Tenant’s Information

Tenant’s Information

Renting a property should be a straight-forward process.  We hope this guide will help you in your search and will show you how the process works from start to finish.

Viewings

Having discussed suitable properties with you over the phone, by email or in person, we will arrange viewings for you.  We will try to show properties to you at your preferred times but please be aware that we may have to consider the wishes of a current tenant.  Having seen the property, if it is not suitable please tell us why.  We will then be better placed to help you in you search and also we can advise the landlord of your feedback.

Placing an offer

Having completed a viewing if you would like to rent the property then please let us know:

Important points we will need to know:

• The term for which you would like to rent the property
• The date you would like the tenancy to commence
• Any other requests which you would like to form part of the agreement
• A little background on your employment details

Once we have the details of your offer, we will contact the landlord of the property and discuss the details of your offer with him/her.  Once we have discussed the offer we will contact you to inform you of the landlord’s thoughts.

When an offer is accepted

When the landlord has accepted your offer, in order to move forward with the process we will ask you to pay a fee to cover referencing and contracts.

Referencing

In most circumstances the references will be carried out by an independent referencing agency.  You can complete the reference form online and if you have any queries you can simply speak directly to the referencing company.  Once the references have been completed they will be sent to us.  The required Right to Rent checks (as part of the Immigration Ace 2014) will be carried out as part of the referencing process.  For more information on Right to Rent requirements please see https://www.gov.uk/private-renting/document-checks.

Documents

We will also need proof of ID such as passport, driving licence and utility bill or bank statement – please ask if you are unsure about these documents and we will guide you through the process.

While the references are being completed we will draw up the Tenancy Agreements and associated documents for your new property.  We will send by email a copy of the agreement for your perusal and then arrange an appropriate time for you to come in and sign.

Payments

Prior to referencing, once you have been accepted as a prospective tenant you will need to pay fees to us.  Included with the Tenancy documents will be an invoice detailing the amount which needs to be paid into our account before the start of your new tenancy.  This will include a deposit normally equivalent to one calendar months’ rent and the first months’ rent.

Deposits

These are held by Oakwood Property Management as part of The Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS).

Start of your new tenancy

We will arrange for an independent inventory clerk to complete an inventory and schedule of condition prior to the start of your tenancy.  The inventory will list the items in the property along with a note of their condition.  They will also take utility meter readings, so you can be assured you will be billed correctly for the utilities you use during the tenancy.  When we give you the keys to the property, we will give you a copy of the inventory for you to read through.  You will have seven days to read through the document and ensure you are happy with it and sign a copy and return to us.  We will email a copy to you for your safe-keeping.

The end of your tenancy

When you leave the property an independent inventory clerk will again visit in order to list the items and note the property’s condition.  The clerk’s report will be used to assess if the property has been returned in the same condition (barring any fair wear and tear).  You will then be advised if it is proposed to make any deductions from your deposit.