Tenants Guide to Residential Lettings

SELECTING A PROPERTY
Homes R Us lettings staff will be happy to take details of your property requirements.

We recommend that you allow at least two weeks to find a suitable property to rent. The questions you may wish to ask yourself in order for assist us in this are:

Once you have answered these questions then we can establish your priorities and show you only those available properties that may suit you.

OFFERS
After you have identified a suitable property we will put forward your offer to the Landlord, who is our client. Please note that acceptance of your offer is always subject to receipt of satisfactory references and the signing of the Tenancy Agreement by both parties.

PRE TENANCY HOLDING DEPOSIT
When you have found a property for which you wish to apply we will ask you to pay a holding Deposit of £500.00 We will then take up references and ask the Landlords if they will take the property off the market, although there is no guarantee that they will agree.

If your application is successful then the Holding Deposit will be put towards the completion monies due on or before the commencement of the tenancy. Should the letting not proceed the Holding Deposit may be forfeited the company will be identified on the Agreement as the Tenant. In such a case we will take up a credit reference on the company instead. We will also need written confirmation from an authorised representative of the company of the following:

TENANCY AGREEMENT
If our Tenancy Agreement is used please bear in mind that it is a legal contract between the Tenant and the Landlord. You should read it carefully before signing it. Whilst our staff will be happy to explain the term to you, if you have any queries you should consult your own legal advisor.

Signing of the Agreement will usually take place at the lettings office arranging the letting, where you will also receive bank standing order forms and an information sheet about who will be managing the property. You should also allow at least half an hour for the appointment, and also sufficient time to check the inventory at the property.

INVENTORY
If Homes R Us are managing the property during the tenancy an inventory will have already been prepared at the Landlord’s expense, and this will then be checked with you at both the commencement and termination of the tenancy by an independent inventory clerk. It is usual for the Tenant to pay for the check-in and the Landlord to pay for the check-out. You will be advised of the actual cost of the check-in when the terms of letting are confirmed to you.

RENT PAYMENTS
Rental is payable in advance. Payment of the “completion monies” is paid in cleared funds, cash or by bankers draft and is required before the commencement of the tenancy. During the tenancy rent is paid by bankers standing order where you will instruct your Bank to pay four days before the actual rent due date to allow time for clearance.

UTILITIES AND OTHER EXPENSES
The tenant is responsible for the payment of Council Tax and for all utilities during the tenancy including gas, electricity, telephone and water charges and for any charges for transferring these into the tenant’s name. Any television in the property must be licensed by the Tenant – non payment of this fee is an offence and carries a fine.

SHARES
When entering into this Agreement with your Landlord you are doing so “jointly and severally”. Therefore, you are each responsible for all the conditions of the Agreement and the payment of rent and if one person defaults then the Landlord will pursue all of the Tenants to recover the shortfall.

REFERENCES
To speed up the process of obtaining references we use a specialist credit referencing agency, who normally report back to us within 48 hours. It may then take a further 2-3 days to obtain the Landlords’ approval. Charges for obtaining references are £50, per applicant payable at the same time as the holding Deposit.

If you are not accepted for letting you will be advised where you may nominate a guarantor, whom we would then require Class A references. Please note that reference charges are non-refundable in all cases.

OTHER RELATED EXPENSES
Once negotiations are completed and the terms of the tenancy have been agreed arrangements can be made for the letting to proceed. Please note that prior to the start of the tenancy the following payments will be required:

TYPES OF TENANCY
If the tenancy is to be in the name of one or more individuals then in most cases it will be an Assured Shorthold Tenancy. In the event that your employer will be undertaking the tenancy on your behalf then need to make contact with the right person should anything go wrong.

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT
Homes R Us can find you a new home, but we may be responsible for managing the property, during your tenancy. At the commencement of the tenancy, therefore, we will give you all the information you will when Homes R Us act as the managing agents you must report any problems relating to the property to us immediately. This will help to ensure that we can speedily deal with matters in accordance with the Landlord’s instructions.

TENANCY DEPOSITS
We have joined the Tenancy Deposit Scheme for Regulated Agents. It is supported by Tenant Deposit Protection. Where we are holding your deposit, at the end of the tenancy and there is a dispute over how the deposit should be allocated which we cannot settle, we will be able to refer it to the Independent Complaints Examiner. He will adjudicate to settle the dispute within 10 working days of receiving all the necessary papers. Our staffs are able to provide you with more information on this scheme.

TERMINATION OF TENANCY
Towards the end of your tenancy Homes R Us will contact the Landlords to discuss their future plans and requirements and we may then offer you a renewal of the tenancy if we are so instructed by our client.

Should the tenancy be terminated then an inventory check-out will be arranged on the day the tenancy expires, either with an independent inventory clerk or with the Landlord, depending on the provisions of the Agreement. You will be advised of the check-out procedures at the time.
The property should be ready to hand over in a clean and tidy condition and with the garden properly tended. We make this point as additional costs can be incurred by you if it is necessary to employ the services of professional cleaners or gardeners after you leave. All keys must be handed to the inventory clerk or the Landlord at the time of check-out and you will have no further access to the property.

FORWARDING ADDRESS
Please ensure that you have set up with the Post Office for your mail to be re-directed, and the utilities have your forwarding address. When arranging to vacate the property, please advice us of your forwarding address so any stray mail can be passed on.

DATA PROTECTION ACT 1998
Homes R Us will be processing all personal information in accordance with Data Protection legislation. You may be contacted by telephone, post or email from time to time by. If you would prefer us not to use your information in this way or have any questions about the handling or protection of your Personal Data or your rights under this agreement please contact The Data Protection