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Lettings Terms of Business

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Residential Sales, Lettings & Property Management

covering Exeter and the surrounding area.

Accepting a property…

Properties are accepted on an ‘as seen’ basis and any issues or concerns raised will need to be dealt with prior to references being undertaken to avoid incurring any unnecessary costs.

Upon accepting a property full references must be run, including credit history and ‘Right to Rent’ checks.

A Holding Deposit (per tenancy) equivalent to one weeks rent to reserve the property is payable to HRL for this service, and checks cannot begin without payment. References can take around seven days to complete, in some cases less time, but it can take up to an additional two to three weeks if additional information is required. Should a guarantor be needed this may also affect the time taken to complete referencing. We use Rentshield, an independent referencing agency, to collect and confirm references from you. They require that you are earning three times the monthly rent, on average as your annual salary. Other forms of income may also be considered, please contact us to discuss. For example a rental of £700 per month will require a salary of £21,000. If you have insufficient earnings to support the rent, you may need a guarantor, who will be liable for the rent and all of your obligations under the terms of your tenancy.

Applications will need to be supported by the appropriate Holding Deposit fees, photo ID (i.e. Passport or Driving Licence) and proof of current address (i.e. utility bill).

A guarantor should be a homeowner, earning three times the monthly rent. Please note that ALL intended occupants of the property over the age of 18 will need to complete a form to be referenced, regardless of their employment status. Subject to references being acceptable, only then will a suitable date be chosen for your occupation of the property. HRL and the Landlord will of course endeavour to meet your preferred move in date, wherever possible and practical.

Right to rent checks

On February 1st 2016, Right to Rent legislation came into force meaning that all landlords now have the responsibility to check their tenants have the legal right to reside in England. This comes under the Immigration Act 2014, and failure to successfully carry out these checks holds serious penalties for landlords or their delegated letting agent. HRL will use your passport or other approved forms of ID to carry out a “Right to Rent” check on each person over the age of 18 applying for the property.

Deposit

In addition to one month’s rent in advance, you will be required to pay a Deposit equivalent to Five weeks rent.

Additional Costs

Throughout the tenancy there may be ongoing costs that will be incurred: These will include (although other costs may also apply):

Utilities (gas, electricity, water and telephone/broadband)
Council Tax
Television license
Installation of cable/satellite
Insurance (for your own contents and personal effects)
Garden maintenance
Maintenance of drains, gutters and downpipes

At the end of the tenancy:

Professional cleaning of the property
Dilapidations

Utilities/Council Tax

Once you have signed a Tenancy Agreement you are usually liable for the service utility charges relating to that property to include gas, electricity, water and drainage plus the council tax.

The utility companies and local authority will usually have been notified of your impending occupation along with appropriate meter readings. However, we would recommend that you check with the appropriate utility company to ensure that this has been set up correctly.

Television/Telephone & Broadband Connections

You are responsible for the television license regardless of whether or not a television is provided by the Landlord. Landlords cannot guarantee quality of signal or availability of signal at any let property.

With regard to telephones and broadband connections, tenants will need to make their own investigations as to the availability of a suitable telephone/broadband connection at the let property and will be responsible for any connection costs.

Moving in

On the pre agreed moving in date you will need to make an appointment to collect the keys and complete any outstanding paperwork. All monies must be paid in advance. This includes the first month’s rent and deposit. Funds must be cleared and the Tenancy Agreement should be fully signed at least 2 days prior to entry date (unless alternative arrangements have been agreed), otherwise access to the property may not be permitted.

All payments for the monthly rent must be paid by standing order, which will be supplied prior to your move in and rent will be due on the anniversary date of the start of the tenancy. In order to terminate the contract, one month’s written notice must be given prior to the rent due date. The property cannot be vacated before the end of the fixed contract unless agreed.

Inventory

When the landlord requires a schedule of condition and inventory, this will be provided to you at the commencement of the tenancy requiring you to check it, sign and return back to Naomi J Ryan Ltd within 7 days. It is important that you take care in checking the Schedule of Condition/Inventory at this stage, as it will form the basis of any claim for damages by your Landlord at the end of the tenancy.

Tenants Obligations

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 water and heating systems. In addition, you will be liable to maintain the interior décor of the property to include carpets, and any fixtures and fittings that are included plus gardens and outside areas.

Obligations

The obligations of Hartland will vary dependent on which of the following services we provide for the Landlord.

Let Only (no management)
Letting and fully managing the property

You will be notified which of the above services applies to your tenancy and provide you with details of who to contact. Naomi J Ryan will also ensure that you provided with a copy of the following documents prior to your tenancy commencing:

Government How to Rent Guide – (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-rent)
Gas Safety Certificate
Electrical Certificates
Prescribed Deposit Information
Deposit Terms and Conditions

Property Visits

All managed properties will be subject to regular visits. The purpose of these is to check the condition of the property and that you are conducting your tenancy in accordance with the Tenancy Agreement. The visit also provides you with an opportunity to notify of any issues or problems you are experiencing with the property.

What fees will I have to pay?

Fees that may be payable to Hartland Residential Ltd. Click below to view.

Tenant Fees Schedule (Link this to the TENANT FEES SCHEDULE PAGE