Rights, Responsibilities & Information

• Checking how well the property has been maintained – look at gutters, windows, roofs
• Noting how much storage space there is
• Checking to see how the place is heated and how well insulated it looks – this will affect your bills
• Asking to see the gas safety certificate and operating instructions for electrical items. Are there enough sockets for your needs?
• Finding out which furnishings will be in the property when you move in. Does it meet the fire safety regulations?
• Running the taps, bath and shower, and flushing the toilet. Do they all work? Ask to be shown that the heating and hot water works – and that windows open
• Asking yourself how secure it feels? Is there access from rear gardens and alleys? What are the locks like – many insurers require five lever mortise locks on all entry doors and window locks
• For flats, asking if you have your own secure post box. How clean are common areas – how often are they cleaned and by whom? How are any common grounds maintained? If there is a vehicle space, what’s parked in it now – if there is a rust heap, ask when it will be cleared
• Finding out how close the transport links are – is it an easy commute to work or university and how close are other amenities, shops, etc?
• If the landlord will be looking after the management, asking if you can meet him.
• Other things you may need to consider:
  * What the schools are like – essential if you have kids
  * Do they allow pets?
  * Is smoking permitted in the property?
  * When is it available from – and for how long?

A tenant must be given the following;

Before viewing on the advert

1. EPC
2. Current How to rent guide
3. Gas safe certificate

BEST Practice on move in

4. Inventory
5. PAT Testing certificate where necessary
6. EICR
7. Legionella cert
8. Alarm condition report
9. ASBO procedure
10. Waste & Recycling Procedure
11. Complaints procedure
12. Nottingham City Selective Licensing – proof of licence –
13. Ashgate Counicil Selective Licensing. / Gedling Borough Council

READ your tenancy agreement lists your responsibilities so read it carefully.

As a minimum, it will show:.

• The names of the landlord and tenant
• How much the rent and deposit is
• The address for the landlord or agent who will be looking after the property.

The main things you must do are as follows:

• Pay rent on time – one month in advance
• Pay other bills. In most long-term lets, you’ll be paying council tax, utilities (including water), TV licence and telephone charges
• Respect neighbours – so no making noise, putting rubbish in the wrong place or obstructing common areas
• Look after the property.

Our job for some landlords is to market the property, arrange signing of agreements and payment of the first month’s rent and deposit. After that, you may find you are dealing directly with a landlord who will look after the management.

You are not expected to maintain the building. But you should behave in such a way that the building is properly cared for.

For example, you must:

• Tell your landlord if you are going away for longer than 14 days – because this will affect his/her insurance policy
• Keep the property secure at all times – so lock it when you go out and don’t give keys to anyone else
• Tell your landlord when things need fixing to avoid bigger problems later – e.g. a leaking pipe, if not maintained, could make a ceiling collapse
• Do basic maintenance – e.g. change light bulbs and smoke alarm batteries.
• Decorate yearly if stipulated by the tenancy agreement.

You must not engage in any illegal activity at the property and nor can you:

• Alter the property in any way, including hanging anything on the walls or re-decorating without written permission from your agent/landlord (email permitted)
• Use the property as a business
• Sub-let

Tenancy types

Assured Shorthold tenancy

Most new tenancies today are Assured Shorthold Tenancies (AST) which is similar to Short Assured Tenancies in Scotland. These usually include a ‘fixed term’ of 6 or 12 months. Where there is no fixed term, the tenancy is called a ‘periodic tenancy’. If annual rent is more than £25,000, the tenancy is in a company’s name or the landlord lives in the property, a different form of agreement will be used. Under an AST, as long as the terms of the tenancy have not been breached, the landlord cannot regain possession until after six months (or longer if the fixed term is longer) – unless you agree he or she can. However, after the fixed term has ended (or six months if there was no fixed term), he or she can regain possession by giving you two months notice in writing. You can leave this rolling or apply for another fixed term.

Periodic tenancy:

If you want, you and the landlord can agree to extend the tenancy so it becomes what’s called a periodic tenancy, without needing to issue a new agreement. This can also occur by both landlord and tenant not making any arrangements at the end of the term of tenancy, resulting in the term automatically lapsing in to a periodic tenancy. On a periodic tenancy, if your landlord wanted the property back, he or she would still need to give you two months’ notice. Or if you wanted to leave, you would need to give notice – which would be a month’s notice if the rent was paid monthly or four weeks if paid weekly. If you rent a room from a live-in landlord, you have very few rights and your stay can be ended without the landlord having to give two months’ notice.

Tenancy Renewal:

Some landlords insist a tenancy remains on an AST the agency reserves the right to renew the tenancy at any time in respect of the landlords wishes, at any period. The charge for the tenant on these occasions is £50 . Minimum tenancy AST 6 months. Some landlord will allow longer tenancies but initially all tenancy are subject to a 6 month AST.

The deposit will be 5 weeks.

The pay agent can keep some or all of it if you cause damage to the property (beyond fair wear and tear)

If you have an Assured Shorthold Tenancy in England and Wales, which started on or after 6th April 2007 where a deposit was taken, that deposit must be protected in one of the government approved Tenancy Deposit Schemes (TDS). The deposit is administered by the scheme throughout the tenancy and will be returned in full shortly after the end of the tenancy, providing the property is returned in the same condition as you found it at the start of the tenancy. Usually, no interest is paid on the deposit.

• Return the property and everything in it in the same condition at the end of the tenancy. Although charging for professional cleaning at the end is banned. Charging for cleaning by a professional to being back to the standard of check-in is allowed. However it is not stipulated to be professional it must be as clean or charges will be deducted fairly from the deposit.
• You may be required, as a condition of the agreement, to have carpets professionally steam cleaned
• At the end of the tenancy, you’ll have to repair any damage you’ve caused and replace items that cannot be made good or you can expect to be charged for them.
• If the landlord removes anything from the property during the tenancy, get them to sign for it.

Drainage Works

Following recent reports of a blocked drain, contractors attended and advised that wipes are being flushed down toilets and causing blockages with the drainage system. We would advise that under no circumstances should wet wipes, sanitary products, paper towels, nappy liners or cooking fat be flushed down toilets or kitchen sinks in ANY property

Refuse Disposal

Please do not leave rubbish bags outside your front door in communal corridors or outside your property. If you have large items (e.g. mattresses, furniture) please contact the local council to arrange for their collection. If large items are left outside, the estate may be liable to pay a fine/fee as well as collection costs from local authorities.

Water Leaks & Insurance Claims

We would like to remind owners about the importance of minimising water leaks. Water leaks originating from within private properties are the most common cause of insurance claims. A low or good insurance claims record will usually result in a lower insurance premium. If the source of a leak is from a private property, the property owner may be responsible for paying the insurance excess.

The majority of water leaks can be prevented by taking simple preventative maintenance measures inside your property such as:

• Checking the silicone sealant around your shower/bath each year to ensure it is in good order
• Ensuring effective shower screens/curtains are installed
• Checking hose connections to washing machines and dishwasher regularly
• Turning off the water mains supply to your property if you are leaving it unoccupied for a long period
• Not leaving plugs in basins, baths and sinks when you go away

If you spot a leak take action straight away to alleviate the damage. Try and identify the source, turn off the stop tap, speak with neighbours and where possible, capture/prevent the spread of water.  Please ensure you know where your stop tap is located to mitigate the loss or damage when a leak occurs.

Condensation

Condensation occurs in properties where warm moist air comes into contact with cold or cooler surfaces. Water vapour held in the warm air cools turning back in to water (the dew point) collecting on surfaces. Over time, repeated condensation can cause problems including mould growth and is often mistaken for damp.  Condensation is particularly common in modern homes which are now heavily insulated, reducing moisture from escaping. To reduce the occurrence of condensation we recommend applying these simple preventative measures:

• Reduce the creation of moisture through taking action such as placing lids on pans when cooking, drying clothes externally where possible or in a cooler room
• Increase ventilation, open trickle vents and windows, particularly after bathing and cooking
• Maintain consistent or background heat to avoid significant fluctuations in temperature
• Where extreme moisture is created through human activity use a dehumidifier to take excess moisture out of the air

Emergency Access 

Fire Safety in Your Residence We take fire safety very seriously and strive to continuously improve our practices and procedures.  As part of our on-going commitment to ensure compliance with the law regarding fire safety within the communal areas, we would like to take this opportunity to advise you on your responsibilities for fire safety within your residence and what you should consider:

To ensure that the main entry door of your residence meets the required minimum 30 minute fire resistance and complies with the requirements of BS EN 1634-1:2008 (30 minute rated door) and that any original internal fire rated doors are still present or have been replaced with an equivalent fire rated door.

Please ensure that you are familiar with any fire action notices/evacuation instructions/signage located within the communal areas of the building.  For further useful advice of how to prevent fire in your residence please contact your local fire authority.

Under no circumstances should you store belongings in the communal areas or riser cupboards which could be classed as an accelerant or combustible as these could worsen the spread of fire, restrict the ability for residents to exit the building and also invalidate the buildings insurance. All residents have a joint responsibility to keep the communal areas free of belongings.

Anti-Social Behaviour

From time to time, anti-social behaviour in the form of noise or vandalism is brought to our attention on some developments. As a Managing Agent, our power to act is limited by the terms of the lease and legal restrictions. If a resident is breaching the terms of the lease, we will write to the leaseholders concerned with regard to the anti-social behaviour. As always, we believe prevention is better than cure. We respectfully ask all residents to be considerate of your fellow neighbours. We encourage residents to build relationships with your neighbours and have a friendly, quiet word if any problems arise (if you feel comfortable and safe doing so). If this is unsuccessful, other official agencies are generally better placed to deal with these issues. For more information, you may wish to consult: www.gov.uk/browse/housing/noise-neighbours

Be a Good Neighbour Living in an apartment block will inevitably mean you will be in close proximity to your neighbours. In sharing the communal space it is important to be aware of how your actions could impact on others. A little bit of consideration makes for a better living environment and helps build a community. Below are some common issues to avoid:

• Don’t store belongings in the communal areas or meter cupboards, these are a fire risk, reduce/block access and clutter the communal space
• Dispose of your household waste correctly, do not dump large items of waste and use the recycling facilities to reduce capacity issues
• Help maintain security, always close the communal doors behind you and don’t let strangers into the building
• Only ever park in your designated space, never block someone else in or park in the circulation areas restricting access
• Be sensitive and reduce the noise you create and note the restrictions within your lease, sound travels particularly at night
• Check your lease and obtain consent before getting a pet. Often animals are not allowed within leasehold properties – if they are there si an EXTRA rental amount payable.

Before you move out, there are lots of things to do! To make sure you get your deposit back.

Here’s a quick checklist:

• Allow lots of time to clear everything out
• Get large, bulky items disposed of – some councils need up to a month’s notice
• Put furniture back in its original place.
• Thoroughly clean the property back to its condition when you moved in E.g. windows / skirting boards / blinds / soft furnishings / defrost the freezer / clean the cooker / redecorate back to original colours unless the landlord has given you permission to leave it.
• Tidy gardens, remove garden waste.
• Repair damage you’ve caused or replace items that cannot be made good
• Be careful not to cause damage when removing your property
• Clean the flooring. keep receipt of any carpet cleaner rental. we can tell if a carpet has been hoovered and or wet cleaned as per your contract. You can equally hire a professional it’s your choice.
• Be there when the check out / inventory is being done if you can. Itemise everything and its state and condition. Take photos where possible. Sign and date the inventory and send it to the landlord or agent.
• Keep receipts for cleaning and any items that you have had replaced
• If you have marked the walls the best thing to do is paint the whole wall. Patch painting is classed as damage and the whole wall will be charged to repair at approx. £50 per wall.
• If you have sued screws and marked the wall, you must fill, sand and repair the whole wall. patch painting is not considered acceptable.
• Unblock the sinks and drains. Don’t forget to do the washing machine drawer and filters these are your responsibility too. Unblocking drains is expensive if charged.
• If the deposit is not returned or if you feel deductions are unfair, contact the administrator of your tenancy deposit scheme.

Our biggest issues that tenant argue about:

• Its cleaner than when I moved in. Often on checking photos frankly it isn’t. Plus everyone has different standards of cleaning it why an inventory is used.
• Not had time to clean the cooker. It wont clean. Yet it will there are many products on the market that cheaply and easily clean shelves / racks and the base.
• Staining to grout – its your job to keep it clean, all tenants are given a sheet on mould and condensation help. Please read it. Do not get caught out not maintaining the property to have it deducted form your deposit.