Intervals between inspections can vary but most commonly the are every three or six months. It gives landlords and agents a chance to check whether any repairs or maintenance are required. It is also an opportunity to confirm the tenant is complying with their tenancy agreement.
This is where the current condition of the property and its contents is compared against the inventory. We would suggest that the tenant attends if possible.
Generally, check in is the handover of the property at the beginning of a tenancy when the inventory is agreed. We also like to run through health and safety matters and instruction manuals for appliances.
An inventory is a document that schedules the condition of a property and its contents at the time of inspection. It may include photographs and / or video. This helps protect the tenant from being charged for damage that was present before their tenancy commenced. It also helps the landlord prove that damage was caused after the tenancy commenced. It is useful as it protects both parties.
We encourage our landlords not to take holding deposits because we suggest that landlords continue to market the property until a tenancy agreement is signed.
This is a deposit taken by some landlords and letting agents before they take the property off the market while they do the various tenant checks. Again linked to the Tenant Fees Act 2019, the deposit cannot be more than one weeks rent. It is refunded when you take the tenancy or if the landlord for some reason fails to offer a tenancy. It is not refunded if you decide not to proceed.
How much deposit a landlord can charge is restricted by the Tenant Fees Act 2019. If the annual rent is under £50,000 then the maximum tenancy deposit is equal to 5 weeks’ rent. If the annual rent is over £50,000 this is increased to 6 weeks’ rent. However landlords can charge less than this if they wish. Insurance schemes are available which sometime means no deposit is necessary.
Before June 1 st 2019 landlords and agents were able to charge fees for many different aspects of their business. This meant that often tenants were paying large amounts of money just to move in and out of a property. The Tenant Fees Act 2019 greatly restricts what fees can be charged for, and how much those fees can be.
Yes, we are similar to high street letting agents, but we are more competitive because we don’t have high street offices.