Renting A Home - A Guide for Tenants

There are a number of considerations when renting a property in the UK of which tenants need to be aware. This guide is designed to provide you with some useful information. It is not intended to be a substitute for other professional or legal advice you may wish to seek. Should you wish to discuss any of the information contained here, or have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact this office.

Selecting A Property

It is important to note that a property is let “as seen”. Any special requests regarding the decorations, furniture, fixtures and fittings must be made and agreed between the landlord and tenant before the tenancy agreement is signed.

When you view a property which is still occupied by the owner or present tenant you will be advised regarding any items which will not be included in your tenancy, but we recommend you also ask for clarification to avoid any misunderstanding or disappointment. .

Holding Deposit

When you have chosen a property and your offer is accepted subject to contract and satisfactory references by the Landlord, you will be asked to pay a reservation deposit of £200. At this stage we will cease marketing the property whilst references are taken and the arrangements for the tenancy are made.

This holding deposit will form part of the Security Deposit (see below). Should you change your mind about moving into the property, or the tenancy cannot proceed because your references are not forthcoming or prove unsatisfactory, this sum will be retained by us to cover our abortive administration costs.

In the event that the Landlord decides not to proceed for any reason other than unsatisfactory references, the holding deposit will be returned to you.

Tenant Obligations

Equally important to the amount of rent he achieves on his property, is the behaviour of the tenant whom the landlord allows to occupy it. Tenant’s are required to:

• Give an honest and truthful account of themselves during the application process.



• Pay a reasonable rent as agreed as and when it becomes due.



• Observe all the terms of the tenancy agreement, of which the above is a minor representation.

References

Before a tenancy can be granted, references must be taken on each tenant and this is normally undertaken via a credit search agency. All reference or credit search fees (£25 per person) are payable by the tenant and are required in advance at the same time as the holding deposit payment (see above).

In some instances, eg in the case of students or where there is insufficient employment or UK financial history, it may be necessary to request the provision of a guarantor (see below). It is therefore essential that in such cases you ensure that you are in a position to supply a guarantor before you make an offer for a property.