So how do you rent one of houses?

It’s a very simple process.

1) View a house and decide you would like to rent it.

2) Complete an application form (see Forms)

3) Sign a Tenancy Agreement Form.

4) Pay a deposit.

5) The house is reserved!

6) At the start of the contract, Tenants meet with one of our representatives at the property. Together we view the house and conduct an inventory and hand over the keys to your new home. Please Note: In order to hand keys over, the Tenants need to have paid the first months rent.

You probably have some more questions, so please read on or contact us with any specific questions.

Further detail

To help everyone understand the 'ins and outs', of renting a house from us, we have included an easy to understand guide. This guide covers some of the important issues we'll deal with over the course of the Tenancy. Obviously we ask you to sign a contract and like most legal documents, its long and not written for enjoyable reading. Whereas you still need to be happy with everything in the contract, the details below should give you a quick overview of how we organise the year. However if you have any questions just give us a call or send an email to info@studenteccommodation.co.uk.

The Contract

A copy of the contract can be viewed and downloaded on the forms page. The main details however are as follows;

Length of contract (The Term) - It’s twelve month agreement.

Rent - Rent is detailed in the contract as a total figure for the house per month. Rent is half price in two summer months, typically July and August.

Rent is payable either termly or monthly by standing order.

Deposit - Like most rental contracts we take a deposit to cover any damage to the property over the course of the tenancy. Tenants must pay the full deposit when the Tenancy Agreement is signed. The Deposit is detailed in the agreement as a total figure for the house.
Please note, the deposit is non refundable if a Tenant decides not to go ahead with the Tenancy or moves out before the end of the Tenancy.

Tenancy Fee - In some locations we charge an administration fee. This covers the administration costs of drawing up the contract and travel often associated with showing different groups of prospective tenants around. The fee is charged on the signing of the contract. Please ask us which locations incorporate this charge.

What type of contract is it? - All our contracts are Assured Shorthold Agreements. The same contract is signed by each tenant and each Tenant’s obligations are ‘joint and several’. This is a usual feature of rental contracts and it means each Tenant is responsible for the whole contract.

Guarantors

Each Tenant must provide a guarantor who agrees to guarantee the Tenants obligations under the contract. The guarantor must be resident in the UK, be in full time employment or have the means to cover the Tenants obligations. Each Guarantor will also have to provide a copy of their identification, a copy of a utility bill confirming their address and complete a guarantee document.

If a tenant can not provide a suitable guarantor they can still rent a property but they will have to cover the full year’s rental costs and deposit within 1 month of signing the Tenancy Agreement.

Bills

Utilities - Tenants are responsible for all utilities and services (ie. Gas, Electricity, Water and Telephone) connected to the property during the course of the tenancy. At the end of the tenancy you will be required to demonstrate you have paid all bills outstanding before your deposit is refunded.

Council Tax - As students you will be exempt for Council Tax payments, it is however your responsibility to inform the local council of your residence.

Garden - We will organise a gardener to maintain any garden throughout the year.

Insurance

Whilst the buildings are insured, your personal belonging are not covered by this policy. We strongly suggest you insure your own possessions especially high value items such as computers, bikes, audio and visual equipment.

Reserving a Property

To reserve a property each Tenant needs to complete a Tenancy Application form. We will use the details on the form to draw up a Tenancy Agreement and arrange a meeting to sign the Tenancy. At the signing of the tenancy each Tenant will be required to provide the following, The Deposit, The Tenancy Fee (if applicable) and a copy of ID (passport, driving licence or student ID).

At this stage the property has been reserved! We still however need to complete the process by taking suitable guarantors.

Your Commitment

The agreement you sign is a legally binding document, you are therefore committed to the terms of the contract. This includes, amongst other things, paying the agreed rent for the full period of the contract. If the Tenants, or an individual Tenant is unable to proceed with the Tenancy, we will endeavour to find replacement Tenants to take over your commitments. However the deposit paid is not refundable and there is no guarantee that the Tenant(s) in question will not be liable for the full rent over the period of the Tenancy. There is also a charge of £100 for the administration of drawing up another contract and accepting/validating a new tenant.

Return of Deposits

One of the main reasons we take a deposit is we want you to look after the property! Just as you expect, to move into a clean and tidy house, with working appliances and unbroken furniture, so will future tenants.

Before you move into the house, we will conduct a survey on the state of the property and provide you with an inventory of the contents of each room. At this stage we welcome any comments you have on the survey and the condition of anything in the house. At the end of the year we conduct a similar survey. All we expect, is you leave the house in the same state as it was when you moved in. We will charge the Tenants if they leave the house without cleaning it and have caused damage to the property or it’s fixtures and fittings. Having said that, we rarely deduct any money from deposits. This is because our Tenants look after their house and its contents during their stay and clean it before leaving.

Before any deposits are returned we also need to see proof all outstanding bills from utility and services companies have been settled.